The Truth Behind Those Eyes

Chapter Twelve

Nikki searched the room in a daze. Two very strange things had just happened. First she had woken in a strange room with absolutely no memory of getting there and second, she'd woken. This meant that at some point, she had fallen asleep.

She thought hard, trying to recall her dreams but all she could remember was a blue and white striped towel. No hint of any monsters or flash of a nightmare.

Rubbing her eyes she stretched, allowing her gaze to roam her surroundings once more. The bedroom looked like it belonged in an expensive hotel, half a century ago. The bed, unlike the dresser and wardrobe, was the only piece of furniture that hadn't half collapsed.

The dirty curtains hanging from the tall windows were shredded and littered with holes. On the floor, the red carpet was threadbare and the yellowed wallpaper was peeling back, exposing the stonewalls beneath. Like the rest of the building, this had obviously once been beautiful but now it was feeble and unloved.

The bed, a dark oak four-poster with a wooden canopy, boasted impressive carvings but over time they had become battered and knocked however still imposing. In stark contrast, the white linen sheets wrapped around her were the only clean things in the room; they looked brand new in comparison to everything else.

The high ceiling had ornamented cornicing around a heavy glass chandelier that clearly hadn't been switched on in decades. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs decorated every surface claiming them from the slats of sunlight, which fought through the grimy windows.

Beyond the glass, the lake had not lost any of its appeal. Using the grubby curtains, Nikki wiped the window, peering out to appraise the view. Across the water the weather was changing and a storm was rolling in from the west. Dark, menacing clouds loomed over the horizon and kissed the bank of the water.

How apt, Nikki thought dryly as her mind drifted to Josh.

She shivered, remembering his face when she'd discovered him on her floor. He'd looked dangerous and for the first time in days she had feared him. The churning in the pit of her stomach was back and this time it was doubling down on its intensity. She was alone in a strange house, in a foreign country with no means of getting help and the one person she'd foolishly trusted now seemed to hate her.

But she couldn't hide away in this bedroom forever. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Nikki composed herself as best she could, before heading out of the safety of her room.

Beyond her door she encountered a vast hallway. The lavishness of the double staircase on the ground floor continued up here with the elaborate coving and intricately carved banister.

She was just about to take a closer look at the woodwork when her interest was hijacked. From somewhere below, muffled voices drifted up the stairs, luring her to the top step.

"I don't see what the problem is, she's fine; she slept like a baby," Sam chuckled.

"That's not the point," Josh retorted, his voice heavy with anger and Nikki could tell he was gritting his teeth.

"So what, exactly, is?"

"You know what the damn problem is."

Nikki shivered at his dangerous and low hiss, and prayed Sam had the good sense not to antagonise Josh further.

"What did you expect, Josh? You've seen it a dozen times be--"

"You didn't have to kiss her!"

The kiss! She hadn't dreamt it after all.

With her curiosity piqued, Nikki sat down. Eagerly she leaned forward in an attempt to hear everything that was said.

"Are you being serious? That's what's bugging you?"