CHAPTER ELEVEN.
DAWN'S POV.
" What?" I questioned, a torrent of thoughts swirling through my head as the words flowed into my ears.
'Was I perhaps hallucinating?' I inwardly pondered.
" You heard right, Dawn" Charlie spoke up, a glint of mischief in her eyes which I regrettably overlooked, believing she would be the last person to attempt to hurt me in any way.
" Scarlett here is in love with the triplets, but she is way too shy to face them and let them know. So she has decided to write a letter which we'll need your help to deliver" Lisa explained with a wide, gleeful smile that made my skin crawl for reasons I couldn't decipher.
" Oh—" I answered to which the lot of them nodded. I noticed a few others stationed at a far corner of the room throbbing with intense laughter that seemed to possess an intent of mockery, whilst occasionally pointing in my direction.
Only if I had been more perceptive here, perhaps I would have suspected something was amiss.
In my immense denseness and naivety, I felt my heart crumble into pieces as I had come under the assumption that they had still not accepted me and were making fun of my lower status.
" Just ignore them, Dawn" I heard Charlie's voice, her tone seeming like she was holding back laughter.
I glanced at her, a slight smirk tugging at her lips coming to my notice.
Not giving it much of a thought, I simply nodded at her words.
" So Dawn, are you going to help me?" Scarlett asked, in a desperate, pleading tone.
I turned to see her inch towards me, her hands reaching for mine, as she stared at me with pleading eyes.
Normally, this amount of closeness between me and Scarlett should have made me feel over the roof with ecstasy, but for some reason, I felt the exact opposite;
I felt disturbed— Ruffled. Worried.
There was this strong, cautioning feeling in my gut.
'But how? Where?' I mulled.
I wanted to ask why they didn't choose some other girl to aid them instead but I didn't want to risk offending them, so I kept my questions to myself and agreed to help with a racing heart and a strong premonition that something horrible was bound to happen.
I made my way to the triplet's lounge, as they had directed, hesitation and profound dread brewing within me.
My legs were trembling, my palms sweaty, my mind swirling and my digits wracking with tremors as I approached the door of the lounge.
Two, huge, terrifying men with hideous tattoos all over their bulgy arms stood guard before the door.
They had a firm and stern demeanor.
" What do you want kid?" One of them asked upon sighting me, my breath seizing immediately from the immense easiness that settled on me.
I felt my stomach knot as with a hard gulp a lump of saliva pushed itself down my throat. I took a deep breath, in a bid to calm myself down.
My efforts were rendered futile as the other huge man bellowed at me, the echo of his stern baritone voice nearly causing me to piss my pants.
Tears seeped out of the corner of my eyelids as petrification engulfed me, my skin clammy and cold, my breath shallow and quick.
I could feel my heart in my mouth from the profound fear.
The first guard stared at me for a while, his stern gaze causing me to unconsciously take a step back.
He sighed, before turning to his scary partner and whispering something into his ear.
I don't know what he told him but they eventually, parted away from the entrance, opening the door for me to go in.
I stood there unblinkingly, trying to process what was happening as I was absolutely flabbergasted.
" Go on kid" The first man prodded and I nodded timidly before making my way in, thanking them both as I entered the place.
Immediately the door flew open and I stepped foot into the lounge quietly, all eyes within the place falling upon me.
On getting bombarded with gazes, I felt cold beads of sweat break out on my forehead.
I was engulfed by the strong urge to turn around and make for the door instantly but Scarlett's pleading gaze, her relieved and anticipating look came to my memory.
In a bid to distract myself, and garner some courage, I decided to keep my faze elsewhere, anywhere away from the trio, and only then did my surroundings come to my notice.
I froze, my widened eyes staring around in bewilderment.
' Was I in heaven?' I wondered, my mouth slowly opening agape.
It was a sight of sheer bliss, from the very atmosphere of the place to the elegant and exotic paintings, figures, and décors which served as ornaments to the room, and the furnishings of the lounge, which exuded exquisiteness and taste.
The place was the definition of perfect.
No, ethereal.
It was as though the very air in the room was esoteric for every breath I took filled me with a surprising sense of wonder and joy.
The lighting of the place was beyond perfect.
Soft and warm, casting a gentle glow over the entire abode.
It felt like beams of light were wafting around the room, enveloping the place in a sense of serenity.
The room had a white aesthetic— Perfect, unblemished, radiating a sense of purity.
The furniture, a perfect touch to the ambiance of the room, consisted of velvet plush sofas and chairs, each one upholstered in a rich, deep shade which made them all the more fascinating.
The tables made out of polished marble, possessed intricate gold designs that contributed to the overall feel of luxury.
I gasped. All these for just three boys?
I had heard that this was their private lounge and no one else was allowed in here unless they sought audience with them which was probably the reason why the guards had allowed me in.
Whilst still looking around in awe, my mind suddenly went blank, my profound anxiety and awareness of the trio in the room suddenly gone.
All I could see or should I say envision at the moment was the abject beauty of this lounge.
I kept teetering into the room absentmindedly and abruptly collided right into what seemed like a rock.
My head felt heavy. I breathed, inadvertently taking in the strong scent of cologne, my sudden intake of the overpowering fragrance almost disorienting my senses.
Abruptly, I was struck with a damning realization— I hadn't collided with a rock but had barrelled right into one of the triplet's chests.
' What have I done?' I wondered, a gasp escaping me.
My face dropped, my gaze affixed to the ground, as an affliction of fear-induced paralysis befell me.
" How may we help you?" I heard a guttural voice brimming with profound authority reverberate around the room and I just knew I was done for.