The Hybrid Girl (Andromeda Book 1)

Chapter 31

"Diana Ross!" I squeal, so happy that they know me so well, although I have a sneaking suspicion that Perrie was the one who made the decision. Jesy dresses up as one of the Spice Girls, Geri. Leigh dresses up as Rihanna. Perrie dresses up as Poison Ivy. They all look so good, I feel stupid in my big red dress but they promise me I'm supposed to stand out as the birthday girl. We actually get ready so quickly, I'm impressed, considering the complexity of our outfits and our make-up.

I ask them all about their holidays, Christmas Day and what they got from their families. They all start gushing about the way their Christmas day panned out and what they got as presents and I smile. Perrie snakes an arm around my shoulder comfortingly in case their answers make me feel down but they don't. When they start asking me the same types of questions, I regret asking them because I don't want them to know I spent a majority of the holidays at the library. Luckily their questions don't extend that far. I stick to telling them about Christmas day too. Danielle arrives not long after dressed in a cat outfit and I roll my eyes at the easy choice outfit.

My stomach growls loudly, making us all chuckle as we pad into the kitchen to raid the cupboards for snacks. Jesy inspects the picture on the wall with a perplexed look. It's a frame of the night sky when there are shooting stars. A beautiful picture. Narrowing her eyes at the wall, she wonders, "why is this frame hung so low?"

"What?" Leigh-Anne echoes in confusion.

"I mean it's a beautiful frame, but why would you hang it so low?" Jesy wonders, stepping back as if doing so will answer her weird question. I shrug in response because I don't actually know why it's hung so low, but I've never questioned it. Truthfully, I've never cared enough to actually look.

Perrie analyses the wall and puts her crisp packet on the table. Quietly walking towards it, she gently runs her hand over it and then knocks on it. A low sounding voice compliments her knuckles banging against the wall and her eyes go wide, "this is hollow."

Jesy takes the frame off the wall, revealing a single keyhole in the middle of the wall. No handle, no hinges no doorframe. Just a keyhole. I remember the window-seat and jog over to it. There are three keys and I bring them all with me. Only one key looks like it will fit in the keyhole, so I try it and it works. When I successfully turn the key, the doorframe and handle appear, and I push the door open.

The five of us peer cautiously down the stairs into the darkness.

"What's down there?" Perrie wonders out loud and I shrug my shoulders.

"Beats me. I'll go first," I offer, stepping inside first and holding up my hand whispering, "Lucernis."

The stairway down is narrow and seems to go on for what seems like forever. By the time we get to the bottom, I wonder if it would have been easier to just jump to the bottom. Judging by what we can see when we get down, we are in some sort of cave under the town. In one direction there is a small hallway connecting to a door that's ajar and in the other direction, behind us is another strange looking door that looks locked. Perrie gives it a yank but it doesn't budge. Leigh pushes open the first door and we go inside. Jesy locates the light switch and I drop my hands.

"Woah," Danielle breathes as she takes in the surroundings.

It's a small-ish room, with cave-like walls, but it's furnished like a house would be. A large rug on the floor as well as a black sofa to one side. On the other side is a bookcase with its shelves full of books. On the wall is a world map, with certain places circled all over. Just like the book I found upstairs, there are a lot of words scribbled on it but I can't read them.

In the very corner is a dusty old chest, sealed shut with a padlock. The keys jingle in my hand and I wonder if the smallest key will open the chest, but I'm not sure if I should open it in front of the girls.