Jason was well five minutes behind time. And then he swaggered up the road not on his feet but on the wheels of his Chevrolet Camaro SS. Even with the wind slashing across his face, his hair was perfect in that carefully messy way of his. And he looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.
"Seriously, this guy needs to set his routine straight," Alyssa thought.
"I'm hoping you have a high definition camera with you because I certainly don't," were his first words to her.
She'd come well prepared. So she could answer in positive. Apparently, all rich fathers did not give their children the whole damn world, though Alyssa's father had. Despite that, she did appreciate the Camaro.
She turned towards the window, feeling the rippling wind on her face. They were going at a high speed and it was easy for Alyssa to enjoy the drive.
"You enjoy cars."
Alyssa turned towards the analyzing black eyes of Jason. They were too observant for her liking. She preferred people who didn't bother to notice, or at least, ignored their observations. But Jason's clever eyes, which didn't seem to belong to a person who got barely passable marks in exams, didn't give an indication of such a person. And Alyssa didn't like that.
And then his next words burned an even deeper hole into her heart. An ugly feeling resided in her stomach. "You look familiar."
She uttered a nervous laugh. "Of course I do. You saw me at school a number of times, and even outside it once."
Jason shook his head, frowning deeply. "It's not that. You looked familiar when I'd first seen you. When you'd made a disaster."
"Look who's speaking of disasters." But that was the least of her concerns.
Jason hadn't figured out, had he? Damn. He could've gone to one of Liarane's theatre shows. Or he could've gone to court or the law firm and seen her. Or ... he could've seen the single picture of their whole family which was still posted online.
Alyssa gulped. "Really? I didn't know I was famous."
"I'm serious," Jason said, his poker face still intact. "You're Alyssa Taylor - where have I seen you before? Taylor... so familiar and yet, somehow, I just cannot remember!"
"Selective amnesia or what?" Alyssa's mind prodded, but she shook the thoughts out. No way he knew her. No way he had seen her. There must've been some misunderstanding!
"Who knows? Maybe I am your father's cousin's daughter?" Alyssa decided that it would be best if she bluffed all she could. Maybe he would at least abandon the topic then.
"Hm. Maybe." But she was sure he was just humouring her by that.
Jason's house was just like him. A big spectacle on the outside, a gloomy atmosphere on the inside. It looked too empty, but it wasn't so by any means. It was filled with expensive furniture but even they didn't brighten the house, even a little.
It was a mansion to say the least, even bigger than Alyssa's previous house. But it was even more stifling than a closet.
A few seconds and Alyssa had difficulty in even breathing there.
And it seemed that Jason lived alone in that house. Only a housekeeper named Mrs. Fallon came twice a day to cook and clean for him.
It seemed weird to Alyssa but Jason said he was used to it. He liked staying alone.
And yet, according to Mrs. Fallon, he spent almost the whole weekends in his friends' houses.
Alyssa felt a strange sadness as she heard that. Why would he pretend to like loneliness even when he didn't?
Alyssa didn't get to see much of the house, though. She only saw Jason's own room, the drawing room and the kitchen.
He wasn't much of a talker, as she'd already realized before, but it was just fine with her then. They just spent time making the scripts and introduction, then going over the details.
Jason, she realized, had a very strong grip over creative English. That was weird; the way he phrased his sentences, because they were by no means average. If he continued like that, they would definitely get great marks.
As the moments passed by, Alyssa started getting more and more comfortable in his house. The gloomy atmosphere seemed at fade, as even Jason allowed his upright and blank expressions to fade.
Alyssa asked him the question that had been bugging her – "Why did he live in this house on the weekdays but lived in his friends' houses on the weekends, when it was evident he didn't like living here?"
So long it had been fine, but as soon as she asked that question, Jason's jaw clenched and he immediately diverted his eyes from her face. He looked angry and if Alyssa could read properly, even a little depressed. But that didn't matter. His reply was as cold as if he wasn't feeling anything – "None of your business."
By the time evening arrived, they decided to keep their pens down for that day. Thankfully, Jason didn't bother with driving Alyssa back and she was glad. She was really in the mood for a quiet walk, not a drive.
The moon shone bright with the silver stars glittering, bathed in moonlight. The countryside looks of Mel's Town was beautiful in that respect. Quiet and lonely. And beautiful. And...scary.
Alyssa wished she'd asked Jason to drop her off. Every step she took made her feel like someone was taking a simultaneous step behind her. Every loud breath made her think like someone was breathing behind her.
She turned. There was no one. She was just being paranoid.
No. Ken Evans was dead. He was dead and she had to remember that! And get over her stupid, unreasonable fear.
Alyssa took a shuddering breath. She just hoped she would get back to the hostel soon.