When my eyes flutter open, I find I'm staring at the polished ceiling in a familiar room, turning my head to the side on hearing a slurping noise.
My migraine persists, but even more when I see Saturn sitting cross-legged on the couch across from the bed, casually sipping nothing from an empty glass of smoothie.
She's looking at me with a shit-eating grin that makes me roll my eyes and look away with a sigh.
"Gods, I just had the weirdest dream. Waking up to you is worse tho. I think I'd rather go back."
Saturn giggles. "Fair enough. Did you make out with my brother in your dream?" She emphasizes the words 'my brother', and her eyes sparkle with mischief as she says it.
I blink at her speechlessly, unable to comprehend how the girl's mind works; I mean—that's the first thing she can think of amongst others.
But then again, she isn't far from the truth. Hunter did kiss me twice in the dream, which is strange given his recent behavior. And… was he fucking crying?
"Gosh, my head hurts like hell," I groan.
"You were passed out for a long time," Saturn utters, earning a questioning look from me. How long is a long time? "Four hours," she adds before I glance at the clock on the table, noting it's past one in the morning.
I sit up and palm my face, feeling a brief stinging sensation on my forehead.
"Is there something on my forehead?" I ask when my fingers brush something.
"Yep! A bandage." A bandage?
"What happened?" I can't remember how I got here. Last I can recall, I was― was… Shit, my brain's muddled.
"Apparently, you hit your head and Hunter brought you here, to his room. You're one lucky bitch, you know."
I glance around the room, which looks like the one I saw in my dream. The bed, couch, desk, and mirror all match too well.
Ever since we came here for the holidays, Dad Griffin gave us strict orders not to touch this room for any reason. Now I know why. Yet, even though I've pieced together that puzzle, the mystery of how I ended up here, with a fucking wound on my forehead, remains unsolved.
This bloody headache isn't helping matters either.
Looking at the toddler photos on the desk, I don't see any resemblance to Hunter. Well, except for the eye patch, which is the only common thing. But I can't ignore the ache in my heart as I gaze at the photos, nor the nervousness gripping me.
For some unknown reason, it feels like I'm going for a job interview, with my instincts naturally expecting the worst.
"Why do I feel so anxious?" I ask no one in particular as I beat a fist on my chest.
The unease feels like an invisible substance filling my lungs and knotting in my gut, making me want to puke and unable to breathe properly.
Saturn raises a brow while reaching to place the smoothie glass on the table. "Like?"
"I don't know." I shake my head. "I just have this… it feels like I'm suffocating. I find myself holding my breath without realizing it."
Saturn and I exchange stares before her lips curl into a smirk. "You're scared, aren't you?"
I frown. "Of what?"
"Me, obviously." She thrusts her chin, and a scoff escapes my lips.
"Nah... I've never been scared of you." I shake my head dismissively, staring the girl in the eye and watching her smirk falter at the truth of my words. "Hard pill to swallow, isn't it?" I snicker before pushing myself from the bed.
Standing in front of the mirror, I finger the rough edges of the adhesive. Then I begin to plait my unruly hair into big braids.
"Let me give you a massage," Saturn offers. But to me, that sounds more like a polite way of asking to give physical pain.
"Stay where you are."
"And if I insist?" she says playfully.
"With threats?" I retort. "You've already destroyed my phone, and there are no maids to drag me around."
Saturn seems drawn back by my reaction. But maybe, she shouldn't be. She's made my life these past months more miserable than it should have been and I now feel anger tugging behind my head, surfacing at random times; even now worsened by my anxiety.
The room falls into uncomfortable silence as I quietly braid my hair.
After a long pause, Saturn speaks again, this time her voice sounds softer. "I can't believe it takes me dying to realize what a crappy person I've been."
I huff. The girl's certainly high on alcohol. She needs a nap.
"I'm not trying to taunt you," she says. Yeah sure, only because you're bloody drunk. "I mean, I did drink a lot…" she yawns. "…but alcohol has got nothing to do with what I'm saying."
"And I'm supposed to take your word as it is, yes?" I can't help letting out a small chuckle before Saturn huffs a humorless laugh.
"You don't believe me," she says as she uncrosses her legs and sits up.
"Mm." I finish the last braid. "I do believe I've spent enough time here though."
"You go then." Saturn reclines back in the chair with a sigh. "I want to enjoy the peace down here for a while. I might never get it." Suit yourself.
I sit on the bed to slip on my shoes. "Your fucking self," I say under my breath.
"When are you going to 'wash off' your habit of swearing?" Saturn asks with mock disapproval.
"Whenever you stop being a bitch," I shoot back without missing a second.
"Right now, I think I'm not that."
"It's the alcohol."
There's another silence as I stand up and reach for the door, pausing when Saturn begins, "Just watch out for the heart reaper. He doesn't seem to show mercy."
A chill runs down my spine at her words. I don't respond. But when I try to turn the doorknob, my unease only deepens.
The events of earlier start to flood in; from Madam Kwakye's change of attitude to my encounter with Zavere and the guard I thought I'd knocked out.
I turn to Saturn. "You said I hit my head… that Hunter brought me here."
The girl peers at me and, after a moment, chuckles. "Yeah, I see you've figured it out," she says between her chortles. "Hunter killed a guard for hurting you then brought you here. Haha." She points to me and falls on her side to the couch. "The look of your face… Hehe…"
I don't believe her. It's hardwired in the girl to be dramatic, often exaggerating matters to get reactions.
But something in her words unsettles me, making my headache throb even more, nausea building up.
"How can you say that like it's nothing?" I'm fuming again. I might actually punch the girl any moment from now.
"Because that's how it is. He did kill her like she was nothing… right in front of everyone."
I ignore her, pushing the door open and stepping out into the hallway. As I do so, Saturn's voice comes through the crack in the door. "By the way, I didn't destroy your phone. Someone stole it from my room. I really thought it was you until you asked…" The voice trails off as I stumble down the hallway.
The mansion's silent. The music that had been pulsating through the air earlier has vanished.
Is the party over? Have the guests all retired to their rooms? These questions keep coming into my head as I arrive at the stairs.
There should have been maids bustling through the hallways, but there's no one, so I stealthily descend to the second floor. And that's where my eyes are immediately drawn to a sight that makes my chest burn, a swirling pit forming in my stomach.
Bloody strokes are made across the walls, and bodies are strewn down the staircase like discarded dolls, causing me to shrink back in fear.
"Oh God!" I gasp; my voice choking with terror as my heart races uncontrollably.
When I hear a shriek pierce the air; followed by desperate cries for help, adrenaline surges through my veins. And without thinking, I bolt down the stairs, not caring that I'm kicking the lifeless bodies in my way.
Splashing through pools of blood, I follow the trail of corpses until I reach the party hall. There, music still plays in the background, barely audible, as dim lights flash in hues of blue and red.