Page 7 of Insatiable

Maybe that’s how she seduced Phoenix, I thought bitterly, watching her body pressed against Brian’s. The room seemed to close in on me, and I couldn’t take it.

"I’m gonna check out the place,” I said, standing up abruptly.

Katie also jumped to her feet. “Yeah, let’s go explore. I’ve seen enough of this show.”

Alex nodded, trailing behind us. Even Sophie had enough. She pushed herself up from, rolling her eyes at the scene across the room. “Better than watching that,” she muttered, shooting a look at Maya and Brian. Maya was grinding on him, practically giving a lap dance, while Brian leaned back, clearly enjoying every second of it. They were all over each other, like no one else was in the room.

Sophie’s disgust was obvious, and for once, I agreed with her. The sight of them locked together, oblivious to how cringeworthy they looked, was almost nauseous.

We wandered through the house, exploring its sprawling rooms and dusty hallways. It was a Southern plantation-style home, with a grand ballroom that looked like it hadn’t been touched in decades. Dust-covered chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the wide windows let in shafts of light that pierced the dimness like ghosts.

After a while, we headed to the kitchen, grabbed our bags, and laid out some snacks for lunch. We gathered around the old wooden table. It felt awkward at first, but soon we started talking and the tension eased with each bite.

Alex looked at me. “I’m sorry, Rose. About everything. I should have been there for you.” He said, keeping his voice low.

I shrugged, forcing a smile. “It’s life, right? Gotta roll with it.”

He nodded sympathetically, then nudged me, his tone lightening. “Hey, remember the bouquet toss at your wedding? Maya caught it, didn’t she? Think she and Brian could be a thing now? I mean, they’re certainly acting like it.”

Before I could respond, Sophie chimed in, her eyes flicking toward me. “Maya? She doesn’t settle. She just likes to have a good time.” Her smirk was casual, but when she glanced at me, there was something sharper behind it, confirming my suspicion—she knew what Maya had done.

Katie jumped in trying to change the subject. “Hey, did anyone check if there’s a grill out back? We could have a barbecue later.”

But I wasn’t listening anymore. The conversation blurred, voices muffled as memories spun in my head.

I stood abruptly, the chair scraping too loudly in the quiet room. “I need some air,” I mumbled. “I’m going for a walk.”

“We’ll come with you,” Katie said, standing up immediately.

I shook my head,clinging to the idea of a moment alone. “No, it’s fine. I just need a few minutes. I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh, come on,” Sophie cut in, stretching her arms. “If we’re stuck on this old plantation, we might as well take in the scenery.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, already standing up. “No point sitting around when we could be outside.”

They weren’t giving me an out, and I didn’t feel like arguing. “Alright, fine,” I muttered, heading toward the foyer, making my way to the door.

Chapter Five

Together, we stepped outside. The overgrown fields stretched before us, wild and forgotten. The tall grass brushed against our legs as we walked.

Sophie kicked at a clump of grass. “This place is so boring. I could’ve been at a party, butinstead, I’m stuck here for Halloween,” she complained, her voice breaking the quiet. “What the hell was Maya thinking? How is this supposed to be fun?”

I gave a nervous laugh. “You know Maya. She likes to push boundaries, even when no one else cares.”

We walked past an old barn, its roof caved in, the wood weathered and rotting. Ivy crawled up the sides like it was trying to swallow the building whole. “Look at this place,” Alex muttered, running his hand along one of the rusted tools hanging from the barn’s side. “It’s like no one’s touched it in years.”

I glanced at the trees surrounding the field. They were old, twisted, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers ready to grab anyone foolish enough to get close. Their shadows sprawled across the uneven ground, making every step feel unsteady. The whole place felt forgotten, but not quite dead—like it was waiting for something.

Farther out, a broken fence barely stood, its splintered wooden posts tangled in thick brush. The air smelled of damp earth and rot, like the land was hiding something beneath the surface. I shivered, even though the evening wasn’t that cold.

I turned around, and behind us, the mansion loomed. Its black, empty windows felt like eyes, watching our every move. I quickly faced the field, unwilling to look at it anymore. I stepped into the tall grass, leaving the others behind, feeling like I was entering a maze. Suddenly, I stopped.

A scarecrow stood before me, its tattered clothes flapping in the wind. But something felt off. The body seemed too solid, too full to be just straw. Half of its head was covered by a burlap sack, loosely stitched with dark thread. It wore leather pants. Who dresses a scarecrow in leather pants?

But it was the mouth that really caught my attention. Open, dirty, cracked like old leather, stretched into a twisted, crooked smile—it looked disturbingly human.

“That thing’s creepy as hell,” Sophie said, and I nearly jumped.

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