〚FEATURED + WATTYS SHORTLIST 2021〛
Someone tried to kill him. Someone nearly succeeded.
A traitor walks among them.
The question is, who?
⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒
"A sky full of stars and he was looking at her."
He was a man with a deep and profound love for the stars...
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FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE BIG HOUSE, CAME A PAINED WHINE.
Stella's head snapped up instantly, her eyes narrowing with caution. "Did you hear that?"
Surprisingly, no one else at the dining table seemed concerned.
Corban turned the page of his newspaper as if he hadn't heard her at all.
Bea continued to tap her phone with furrowed eyebrows.
Gale sat with his eyes focused on the computer screen.
And Axel... well Axel seemed to be looking for something in his bowl of cereal.
"Yeah," he responded absent-mindedly, "Don't worry, she's just being dramatic."
"She?" Stella's eyebrows furrowed, as another whine sounded, much closer than before. Accompanying the whine, was the light pitter-patter of clawed feet- the sound of an animal drawing closer.
Stella's hand instantly goes to the daggers concealed near her hip, as the sound of the clawed feet draws closer-
-but a blur of golden fur has her pausing.
The dog pauses in front of her, just as confused- only for a second, as it tilts its head at her, before it lets out another happy yip, bounding towards her excitedly.
"Oh, hello there," Stella smiles just as happily, abandoning any pursuit of a weapon, as she leans down- only to be knocked over completely.
"Oomph!"
"Down, Marli," Axel says sternly, to which the dog retreats immediately, wagging her tail, even as Stella sits up with a laugh.
"I'm alright," she says with another laugh, reaching forward to run a hand through the dog's golden fur. "Marlowe is a beautiful name for a dog."
Bea and Corban instantly look up at her, making Stella raise an eyebrow at them.
"What?" she says defensively, "Her name's on the collar, why are you looking at me like that?"
They exchange glances before they look back at her again, making Stella frown.
Itwasn't even that suspicious. It's almost like humans didn't notice the most trivial details, and thought anyone who did was suspicious.
Before she can say something else about it however, someone knocks on the door.
Corban drags his narrow-eyed gaze away from her. "Come in."
A tall, lanky man makes his way into the room, holding a computer in his hand. His gaze flits across the different people in the room, before he clears his throat awkwardly.
"Morning Boss," he greets with a cordial nod, "You called for me?"
"Ah yes, Elijah," Corban straightens, "thank you for coming."
