“Nope. They never wear their masks around me.”
My shoulders hunch. It was too much to hope that Anni knows who is who. Anyway, it’s not like I want to know the identity of Orange Mask.
I donot.
“Wait a minute.” Ava snatches Anni’s phone to stare at the picture. “How come there are five masks? I thought the Heathens was composed of Jeremy, Gareth, Nikolai, and Killian. Who’s the fifth member?”
“No clue.” Anni’s brows crease. “He certainly doesn’t show up at the mansion. Only the four you just mentioned live together.”
Could it be Orange Mask?
“This is so interesting.” Ava has those heart eyes again. “I wonder who this mystery person is. Maybe we can investigate this.”
“Absolutely not,” I say in a forceful tone.
“Come on, please, Cecy. We can find out a lot of secret stuff. It’ll be so fun.”
“You won’t find it fun if your life is at risk or if one of these mystery people catches you.”
“Oh, please. Your fantasy is something like that.”
I freeze.
Heat rises over my neck and cheeks and I stare at Ava as if she’s grown three additional heads and is judging me with each one of them.
“T-that’s not true! My fantasy is a nice, normal man. That’s obviously a rare currency in this day and age.”
“That’s a no, no. When we were drunk at Remi’s last birthday party, you said something different, and I believe drunk Cecy. She’s the real version of you.”
I’m going to kill drunk me.
And Ava, too. How could she bring that up?
Just as I’m about to figure out the best murder plan, the door opens and Glyndon, my and Ava’s childhood friend and Lan’s sister, comes inside.
She’s the most petite of the three of us—but not more than Anni—has long honey-colored hair, where the brown and blonde overlap in a beautiful balayage, and loves wearing shorts, even during the spring.
In theory, since Glyn and I are more introverted, we should be the closest, but when we’re in each other’s company, we actually prefer silence more than anything.
Sometimes, when she’s stuck in her own head, she reminds me of Landon, but the similarities stop there. She’s too sweet to ever be compared to Lan and his antagonizing nature.
She throws her bag down on the way inside and joins us. I stand to pick it up, then hang it in place instead of getting caught up in the subject at hand.
But as soon as I sit back down and grab my cup of tea, Ava barges into our childhood friend’s personal space. “Glyn! Back me up on this.”
“What are we discussing?”
“Fantasies,” Annika supplies. “Cecily said her fantasy is finding a nice, normal man since that’s so rare nowadays.”
“It is.” I let the lukewarm tea soothe my throat. “Sorry, I’m lame.”
“You’re lying.” Ava crosses her arms over her fuzzy pajamas. “A year ago, you said your fantasy was to be ambushed in a dark place and taken against your will.”
It’s like someone drenches me with cold water.
My hand shakes and droplets of tea splash on my skin.
I can feel that out-of-body sensation creeping in and stealing my breath.