Kiera
10: 04
Shit. Shit. Shit
Why now?
Even in the most unsupportive moment, Cora and I were frozen solid to the spot. There was nowhere to go. A return-route-run back to the bedroom was impossible. Facing being caught was impossible. And turning invisible was impossible. There was nothing we could do. However, when my mother's hand could already be heard making contact with the door handle, I noticed an unnatural, slight crease running along the wallpaper. It looked as if the area around it had been purposely cut out then intentionally hidden. Even though evidence was little and the action risky, I took my chances. And so in a flash, I snatched Cora's hand and dragged her through the wall, unknowingly into a small room.
-
"Holy fuck," mutters Cora in understanding disbelief, "How the hell did you do that?!" "I honestly don't know, it was a lucky guess and I took my chances," Come to think of it, the wall also sounded hollow as I crawled along it earlier. "Seems like we both knew a lot less about your family than we thought."
There was a short, shared pause in which was when I only really became aware of my surroundings and remembered that I hadn't been very cautious about how I had taken Cora into the compact chamber with me; we had ended up facing ourselves with our chests pressing the other. She was so close to me, I could feel the warmth of her breath on my skin and her gaze fixed entirely on me. Even in the dim lighting, looking at her like this was only when I had truly grasped how much she had changed in the space of a few months.
Cora was incredibly beautiful.
I honestly believed that I could've remained in that position for ever and pray she didn't think I was a creep for gazing at her features ever so much. But all good things must come to an end: my mother's voice shot icily through the corridor. Cora's beauty had made me forget where I was along with the entire reason I was existing in that moment. "Quoi? C'est pret?" What? It's ready?
There was a pause while the innominate caller answered her question. "Laisse les avec Enzo au Robinet, il sait ce qu'il faut faire. Merci."Leave them with Enzo at Robinet, he knows what he must do. Thanks.
Tap? What does that mean? Is it code? I waited for my mother to return to the lounge and spoke after hearing the door shut; I had asked Cora if she knew what the 'Robinet' was and although it seemed like the name had spiked a distant memory, it was clear that it was too far away for her to locate at the moment.
The whole thing was just all too strange: from a murder to a secret room; from old memories to new connections; from family ties to generational lies. The importance of our lives shrunk with every new piece of information we gained and there was only one clear way to stop this- we had to get to the bottom of our family's affairs.
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Cora
10:05
How on this green earth did she manage that? Just how?
Although a striking discovery, I found the existence of this space unsettling: What other secret places are in this house? My parents said it belonged to some old Italian family and I mean, it's a beautiful house but even so, now I can only think of what else could be hidden here and if my parents are aware of it.
Moments after Aline had returned to the lounge, Cora had asked me if I knew of a certain 'Robinet' she had mentioned. I responded that I was trying to remember but that it seemed like a familiar word at least.
Truth ¾ told.
It wasn't just a familiar word, I also was capable of remembering it.
It was a place which I had heard of being mentioned many times before, but only now did I piece it together. Le Robinet got its infamous name for being a source- not of water like a normal tap, but of drugs, weapons and all sorts of other black market items. As memories flooded my head, I remembered my parents always talking about how their job was to handle people involved with such matters but naivety must've clouded my judgment till now. They suggestively weren't law enforcers dealing with malefactors, no, instead it was implied that they handled criminals in such a way that they were involved in illegal businesses themselves. I had never until then been ready to accept that as fact, however just as surely, I wasn't ready to reveal that truth to Kiera just yet. I didn't want her getting involved. But now I realize I should've mentioned it. I really wish I had.
I soon told Ki we should probably leave and return to my room. She looked slightly gutted for some reason but I chose to ignore it as ultimately she was wild, impulsive and definitely enjoying the thrill of it all, whether she had decided to make it clear or not.
-
When we had returned to my isolated habitat at the end of the corridor, Ki and I had developed a plan d'action regarding the mystery of our family's affairs. This plan would include digging up all sorts of information on our families that we could find and for me to further explore the house; just in case. I also made a mental note in my head to revisit the secret chamber in search of additional information as it would be a less difficult task with only one body present. Even if from a distance, we agreed to work on this together.
On Kiera's part at least.
When eventually it was the Allain's time to depart the house and head to their home, I waved Ki and Nicolas goodbye watching them as they dismally entered the vehicle they had arrived in. Straight after this, I sent myself to my room and climbed into bed, later placing my journal on my lap and headphones into my ear; drowning out the habitual noises of hitting, striking and pain which seeped into my room.
YOU ARE READING
enfin.
Romance/ehn • fan/ meaning: at last A story of two young teens with no purpose, who are constantly held under severe pressure by obscurely abusive parents. Both had seemed to treat each other as enemies but it now unfolds that was just a lie, swe...
