Word Count: 1515
~Brielle
This is a bad idea.
I'm not sure why these girls think they are going to get away with this. Naturally, Mabel found out only moments after we decided to leave, and joined along too. So it was myself, Mabel, Lila and two other girls whose names I don't remember that snuck from the servants sleeping quarters and into the hallways that leads all throughout Ren's estate.
Lila stops us once we were out, managing to not get caught past the first threshold. "Okay, where are we going to first?"
Folding my arms uncomfortably, I don't add in my say. As much as I want to turn around to avoid seeking trouble, I won't be able to sleep knowing they are wandering around Ren's estate. At least if we get caught, I can come up with an excuse.
"Wasn't this your idea?" one girl asks.
She's skeptical like I am, but came with us to avoid being left behind. Esme, I believe her name is. Lila glares at her, her expression suddenly so sinister under the dim lamps that light the hallway. They flicker across her face, casting dark shadows under her eyes. I doubt any of us are as serious about this as she is.
"You know what, fine," Lila says, "We'll go with my idea. I saw a locked door all the way at the other side of the estate. It's not on any maps, and I know for a fact Mabel knows how to unlock doors with hair pins."
Everyone glances at Mabel, who shakes her head, uneffected. I wouldn't put it past Mabel to pull something off like that. She seems like the type of girl to get in trouble often.
I decide I better put a stop to this. "If it's locked, it's locked for a reason."
Once again, Lila dismisses me, pretending like I didn't say anything. I was hoping me coming along would stop them from doing anything too crazy, like getting into a room which is clearly private for Alpha Ren's viewing only, however, it doesn't seem as though any of them want to listen to me.
"It's typical of Ren's personal assistant to try stop this," Lila says sourly, not even looking at me but at Esme and Mabel. "She's scared we are going to find something incriminating."
No one says anything. Including me. Instead, I follow behind them as they walk down the hallway, not worried that there might be consequences. Even as they walk, I continue to try convince them this is a bad idea, and we will lose out jobs if we are caught, but all they replied with was that I could return back to the room if I was so afraid.
I considered it.
It might not be my dream job, but I'm earning money here I won't earn anywhere else, and I can't lose it. And working for Ren has been...nice. As much as I struggle to trust that there isn't a dark secret surrounding him, he's a decent boss.
Lila was right about where the door was. Right at the end of the estate on what I assume is the bottom floor. Right above us is Ren's personal quarters, which Mabel had no trouble mentioning to us all. Her obsession with getting close to Ren hasn't died down with time, and I have a feeling she's here with us now for that exact reason.
"What's the bet this is Ren's sex dungeon or something," Mabel giggles as we come to stand in front of the door.
It's a solid, metal door. Eerie.
Lila grins. "Guess we will find out. I somehow doubt it since he doesn't have a mate, and we never see anyone visiting this island. Unless whoever it is is locked up at the bottom of this dungeon."
"Whatever it is, it's none of our business," I add.
Once again, I'm ignored, as Mabel steps up, pulling a pin out of her fiery red locks. I stand back, in case the moment the open the door someone is behind it, ready to reprimand all of us. With adept precision, Mabel only takes a few moments to unlocked the door, the click ringing out loudly down the hallway.
Lila looks around, the grin on her face full of curiosity and excitement. She's waiting for someone else to initiate this. To walk straight in first so they would be the first ones to deal with the consequences beyond this door.
"Go on," Mabel prompts.
Finally, Lila turns and pushes the door open, but doesn't immediately walk in. Beyond, is a stairway going down into a pit of darkness we can't see through. Esme takes a shuddering step backward, unnerved by the darkness, while Mabel steps forward curiously, clearly not worried about what might beyond.
"It's not too late to turn back," I remind them, hoping the would heed my advice and we would all head back to the sleeping quarters to forget all about this.
Lila shakes her head, straightening her shoulders in a false sense of confidence. "No, we go in and we see what's inside. No one is going to find us, it's late at night and everyone is asleep."
Not wanting to look bad in front of the group, everyone followed as Lila makes the first move down the stairs.
I hesitate, looking around me. No one else aside from us are around, and being the servants area, there are no cameras to record our activity. Plus, who knows what they are going to find down there, and right now, I'm the only one who has any sense in their mind right now.
Sighing through my nose, I follow.
The darkness swallows us all as we step down the first few steps, the door closing behind. I feel for the wall as we make our way down, trying not to slip on the smooth concrete steps.
When my foot passed the last step, my fingers brushed against something on the wall. A light switch, that when I flick on, blinds everyone in the room. When my eyes finally adjust, I realise we are standing in someone's living area, however, no one occupies it at this moment, jumping up Lila's confidence by a mile.
"Well, what do we have here?" Lila says, walking around a small amount, refusing to go any further from the group without investigating first.
Someone has definitely lived in here. We stand in a small living area furnished lavishly considering how deep it is nestled under the initial estate. I'm wondering who lives down here, considering how nice it looks - furnished with a chaise lounge, plush rugs under our feet, and around the corner, I assume there's a bedroom.
"We should go," I say quickly, backing a few steps. "This clearly belongs to someone and we shouldn't pry. Let's just get out of here."
Lila's shaking her head, wandering around. "No, we need to figure out what this is."
Standing back against the wall, I refuse to move anywhere, watching instead. Lila and Mabel are the most confident, lifting things up and looking behind rather dark abstract painting that mean nothing at first glance. Whoever this belongs to, it's not someone I'm familiar with. And from their furnishings, they don't seem like the...happiest person.
"Do you think this is Ren's?" Esme asks, touching things gently, looking around curiously. Mabel looks up from where she is approaching a side table. It makes me nervous seeing her get close to someone else's private stuff. Who knows what she might find.
Mabel shakes her head. "No way. He wouldn't own creepy stuff like this."
It bothers me only slightly that Mabel is pretending she knows what Ren's taste is like. That she is pretending to know him at all. However, I don't let it rise to the surface. From what I know about Ren, she is probably right. This stuff doesn't remind me him at all.
Lila picks up a strange piece of paper from another stand at the other end of the room. Paper in one hand, a leather bound diary in the other.
The paper has black markings all over is, swirling into odd patterns none of us can make sense of. The way a shiver is sent down my entire body, I have a feeling this is dark and sinister, and none of us want to find the truth about it. It even has Lila so shaken, she puts the diary down, not bothering to flick through the pages right now.
"Okay, weird-"
Just as we were all about to discuss what it might be, and what it could mean, the door to basement suddenly open, and each and every one of us freezes, unsure of what to do.
Mabel's eyes widen. "Hide."
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Want more of Ren!? On the site Radish, Ren is considerably ahead, so go check it out (:
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I've also just posted the second novel in the Immortal series (in no way in correlation to book one which is Fate
It's Time!
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Instagram: Sophie_Midika
~Midika 💜🐼