Chapter Sixteen: Away
April, 12th 7:34pm, St Lucia, West Indies
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"Stop," Alice giggled softly, turning her head towards Magnus as he kissed her neck. "Your parents are gonna see," she murmured, feeling her eyes wanting to close as her body warmed even more from his touch. They had arrived in St Lucia a couple of hours before, having touched down in the small airport only to be greeted by two large black SUV's to take them to the hillside resort they were staying in. The heat was thick and humid, but it had cooled once the sun had set.
Alice felt like she was in a dream, a golden hazy, warm dream filled with champagne and luxury. She'd never experienced anything like it, and in the short time she'd been around the Johnson family and all of their riches, she'd been blown away more than once by how beautiful they made life look when you had an almost unlimited bank account balance. They'd taken over a large stone white villa on the hillside, with its own large private pool and a breathtaking view that looked out over the ocean.
The two were currently on the balcony of the room they'd chosen to share at the top of the villa, with its large king size bed with soft white sheets and four posts two hold up the mosquito net. "They won't see," Magnus murmured, having cornered Alice only moments ago when she'd borrowed his phone to take pictures of the view to text to herself.
He smoothed his hands over her hips, feeling the material of the cream, long slip dress she'd changed into for dinner plans with his parents. She smelt sweet like the perfume he'd grown to associate with her and he breathed in deeply before gently kissing her neck again. He'd been wanting to kiss her again since the football game, but between then and now she'd been occupied with socialising with his parents and being annoyed with him.
Alice inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to fight the pleasurable tingling moving from where Magnus's lips touched her neck all throughout her body. He had her gently pinned against the wall of the balcony, and two floors downs his parents were sat out by the pool to look out over the view as they had their pre-dinner drinks.
Magnus pulled back from Alice's neck, his subtly affectionate gaze moving over her face before he leant in to kiss her... They were stood close together, their bodies touching as Magnus's palms caressed up from Alice's hips to her waist and her own palms held his neck. Their lips moved together carefully, her bottom lip tenderly placed between his as they kissed. Warmth spread through both their bodies, and it only took seconds before they took over... causing Magnus to grasp at Alice's body to pull her closer and her own arms to wrap around his neck. A pleasurable sensation of urgency took over, and the intensity of their kiss doubled as Alice released a soft moan at the feeling. Magnus groaned in response, pushing his body into her and slid his hands down her body to grasp at her upper thigh and lift it against his hip.
Their heads tilted in opposite directions as Alice grasped at his hair, excitement taking over her as a warm breeze moved over them, the sound of the ocean and crickets chirping fading into simple background noise as her senses turned their attention to Magnus. She moaned again, feeling her heart thudding inside her chest as their lips moved together in such a synchronised way that it was obvious they'd had enough practice...
But Alice knew that if she didn't stop their encounter she'd end up pinned underneath him and miss the dinner with his parents that she was genuinely looking forward to. She pulled her head back a little, and lowered her hands to his chest, the signal enough to cause Magnus to pull back to look at her. "What?" He asked, seeing her pink cheeks and her slightly wet lips.
"I'm hungry," she murmured, giving him a small smile and then laughing softly.
"Oh," he replied, annoyed that a sense of relief washed over him at her reason not being because he was somehow in trouble. "Then lets go." He continued, still watching her closely as she tucked some hair behind her ear and leant away from the half wall and walked him to head back into the room to get her sandals. He did up the rest of the olive green linen shirt he was wearing and followed, smoothing his hand now through his hair to neaten it so it didn't look like Alice had just been tugging at it.
Once downstairs Alice and Magnus steppes out onto the outdoor area, the stone tiles that covered almost every outdoor area a warm, but faded shade of red. "Darlings!" Julia beamed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her son and his girlfriend unintentionally matching since her dress and his shorts were the same shade of cream. "What do you feel like, sea food? Thai? Sushi? Burgers? Pizza, maybe?"
"I don't mind," Alice replied softly as they joined Magnus's parents at the large ten seater glass table just as Hans poured them both a glass of chilled white wine. "Thank you." She smiled, glancing over at Magnus as he watched her for a moment then looked over at his parents.
"Pizza," he replied before taking a sip of the wine and licking his lips. He glanced at Alice again, seeing her looking out towards the illuminated pool and sighing softly.
"Pizza? You can have pizza at home, we're on vacation darling." Julia scolded, causing Hans to chuckle quietly.
"You can have sushi at home, too." Magnus replied in a calm voice, causing Julia to sigh loudly.
"What about sea food?" Alice suggested, "I haven't really eaten it much before, so." She added as both Magnus and Julia looked at her. She smiled, glancing at Magnus then at his mother who was now smiling happily.
"Sea food it is then," Julia smiled, her own honey toned blonde hair neatly pinned up with a large clip, dressed in simple white loose pants and a satin pale pink blouse. They finished their drinks, and walked down to the main area of the resort in pairs, following the signs to the restaurant of their choice by the beach. Alice couldn't stop the small smile from playing on her lips as she glanced down at her hand linked with Magnus's. He'd taken her hand again without making a moment of it, and she liked how she could feel his fingertips brushing against her knuckles... she wondered if this was a thing they did now, or if he was just adding to the romance to sweeten her up.
She admired the aesthetics of the resort as they walked the short distance to the main area of it all, with its white villas and warm red roads, lit up with short street lamps that matched the half walls that lined the road and the steps leading down to the main area where the shops and restaurants were. A golf buggy filled with guests passed them, and Alice smiled politely as they chirped happy greetings at the four of them.
Magnus let Alice walk down the steps first that lead to the tastefully lit pool area. The sound of the water lapping up against the edges adding to the ambience as they approached the restaurant that was next to the private beach, hidden away inside a cove so the water was always calm.
They were lead to a table for four on the balcony looking over the ocean, the smell of the salty water wafted towards Alice's nose as she smiled a little more to herself as they all settled down and gave their drinks orders. "We'll have a bottle of your best champagne and Sauvignon Blanc, Thank you." Julia smiles decisively, not even needing to look at the wine list as it was offered to her.
"Of course." The waiter murmured politely, turning away to retrieve the drinks as Alice glanced around her more. The restaurant was quiet, with couples dotted around the place... she assumed it was off peak season since there didn't seem to be many people around.
"We are so glad you could join us on this little break, Allie," Julia began, brining Alice's attention back to the table. She was sat opposite her, and smiled happily at the welcoming atmosphere.
"Thank you for letting me join you." She replied, glancing at Magnus who was already watching her with a calm expression.
"You're going to make so many fun memories, I just know it." Julia beamed, glancing between her son and his girlfriend with bright, happy eyes. She was excited that Magnus was making an effort with Alice, for she was worried the last time they spoke about her that she'd never see her again. But here she was, out of the blue, and she could just see in the way that Magnus looked at her that the feelings were settling down so that they could hold their own during a fight. It was obvious, at least to her, the impact Alice was having on him and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face when she thought about the outcome of it all.
The champagne and wine arrived in an ice bucket, and conversation between the four of them flowed easily. Music played softly from the speakers inside the restaurant, adding to the relaxed aura of the resort as a whole whilst the sounds of the ocean and the breeze in the palm trees mixed in to the background noise. A collection of food was ordered for the table and a happy energy radiated from the table for all to see as plates were passed around and more wine was poured... "So tell us how you two met, Magnus never told us the story," Hans said, sipping wine as he leant back in his chair, most of the food across the table almost gone now.
Alice glanced over at Magnus who had just placed food in his mouth so she decided to take the reigns. "Um, well we met at a gathering of one of our friends first," she began, tucking some hair back behind her ear just as the wind decided to try and free it. "He was really gentlemanly and offered to drive me home, um, I don't think you really liked me then," she laughed softly glancing over at Magnus as he released a quiet chuckle as he chewed his food. The reality of the memory was quite different, but neither of them were about to be honest. "I had a massive crush on him and was really over excited that he spoke to me so I kind of put my foot in my mouth a few times,"
"Oh my god," Julia gasped softly, hiding her mouth with her hand as she beamed behind it. Alice wasn't sure if it was the wine or how welcoming his parents were which caused her to be so open, but she liked talking with them. She hadn't really been able to talk about their relationship without thinking someone was going to pass judgement because of who he was.
"I didn't like you then, you were really annoying, actually." Magnus spoke up, causing Alice to smile more because of his gentle tone. "But you grew on me," he added, sighing as if he was reluctant to the idea but it only made Alice laugh, her big smile causing Julia to coo at them even more.
"But nothing really happened between us until New Years," Alice explained, continuing the story as Magnus watched the profile of her face whilst she looked at his parents.
"Oh, that's when we met you for the first time- remember, Hans?" Julia replied, touching her husband's arm as she remembered seeing Alice for the first time looking extremely hungover and a little guilty, she'd seen the way Magnus had looked up at her, but also how fast he'd looked away and his slightly hostile behaviour. She gasped quietly as she assumed what had happened. "So who was that other boy?" She suddenly asked causing a minute shift in Magnus's expression.
"Noah, he's the sheriff's son." Alice replied carefully, reaching for her wine so that she could take a long but subtle sip whilst Magnus sat quietly and began to turn his knife in his hand.
"... Did something happen?" Hans asked, noticing Magnus's behaviour quickly.
"No, nothing happened. It was just a pretty confusing time for... us." Alice replied, licking her lips and pushing the urge to take another long sip of wine again away. She wasn't sure if Magnus had been confused, but she know she had been... caught between feeling bad about not really liking Noah as much as he liked her and feeling over excited about kissing Magnus for the first time.
"They were dating and I kissed her before he could." Magnus said suddenly, and Alice's eyes widened as she looked at him. Julia's eyebrows raised and Hans released a short laugh in surprise as his son's openness and the obvious jealousy in his tone. "And he had the nerve to try and tell me to back off, as if she was even interested in him in the first place." Magnus continued, his tone snappy but quiet.
"Magnus," Alice gasped quietly, looking at him with a shocked and annoyed expression.
"What?" He asked, the sharp same tone still stuck to his words.
"We weren't dating. I was just started to get to know him because he approached me in that way, like why would you..." she trailed off purposefully and gave him a pointed look as if to ask why he would just blurt that out in front of his parents.
"I'm just making it clear, Alice. And you know he wouldn't of even approached you if I hadn't of told him... to." Magnus spoke before he thought about what he was saying and trailed off mid sentence suddenly, wanting to curse out loud as Alice stared at him in silence.
"Told him to what, ask me out?" Alice asked, her voice calm but now a few octaves lower. Magnus sighed heavily, knowing he was the one putting his foot in his mouth now. He didn't reply audibly because he didn't need to, since the look on Alice's face told him she'd already guessed right. "Wow." She whispered, looking away from him and nodding a little. Embarrassment crept up her throat in the form of a flush as his parents looked over at her with unreadable expression. She chewed on the inside of her bottom lip for a few seconds before deciding she wanted to leave the table. "Thank you for dinner." She murmured, pushing her chair back quietly before leaving.
"Alice-" Magnus began, trying to stop her by reaching for her arm but she snatched it away without looking at him and walked off, her quick steps showing that she wanted to get away as fast as she could.
There was only a moments silence amongst the Johnsons before Magnus stood up to go after her, but was stopped. "Sit down." Julia said quietly, her voice low and clear. "Now." She added after a few seconds. Magnus glanced between his parents and lowered himself back down and into his seat, seeing the look of thunder on his mother's face, knowing that if Alice had been there to see, she probably would've figured out where he had got it from. "Is she a game to you, Magnus?" Julia asked, the friendly, light hearted voice she used most of the time gone.
"No. It was a long time ago when shit was different." Magnus murmured defensively,
"But she found out today, didn't she? And you humiliate her by telling her in front of us... especially after everything she's been through because of the media back home dragging her name through the dirt, which was probably your doing as well, I'm assuming." Julia replied accusingly whilst staring at Magnus intently. He said nothing and inhaled deeply, holding the eye contact only for a few more seconds before looking down since he sometimes forgot how well his parents knew him. "For god's sake, Magnus... It is a miracle she is still speaking to..." she trailed off suddenly, a realisation seeping into her mind as Magnus sat quietly, avoiding eye contact. "... Does she know?" Julia asked, her question could've applied to anything but instantly Magnus knew what she meant.
"She-"
"Yes or no, Magnus." Hans snapped quietly, his gaze so intense that anyone else would've shrunk several sizes.
"Yes." Magnus replied bluntly,
"Jesus Christ," Julia sighed, leaning back in her chair and reaching for her glass of wine as she looked away. Hans shook his head, reaching up to rub his forehead in fear a headache would start.
"She's known the whole time." Magnus continued, causing his parents to look back at him slowly... subtle lines of shock now etched into their expression. "She doesn't care."
"Of course she cares," Hans muttered, confused at how relaxed Magnus looked. "How could you think she-"
"You don't know her like I do, she does not care." Magnus replied, his voice low and sharp now as he sat up a little straighter. "She's different." he added a little quieter. Julia stayed quiet, glancing away from her son and out towards the view of the ocean, its black water illuminated by the moon as it washed carefully up onto the beach below the restaurant.
"It would explain the tolerance." Julia murmured, "Since she knows exactly what he's capable of, everything else would seem minor." she continued, looking at her husband directly as he looked back. "I knew there was something about her." Julia murmured, feeling pleased with herself that her subtle intuition never failed. she had seen in Alice's eyes, even though they had been bright and her expression had been polite, the whispers of darkness were there. And now it only seemed to confirm it... what sane minded soul would be content with dating someone like her son whilst knowing the full story... Julia smiled as reached up to elegantly move some of her honey toned hair away from her eyes and looked back towards Magnus, finding herself liking Alice even more. In her eyes, she was now perfect. "You will get up from this table and do whatever it takes to keep her happy and by your side, do you understand?" Julia said, her tone smooth but strong too.
"Yep." Magnus muttered, irritated that he was being ordered to do something he was already going to do.
"Excuse me?" Julia asked, her pointed stare causing one waiter who was about to approach the table to reconsider.
"Yes Ma'am." Magnus corrected, bouncing his leg under the table moments before Julia waved him away. He got up, and stalked off... brushing past the waiter who was waiting to replace the wine bottle that was now empty for the second time. Julia sighed heavily once Magnus was out of ear shot, murmuring a thank you to the waiter who replaced the wine bottle and vanished fairly quickly.
"May I ask... what your fascination with Alice Murphy is about?" Hans asked, pouring his wife another glass of wine. Julia stayed quiet for a moment, looking over at the place where Alice had been sitting before...
"She just reminds me of someone." Julia murmured, her blue eyes moving their gaze from her wine glass to her husband before she smiled a smile filled with secrets...
~
... Alice had now reached the half way point between the restaurant and the villa, making a plan to sit by the pool discreetly until someone would come back to let her in. She walked quickly, wanting to hide away and shake off the initial feeling of embarrassment as she thought about the look on Julia and Hans' faces before she saw them again. Her mind whirred with multiple thoughts at once whilst she wondered if she should have even left the table or just laughed it off, but the thought of brushing it off when it had so obviously affected her seemed to make the feeling of embarrassment worse. "Alice," A familiar voice called from behind her, a little distance away.
"Go away, Magnus." She replied loud enough for him to hear, feeling a mixture of frustration and annoyance after coming to understand that he had been involved in her personal life from much earlier than she previously expected. However she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she was more irritated about the topic or how he'd blurred it out in front of his parents like that.
"Alice," He said again, catching up to her quickly with his long strides. "Can you stop walking so we can talk?" he added as she walked ahead of him on the red road leading to their white villa on the hill. She sighed angrily and stopped, turning around just as Magnus got close to her. Her hair wafted to one side as the breeze swept up the hill, and she had a look on her face that let Magnus know instantly that he was back in the dog house.
"What would you like to talk about, Magnus? Hm?" Alice asked, her voice calm but the way she spoke just made it sound like she was tired of talking to him already. "The fact you humiliated me in front of your parents or the fact you ordered one of your cronies to date me to, what, have him feed back to you on what I was doing?" she asked, her voice quick and snappy. "God, why does everyone love to fuck around with me?" She asked, looking away from him as she shrugged her arms then let them fall against her sides heavily. "I'm so sick of it." she snapped, raising her voice slightly.
"I know-"
"I really don't think you do, Magnus." Alice sneered angrily, feeling her temper rising as she turned back to look at him, staring intently into his eyes for a few moments... before turning away and walking again, running her hand through her hair whilst Magnus inhaled deeply again and walked after her, keeping his distance until they reached the villa, so that she didn't snap at him in the street. He had a spare key in his pocket, and opened the main door for her as she stood quietly to one side with her arms folded... her quiet anger making him wonder if she would speak to him this evening at all now.
She walked inside, turning some of the lights on before she walked into the kitchen area and retrieved a bottle of chilled water from the fridge, maybe subconsciously thinking the coldness of it would soothe her temper. The ground floor of the villa was an open plan kitchen, dining and living area, with white walls and polished white tiles, long plush white couches and glass coffee tables. There was a bar, stocked with drinks for cocktails, a long white wooden dining room table with a fresh bouquet of local flowers in the middle. It smelt clean and fresh, and was much cooler inside since the air conditioning was on, filling the beautifully decorated space with a quiet hum.
Magnus watched as Alice walked past him again, avoiding eye contact and making her way to the tiled white steps that would take her upstairs and to the room they agreed to share. "Alice-"
"I don't want to talk right now, Mags. Sorry." She murmured quickly, disappearing up the stairs with a little jog. He knew if he left it for too long she'd end up not wanting to talk to him at all, so he followed her up the stairs even though he was starting to feel like a pest.
"If you don't want to talk, then can you just listen instead?" He asked calmly as Alice sipped her water and sighed under her breath. She continued to the bedroom across the wide hallway and stayed quiet as her sandals made soft tapping noises against the tiled floor. "I sent him to get to know you because I felt like he was the type of person you'd open up to. I wanted to know if you were going to do anything with the information you got from Veronica's phone." he explained as he followed Alice into the bedroom and carefully closed the door behind him, just incase his parents had decided to follow them back to the villa too. "I thought that if you were with someone in my group I could keep an eye on you."
"Jesus..." Alice muttered, annoyed with herself for a moment that she'd almost forgotten that whole slice of their interactions. "You know, you could've just talked to me." She continued in a quiet, almost defeated voice.
"No, I couldn't have, you know that." Magnus muttered, reaching up to push his hair out of his face.
"Yes you could have, Magnus. When I found Veronica's body, did you see me running and screaming to the police? Or to anyone? Do you really think someone who wanted to out you would hide the body for you? You had no reason to be like that with me. I know I was a stranger to you but I wasn't a threat. I did you a favour at the end of the day and you still hold it against me as if I deliberately ruined something for you." Alice scoffed, holding the eye contact as Magnus kept a blank look on his face and refrained from raising an eyebrow. "I could have run to the police at any time." Alice continued, folding her arms as she felt the time for the much needed conversation arise. It had been almost exactly a month since they'd agreed to try a committed relationship, and it was time for that conversation.
"I could've killed you at any time." Magnus replied, his tone low and verging on a warming.
"You don't think I know that?" Alice asked, stepping towards him. He glanced down at her feet then back to her eyes. "... You don't think it crossed my mind every time we were alone? You had so many opportunities, Magnus. But you didn't take any of them." She said in a careful voice as if she was coaxing some wild animal to calm down. "You wanna know why?" She whispered, stepping even closer so they were just half a meter apart and she was looking up intently into his eyes. "I don't think you ever wanted to hurt me."
"I threw you in a fucking hole." Magnus replied, scoffing under his breath as Alice kept her confident expression.
"You had a gun, you could've shot me." Alice replied, and Magnus clenched and unclenched his jaw knowing she had a point. "You wanted to... leave me to the elements, right? But I think you wanted me to figure a way out. You wanted me to prove to you that I wasn't just a normal person, so you could reason with yourself as to why you didn't just kill me. That's why you gave me the gun instead of just killing me with it."
Alice waited for a response but Magnus stayed silent, now watching her and holding eye contact with a steady gaze. His expression gave nothing away, but Alice was learning how to read his silences like a book. She smiled a little, now taking the scrunchie off her wrist to begin twisting her hair up into a high bun. "The car journey we shared the first time we spoke," she continued in more of a normal voice, "You knew my phone wasn't working and yet you let me lie to you and say that it was."
"It wasn't the right time." Magnus murmured.
"You could've made it look like an accident, I know you know how. Uber ride gone wrong. Pretty blonde girl gets kidnapped by a creep. Big shocker. Or maybe I got drunk and wandered off in the woods, fell down a ditch and smacked my head... That's why you asked me that question, right? The one about if I usually stayed out late?" Alice asked and Magnus raised an eyebrow as her precise memory. "And now Noah." She continued, causing Magnus to narrow his eyes but she didn't see. She had turned away and bent down to unzip her suitcase, pulling her toiletry bag from its interior so she could start cleansing her face.
"What about him?" Magnus asked, keeping his voice level.
Alice didn't reply immediately, since she was retrieving some facial wipes from her medium sized pink toiletry bag. The crinkling of the packet filled the brief silence as she pulled a wipe from inside and began wiping one across her skin... "You said you wanted to keep tabs on me by using him," she began, "But you barely let him have a few weeks with me before you shoved him out of the picture."
Magnus reached up to scratch the back of his head as he released a short but quiet laugh. "The second he made a genuine effort to get close to me, you stick your tongue down my throat." Alice continued as she rubbed her forehead with the cleansing wipe. "Which is interesting... isn't it?"
Magnus's rolled his eyes and shook his head, feeling the urge to disagree aggressively but Alice raised her finger as if to stop him before he'd even begun. "It really fucks you off that I could have genuinely dated him, doesn't it?"
"But you wouldn't have," He replied, evidently growing irritated now. "It was obvious you were interested in me."
"Yeah, how?" Alice asked, throwing her cleaning wipe in the trash before placing her hands on her hips, her skin now dewy from the moisture.
"You blushed every time I spoke to you. If you think I didn't notice your body language every time we interacted, I did." Magnus snapped in a low voice, sounding defensive as Alice raised her eyebrows.
"Why do you sound so pissed off now?" She asked, her tone suggesting she was getting annoyed.
"Why do you think I'm pissed off now?" Magnus snapped, raising his voice slightly. "What do you want me to say about all this shit? You seem to have it all fucking figured out."
"Oh for God's sake, just be honest with me, Magnus!" Alice stressed, losing her temper as Magnus felt his slip from his grasp too.
"Maybe I was fucking jealous!" He shot back as the tension built... "You liked me, you didn't like him. So I didn't why the fuck should he get the attention that was meant for me." He snapped, causing Alice to subtly raise her eyebrows in surprise. "Fuck sake." He spat a little quieter as he felt his heart racing and turned away from Alice and ran his hand through his hair whilst she watched him quietly. He forced himself to calm down quickly, but could still feel the bubbling of his temper underneath the surface..."I couldn't do shit to you. I wanted to... And I could have. But every time I had an opportunity, I ignored it. I made excuses for you like... like... I don't fucking know. It was infuriating." Magnus muttered quickly, turning around to look at Alice again. "And I already know that in comparison to normal people a lot of shit I did to you would've fucked with any sane person's head, but I think we both know where you would've tripped up if you were normal, Alice so don't act like any of this shit really affected you."
Alice stayed quiet as they held eye contact, exhaling softly as her temper quietened itself at the realisation of what Magnus was confessing, whether he knew it or not. The connection she felt they'd had hadn't been an elaborate hoax because of her crush on him... maybe it was because this, all of this, was new to him, and he hadn't known how to process any of it... he'd been angry and acted out instead, since he wasn't aware of what having a crush on, or even genuinely liking someone felt like. It showed up in all kinds of twisted ways... making excuses for them, making excuses for yourself to see them whenever you could... irrational behaviour... jealousy... and it was no secret that Magnus hated Harvey, who she assumed was keeping his distance because of that fact. She never suspected jealousy, but now she wondered if it was going to be a reoccurring theme.
Their situation had been unique, dark and very twisted... so it wasn't surprising neither her or Magnus had thought that they should've talked it out over coffee instead of being hostile for a while. And he was right... If Alice had been entirely sane or normal they both knew how the story would've gone.
"I guess Veronica got it on the nose then." Alice murmured after a few moments of quietness. "Maybe I am like you."
"Maybe." Magnus replied in a low voice, folding his arms and exhaling heavily. "Or maybe she just wanted me to destroy you like I did everything else." He continued,
"Why? I didn't even know her." Alice murmured, "We never spoke, we never interacted. Getting that invitation was..." she trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows as her intuition began to whisper theories into her ear. "Unless she never was the one who sent it to me." Alice murmured, "All this time I've been wondering why, out of all the people in school, she chose me to involve in all of this. If I had never gone to that party-"
"You think Juniper sent it?"
"Why Juniper?" Alice asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I don't know, she seems to be the amateur mastermind behind a lot of shit recently." Magnus muttered, moving to sit on the edge of the bed and continued to watch Alice as her mind ticked away. He glanced away from her... as if to subconsciously look at the topic of their minor fight that evening drifting away into the distance and wondered if he should bring it up again... but he felt his subconscious quietly cover his mouth and turn his head back to look at Alice as she paced slowly.
"No I don't think it could be Juniper, she seemed way too surprised and pissed off that I was involved." Alice mumbled, "But I feel like whoever wanted me involved with you, knew I would be... I don't know, your type? If you have a type."
"I have a type now." Magnus mumbled under his breath but Alice didn't hear.
"But think about it. It was so random, so whoever sent me that invite must have known one, what you were actually like and two what I was like in order for us to be a good match... OR-" Alice suddenly said loudly, "They assumed I would fall in line like the others did or just... end up dead."
Magnus wasn't sure if he could see where Alice was going with all of this... but she seemed set on figuring something out. He sat quietly, seeing her thoughts speeding across her eyes as she stared at a space on the floor. "Wait," Alice gasped suddenly, raising her hands as if the thought had popped right out of her mind for her to catch. There were several things that didn't make sense about the whole beginning of how this all happened, and so far they kept slipping away from being figured out because of all the other things going on in both Alice and Magnus's lives... but it seemed as if now it had gotten to the point where it would be inevitable that it would all come to light. "There were two journals, the one that the police showed me and then the one I have at home. So did she have two journals or was one put there for the police to find so that they didn't get the real one?"
"Didn't Harvey give you the real one?" Magnus asked, the sound of his name igniting that flash of irritation for a moment.
"Yeah, but... well he left it for me to find purposefully, he didn't stand in front of me and give it to me... And even then, pages were missing and it was mainly Veronica whining about how much she liked you and how mean you were to her." Alice sighed, walking over to sit next to Magnus on the end of the bed also.
"So he left it for you to find, he wanted you to read about me, my group, Veronica's feelings... but censored it?" Magnus asked, and Alice nodded. "That doesn't make any sense." he muttered under his breath... now feeling that dark sensation wash over him, which only usually happened when his subconscious would start to focus the void on someone suspicious. "How did you meet this guy again?"
"At a fun fair, you know the one they have in the park every summer?" Alice asked and Magnus nodded, he'd only been twice, and that was usually when he was bored and wanted to mess with the rides so they'd break. "He approached me when I was with Candice and Olive at the cotton candy machine." She added, shrugging her shoulders as the momentary flashback washed across her mind... It seemed like such a long time ago, but she could still smell the sweetness of the sugar in the air, and could hear the chiming of the rides in the background mixing in with the echoes of delighted screaming and laughter... She remembered hearing his voice for the first time, the low excuse me and the surprised look on Candice and Olive's faces that caused her to turn around just after taking a bite of the sugary cloud...
Magnus wanted to ask why she was suddenly quiet... He wanted to know more about their relationship, but was reluctant to hear it come from her lips. But he knew if he went behind her back she'd find out. "And then what?" He asked, feeling the pinching in his chest already as Alice inhaled deeply.
"We talked, hung out." She shrugged, but her voice was quiet.
"For how long?" Magnus asked, looking intently at the profile of her face. Alice pursed her lips and stretched her legs out in front of her, hesitating for only a second but Magnus was impatient. "Be specific." He clarified and Alice glanced over at him with subtle surprise.
"Remember you asked me to be specific, okay?" She said, and Magnus continued to stare in silence. "We talked mainly online for like... June... July... maybe three months? Then we hung out once a week, on the weekends, up until October in 2017. He would pick me up and we'd have picnics up at the national park, but nothing happened, we'd just talk. I don't know if we were dating, we never labelled it, but it was after last Christmas that we upped the once a week to three times a week-"
"And then?" Magnus asked, feeling the tensing in his chest increase. He hadn't realised they had spent so much time together, and it only infuriated him that she had been so young at the time... which meant she had no experience to go on and was probably impressionable... He had probably been her first for nearly everything.
"He asked me out just after New Year, and we dated up until... mid October." Alice said carefully,
"Of last year? As in six months ago?" Magnus asked, and his tone made Alice feel a little flattered, she liked the fact that he was jealous, because it meant he cared in a way. But he had nothing to be jealous of, since Alice felt she probably spent most of her relationship with Harvey being manipulated.
"You asked me to be specific." She replied, shrugging a little and stood up. "Then the whole thing happened. Someone told him how old I was after my first time with him and he dipped." she continued, feeling the echoes of pain as she remembered how much it hurt at the time... she pushed the feeling down and looked into Magnus's eyes again, feeling the pain replace itself with warmth.
"I didn't realise you dated him for that long." Magnus murmured,
"Mm." Alice hummed, assuming what he was thinking. "I don't think it was as serious as my dramatic feelings made it out to be at the time. I was crushing on you hard for a long time so I must not have been that into him." She added to help make him feel better, considering it was true. She wondered for a long time after her and Harvey had broken up if her feelings had been real or if she was projecting what she was feeling for Magnus onto Harvey... but she had come to the conclusion, after evaluating what she had cried over the most, and it was how she was made a fool out of... The fact he hadn't respected her enough to give her an explanation, and that someone had gone behind her back to tell him her age, too. The feeling of loss didn't last long, since she was quickly presented with the opportunity to move on and forget about him.
"Good." Magnus muttered, and Alice smiled softly as the room settled down into a silence. They'd been talking for a while now, and Alice sighed as she thought about what the result of this conversation was... they'd established indirectly that Magnus had seen her as less of a threat and more of something else than she'd expected and that their feelings for each other had been mutual in their own twisted way. Alice wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it all, but knew that she felt like... their relationship was slightly more stable now that she knew more. He hadn't just liked her out of nowhere, it had been building up gradually like she had hoped it had in the past.
She had gotten over the momentary embarrassment of what Magnus had said in front of his parents... but still wanted an apology. "So," Magnus said after a few moments of quietness, standing up also as he realised a decision had to be made.
"So," Alice replied, watching him step over to her so they were face to face again. "To conclude," she added whilst motioning for him to continue as she smirked, since it sounded like she was finishing an essay.
"I'm a possessive asshole and have been from the start, I'll work on it, but you're mine and I want it to stay like that." Magnus said bluntly, looking into Alice's eyes intently without blinking so that she knew he was one hundred percent serious. She smiled more, glancing from his eyes to his lips than back.
"And?"
"I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of my parents. I won't do it again." Magnus added in a lower voice and Alice's smile widened more. "They like you a lot." he continued, remembering how protective his mother got over Alice's feelings.
"Really?" Alice smiled, feeling a lightness in her chest and the embarrassment she'd previously felt dissipate... Magnus chuckled briefly and nodded, glancing at her lips whilst licking his own as he felt the calm energy settle between them... they watched each other for a few moments in a peaceful quietness until Alice spoke again, "So do you have something to ask me?" She asked softly, amusement twinkling her eyes as she continued looking confidently into his. Magnus nodded, all his attention focussed on her as she inhaled deeply, excited to hear him say it as her chest to rose and fell... causing his gaze dropping down to her breasts briefly.
"... Will you be my girlfriend?" Magnus asked, his voice low and calm... the smooth velvety sound of it sending tingles down Alice's spine. A warm energy buzzed between them and Alice bit her bottom lip as she smiled, feeling the warmth of affection and desire spread throughout her body.
"Mmm, yes." Alice whispered, her voice verging on a moan... the sound causing a wave of pleasurable feelings to move throughout Magnus's body. The relaxed look on his face and the intense way he was looking at her made Alice a little weak at the knees, but nevertheless she edged closer to him and leant up on her tip toes to brush her lips against his, cupping his jaw with one hand whist the other placed itself on his shoulder.
Magnus groaned quietly, leaning into her and pressing their lips together firmly only seconds after they'd come into physical contact. Almost immediately their mouths began to mould and move together, connecting and separating with soft smacks and igniting pleasurable tingles that began to move between both of their bodies quickly... Alice moaned softly, feeling the chemistry bouncing back and forth between them as she moved her arms to wrap around his neck... their heads tilting in opposite directions as their kiss deepened. Magnus pulled her closer gently, placing his hands on her waist only to slide them down to her hips, leaving a trail of electric sensations in his wake.
With their bodies pressed together, they kissed away any negative feelings left over without realising... with each movement of their lips every layer of frustration or anger was wiped away... with each caress of Magnus's palms across Alice's body she could feel herself being pulled closer to him. She moaned again, feeling her heart begin to thud with excitement in her chest as their kiss became a little more urgent... she could feel the palms of his hands rubbing her hips, the sensation making her legs go a little numb as the feeling of his soft, plump lips rubbing moulding with hers made her head spin gently.
Magnus grasped her hips and lifted her suddenly, turning towards the bed and carrying her over to it... he laid her down gently and kept their lips moving together as Alice edged backwards towards the pillows, allowing soft moans to leave her lips as she felt a warmth between her thighs. He lay between them, groaning deeply as he slid his palm up her thigh, pushing her dress up so he could feel her skin. Desire began to pour into their veins, and the hazy pink cloud of lust settled down over them as Alice reached for the buttons on his linen shirt to undo them. Only moments later he shrugged the item off, allowing Alice to caress her palms across his biceps, broad shoulders and down his muscular back, her fingertips pressing into the thick muscles to show her appreciation for his body with a lustful moan.
He pulled back from the kiss slightly to gently bite her bottom lip, only to lean back in to kiss her again. Alice's muscles relaxed intently, and she seemed to melt into him as he lowered his body against hers. She wound her fingers through his hair, moaning into their kiss as the sensuality of it began to fuel her behaviour... she shifted her hips against him, then lifted her right leg up from the bed to rub the inside of her thigh against Magnus's body...
The sound of their lips rubbing together sent goosebumps across Alice's arms, and she felt eager to feel him inside of her... she caressed her palms down his back and to his hips, earning a deep groan of appreciation. Their desire for each other felt different this time, for it was more of a craving for intimacy and sexual pleasure rather than just the latter... Magnus pulled back, his breaths slow and deep even though his heart raced, and he looked into her eyes, analysing her expression to see what he should do next.
Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were pink, her lips were parted and were deep pink from the kiss they'd just shared. Her eyelids were heavy, but her gaze was focussed on his, and he could feel her intentions since she hadn't stopped rubbing her thigh softly against his hips. Alice held the eye contact as she reached down with both hands to pop the button on his shorts, finding out only seconds later that he was already hard by the time she touched him. A strong sensation of desire warmed her muscles and she gently eased him free...
Magnus caught on quickly, feeling his own eyelids grow heavy as Alice let go of him for a moment, only to reach for her own panties and ease them down her thighs. He helped her pulled them the rest of the way down past her knees, and dropped them beside him before he moved back between her legs...
Alice touched him again, wrapping her hand around his length and moving him to the right place... she gazed at his lips, and licked her own sensually... gasping softly as Magnus thrusted his hips and eased himself inside her. He could feel the intensity of her arousal immediately, her body opening up like a flower for him, the welcoming warmth made his eyes almost roll back. He began to move instantly, easing himself all the way inside before sliding out, causing Alice to release a long moan of pleasure as he repeated the action.
He leant down to close the space between them, pressing his lips against hers once more, and slid his tongue into her mouth. Alice whined with delight, kissing him back whilst cupping his cheeks... her thighs parting more underneath him. Magnus clutched the sheets either side of Alice's body, pushing himself deeper inside of her and listening intently to the sounds her body made to make sure she was enjoying it. He pulled away from the kiss after a few moments, needing to breathe as his heart raced, pulsing excitement and lust through his veins as he glanced between them. "Fuck, you're so wet," He murmured, feeling mesmerised by her body's reaction to him. Alice smiled as she cupped his neck with both of her palms, gazing at his face as she felt his thudding heart beat... she moaned along with his rhythm, wanting him closer but there was no way he could get any closer than he was.
He slid out of her suddenly, and motioned for her to lie on her side... Alice was confused but did as she was silently told, pulling up her dress more, then deciding to pull it off all together because it was annoying her. She lay back on her right side, the left side of her body facing the ceiling at the same moment as Magnus stripped off the rest of his clothes with a quick elegance, leaving himself bare. Within moments they were getting back into it, and Magnus bent Alice's left leg so it was at a right angle, and moved over her right.
He eased himself inside of her again, biting his lip as he smoothed his palm over her ass and squeezed. Alice moaned with delight as he began to thrust, the sound radiating from deep inside her chest... he was hitting all the right spots inside of her, and she bit down onto one of her fingers gently to try and absorb some of the pleasure. "Fuck," Alice hissed, feeling Magnus gripping her thigh to his body with one hand whilst the other placed itself on her hip. The angle was new to her body, and she made a note to add it to the mental list of her favourites.
"You like this baby?" Magnus asked, his voice low and raspy, the sound of it sending tingles all over Alice's body again.
"Oh my god... yes," She moaned, unable to really keep her eyes open as Magnus continued to thrust, watching her breasts bounce softly in time with his rhythm. He moaned deeply, turning her body gently so she lay on her stomach, all whilst keeping himself inside of her... Her right leg stayed at an angle, and Magnus placed his hands on her ass as he increased the strength of his thrusts. "Oh my god," Alice moaned again, feeling the rising tingling of her climax starting from her toes... Her moans began to get slightly higher as her breathing increased, and Magnus licked his lips and watched himself pleasure her intently.
He slid his palms under her hips, lifting her slightly and back against him, changing the angle slightly... Alice gasped, stretching her hands before she began to squirm, her moans becoming almost involuntary as the pleasure got so intense she could barely stand it. She gripped a pillow as his length rubbed against her g-spot over and over again, and it only took seconds before she cried out, and Magnus groaned and clenched his jaw as he felt her inner walls pulsating around him.
"Fuck yes," He groaned, digging his fingertips into her body as he slowed his thrusts down a little, but kept them strong as she moaned intently into the pillow she was gripping. His hips thumped against her body, and her head span with such an intense pleasure that it was hard for her to hold her grip on reality. She was all feeling, with barely any thoughts crossing her mind as all of her senses focussed on Magnus. "You still with me, baby?" He asked, chuckling a little darkly as he saw Alice's eyes flutter open and closed,
Alice opened her eyes and looked back at him, laughing softly too before she answered, "Yeah," She smiled, and purposefully lifted her hips up and pulled herself up onto all fours. Magnus moaned and bit his lip again, reaching forward to caress his palm over the arch in her back as he continued to thrust, basking in the intensity of her arousal after she'd just orgasmed. He cursed under his breath, grasping her ass now as he pushed himself deeper, overcome with desire and pleasure as he closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back... listening to Alice's moans and letting the experience completely consume him.
His own moans began to flow from his lips, somehow harmonising with Alice's as he felt the urge to release beginning to crawl up his legs, so he stopped, sliding himself out of her and exhaling heavily, not wanting to climax just yet. The sound of the ocean and the crickets singing wafted in from the open window as Alice turned over, exposing her body to his greedy eyes again. "What?" she asked a little breathlessly, her body craving him almost as soon as the sensations his body provided stopped.
"I'm close," He murmured, his gaze lingering on her breasts then moving down to her lower half...
"So?" Alice teased, suggesting with her tone that their intimacy didn't have to end as soon as either one of them finished. Magnus smirked, gazing at her lips for a moment before leaning over her and capturing them in a passionate kiss... as if in perfect synchronisation Alice sat up carefully, keeping their lips locked as they moved together... Magnus leant back, reaching for her waist to help guide her in place as he adjusted himself also, sitting back on the bed and guiding Alice down to sit on his lap. He moaned against her lips as he slid inside her again, his lips hesitating against hers as she began to grind her hips against him...
"That's it," Magnus moaned, "Right there baby," He groaned, his palms rubbing her hips and feeling the fluid movements of her body. Her intoxicating moans echoed around his mind, and moments later he felt her palms cup his cheeks and her lips press against his again... she then sucked on his bottom lip then gently bit it, moaning his name softly under her breath... he moaned deeply in response, his hands now cupping her ass, encouraging the movements of her hips to go back and forth instead of in a circle... "Jesus," He hissed, feeling his climax rising quickly...
Alice kissed him again, but this time let her lips linger against the edge of his then brush against his cheek... she could feel his breaths increase as she rubbed his chest and only moments later he tensed, released a deep groan as he dug his fingertips into her ass. Alice smiled, slowing her thrusts down as Magnus came... knowing that this probably wouldn't be the last time that night that they would connect like this. He refused to let her move for a couple of minutes as he came down from his high, and she'd figured out a while back that he was probably sensitive... but she didn't mind, he'd leant his head against her chest and had his arms loosely wrapped around her... she giggled softly, hearing him finally exhale deeply, so she eased up off him... and excused herself to shower.
Now alone both of them thought back to their conversation before they'd had sex, and Alice couldn't help but smile wide to herself as she showered... aware that even though she knew she had a boyfriend before, the fact that they were on a trial run hung around in the back of her mind... but now that it was over and they had agreed to stay together, she could't help but feel giddy all over again. And on the other side of the door Magnus was lying on his back, his arm behind his head thinking over the fact that he was now officially in a committed relationship too. He wondered if things might change a little, and couldn't help but feel a slither of genuine relief that they hadn't decided to call it quits.
He also wondered now about another topic Alice had brought up... about the invitation and if their meeting had be orchestrated like he had found out the positioning of Veronica's body to be. He'd gotten away with that, thanks to Alice, but now he wondered reluctantly whether or not there was some bigger picture that he was unaware of... Harvey popped back into his mouth and he visibly scowled, not wanting to think about him at all, especially now... but deep down... he knew Alice's ex had something to do with all of this and he hated how there was a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that they had unfinished business...
* * *
11:45am, Saturday 13th April,
Summerland, British Columbia
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The smell of coffee wafted through the Murphy household as Sophie Murphy made her way downstairs, her hand on her growing baby bump as her gaze landed on Charlotte watching TV on the iPad on the couch through the banisters. She made herself a small cup of the steaming liquid, and continued to stand up as she flicked through a home decor magazine that arrived once a month... her eyes, after a few minutes, moving to glance at the time.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she glanced at the time on her watch just in case, as if to clarify the time because she couldn't trust one source. "Hm," She hummed to herself, wondering what time Alice would be home, and made a mental note to call her if she wasn't home within the hour...
It rained softly outside, coating the windows with droplets of water and turning the grass on the lawn and the trees surrounding bright green... Minutes moved by, collecting themselves into an hour, and yet still there was no sign of Alice... even when Richard arrived home from doing the weekly grocery shop well into the early afternoon... not a sound. "I'm going to call her," Richard said after they'd had a brief discussion about their eldest daughter's whereabouts. "She can't stay away from the house for this long, she's seventeen for god's sake. Not twenty."
Sophie waited quietly, watching Richard call Alice's phone... only to hear a faint buzzing coming from somewhere in the house. Sophie ignored it, assuming it was someone else's phone but when Alice didn't pick up, she began to grow suspicious. "Call again," she said to Richard, now making her way towards the stairs... she could hear the buzzing again, and followed the sound until it gradually got louder. She arrived at the door to Alice's room, seeing it eerily quiet and a little cold since the window had been left open... a wet patch now on the floor by her windowsill since the rain was coming in at an angle. Alice's phone was on charge on the nightstand, vibrating against the wood with a call coming from home... It's light lit up the corner of the room slightly, and Sophie furrowed her eyebrows tightly as she crossed the space to close the window and take off her phone from charge.
Confusion set in as Sophie scrolled through the messages on her home screen, seeing the date of them going back to the previous afternoon, unread. She could see none of the messages, only the names of who was texting her and when they'd arrived. "Richard?" Sophie called, leaving Alice's room and making her way back downstairs. "Her phone was upstairs." She informed him, holding up Alice's iPhoneXs she received for her birthday a few months ago.
"What?" Richard replied, getting that feeling again... like something was breathing down his neck from behind. "She takes that phone everywhere, Sophie." He continued in a low voice, nerves beginning to trickle into his veins.
"Don't." Sophie whispered, getting that feeling too... but she brushed it off, not wanting to even look it in the eye. "Let's just give her an hour, maybe she's with friends." she reasoned, not wanting to freak out... but there had been disappearances all over town, murders too. Some poor boy was fatally attacked just the other week. Both their hearts began to thud inside their chests as Richard sighed quickly, now deciding he wanted to act now instead of wait for time to choose its course. "What are you doing?" Sophie asked, seeing Richard snatch up his car keys and head for the door again.
"I'm going to see if she's at that house or not," Richard replied, opening the front door to step back outside and make his way to his car. Dark clouds gathered a few miles in the distance, but Richard barely noticed as the gravel crunched under his shoes as he walked to his old Land Rover... A storm was coming, and to the untrained eye it looked like a rain cloud... but animals could smell the electricity in the air and had vanished to hide from the elements.
"Richard-" Sophie began as a strong gust of wind blew some leaves across the drive way and up around her feet.
"I will not sit around and wait for our daughter to become a missing person's case." Richard replied suddenly, turning around to look at his wife with an intense worried look. "She hasn't been home since yesterday morning, she's left her phone here, I do not want to sit around doing nothing when she could need my help." he continued before turning away and getting into the driver's seat and pulling the door closed just as it began to rain harder. Sophie sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair before turning back into the house, seeing Charlotte stood a few metres behind her with a confused and worried look...
"Where-is-Alice?" she signed, seeing the look on her mother's face after she'd seen her father walk out quickly. "What's-happening?" she signed again, searching for an answer as her mother looked at her with an unsure expression...
Richard drove just over the speed limit towards the Johnson's Mansion that looked over the valley, thunder rolling throughout the sky above his head, the rain now clattering down across his car as his wipers squeaked across the windscreen. His heard thudded inside his chest, subtle anxiety coursing through his veins as his mind went wild with worst case scenarios... the long road leading to the mansion was lined with tall pine trees, their bodies close together so they made it seem like it was darker than it was... they hid the light from the sky, and made Richard's anxiety increase without him realising what was causing it.
The large gate to the mansion was open, and he didn't close down as he drove up the long windy drive way to the large stone white building. Outside large unmarked vans were being loaded with big crates wrapped in plastic, the scene blurred because of the heavy rain fall. Richard's eyebrows furrowed tightly as he parked carelessly and turned off the engine, hesitating on whether or not he should get out of the car as some more crates were being lifted and carried out of the open garage door... Something about the scene made it seem eerie, especially considering no one was talking and all of the men lifting seemed to have shaved heads and unmarked overalls.
But nevertheless, Richard opened the car door and stepped out, causing a few of the workers to look over silently, all of them completely unbothered by the rain. Richard watched them, and glanced from the vans to the front door quietly... chills crawled down his neck, and it wasn't because it was cold and the wind was beginning to pick up... just at the moment he was about to make his way towards the front door, one of the plastic coverings hiding the crates from the elements slipped slightly, the wind gathering up underneath it and pulling it back, revealing a stamped name on the side of the wood in capital letters...
"I.AM Industry?" Richard murmured under his breath, and it was only on show for a few seconds before the plastic sheet as pulled back across aggressively.
"Can I help you with something?" A voice suddenly asked, causing Richard to look towards a woman stood a few metres away from him with a large black umbrella shielding her from the rain. She was stood at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the large front door, a vacant but polite smile on her face. She was dressed in some kind of uniform, and Richard recognised her slightly from being the same woman who had opened the door to him when Alice had stayed over without permission a few weeks ago.
"Yes, I'm- uh, looking for my daughter, Alice." Richard said, taking a few steps towards her. The woman seemed confused for a moment, so Richard clarified, just to make sure. "Long blonde hair, this high-" he continued, showing Alice's height with his palm facing down. "Blue eyes."
"I don't recall seeing your daughter here." She replied in a calm voice,
"Well is there someone I can talk to who has?" Richard asked, his tone becoming a little snappy as the rain continued to cascade down across the town. "Where is Magnus?" he demanded, moving to take a step around her but she stepped in his way again just as thunder rolled through the sky.
"Sorry sir, I am not at liberty to discuss Master Johnson's location with anyone but immediate family. Your daughter is not here. I must now ask that you leave the premises." she replied in a monotone voice, looking into his eyes directly as Richard stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't shake the little voice in the back of his mind that something shady was going on, especially since now the workers had stopped to look at him...
He wasn't sure what to think in that moment... either they were hiding her from him or she didn't want to be found, but nevertheless, he knew that she knew what Alice looked like. He turned away, feeling more anxious than before he'd arrived and made his way back to his car, his clothes now drenched from the rain as more thunder echoed behind the thick clouds...
* * *
St Lucia, West Indies
Saturday, 13th April, 3:04pm
Alice and Magnus had spent most of the morning and afternoon at the resort, relaxing by the beach and soaking up some of the sun rays. It remained peaceful all day, with bright sunshine and bright blue, calm waters... there were little tourists around so the quietness of the place meant that they received special attention from the staff... the pair had drinks brought to their double seated, cushioned sun lounger by the waters edge under a straw umbrella whilst they read books they'd bought from little necessities shop lost to the reception building...
Alice glanced over at Magnus, finding it fascinating to watch him read and relax... she enjoyed the peacefulness of his company like this, and leant over to interrupt him with a kiss on the cheek to show her appreciation. He glanced at her as she leant away, his eyes covered by sunglasses. "Sorry," She smiled, giggling softly as he lifted his sunglasses.
"It's okay." He murmured, glancing at her lips and looking over her appearance as she looked away from him and back to her book. She had her hair pulled up into a very messy knot on the top of her head, and had a yellow bikini on, her skin glowing slightly from the intense heat. She'd caught the sun on her cheeks slightly, since they'd been outside all day which meant he also saw what he meant by she goes a little red when in the sun, and smirked to himself. "I think you need more sun screen on your cheeks," He suggested,
"Have I burnt?" she asked, putting her book down and looking at him so he could see her face properly,
"Not yet," He replied, reaching for the bottle between them and putting some on his hands...
On the second floor of the bar and restaurant that looked out over the beach a few metres back from where Alice and Magnus were relaxing, Julia and Hans waited for some business partners of theirs to arrive... Her gaze wandered by chance, since she had been admiring the view of the glistening ocean, but now saw her son applying sun screen to his girlfriends cheeks. "Oh my goodness, darling look." Julia whispered as if they might hear, and grinned excitedly.
"What?" Hans asked, looking where his wife was looking and seeing the scene. "Well." He murmured, watching as the pair exchanged words before Magnus leant in to kiss her. He looked away respectfully, noticing their new business partner arriving out of the corner of his eye... other restaurant goers glanced at the glamorous looking man as he walked towards Hans and Julia, dressed in obviously expensive clothing with jewellery that glinted in the sun light because of the diamonds...
"My babies." Julia mumbled, placing her hand on her chest before sighing in content. She looked away just in time to greet the new arrival, and stood up to shake his hand enthusiastically. "So glad you could make it, Peter... Sorry, your last name completely escaped me." She smiled professionally, sitting down again before the meeting started.
"Couture." The man smiled, his false charm radiating from his expression. "Peter Couture." He smoothly said, leaning back in his chair just as a drink he ordered arrived at the table. His hair had turned brown from originally being blonde, disguising his appearance to those who knew him a little better, but the dead look in his eyes was still very much present... and there was no way he could change it, no matter how hard he tried. Sixteen years in solitary confinement seemed to have numbed his ability to wear multiple masks.
"Fascinating name." Julia smiled, recognising the vacant look in his eye but not letting it bother her. She exchanged more pleasantries about travel and the location with Peter before Hans produced a thin silver briefcase, and clicked it open after putting in a pin code, revealing several files with: 'I.AM INDUSTRIES - CONFIDENTIAL' printed on the front...
It seemed ironic that in the bright sunshine and on a paradise island that something so dark was about to take place. Unknowingly, Alice was about to be welcomed with open arms into a lifestyle she never even dreamed of existing, a lifestyle so secretive and toxic that only the darkest of minds seemed to thrive inside of it... It was Magnus's turn for his families secrets to be revealed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
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A U T H O R 'S N O T E S:
YOOHOOOOO BIG SUMMER BLOW OUT. WHAT THE FUCK??
WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN AWAY TWO DECADES???!?!? BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN. ANYWAY. I HOPE YOU GUYS DIDN'T ENTIRELY HATE THIS CHAPTER, I FEEL LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF DIALOGUE, BUT IT WAS MUCH NEEDED TBH. SO MALICE HAVE SURVIVED THEIR LITTLE SPAT AND NOW THEY'RE AN OFFICIAL NON-TRIAL COUPLE IN IT TO WIN IT ASKSKSKSK WE LOVE THAT FOR THEM.
ALSO NOTICE HOW SOME KEY M.I.A CHARACTERS WERE SPOKEN ABOUT, *COUGH* HARVEY. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THAT GORGEOUS MAN, HE HAS BEEN OUT OF THE PIC FOR A REASON ASKSAKDLASD ANYWAYS, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT COUPLE OF CHAPTERS WITH MALICE ON COUPLECATION AND SOME SHIT GOING DOWN. BECAUSE WE WILL GROW TO LEARN SOME MORE ABOUT THE JOHNSON FAMILY AND WHY THEY'RE SO RICH AND ALSO PEEEEETEEERRRRR *sets off fireworks and shot gun* I ENVISIONED TOM HARDY BY ACCIDENT AND NOW I CAN'T GO BACK.
HELP.
ANYWAYS, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO HAPPEN IN SAAM WEEK, THERE. ARE. SO. MANY. THINGS. ORGANISING IT SO THAT IT FLOWS IS GONNA BE HARD BECAUSE WE HAVE TO JUMP BACK FROM St Lucia TO SUMMERLAND AND BACK YGM?? ANYWAYS, I'LL TRY MY BEST NOT TO MAKE IT SUCK.
SO ONTO QUESTIONS;
1) WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE OPENING SCENE WITH MALICE AND MAGNUS'S PARENTS?
2) THE MALICE DISCUSSION IN THE BEDROOM?
3) SMUT??????!?!?
4) HARVEY TALK? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?
5) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE RICHARD/SUMMERLAND/INTERESTING CRATES WERE ABOUT AT THE JOHNSON MANSION?
6) PETER?!?!?! my man.
7) WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!?
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK MY DARLINGS, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO READING Y'ALL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
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GOAL FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER:
150 VOTES & 600 COMMENTS
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THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR READING, I LOVE YOU, I ADORE YOU, I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND THIS WEEK AND IF YOU'RE WAITING FOR RESULTS OR HAVING EXAMS OR FINALS I WISH YOU AAAALL THE BEST, HAPPY STUDYING, DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT, YOU GOT THIS BOO AND ALL THAT JAZZ !!
ANYPUTA, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER, OR ENJOYED SOME OF IT, OR LIKE ENJOYED THE IDEA OF AN UPDATE AND HATED IT BUT YOU STILL HERE, THAT'S FANTASTIC TOO, I'M HYPER AND STARVING SO IM OUT,
LOTS OF LOVE SIENNA XOXOXO
OH AND P.S. - IM GONNA POST VISUALS OF THE RESORT MALICE ARE STAYING AT, IF YOU FEEL LIKE GOOGLING IT YOURSELF THEY'RE STAYING AT "WINDJAMMER - St Lucia" THERE'S ONLY ONE. ITS SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL, I WAS THERE WHEN I WAS OUT THERE FOR THAT MONTH THAT I DIDN'T UPSTATE SKKSKS ANYWAYS, MY TWITTER IS "SIENNAISA" POINT BLANK, PERDIOT.
CIAO FRIENDS XOXO