Insanity Bites |z.m| |h.s|

Chapter 65: The Ball (Part 3)

I tried to ease the tension in my shoulders and face, looking as uninterested as possible when these two men walked past me. Their footsteps were slow but their heated words were rushed and I had to strain my ears to catch a word or two.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Harry's father muttered under his breath, or it was something along those lines. It was obvious he was furious about something. I pretended to study the intricate carvings on a marble vase perched on a wooden table to my side and when they turned a corner I followed suit.

I waited a few seconds before walking down yet another hallway flanked on both sides with similar looking meeting rooms. I stayed put half expecting them to enter one of those rooms but they walked down the entire hallway and then disappeared to the right at what looked like a dead end.

It made me panic to think I had lost them so I rushed quietly all the way to the end and slowly turned right as well. I was surprised to see a large balcony overlooking the entire lawn. The shorter man took out a cigar and lit it up but before he brought it up to his mouth he turned suddenly my way.

My breathing seized as I quickly jumped back. I leaned against the wall and mentally prayed that I hadn't been caught. After three seconds of counting I snuck a glance their way. I was relieved to see the shorter man had turned his attention back to his cigar, looking much too calm as Harry's father spoke angrily to him.

The only problem was I couldn't hear anything and I could not take another step onto that balcony without being noticed.

Frustration gnawed at my prickling skin as I looked around desperately for another way to eavesdrop. Why was Harry's father so angry and why did that short man look so unbothered, like he held all the cards in the deck.

I looked at the banister wondering if I could climb all the way there and somehow dangle off the edge unbeknownst to them. No, that was stupid. Even if by some miracle they didn't notice me climbing over the edge, someone else on the lawn would surely notice a girl hanging over the balcony like a monkey.

There had to be some other way. I looked at the open doors that lead to that same balcony. Slightly conspicuous but not entirely inaccessible. They had to lead to somewhere and then my gaze flitted to all the meeting rooms that lined the hallways.

The ones at the ends must lead to the balcony.

Without wasting a breath I turned around and walked back along the same path I had taken and down the middle hallway that had the same rows of rooms decked on each side. Once I reached the last room, I quickly checked to see if it was empty and then I silently crept in, closing the doors slightly behind me.

Sure enough this last room had a door at the far end that lead to the darkened sky and the hushed voices I wanted to hear.

My heels and dress proved to be extremely disadvantageous as I ducked under the large oak table in the center. I crawled through a chair and then along the entire table until I reached the part closest to the balcony.

I was about to run quickly and hide behind the open door when they walked in right in front of me. 

I held my breath as I pressed up against the large wooden leg of the table praying I could blend into the brown color. There were several chairs partially obscuring me from their view but they only needed to look down and they wood definitely spot me flattened against the wood like a chameleon that had the horrid luck of not being able to camouflage.  

It turned out I was in luck today because the two men walked past me and stood a few chairs away. By the sound of their voices I could tell they were standing by the table to my right.