her disappearance

35

ANOUSHKA

"Should we really be doing this?" Wren whispers as I attempt to pick the lock of Ivan's door.

"We have to," I whisper, sighing out of frustration as another hair pin breaks.

I hold my hand out and Wren puts another one in it. "Let me try." she says. I scoot to the side as she leans down on the lock. I look around the empty hallway, hoping that no one would walk past us. I mean it was halfway through assembly so no one would be out of class. I hear the lock click and I smile as Wren pushes the door open.

I look down at the timer I put on my phone. 20 minutes left. "We have to be quick." I say, walking inside the dorm.

Ivan had his own dorm because he joined this school recently so I had an advantage. "Where should we put it?" I ask.

Wren stares at me bewildered. "You didn't plan it out!" she says.

"Well I thought anywhere would be good." I reply.

She shakes her head as she takes the clear bag containing Iris's hair out of my hand. "Rule 101 of framing someone else. Use gloves."

I give her a tight-lipped smile. "We don't have gloves."

"Shit." she murmurs, looking around his dorm. She notices a lot candle and walks over to it. "Wax will work." she says. "It'll burn like a bitch." she continues.

"I'll do it." I say, dipping my forefinger and thumb into the burning candle wax. I hiss as my fingertips burn from the fire of the candle.

"Few more seconds." she says.

I nod stiffly and she finally tells me to pull them out.

"Fucking hell." I whisper-shout. "This better be worth it."

"Take the hair out," she tells me and I do as she says.

"We'll hide it inside his bedside table."

I walk over to the bedside table and I discretely hide the pieces of hair.

"That should be fine."

I look down at my phone which read 10 minutes left. We walk towards the front door. "Perfect timing."

I lean down to open the door until the door handle begins to turn. My eyes widen and I turn back to Wren, who was also watching me wide-eyed. "Bathroom." I mouth.

We bolt to the bathroom and I gently close the door. "Oh my God." I whisper, running a hand in my hair.

"Bathtub." she says. We both stand in the bathtub, pulling the shower curtain to disguise us.

She lays down on the flat of the bathtub and I lie beside her. "How long is he going to be here for?" she whispers.

"I don't know," I whisper back.

The bathroom door rattles and I hear footsteps approaching. Wren closes her eyes tightly. "Wren!" someone whisper-shouts.

Wren's eyes shoot open as she rips open the curtain and jumps out of the tub. Luca was standing in the bathroom, glaring at Wren. She jumps into his arms and he holds her close to his chest. "Oh my god!" she says, holding him close.

When he sees me, he lets out a heavy sigh. "Of course, you are here. Whenever you two are together, nothing good ever happens."

"How did you know I was here?" she asks him.

"You left your phone open, I read the messages between you two and I happened to not see you at assembly."

"Where's Creighton?" I ask.