My eyes were glued on my surroundings as we drove down the driveway leading to Tyler's absolutely gigantic home. The driveway was lined with perfectly manicured lawns and lamps that gave a soft glow on everything, giving the compound a calming effect.
"Well here we are" He said, stopping the car in front of the spacious porch. "Wait a sec"
He got out and jogged to my side, opening my door before I could figure out what he was doing.
"Thank you Tyler" I took his waiting hand, climbing down from his Escalade. He locked the car up and led me to the door, my hand in his the whole time. If I thought outside was pretty then I had no words for the interior of the house. The walls were white and everything else matched in shade of cream and grey giving it an aesthetic effect. Our feet made padded sounds on the white marble tiles as he led me to what seemed to be the dining room.
"Hello mother" He greeted his mom who was laying down casserole pans with steam rising from them.
"Oh that was quick" She turned to us beaming "Hello there Elena"
She offered me a warm hug that I didn't delay in returning.
"You look absolutely beautiful" She kissed my cheek.
"That's what I said" Tyler muttered under his breath.
"Thank you Mrs Grayson" I smiled back at her, ignoring Tyler's words.
"Oh nonsense, call me Grace" She playfully slapped my shoulder. "I'm not done setting up the table since you bunch were a bit early. You can sit and I'll be with you in a few"
"Okay mother" Tyler responded, turning to me as his mom left the dining room.
"So pretty" He whispered, trailing his thumb down my cheek. I shivered under his cold touch.
"Thank you" I smiled "You don't look too bad yourself" I added, trying to ease the discomfort growing in my stomach as his eyes dropped to my lips. I swallowed, stepping an inch away from him.
"We should probably sit" I gestured towards the plush chairs. He nodded, pulling a chair out for me and tucking me in once I sat.
He sat right next to me and no sooner we were all munching on savory mashed potatoes and smothered lamb that exploded in my mouth with every bite.
"So, Elena...how's your practice going with your partner" Mrs. Grayso- Grace...said.
I paused, my fork mid-air. "Uhm...well"
I cleared my throat, putting the asparagus filled fork down before speaking. "It's actually fine. He's a bit difficult to work with but it's tolerable"
"Castiel has those tendencies ,but he's talented nevertheless" She patted her lips with the plain white napkin.
"Castiel?" Tyler queried, glancing between the both of us. "Partner?"
"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you...Elena is pairing with Castiel for a piano performance for the conference I've been speaking so much about"
"How could you possibly forget mother" Tyler dropped his fork in his plate. "Besides, Castiel isn't fit for unnecessary interactions especially with how volatile he is. I wouldn't want Ellie getting caught up in his poisonous web"
I picked up the glass of water next to my plate to rid of the sudden sour taste in my mouth.
"Do both of you have personal relations with him?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant as I placed the glass back. My mind was reeling with the possibilities of finally getting information on the mystery that Castiel was.
"He's an old acquaintance" Tyler said in a clipped tone.
"You don't seem to be too fond of him" I observed, glancing at him sideways.
"What's there to be fond of....he's nothing but a-"
"Tyler" Tyler's mom snapped. "What did I say about looking for trouble where you're not supposed to be finding trouble from. Especially when you know very well the kind of person Castiel is" She went back to eating her meal with her usual gracefulness.
I mulled over the cryptic message she just said, trying to find some meaning in it.
"But there's nothing to worry about. I doubt Castiel would be a problem to you" She smiled at me, probably reading into my expression.
I gave a tight smile back, "I'm not worried at all. I need to use the washroom, can I get directions?"
"Upstairs , take a left , down the hall then take a right. I could walk you" Tyler offered.
"I'm fine don't worry" I stood, patting his shoulder in assurance.
I made my way up the grand staircase, following the directions he gave me. I halted in my tracks as I spotted a grand office through a french doors in the hallway to the washroom. The walls were lined with books , an oak grand table similar to the one in her office on campus sat in front of ceiling to floor windows. This is probably her personal office.
It would be right to walk past it to the bathroom, but I couldn't stop that undeniable tug in my chest that was forcing me to pay more attention to the office. I glanced down the hallway one last time to make sure no one was behind me before slipping into the office as quietly as I could manage.
I walked along the vast shelves, my fingers trailing across the spines on the books until I got to the desk. I glanced on the surface, taking in the documents that were splayed on it, making sure not to touch anything. Most of it were school documents and letters needed for approval.
I pulled one drawer, about to close it back up before my eyes fell on an image of a more than familiar mop of hair peaking out from the edge of a folder that sat between several other files. I tentatively pulled out the folder , placing it on the surface of the desk.
I opened it, my earlier suspicion quenched as I watched the small passport picture of Abby on a pile of documents. This must be her admission papers, but why was her admission papers here and not in the school's database. I flipped through the rest of the documents, dread filling me as I took in passport pictures of Farren, Castiel, Azzy, Raph and Uriel. I dragged in a deep breath to concentrate on the words of the write ups, more than aware that my time was limited.
I froze when I found result slips of past semsters...along with results of the next semesters according to the dates. Which didn't make sense because we haven't even written exams yet. I flipped through the documents faster, checking the dates on everything, on all the duplicates. There were copies of admission slips with the date of when this semester started...when they were actually admitted here, and there were forged copies where the dates stated years ago. My mind raced and my breath came out in pants, adrenaline coursing though me as my mind raced putting two and two together.
These people weren't even students of the school. They had forged documents to make it seem like they were admitted years ago when they had actually been admitted this semester, they even had fake results for all the semesters they've 'been' here....as a cover up. And the dean was pulling all the strings that needed to be pulled. I jolted when echoes of steps on the stairs snapped me out of my daze. I packed everything up in a rush and stuffed them back where they were supposed to be.
I emerged from the office before Tyler took the turn into the hallway.
"There you are, you took forever" He approached me.
"Yeah I kinda got lost, your house is huge" I stuffed my shaking hands into my pockets to halt any suspicion.
"You should have given me a call, we could go see the gardens at the back....I'm hoping you're full that is"
I nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment. He led me downstairs through numerous hallways until we got to the backdoor which was more of a grand entrance than a backdoor. The well kept gardens shone beautifully beneath the rays of the moon but nothing could take my mind off what I had just seen. Those fucking liars. Were they in some kind of undercover mission or what? ...and why the hell was the dean backing them. Acquaintances indeed. Everyone was a liar at this point. Was that why Tyler didn't like him? , because he knew what Castiel was up to...or maybe he was in it too...
"You look like something's eating you up from inside" Tyler snapped me out of my thoughts with a brush of his cold finger on the skin of my arm. His love language was definitely physical touch.
"Everything's fine really...just got lost in my thoughts for a second" I stared at the vastness of the garden. "Your garden is beautiful... what's beyond it"
"Just the woods...and a cliff overlooking a lake but that's outside the fence, and no one has been there in years"
"Oh okay...that's interesting" I tried my best to sound interested in what he was saying as I brushed my finger on the petal of a tulip.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly. "You're acting different"
Maybe I'm just frustrated with all the crazy shit going on in my life right now.
"I'm just tired and my head hurts...it's been sort of a long day"
"I could-" Tyler was cut off by his ringtone, he offered an apologetic glance before picking up the call.
"Yes mother...okay...alright then" He hung up before turning to me. "She wants me to do something for her...you know, old women. When I'm done I'll come give you some aspirin and water for your headache, then I can drive you home...does that sound like a plan?"
"Yeah I'm okay with that" I nodded, appreciating his kindness.
"Don't wonder too much" He pressed a quick kiss against my forehead before disappearing back into the house. I sighed and tuned to the cobblestone path that parted the garden and wound around a fountain. I walked, my mind tossing over the information I just acquired...trying to figure out what exactly this whole thing was. By the time I had gotten to the fence at the end of the property, my best idea guess was that they were some top secret Area 51 workers and the creature in the woods was some kind of alien.
The logical thing to do was to turn around and go back into the mansion...but since when did I deal with logical things. I found a way through the rusted fence and slipped through, my blouse ripping slightly at the arm from the sharp edges. Out here there were no lights and the cliff in question was flanked by huge stray trees that weren't quite part of the woods. But the view was something else...the still surface of the lake below coupled by the shine of the starts and moon above got me in awe...if I could just get closer.
I stopped in my tracks when a loud flap of wings sounded from above me. I craned my neck up to the still sky, meeting no sign of a bird or anything, just the distant hooting of owls. I wasn't in the mood to get snatched my a big ass eagle so I would have to be watchful at this point.
I walked closer to the edge, watching the stillness of the lake that seemed to be a thousand feet under me. I peeked down the very edge of the cliff, my heart thundering as I watched the bottom filled with jagged rocks. Not even a superhuman would survive that fall. I straightened, taking a step back, fear suddenly taking root in me. My heart got caught in my throat as I felt the ground sink and crumble beneath my feet.
Panic sunk it's icy claws deep into me as I plummeted within a second, the ground giving up under my weight. A scream ripped out of of my chest as I descended down the cliff in an alarming rate. My palms burned as they slid down the rock and twig filled edge with a speed I knew would burn the skin there right off. Adrenalin rushed through me as my bloodied fingers tried to grip on something in the rocky dirt that could hold my weight. A gasp of relief escaped my lips as my hand caught of a decaying root embedded in the soil. I gripped it with both hands, peering down to the bottom of the fall, nothing but pitch darkness veiling the bottom.
My arms shook with the strain of holding my weight as the cold wind that whipped around me sunk into my very bones.
I'm going to fucking die.
The realization made me shake even harder, tears stinging my eyes. I forced myself to suck in deep breaths to steady my ever increasing heartbeat. I could make it if I managed to miss the rocks and fall into the water. Though that was an unrealistic plan but it was better than nothing. My hands were losing their hold on the root that was slick with my blood now.
"Help!" I tried calling out, my voice a broken whimpering mess. Obviously no one could hear me... I was hanging from a cliff in total darkness. No one was as dumb as me to come anywhere near this place. I breathed in hard through my nose, readying myself for the inevitable fall.
I swayed my weight until the root was swinging me through the biting cold wind. It was almost impossible to see where the rocks ended and where the water begun but I didn't have much of a choice right now. My heart thundered as I let go and plummeted down.
I choked on a breath as I felt the icy water slap against my body. For a second I was enveloped in the freezing arms of the lake...for a second I thought I made it. And then it all came crashing down when pain lanced through my body, white and hot, radiating from the back of my head and reaching through every one of my numb limbs. I was gasping for oxygen desperately as my vision begun to blur. Well that was a fucking mistake. Because instead of oxygen, icy water rushed down my windpipe making my chest burn more than ever. I tried to move my limbs, tried to push myself up despite the pain but the harder I tried , the more I was dragged to the bottom. I don't know when, but my body slowly begun to give up from exertion and lack of air. My body went slack and my eyes begun to drift close, the burning in my chest slowly fading until I was numb everywhere. Is this what it felt like to be dead?
Through half lidded eyes, my barely conscious brain identified as mass of darkness heading right at me. It looked like a giant bird...that's odd.
The last thing I felt before slipping unconscious was the feel of hard bars wrapping around my torso.
And the last thing I thought of was the fact that they weren't bars, but arms, as an unmistakable warmth seared the frozen skin of my stomach.