Mon,
I'm sorry. Sometimes it's just easier to speak my mind through these letters. You can be scary in confrontation, I'm not going to lie. And yeah, I held you back. All I needed was you. Shit, Monica, we could have gone to college together. But you left me. You left me for them, and you knew the choice you were making.
I still love you, I really do. But it hurt. It still hurts.
Miss you,
Chlo
William and I exited the car simultaneously, him with the bag thrown over his shoulder and me on the lookout as we crossed the road.
Now that we were out in the open, clad in dark clothes and about to breach the back gate, it felt as if we could catch anyone's attention. We needed to be fast and efficient.
"The fence?" William murmured, his lips barely moving as he spoke beneath his breath.
"Yes," I said, watching as a car pulled up a hundred or so yards away. My breathing hitched. "No, wait, backup plan. We don't have time to pick locks – we'll go to the other side of the house where we're a hidden and jump it."
William, who appeared just as anxious as I was, followed my instruction. Time seemed to move at a million miles an hour, each second thumping by loudly in my head, corresponding with each frantic beat of my heart. Each second exposed increased the probability of something going wrong.
The fence was tall, much taller now that we were right up against it. I looked to William, who looked to me. Time was ticking.
"Here," he said after half a second. He crouched over, holding out his hands. "I'll hoist you up and follow."
I sized up the fence. There was no way I was tall enough to pull myself up, but he probably was, with his height combined with the muscle he had over me.
Following his instruction, I placed my foot in his hand, and on a silent count of three I jumped upwards, hitting the metal of the fence with a loud bang. I couldn't help the panic that stuck me, and it took all my concentration not to slip. With my breath hitched I caught my balance, and after one more look at William, I slid over to the other side.
I didn't anticipate that there would be a dog.
The fluffy shi tzu didn't bark, instead it merely tilted its head curiously before running towards me. I was about to panic and run before I realized its intention was only to lick me. Pathetic.
"I'm tossing the bag over," Will said seconds before the duffel bag came tumbling.
"Okay," I said, stopping it just in time from hitting the dirt below. "Um, just warning you, there's a dog."
William fell to the ground with a grunt, and again with enough noise to make me cringe. The dog, who was barely the size of a large cat, had been scratching at my leg. But now his adorable attention was on William.
"Not much of a guard dog," he noted.
"Shh," I said, looking around at where the top of the building met the gutter. "There might be cameras."
The garden was small, barely large enough for a patch of lawn and a clothesline, as I'd seen from satellite imagery. There were some outdoor pieces of furniture that looked like they'd seen better days, and an assortment of cigarette butts and beer bottles in a pile by the back door.
I couldn't spot any surveillance systems, but I didn't want to take the risk. Not wanting to let anything slip, I checked again.
"I can't see any," William said after a moment, confirming my thoughts. "Come on, we have to move."
I nodded in agreement before unzipping the bag and removing a pair of black gloves. I didn't have any for him with me, or any in general that would fit his broad palms, but I handed him the black material I'd intended to hide my face instead.
"We should have put these on before we jumped the fence," I said with a frustrated sigh. Stupid. I moved to the back window I'd mapped out on the floor plan. It was the lowest to the ground and was also unlikely to come with heavy security, being at the back of the house.
"Prints won't stay for long," he reasoned. "It will probably rain in the next few hours. And we could always leave a front window ajar so they think we got in through there instead."
I nodded, convincing myself that his argument was reassuring. I ran my fingers along the window frame.
"As long as the dog doesn't tell anyone," he snorted, gesturing to the dog which was now sitting at his feet.
Ignoring him, my mind far from joking, I found the latch that pulled the mesh screen away from the window and pulled at it. I let out a sigh of relief when it gave way and slid off, expecting more of a struggle.
I looked to William, whose eyes were fixed on me with a look I couldn't quite comprehend. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head with a grin that was much too casual considering the situation we were in. Even though he was clearly tired, I couldn't deny he still looked captivating. "It's just you handle this so professionally, as if you've been breaking into houses your whole life."
"Who says I haven't?" I challenged, pulling the window across the pane with triumph. I grinned. "And guess who keeps their windows unlocked?"
We'd gotten lucky when it came to getting in. But, even with the glass pulled to the side, the gap wasn't comfortable enough to easily get through. It would be a squeeze, especially for William.
I slipped through first, sitting on the sill for half a second to assess the interior. It was a laundry, which was obvious from the pile of clothing scattered over the tiles beside a washer and dryer. My feet hit the floor soundlessly and I turned to Will. "We're good."
After handing me the bag, William stuck one leg through the opening and hoisted himself up. I took his hand when I realized he wouldn't be able to balance while swinging his other leg over, and it was warm in my grip, even through the gloves.
But, there was no time for my thoughts to linger, not when my paranoia had shifted from the neighbors seeing us to someone somehow left in the house seeing us. I did my best to push the building anxiety away. I couldn't let my worries turn to weaknesses.
"We have to work out which bedroom is his," I said as I prepared myself to open the laundry door. "We need to work as fast as possible – we'll split up and search."
He nodded, his expression wary. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Hard drives. Cameras. Computer storage. Maybe even computers themselves," I listed. "We just need to work out which room is his, first."
Will nodded curtly, and with that I took a deep breath and opened the door, revealing a darkened hallway. It was quiet, almost too quiet. The sound of our breathing seemed to echo throughout the rooms, bringing a chill to my spine.
"You go to the end, I'll go to this room here," I said, nodding to the doorway closest to us. "Meet in the middle if we need."
I didn't hesitate to barge into my allocated room. It was dark, the curtains drawn to the front end of the house. I decided to keep them that way, dumping the bag of supplies to the floor and taking out two flashlights.
"Will?" I called, my whisper barely loud enough to carry towards him.
"Yeah?" he called back hesitantly. I met him in the hallway to hand him a torch.
"Don't turn on any lights, and make sure you keep your hands covered," I reminded him.
I stood back in the threshold of the room, scanning for some way to begin. From the light of the torch, I could see that there were no decorations that could have immediately indicated the owner, save for a poster of a car hung across the wall. I went to the top drawer of the bedside table, figuring that that was usually the most personal.
Inside were a few watches, a dozen or so condom wrappers – some unnervingly open and some not – and receipts. I picked something small and plastic up. It was an expired bank card, something someone definitely shouldn't keep around. Especially the person named on the card, who was unfortunately not who I was looking for.
I gazed around the room once more for any contradicting traces that could tell me my assumption was wrong. But, I couldn't waste time if I thought it wasn't him. After returning the bank card to where I'd found it, I backed into the hallway.
I wanted to call out to Will again, but I was paranoid that someone could be listening, so I went straight to the next room instead. Much like the previous one, it was dark and untidy. This time though, I instantly knew it was Mike's. In one corner of the room was a stack of camera equipment, a few different sized tripods leant against the wall as well as a few boxes spilling with random straps, cords, and lenses.
This bed was also unmade, but on the wall were photographs rather than posters. I examined them. They seemed to be pictures of parties; dance floors which were strewn with movement and people grinning wildly.
"Will, this is his."
William came in seconds later despite my words coming out barely louder than a whisper. He was likely as acutely aware of sound as I was right now. "Good, I was just about to start on that guy's underwear drawer."
I cringed, before walking towards the camera gear. "I'll start here, you start by the chest of drawers?"
He obeyed, walking over and kneeling by the space I'd gestured. I didn't waste any time, pulling the boxes from their stack and flipping through the contents.
I didn't understand any of what I was seeing, but it looked to be more recording equipment than removable computer storage. I wondered if he just kept it all on his laptop – wherever that could be. I didn't want to resort to stealing anything as huge as a computer, but if we got to the point that it was our last option, then we'd have to.
Just as I was considering boxing up anything that looked suspicious and taking it with us, William spoke, his voice in disbelief.
"Chloe, look."
He was kneeling in front of a drawer he'd just pulled out, its contents a jumble of thick plastic devices and wires. I dropped the box that had been on my lap and stumbled over to him, my legs weak, probably from the lack of food and sleep I'd suffered, piled onto the stress of what we were doing.
I grabbed the first one I saw. They were all different sizes and brands, but the one in my hand was a terabyte large. I flipped it over, my gloved hands landing on a set of grooves at the base. I shone the light over it. It was a year engraved into the case. 2013 part one.
"They have dates," I said. "Or at least periods of time."
"This one has one too," he confirmed. "Twenty-twelve."
I scrambled to find the next one, my heart thudding as I read the date. "Two-thousand-and-fifteen." Last year.
Will looked at me, this time hesitation in his eyes. "Chlo. I'm not doubting you or anything, I swear, but are you sure... are you sure you really want to see that?"
I swallowed, turning it over in my hands. It might not even have anything useful. He might have hidden every piece of Monica from it, just like level one had done with their lives.
"Yes," I said. "I need it. I need all of them, take as many years as you can."
We loaded them into the duffel bag, even the ones engraved with family holiday summer 2014 and Christmas 2011. He could have hidden anything.
I sensed a guy like Mike wouldn't destroy anything as valuable as the demise of Monica Pennington. It had to be in there somewhere.
"I can't believe we actually found this," Will said as I zipped up the bag, the last of the hard drives loaded inside.
"Let's hope our luck doesn't run out," I muttered, casting a glance around the room. There was nothing else valuable, at least in the sense I needed it to be. If what I thought was on the drives was correct, then I had everything I needed.
Mike was stupid to leave himself so vulnerable. I should have left a thank you note.
"Let's go."
Our trip out went as smoothly as our trip in. We left the rooms as we'd seen them and fastened the screen back across the window. The dog whined as we passed through the gate at the other end of the house, locking it behind us.
I peeled off the gloves as we crossed the road. By now, the elementary school had started and parents dropping off children had long departed the streets. We slipped into the car and drove off as fast as possible.
And then, my body decided to dump all of its adrenaline. We'd done it. And now I was desperate to unlock whatever secrets the files could reveal.
"Can we go back to my house?" I asked. "I can't go to school yet – I need to find out what's on these."
"You could be searching for hours, Chlo," he pointed out as he pulled up at a light. He was flushed, his cheeks visibly warm, and I figured he was just as relieved as I was that things had gone smoothly. "Don't you have a test?"
"No," I said, dismissing him. I didn't want to be snappy, but I was growing tired and desperate. "Just take me back to mine."
Will did as I said, pulling up on my street after minutes of silence and turning off the car. "I'll help."
I frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Well, unlike you, I don't actually need to be at school," he reminded me.
The house was still empty, which was good, considering I hadn't even thought through whether my parents would be home or not. I went straight up to my room, William quick at my heels. I'd been filled with a new energy, a new purpose. Even with the planning I'd put into this morning, I still couldn't truly comprehend that we actually came out of it successful.
I tossed the bag to the floor and pulled my laptop off of the desk and onto my bed. Will, who seemed just as out of it, perched beside me on the duvet. "Want me to grab twenty-fifteen?"
I nodded, typing in the several passwords I had protecting the computer. He plugged in the hard drive seconds later, and I waited for the desktop to launch.
Will's eyes met mine in anticipation, their green striking with the light filtering through the curtains. The joy in my chest only grew with the small smile that formed on his lips.
And then a dialogue box popped up. Enter device password.
"Shit," Will said, but I waved him off.
"I expected that," I said, sighing and opening up another program I'd coded. "But you're right, shit. This could take days."
"Days?" he clarified.
"At least hours," I said through my teeth, running a hand through my hair. "I have a program that can run random passwords, but it's not excellent. It's going to take a while to crack the right combination. And then this is only one hard drive – he could have a different one for each."
He looked half in awe and half disappointed. Maybe, like me, he was hoping we'd have something to show for our efforts. "Well, you could leave it running while you go to—"
The rest of his sentence was cut off by the distinct sound of the front door opening.
"Fuck," I hissed. In one slow second, I managed to do multiple things at once. With one hand, I shut the laptop and forced it – and the hard drive – under a hoard of cushions. With the other, I grabbed the duffel bag and Will's arm before lunging into my closet.
Our breaths were coming fast as I heard footsteps below the stairs. My mom was home. I didn't even realize she would have gone out to collect groceries. But it was a Wednesday. I should have known.
"My mom's home," I whispered, looking away. If I looked directly at him our noses would touch. There wasn't much room between the designer labels.
I was experiencing déjà vu, flashing back to when I was trapped in William's locker. Only instead of his lacrosse gear pressed against me, it was him.
"Let me guess, she can't know you're skipping school?" he asked, his breath landing on the top of my hair.
I ran a hand behind my ear, pushing the hair out of the way. "Obviously."
I could hear her downstairs, humming to herself among the rustling of shopping bags. It was lucky William was driving a different car, or the model on the street would have definitely caught her attention.
I let out a frustrated groan. "We might never get past her."
"So we better get comfy?" he joked, shifting his weight slightly, only managing to come even closer.
"I'm trying to think."
But I couldn't think. He was all around me and my heart was still pumping from the morning's endeavors. My mind was still giddy, high on success and the idea of having everything I needed in the bag by my feet.
He was too. I could tell by the rate of his heart against my chest. God, why did I have to choose the closet? Why not, I don't know, out of the window and into the bushes? Or under the bed? Somewhere I could think clearly – about more than his lips being just above mine.
"Are you glad I showed this morning?" he asked, his voice a murmur in an effort not to be heard.
"I think it was a stupid decision on your behalf," I said quietly. "But yes, I don't... I'm really glad you were there to help."
"Or you just couldn't have done it without me," he teased.
God, now was not the time to flirt. Not with everything going on, or the cycle of anxiety to recklessness revolving in my mind.
He was so close, and my chest was still soaring with the euphoria of completing our mission. I felt impulsive. I felt thankful for him, and I felt an attraction I was always so quick to deny. In that moment, I felt a whole new wave of appreciation for William Bishop.
But, even so, it still surprised me when my uncontrolled fingers laced through his hair. Then the next thing I felt were his lips hard against mine.
AN: yeah, I don't know what to say either. What do you think - is reckless Chloe thinking clearly?
Hope you're enjoying the story 💕