Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Twelve

OMFG I should have taken it down before when I had the chance. Lame.

"That hotel," he says, apparently unphased by the poster. "The Rose Inn. We stayed there a month ago, for the WISH concert."

He turns to face me, his expression serious.

"Did you see it?" He asks.

I nod, remembering the hollowed-out husk of the building drowning beneath the forest's onslaught.

"The same thing happened to my bike," I say. "And Mi- I mean, a gravestone. It's as if the rules of time are bending, or disappearing or something... like... things are going into the past... or the future... god, I don't know."

"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it," he says. "Buildings don't just turn to dust like that. Not in a month, anyway. "

"Something's going on," I say, inching closer to him over the bed. "All this stuff has been happening to me. I'm sure it's connected to a fairytale my grandmother told me when I was a kid. About this girl by the sea and –"

Five princes.

THE FIVE ARE GATHERED. STRIKE THE DARK HEART.

Bea's words in the forest echo through my mind.

I still don't know enough. I shouldn't be talking with Felix like this right now. Until I know who I can trust and who I can't, it's not a good idea for me to reveal what my suspicions are. I need to figure out which side he's on, and the other boys too. Hell, I don't even know if there are even sides to begin with.

Besides that, the memory of Felix tearing my towel off in the bathroom flashes into my mind, along with the feeling of his lips against my skin. He hasn't once acknowledged what happened, except for when he tried to inspect my neck earlier. Why hasn't he asked me about how quickly it healed? Is he hiding something?

I can't take the chance. Not until I know more.

"I'm feeling a lot better now," I say, leaning against the bed's headboard. "Thanks for bringing me home. I think I should sleep some more."

"Ok," Felix says, flopping down on the bed again. "Go ahead. And when you're done with your power nap, you can finish telling me your theory about how a rapidly deteriorated hotel is connected to some fairytale. Sounds riveting." He puts his hand behind his head, getting comfortable from the looks of it.

"I mean... I should sleep some more... alone," I say, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. His hair is like dark halo of shadow against the white pillow. I fight a sudden urge to reach out and touch it, run my fingers over the smooth planes of his perfect face. How would he react if I did that?

I can't afford to find out. I have stick to my plan.

"I'll come back to the cabin tomorrow," I say. "I just need to do a few things here this evening and-"

"Sure, whatever," Felix says, standing up. "I'll see myself out. And don't come into the forest alone tomorrow. I'm coming to get you."

"Sure," I say, avoiding his eyes. I think he's staring at me, but I keep my gaze downcast. When I look up again, he's walking out my bedroom door. I hear footsteps on the stairs, and a few seconds later, the front door slams shut.

Operation Figure This Shit Out is go.

*****

An hour later, I'm sitting on my bed with my laptop and plate of microwave mini pizzas. Despite doing several searches for the Silver Circle, all I can find on it is scraps, snippets of useless or conflicting information.