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The sound of Arianaâs blow dryer drowned out my thoughts.She stood in front of the mirror, flipping her red hair like she was in some music video, the kind that ends with a glitter explosion. I was sitting cross-legged on her bed, holding two lipstick shades in my hand and pretending to choose. Truth was, Iâd already forgotten how to be this version of me who was girlish, reckless, alive.Cheap Thrills was playing through the Bluetooth speaker, and the room smelled like coconut oil and vanilla body spray. Ariana was humming along, wriggling her hips in her tight jeans. Her energy filled the room so completely that for the first time in days, the silence in my head felt⌠smaller.âOkay, babe,â she said, snapping her fingers at me. âHair first. Then that red lipstick. Tonight, weâre not sad, weâre not tired, weâre not emotionally wrecked. Weâre hot.âI laughed, shaking my head as she marched toward me with the curling iron like it was a sword.âIâm serious, Ave,â she said, crouching be
~ Avelyn ~The city had never looked this alive. Maybe it was just me, the way my chest felt lighter for the first time in days, the way Arianaâs laughter kept bouncing between the buildings like sunlight refusing to die.We started at this little boutique tucked in a corner street. You could smell the perfume and polished floors before you even walked in. The mannequins in the window were draped in clothes I couldnât afford on my best day and somehow that made it more exciting.âPick anything,â Ariana declared, hands on her hips. âWeâre rich women today. Untouchable.ââRich women donât announce it like that,â I said, grinning.She pointed at me like sheâd just discovered fire. âExactly! Thatâs the attitude. Channel your inner heiress.âSo we did.We tried on ridiculous fur jackets that made us look like mafia wives. Ariana picked a white one with a jeweled belt; I picked a black one that swallowed me whole. Then came the oversized sunglasses for a dramatic feel, it screamed, I could
~ Avelyn ~The door closed behind Xander with that quiet, deliberate sound that always felt like a full stop like a line drawn I couldnât cross.For a moment, I just sat there at the long dining table, fork still in my hand, staring at the untouched food that was now as cold as my mood. My chest felt tight, too full of words I hadnât said and thoughts I couldnât tame.He left me with his usual mixture of arrogance and riddles, and now all I could hear was his voice echoing in my head. âI donât need to warn you about Kyle, do I?âMy hand trembled around the fork. The nerve of him.I checked the time, it was barely past ten. I still had hours before practice, and that âthree-day passâ he threw at me like a leash was burning a hole in my pocket. Fine. Iâd use it. For once, not to follow his orders, but to do something that made sense.I changed quickly into simple jeans, a cream sweater, hair pulled into a loose bun and slipped out the door before I could talk myself out of it. The drive
~ Avelyn ~The rain had stopped by morning, but the mansion still felt drenched in it. The windows were streaked with silver trails, and the garden outside glistened like someone had spilled a jar of stars across it. I sat at the long breakfast table, staring at the steam curling off my cup. Everything smelled like cinnamon, fresh bread, and something faintly citrusy.I shouldâve been hungry. I wasnât.Across from me, Xander ate like nothing had happened. The newspaper lay folded by his hand, the silverware moved in clean, deliberate motions, and the world..his world was calm.Meanwhile, my insides were chaos. My mind hadnât stopped replaying the night: the well, the rain, the chopper lights, the sound of his voice when he told me to hold on. I could still feel his jacket on my shoulders if I thought about it too long.I gripped the fork tighter, my knuckles white. I couldnât decide if I wanted to thank him or throw something at him.He broke the silence first. âYou snuck past the dri
~ Avelyn ~The helicopter blades slowed to a dull, rhythmic hum as we landed on the mansionâs helipad. Rain still hissed against the glass. I sat there, wrapped in Xanderâs coat, trembling so hard that the seatbelt clicked faintly against itself. My clothes were soaked through water clinging to my skin, hair plastered to my cheeks, fingers stiff and pale.When the door opened, the cold slapped me again. Xanderâs hand was on me before I could move. It was firm, unyielding, guiding. The moment my boots hit the ground, he swept the coat tighter around my shoulders, steering me through the downpour and into the waiting corridor that led into the house.The warmth inside was almost unbearable. Marble gleamed under our feet, gold sconces threw soft light on the walls, and the faint scent of cedar and smoke lingered in the air. It felt unreal, too clean, too distant from the pit weâd just crawled out of.I couldnât stop shaking. My lips wouldnât move right when I tried to speak. âAriâââSheâ
At first, it was just a few drops. Tiny, cold pinpricks on my face that felt almost gentle.Then the rain found its rhythm.It started threading down the stone walls, tracing the cracks, dripping onto my knees, my palms, my hair, until every breath tasted like metal and dirt. The smell of wet earth filled the air, sharp and heavy. I tilted my face upward, calling again.âKyle!âMy voice vanished into the storm. No reply. Just thunder rolling like something alive above me.I pressed a hand against the wall, staring at the rope that hung loose where heâd tied it. Maybe heâd slipped. Maybe he was pulling Ariana to safety. MaybeâNo.The thought cracked in my chest. I didnât want to finish it.The rain kept coming. Faster. Louder. It pooled against the uneven floor, soaking my shoes, creeping up over my ankles.âOh God.âI grabbed the ladder, my fingers slipping on the slick metal rungs. The well was already half a river, swirling mud at my feet. My breath came quick and thin. I couldn








