Duskwood After Story

Turning The Wheel, Part 2

Regular trips to the house became a part of our routine as we got ready for the big day. Jessy had taken up a whole room with her sewing kits and other prop-making supplies. The girls had collected all of the items required for Jessy. After I provided her with Jake's measurements, she began sketching the various body parts that would eventually be created. She briefed everyone involved on the procedure and assigned responsibilities. We were all in awe at how efficient and reliable Jessy was.

As we worked together on the corpses, there were times when we would go off topic and chat about something that had nothing to do with the reason for our gathering. It probably didn't help that Cleo was continually bringing us pastries and beverages. But thanks to that, I had a chance to get to know them better. When Hannah was missing, we had always just talked about the case. Aside from Jessy, I had only known them for a short period of time and hadn't learned nearly enough about them to form meaningful friendships. Now it felt like we were simply a bunch of friends coming together to complain about how boring our lives had become, how miserable our jobs were, and how frustrated we were with the men in our lives.

"Err, don't count me in on that conversation. I have nothing to complain about Jake." – I sat back in my chair and crossed my index fingers into an X.

"Uh-huh." – The girls squinted at me.

"You know, Bailey. You are only able to say that because you guys are still in the honeymoon phase." – Cleo commented as she sipped on her tea.

"Oh? You're talking as if you have a lot of experience, Cleo." – I leaned forward, curious to hear more about her.

"Cleo is probably the one with the most experience among us." – Hannah elbowed Cleo on her arm while giggling mischievously.

"Oh, please stop. I'm not." – Cleo frowned at Hannah.

"Come on, Cleo. We all know that. Bailey, Cleo used to date one of our university professors. She was only 20 and he was about twice her age..." – Lilly started to gossip.

"Lilly!" – Cleo slammed her cup down on the table. Her brows tightened together. Everyone jumped in their seats and held their tongues as they watched Cleo's expression.

"Hah..." – Finally, she sighed. Her forehead relaxed – "Sorry I didn't mean to raise my voice. It's just... it was a long time ago and I was really naive and young back then. But for sure, that relationship has taught me some valuable lessons."

"S–sorry, Cleo. I shouldn't have brought it up." – Lilly dropped her down. Her fingers clenched together on her laps as she muttered. It was so quiet that I almost didn't understand her.

"It's okay, Lilly. I know you didn't mean any harm." – Cleo smiled and reached out to touch Lilly's arm. Lilly looked up with a relieved smile on her face.

"How about you then, Lilly?" – Jessy asked, changing the subject.

"What about me?" – Lilly pointed at herself and asked with widened eyes.

"Come now, we all know you have a thing with Dan." – Jessy covered her mouth with her fingers while giggling.

"N–no!" – Lilly protested.

"Uh– yeah, it's pretty obvious." – I nodded.

"Indeed. Dan's always been very diligent when it comes to Lilly." – Cleo chimed in, taking another sip from her cup.

"And he's extra gentle and nice when Lilly's involved." – Hannah wrapped her arm around her sister's and giggled.

"No, he's not! He's the same to me as everyone else." – Lilly scowled at her sister but her face was definitely getting redder.

"Uhhh... I don't really know what you're talking about but just look over there." – Cleo pointed her finger towards the hallway.

All of us turned to look at where Jake, Thomas and Dan were gathering.

Unlike the girls, the guys were not getting along so well, mainly due to their personality differences. They were arguing over how to move Jake's equipment into the mine.

While Jake was the kind to avoid unnecessary arguments and take a methodological approach to everything, it was not the same for Dan and Thomas, who preferred to jump in first without developing a strategy. To them, planning was a waste of time.

"I don't understand why we have to stand here and talk about it. Just carry the stuff down into the mine, that's it!" – Dan shouted with his hands up in the air.

"Getting there will require descending a shaft that is 200 feet in depth. Do you really believe we can simply bring down a lot of heavy machinery without checking out the shaft and the structure down there first?" – Jake folded his arms in front of his chest, his head tilted slightly in a stand-off with Dan.

"And you didn't care to tell us about that beforehand?" – Dan bellowed.

"I am telling you now and that's why we have to be cautious." – Jake answered, his voice was still as calm as ever.

"Dan, I think Jake's right. We shouldn't be so hasty..." – Thomas intervened.

"Shut up, Tommyboy. I wasn't talking to you." – Dan raised his voice at Thomas. Thomas got startled by Dan's shouting but continued anway.

"All I'm saying is, it doesn't hurt to be careful. If anyone gets hurt, it will just prolong the time we need."

"Thomas is right." – Jake nodded in agreement.

"Hmm. Fine, talk about it then. What do we need to check?" – Dan finally gave in.

The girls turned their attention back to each other. Cleo smiled meaningfully at Lilly.

"See?"

"W–what?" – Lilly stuttered.

"He's so rough with everybody else but always so nice to you, Lilly." – I explained.

"That's not true. He's nice to Jessy too." – Lilly argued.

"Me?" – Jessy jerked back and put her hand on her chest.

"Yeah. Didn't he ask you on a date at the Blackswan?" – Lilly replied. There was a sullen undertone in her voice.

"Oh that... Don't worry, Lilly. It was just him trying to make up to me for skipping out on Phil. I stood him up anyway." – Jessy waved off the accusation.

If only they knew Jessy was waiting for someone else... I thought to myself as I reached over to put my arm around Jessy's. She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered, "Thanks, Bailey," as if she understood the meaning of my gesture.

After then, there was silence among us. We were leisurely enjoying the pastries and tea that Cleo had brought us when a commotion broke out at the front door.

Someone had kicked the door open so hard it slammed against the wall and cried out something in a high pitched voice.

"Bonjour tout le monde [Hello everyone]! I am here to save you all!"

I let go of Jessy and stood up immediately.

"Blanc?!!"