Page 95 of Writing On The Wall

The three of us wince when we hear it again, then Ember gasps as two dark forms creep past the window.

Ross looks at me with a slow turn of his head, his lips pinched. “Told you so.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

IVY

“You guys saw that, right?” Ember mumbles from behind her hands.

The hairs on my nape and arms lift as I grab hold of her arm. “Should we call the police?”

“We’re not calling the cops,” Ross hisses.

“We need weapons,” Ember says with one single nod. She unplugs a lamp and hands it to me before lifting the small coffee table it was sitting on and turning it upside down. ”How attached are you to this table?”

“Minimally,” I frown, my eyes darting back to the windows at the sound of another shuffling noise. Ember swiftly kicks off two of the table legs, tossing one to Ross. My jaw drops as I watch her wield the makeshift weapon like a baseball bat. “Who the heck are you?”

“Nicolas has prepared me for this,” she deadpans.

Footsteps echo on the porch, prompting a curse from each of us before Ross urgently whispers for us to hide.

“Uh... Ross, any chance you remembered to lock the door after you picked it open?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

Before he can answer, we watch the handle twist for a second time. Ember and I hide behind the sofa, ducking when the door creaks open.

My body trembles uncontrollably while my heart pounds in my chest.

Could we have picked a worse place to hide?

I pull out my phone, and Ember gasps as she jabs me with her elbow. “Holy cow, are you checking your email right now?”

“I get productive when I’m nervous,” I whisper with a grimace.

“Shhh! What if someone’s home?” We hear the intruder mutter in a hushed tone.

“No one’s parked outside. It’s fine. If we’re caught, just pretend you’re lost.”

“Ow! For the love, woman, would you mind your bony elbows!”

Ember tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips and I pop my head out from behind my lame hiding spot. “Opal? Gail?”

“Ivy?” Gail responds, narrowing her eyes. Ember shifts onto her knees as she makes herself known. Someone better pinch me and wake me from this dream or quit slipping shrooms into my food, because I can’t take any of this craziness anymore.

Ross fights his way out from behind a curtain, then wanders a short distance away before turning back. “Wait, you all know each other?”

“Yup. Pretty well, actually.”

“What are you two doing here? And why are you dressed like that?” I question, gesturing a palm to the all-black outfits and rocky headbands they’re sporting.

Opal eyes Ross, her mouth twisting to the side. “We got a tip-off that the music box was here. Why’reyoutwo here?”

“I live here.”

Ross’s head falls back as he breathes a heavy sigh before looking at my geriatric friends. “You’reafter the music box?”

Before they can answer, the door handle begins to jiggle for the third freaking time today. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

We watch, each of us frozen in place, except for Ember who raises her table leg up to her shoulder.

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