~ Kriss Darcy ~
For a while, all was quiet.
Jamie sat in stony silence on the couch, a blanket thrown across her lap; Sophie had left for a moment to grab her one, offering Jamie the extra bit of comfort, but there'd been no response from her when Sophie had carefully lain the blanket down and seated herself next to her. I sat on Jamie's other side, unsure of what to do. Did I offer my own comfort? Apologize for basically killing Mr. Abrams? Stay quiet? Mourn with her?
Jase, it seemed, had gotten it into his head that I required comfort. He was practically cemented to my side, refusing to leave me, and had even drawn me towards him immediately upon sitting down next to me. I didn't move away, silently enjoying the temporary feeling of safety I got when close to him. Sophie had raised her brows at the action, but said nothing.
I needed the reassurance that I wasn't alone in this anymore.
I needed the confirmation that I was safe.
As if reading my thoughts, he pulled me closer. I was nestled tightly against his side. If he did this a few more times, I'd probably end up on his lap... but I got the feeling that he wasn't really against that idea.
At that moment, Julie came back into the room - she had left for a moment to grab food.
"I have some granola bars," she said quietly, her usual upbeat tone completely diminished. With everything that's happened lately, I suppose it's only natural. "If anybody's hungry," she looked around at us expectantly.
"If I eat something," Jase said. "It will not be staying in my stomach for long."
"Thank you, Jase, for that lovely visual," I said, feeling a bit queasy myself. A side effect of stress, I imagine.
"I'll... I'll just leave them here, then," Julie set the granola bars down on the coffee table before settling herself next to Sophie. "Does anybody want anything?"
Sophie patted her leg. "We're fine, Julie. Just relax."
"I can't relax. Stephanie's fallen apart even more and is probably isn't going to be working for a few more days, which means she starts sobbing whenever I enter our room and keeps me up for half the night, which means I don't sleep, and I know it sounds like I'm complaining and being selfish but I'm already exhausted from the masquerade preparations. Corbin was slacking off all day - due to grief, no doubt, he's known Mr. Abrams for a long time - which means I had to prepare all of the food by myself, and there's still so much left to do and so little time to do it - "
" - And you're spiraling and need a break," Sophie cut her off. "You're not expected to do everything, Jules, you're only seventeen."
"Did you just call me Jules?" Julie looked at my cousin with surprise.
"You're only seventeen?" Jase peered curiously over at her.
Both Julie and Sophie ignored him. "Alie used to call me that," Julie said, her eyes fogging over.
"I'm sorry - "
"Don't apologize," Julie cut her off. "It's endearing."
Sophie blushed furiously, making eye contact with me. I gave her a weak smile, which she returned.
The door opened again, this time revealing Weston, holding a tiny bundle in his arms.
"What," Jase looked up curiously. "Is that?"
His older brother spared him a look. "It's a cat, Jase. Surely you've seen one before."
"But it's so small."
Weston didn't respond, crouching down in front of Jamie.
"Lapin," he said, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
Slowly, she looked up from the wall she was burning holes into with her vacant stare. "Fancy-Pants," she mumbled.
"I have your creature," carefully, he placed the kitten in Jamie's lap. Immediately, Bunny curled up, matching the energy in the room. Jamie placed a hand on her, absently stroking her soft kitten fluff. "You named her Bunny, right?"
Her head jerked in what I assumed was a nod. "Because of her big ears," she paused. "Thank you."
Weston shuffled awkwardly, aware of the audience he had. "You're welcome."
I half-expected him to move away from her, but he stayed where he was - actually, he maneuvered out of his crouch, adjusting his position and sitting on the floor next to her feet. I exchanged a look with Jase. They're kind of cute.
He raised an eyebrow. Jamie and Weston?
Come on, admit it. They're adorable together.
He shrugged. I suppose if you're a fan of constant bickering and fleeting moments of awkward affection.
I rolled my eyes. Buzzkill.
He pressed a kiss on the top of my head in response.
"Kriss."
I glanced up sharply at the sound of Jamie's voice - it's been a few hours or so since she spoke directly to me. Those few words she said to Weston were the first time she opened her mouth in two hours.
"I talked to Cordelia... she said you got a note," her tone was flat, uninterested. A day ago, she would have been talking at a mile a minute, trying endlessly to show her interest and curiosity.
You did this to her. You couldn't heed a warning. You were selfish, and now you're not the only one paying the price.
I must have tensed, because Jase's hand practically dove towards mine. His finger pressed reassuringly into my palm. "Yes," I forced my voice to keep steady and calm.
"Was it from the Ghost? Cordelia said you went kind of pale, then ran off..." she shrugged.
Cordelia said that? When did she see me leave to go confront Ash? Though, to be fair, those few minutes between reading the note and entering my bedroom was a foggy blur of confusion, dread, and anger.
"I think so," I chose my words carefully. "But I don't know why it would have written to me."
Liar.
"What - what did it say? The note, I mean."
I froze, my mind racing, as I recalled the contents of Ash's message.
I warned you there would be consequences for defying me. Now, you must live with them.
Only Jase knew what the note had said, and it had been painfully difficult to tell him. My thoughts had been muddled by blind panic at the time, mixed with the desperate need to tell somebody something, to relieve myself of the secret I've been carting around for a week.
What if he'd thought me selfish, and left? Did he think that I'd made the wrong decision in ignoring Ash's warning? Did he blame me for the two recent deaths? Does he think I'm a terrible person?
If so, he's a fantastic actor.
Jamie, on the other hand, wears her emotions like a massive pimple stuck in the middle of her forehead - blatantly obvious and impossible to ignore. She wouldn't hide her thoughts just to spare my feelings.
No, Jamie believes in brutal honesty. She'll blame me for Mr. Abrams' death, and she'll let me know it, too.
It's not like I could tell her about Ash, anyways, without putting her in danger.
"I don't really remember," I said, in response to her question. "It was all such a blur...""
"Oh," Jamie's gaze shifted back over to Bunny. "I see."
To the untrained ear, her voice sounded empty, unconcerned. But I picked up on something else in her tone, some subtle emotion that lurked beneath the surface, unviewable, but you could sense its presence nonetheless.
I desperately wanted to do something. Anything. I wanted to erase the vacant look on Jamie's face, the grief on Sophie and Julie's, the concern on Weston's. I wanted to take back everything, make different choices...
But it's too late now.
"Kriss," Jase murmured in my ear. "Stop."
I faced him, frowning. "Stop what?"
"Overthinking. Blaming yourself. You did what you thought was right," his voice was low, so quiet I had no doubt that I was the only one who could hear him.
"But it was the wrong choice. Mr. Abrams died because of me."
"From what I know, Mr. Abrams had already been threatened. He would have died either way."
"And what about Alie? She never would have been abducted if I hadn't - "
"Hadn't what?" Jase's tone was final, signifying that there would be no more discussion of this. "It's not your fault, Kriss, why can't you see that? He's crazy, obsessed, and has been driven mad by a decade of loneliness. It is not your fault that he fixated all of his attention on you. It is not your fault that he decided murder was the best way to vent his frustrations," his voice was growing higher and higher as he spoke - his last few words were audible to everybody.
"Who decided that murder was a good way to vent frustrations?" asked Megan, who had impeccable timing, as usual, and decided that now was a good time to enter the room. "Kriss, we talked about this - why are you wearing my clothes?"
I glanced down at the NYU hoodie and sweatpants I'd stolen from her room. "Because mine got wet."
Megan looked like she wanted to ask questions, but then she processed that I was currently snuggled up with Jase, and I'm pretty sure she filled in the blanks. "I was looking for you, you know."
"I'm well aware. Jamie told me."
She cast a glance at Jamie, who was absent-mindedly petting Bunny and petting Weston simultaneously. "And how are you, Jamie?"
Jamie grunted.
"Fair enough," Megan paused. "I spoke to my mother earlier, by the way. She said we're burying Mr. Abrams early tomorrow, and having a memorial for Alie - she was buried immediately after she was found, Julie," she added, halting Julie's comment. "Anyways, Mother and Mrs. Darcy expect us to be up and ready to go by seven, and she expects us to be done around eight. Then we're spending the day doing masquerade preparations."
"They're still doing the masquerade?" Weston glanced up sharply, incredulous. "Even though there have been two murders this week?"
"I know, it's ridiculous," Megan agreed. "And I made my opinion on the matter very clear. But Mother just said that it's too late to cancel, and it might help to raise morale. She said to think of it as an after-party," she used air quotations, rolling her eyes.
"What time is Carl coming?" Sophie asked. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."
"No, you're not," I interjected. "You just want to see if he really looks like a horse, or if he's just been using a filter when he FaceTimes Megan. I can assure you, he looked very horse-like in person."
"He does not," Megan protested. "And he'll be here in the afternoon, I think."
Ugh, please no.
I do not like Carl, and I don't particularly know why. All in all, he seems like a perfectly nice guy. But there just something about him that sets me on edge...
"Anyways," my best friend continued. "I was sent in here to order you all to go to bed and get some much-needed sleep."
I immediately tensed. Jase felt the action immediately and mirrored it.
"I was told to send you all to your rooms, because for whatever reason, Mother has deemed me to be the most threatening and commanding presence in this house," she shrugged. "She's not wrong, of course, but I'm not one to throw around my power."
No no no no no no...
I can't go to my room. I just can't. I already know that Ash will be there, waiting for me. He heard me talk to Jase up on the roof. He heard my plan to run away with him tomorrow night. I know he won't let that happen, not if he can do something about it...
"I'm not going to my room," I said, feeling the familiar chill of terror start roiling in my stomach. "I can't sleep in there, I can't even step foot in there. I can't, I won't do it..."
Jase pressure on my hand increased even further. "I know, Kriss, I know. I'll stay with you..."
"I'm not going into my room," I insisted. "He'll be there..."
"Then we'll go to my room. He can't reach us there."
I shook my head. "He's a ghost, Jase. He can reach us anywhere. And we're no match for him, not in the dark, not alone..."
Megan cleared her throat. "I'm confused," she said. "Am I missing something?"
I glanced up at her. "I received a note from the Ghost after Mr. Abrams died," I chose my words with extreme care. "And now I think that I might be his next victim."
Jamie's head jerked up. "What?"
"Why didn't you say anything?" Sophie exclaimed.
Megan narrowed her eyes. "Kriss, what did the note say?"
"That doesn't matter," I brushed the question away. "But I know when I'm being threatened. I'm leaving tomorrow, after the masquerade, with Jase."
"And until then, I'm not leaving your side," Jase added. "Well, except for when privacy warrants it, but you get the idea."
A thoughtful look crossed over Megan's face. I knew that look. She was planning something.
"I," she said slowly. "Don't really want to be alone tonight, either. And unlike all of you, I don't have a significant other to cuddle with."
Jamie blinked. "I'm single!" she said. "I'm very single!"
"Right, and I suppose the cat's the only thing you've been petting since I came in here?"
Hastily, Jamie moved her hand away from Weston's head. He shifted awkwardly in response.
"Fine," Megan glanced at me. "Kriss, you shall not be left alone, between now and the masquerade, you will always be in the presence of at least one of us. The more people you're around, the better, so tonight, we're all going to sleep in my room."
"All of us?" Weston looked like he didn't find this idea very intriguing.
"No boys allowed," Megan said. "That'll just make it awkward."
Jase frowned, standing up. I made a noise of protest, and he flashed me a look of amusement, before glaring at Megan. "I'm not leaving Kriss."
"No. Boys. Allowed," Megan repeated, accentuating each word like she was teaching him a new language.
My boyfriend - was he my boyfriend? - stood his ground, folding his arms and steadily staring at my best friend. "I refuse to leave Kriss? You think the Ghost won't go after me if I'm caught alone? I'm the one taking her away from here."
"He has a point," I said, trying to keep how desperately I wanted - needed - Jase with me out of my tone.
"What's the matter, Kriss?" Megan clucked. "You don't want to cuddle with me?"
"I'll cuddle with you," Jamie offered, seemingly over her silent spell. "Cuddling helps to calm you down and it releases stress, you know, and since today has been pretty stressful, what with all the death and stuff, I think we could all just get a cuddle buddy and cuddle tonight! Or we can just all cuddle together in a big group, which might be really fun, and we can tell stories and sing nursery rhymes and - "
"I," Weston stood up. "Am leaving before I'm roped into this. Jase, have fun."
"Oh, I will," he shot back as his brother left the room without so much as a goodbye. Jamie, probably subconsciously, watched him leave, the vacant look returning to her eyes.
"Yay," Sophie said, leaning back against the couch and closing her eyes. "Awkward sleepover."
It took us no time at all to gather up a collection of sleeping bags and lay them out across the floor of Megan's room. Julie had brought only four sleeping bags - when Sophie asked her why, the cook had muttered something about Stephanie and had left shortly after.
Sophie had been right - it was a bit awkward having Jase here. He dragged his sleeping bag next to mine, and when Megan raised an eyebrow, amused, I averted my gaze, suddenly fascinated by the floor.
Hmmm, yes. The floor is made out of floor. How intriguing.
"Right," Megan said, once we were situated. "Ground rules. Well, ground rule. You two - " she fixated her eyes on both Jase and I. "No making out. I don't want to hear that."
Jase spluttered. My face flamed - and not in a fun way.
"And now," Megan continued. "I shall get into my pajamas. As should you two," she directed her evil stare toward Jamie and Sophie this time. "You're sleeping on the floor. You might as well be comfortable."
Precisely two minutes later, Megan had disappeared into her bathroom, with Jamie and Sophie leaving to grab their own clothing, leaving Jase and I alone.
I stood awkwardly for a moment, wringing my hands together. "So... goodnight, then," I moved to get into my sleeping bag.
"Wait," Jase's hand shot out, catching at my wrist. "We should probably - " he broke off, staring at my collar bone. With the hand not encircling my wrist, he reached out and grabbed at the necklace hanging around my neck. "This necklace..." he thumbed it carefully, examining it. "You said a friend gave it to you."
I gave him a meaningful stare. "He was a friend, at the time," I sighed. "I forgot I was wearing it, to be honest."
"Why haven't you taken it off?" his brilliant green gaze met mine. "You once told me that a red rose is the classic I love you flower. But clearly, whatever love he feels for you is corrupted."
I sighed. "It feels wrong to take it off, somehow, like there will be even more consequences. I thought it was beautiful, you know, the first time I saw it. I still think it is. But now, it seems more like a shackle, tying me to him. A reminder that even though he's not here, I'm not completely free from him," I shrugged. "I'll take it off when we leave."
Jase frowned, but dropped the necklace. The cold of the metal bit against my skin. "Are we really going to leave?"
I blinked. Was that doubt I heard in his voice? "Yes. There's nothing left for me here. The only reason I haven't left already is because I promised Mother I'd stay for the masquerade. And, despite everything, I figured I owed her at least this much. Why, are you having second thoughts?"
He pulled me close to him. "Actually, I was wondering if you were having second thoughts."
A quiet stream of laughter escaped me. "I'm certain, Jase. I want to do this. I'm ready to let go of my past..."
His lips brushed against my jaw. I sucked in a breath.
"...and explore the future," I managed to finish my sentence, the words escaping me in a breath of air, as his mouth moved closer and closer to my lips...
"What did I say about making out?"
The moment passed, and we broke apart at the sound of Megan's shrill voice. She emerged from the bathroom, infuriated, like she couldn't believe we had the audacity to break her one and only rule.
"Honestly, Kriss, you spend a week avoiding this man, and now it's like you're addicted to his presence," she shook her head. "Do I need to get you a chaperone?"
As it turns out, we had a grand total of three chaperones tonight, when Jamie and Sophie returned, Jamie announcing that she'd left Bunny in her bedroom.
I slid into my sleeping bag, joining Jase on the floor. Just before Megan flipped off the light switch, he leaned close to me, pressing a sweet, lingering kiss on my cheek.
"I love you, Kriss," he murmured.
"I know," I whispered back, a smile teasing across my lips. I was suddenly all-too-aware of the distance stretching between us, and, like he was reading my thoughts, Jase stretched an arm across the vast chasm, entwining his fingers like mine.
He held on.
He did not let go. It was a silent promise, telling me that he was here with me, even when he wasn't.
The lights winked out, plunging the room into darkness, shadows stretching across every inch of the room. And, for the first time in a long while, I wasn't afraid of what could be lurking in the dark.
Awwww... aren't they just adorable?
Anyways, I seem to be running out of things to say during these author notes. Only six chapter left!!! I'm so excited for the finale!!!!
Different perspective next chapter... one from a character that you all love dearly. =)
Don't forget to vote and comment!
Love you all!
~ Evie