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Chapter 5

The door finally closes and the woman leaves. The interview's finally over, but now what? Do I just leave?

I leave the room and find my way back down through the maze- like building.

  

I tread around my room, back and forth, contemplating whether Josh was right. What if I did get myself too involved in this? Am I just begging for danger? I turn on my phone, only to see three missed calls from Josh. What could be so important?

I have one voicemail, this time from Ivy.

"Hey Piper, it's Ivy. I was just calling to tell you something really important came up, text me when you get this. Thanks."

Why is everyone so busy all of a sudden?

I text Ivy, telling her I got her message.  She texts back telling me to come over to her house immediately. I grab my keys and my bag and start on my way there, deducting all the possible situations and outcomes. I often do when I'm scared, or nervous. That way I won't be surprised, no matter what happens. It's always best to have a plan.

The day is coming to an end, the sky a hypnotising red- purple colour that you only see at this time of day. A gush of wind races past me, suddenly freezing. It's silent here, and all I can hear are the far away chirps of birds, wind, and the occasional car driving past.

Walking up the steps to Ivy's house, the strangest sensation creeps up on me. I feel as though someone is watching me, just staring. Right behind me.

I spin around, looking everywhere, hoping I am alone. No one is there, but I become so engulfed in the chilling feeling, I barely even notice Ivy open the door.

"Piper," Her voice is a low whisper, but still loud enough for me to hear. "What are you just standing there for? Come inside!"

She grabs my arm and forces me through the doors. The next thing I know I'm sitting down on her couch, a cup of hot chocolate in my hands.

"Where were you all day?"

I'm too busy looking around, dumbfounded. I was so convinced I was being watched.

A chill runs down my spine.

Finally, I can take my eyes off the door and on to Ivy.

"I was busy," I say, hardly paying attention to the conversation.

"Busy doing what, Piper? You can't just run around investigating things for people."

Finally, she gets my attention.

"How did you know that...?"

Ivy stutters, "I don't know, I just guessed."

"That's too good of a guess." I shake my head. "How did you know?" I repeat myself, but this time, it's less of a question, and much more of a demand.

"That doesn't matter. You're getting yourself involved in something you don't want to be involved in, Piper. I don't know how Josh convinced you into doing this, but trust me. He is not good news." She looks me in the eyes, waiting for me to stop fiddling with my hair.

"He's making you believe it's your idea, when really he's just planting the ideas in your head. He's a police officer, he's trained to do these things,"

I'm not that stupid. This isn't true. How does that even work?

"I'm not stupid, Ivy. I would've noticed it, for sure."

"Think of it like this. It's all just a game to them. And they're experts on it. They've read the rules, and Josh is taking advantage of the fact you've never played before, so he can win." Ivy looks at me, sympathetic to my blindness.

"You're being way too overdramatic," I say, forcing a laugh.

"You're not stupid. You're just too loyal.  Don't get too distracted."

My phone rings, and I already know who it is.

And I can tell that Ivy does, too.

"Are you going to pick it up?" She asks, waiting to see if she's finally gotten her point across.

"No,"

My curiosity has finally gotten the better of me. That's not what matters though, what does matter is that I need to find a way to get myself un- involved, if that's even possible.

"So what did he send you off to do?"

"I had to make sure one of the suspects got some job."

"Why?" 

"So that when another person is victimized he can know whether they have an accomplice or not."

Ivy nods.

I don't feel like talking about it now, I just need something- anything- to get my mind off of this.

I look out the window and see that it has started to rain lightly, and there are huge, dark clouds approaching.

"You should leave now. There's supposed to be a huge thunderstorm." Ivy says, her voice calm and quiet.

"Yeah," I say, grabbing my bag and keys. "Bye."

As soon as I step out back onto the street, that cryptic feeling returns, and no matter how much I try to ignore it, it never goes away.