𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

34. 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

NOTHING WAS GOING RIGHT ANYMORE. Mr. Harrington was surprised to find Eszter back in the hotel, not realizing the girl had made her way back to her room, but he didn't know she had popped in--literally. The man was panicking because not only was Eszter missing, but he couldn't find Peter, and while Mr. Harrington was on the call with several parents. He worried the boy might've died on his watch. Luckily, he wasn't going to have to explain to Peter's guardian that he had lost the boy due to some monster emerging from out of the blue and destroying the festival.

The plans to spend the last night in Prague together was cut short, but the two resulted to having their little date night in Eszter's room; she hadn't been in the mood of leaving her room, still upset from the previous events, but Peter was a little displeased to spend their time together hunched in a closed room. Nevertheless, Peter went along with it, appreciating the moment he got to spend with Eszter.

Cutting their subtle date abruptly, there was an urgent knock pounding at Eszter's hotel door. She caught Peter's gaze for a second before he got up and opened the door, and his expression shifted differently when he moved aside and allowed the person to step into the room. Well, she let herself in.

"So much for letting me know you were here," Michelle grunts, storming toward Eszter. She frowns suddenly, recognizing the same look on Eszter's face and the way the enhanced hugged herself on her bed. There was something off about her friend. Not sure if she should bring it up, Michelle put it aside. "Where were you two?"

Peter's eyes widen. "Um, I got lost," he mustered a lie.

Eszter wanted to snort at that. "Yeah, and I had to go find him," she finally glances up and meets Michelle's gaze, pausing; her friend was skeptical and a hint of another feeling that made Eszter freeze at it. It was like a know-it-all kind of feeling. "He nearly got trampled."

"Uh-huh," Michelle presses her tongue up to the bridge of her mouth. Suspicion lingered in her gaze, and it was easy to detect from Eszter, but she let her friend carry on when she felt careless. "Wasn't he at the opera house, though?"

"I was, but then when Eszter left, I ended up following her," Peter rolls his lips between his teeth, unsure if that sounded believable. He glanced at Eszter, wondering why she wasn't helping him, but he frowns when the girl had a blank look. "Yeah, uh, Eszter and I kind of got in a fight when she was ditching me back at the opera house." Peter pausing, taking in Michelle's reaction. "I didn't know what I was running into when I did."

"So, you knew she was on a mission?" Michelle interrogates.

"Yeah, because I told him," Eszter's roughness soaked into her exterior, scoffing. "He just doesn't listen, do you, babe?"

Peter caught the actual bitterness in Eszter's voice, confusing both Peter and Michelle. The two looked at each other briefly but didn't mention anything, not wanting to upset Eszter any further.

"Yeah, I--I didn't listen, and I should've. Nearly got myself killed."

An uncomfortable silence was starting to flutter in the air, and it had more to do with the strange attitude Eszter was releasing, and it was starting to confuse Michelle and Peter. Unfortunately, they hadn't picked up on her attitude until now, and when Michelle and Peter share puzzled looks, they looked back at Eszter. The enhanced displayed an evident scowl on her face.

Suddenly, the scowl was replaced with a stretched smile. "Well, now you know where alive and well," Eszter waves her hands dismissively. She was signaling Michelle to leave. "We're sort of busy."

"Doing what?"

"Not like that, Michelle."

Michelle hums, eyeing her friend's body language. "Well, I'm fine, if you care," a small hint of relief flooded Eszter's features, granting Michelle a bit of hope that her friend cared about her.