TWENTY

LAUREL’s POV

Helios stares at Diego and for the longest time, no one breathes a word.

Stifling silence fills the air and we all stay unmoving like statues in a wax museum. Then all of a sudden, Helios throws his head back and roars with laughter. But there is not a single trace of humour in his voice.

The hair at the back of my neck stands up and I feel goosebumps all over my skin. It is never a good thing when Helios laughs like that.

Diego looks on in confusion before he starts to smile nervously and lets out a chuckle of his own. Soon, he too joins in the chorus of laughter.

I stand rooted in my position and stare at them both incredulously, feeling as if I am watching some sort of satirical dark comedy unfold in front of me.

Then just as suddenly as Helios starts to laugh, he stops abruptly. And without warning, he reaches out and grabs Diego by his scrawny neck, cutting off the elderly man’s cackle and pulls him close. This time, Helios’ nails dig deep into Diego’s pasty skin and