Blinded by Perfection

28- The Living Shadow

Chapter 28 | The Living Shadow

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This time, they have no excuses.

"WHAT THE FUDGE!" I yell in surprise, hands flying to my mouth. I hit my head on the frame above me in my surprise, but I wince the pain away.

As soon as the first syllables exit my mouth, Carolynn lowers herself flat onto her feet with inhumane speed, wiggling out of his enclosing embrace. Her amber eyes look away from mine in her shyness, and she lets her strawberry blond hair fall limply over her wandering eyes.

Axel on the other hand practically jumps a mile, his face contorted in an ironic mixture of confusion and understanding.

"Kirsten, why were you watching us?" He groans, lips turned down in disappointment as he turns to look at me with moody emerald eyes.

"Believe me, it wasn't my choice!" I tell him exasperatedly, crawling out of my hiding spot so I won't have to painfully crane my neck to see them. I'm glad I'm out of the tight space. My nose was beginning to run in reaction to all of the dust bunnies hidden in the crooks and crannies of the floor.

As I begin to stand, multiple footsteps echo from different areas of the house, summoned by my sudden holler. Axel and Carolynn exchange a single look and with an unspoken yet mutual understanding and take a step away from each other.

Noah's the first to appear at the doorway. "What is it?" He demands forcefully, muscular body hollow with anticipation. The others make their appearance a few seconds after, all clustering behind Noah's demeaning posture.

"I saw. . ." I start slowly, finger drumming on my thigh as I think of what to say. I'm not going to rat Carolynn and Axel out. It's their business if they wanted to tell everyone else what just happened. In all truth, I'm not even sure they know themselves what had just went down.

"A spider! It was a big one too. Oh ya, huge," I fib, shaping my expression into horror as I pretend to recount the memory.

I wait for Noah's reaction. If my exquisite acting fools someone like him, the ruse is sure to fool the others too.

Noah's hardy grey eyes slide between the three of us suspiciously, but he lets his stature relax.

"Then where is it?" pipes up Sam.

Gosh dangit, I was almost in the clear.

"I squashed it. With my foot." My sky blue eyes travel over to Axel for some reasssurance, who's eyes rest on the floor. "Right, Axel?"

His head jerks up as if I had shaken him out of his thoughts and back down to earth. In fact, that's probably exactly what happened.

"What?" He asks cluelessly, conflicted eyes clearing as he shakes his head roughly like a wet dog.

"The spider," I say through a gritted smile.

"Oh, yeah. What she said," he says again after a moment, shifting his gaze from me to our mini crowd.

Such a convincing young man. Excuse me while I roll my eyes. He makes me seem like a Dylan O'Brien of acting.