𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝗷𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗯 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲

𝟬𝟮𝟮, the truth right in her face

( CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO )
THE TRUTH RIGHT IN HER FACE

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          11:21 p.m.

          EDEN FOUND HERSELF STARING at the stars hanging from her ceiling, glowing a little in the dark as if she were entitled to her own starry sky dedicated only to her name. When she found herself in this position, that is to say: legs crossed together, hands placed behind her skull, eyes wide open without looking for sleep and her mouth chewing bubble gum, it was because she was thinking about something very, very insistent. She was only thinking about that. JJ's words had finally managed to disappear from her thoughts, and now a new question was creeping into her labyrinth. Actually, that wasn't really a question. But an impulsiveness to do something, but backing away from doing it for fear of running into something serious.

          This impulsiveness was Thomas' office waiting for her. At the other end of the hallway, it was as if a voice was calling for her to come. Something wanted her to go, but she held back. She had the feeling that if she went in there this time, she wasn't going to come out with good news. So she closed her eyes, trying to erase the idea from her head. She let her thoughts wander from one image to another. She was on the beach, then in the Twinkie, then eating strawberries, and with her father going on a treasure hunt. And here she was again thinking about that office. At this point, she thought he was cursed. She groaned into a pillow and jumped up on both legs, making her bed creak.

When she passed her photo wall, coming across a picture of her and her father, she rolled her eyes at him, telling herself that he was a manipulator of her conscience.

The Winslow girl slowly opened the door, waking Bella who was sleeping on her bed. She signaled her to stay in bed with a calm gesture. She only poked her head out of her room, looking around to make sure no one was awake and that all the doors were closed. No noise was heard except the steady sound of the clock on the wall in front of her. She passed through her door frame to finally head towards the other door which attracted her like a magnet. She arrived at John B's door, and for two seconds she thought about opening it and inviting him to join her, but she decided against her choice. Her voice in her head told her to do it alone, as if the secrets hidden in this room could only be seen by her and no one else.

So Eden entered this new room with no one beside her, only the sounds of her heart beating in her chest and her slightly stressed breathing. She didn't turn on the light so as not to arouse suspicion if anyone woke up, and only took the light from her phone and sent it lighting up the whole room at once. She didn't even know what she was looking for, she didn't even know why she was there. So the only idea that came to her was to go around the room and look for things without really touching anything. She started with the wooden desk, examining it with her eyes as if the truths were going to jump out at her like magic. And then the shelves, the bookcases, the sofas, the window sills. . . But nothing appeared. Eden sighed, looking around the room. Nothing jumped out at her. So she decided to go around the room again, but now she was putting her own effort into it. She slipped her hand into the desk drawers, leafed through the few books, searched the bookshelf.