The Golden Chalice

✰✦✰ Chapter 16 ✰✦✰

✰✦✰ Chapter 16 ✰✦✰
" The Spinning Wheel "

ROUGHLY AN HOUR or so later, Darius and I had travelled through the Mansion, through so many doors that led into rooms full of sweets, others behind which "ghosts" hid, scaring the life out of you if you opened the door. Some doors didn't even open, only making the hair on my skin rise even more when the screams gained on us. Darius had somehow let me crash my head into his chest whenever actors with terrifying costumes made us jump, some even throwing fake spiders or fake blood on us. Now my own dress was covered and I was furious as ever.

We opened another door, hopeless, and Darius managed to snatch me back into his chest just in time, otherwise I would've plummeted Olympia knows how far. Beneath me was darkness—a realm of nothingness.

My heart pounded in my chest. Somehow I'd never believed it would be this stressful, this sinister. I'd always thought this sort of stuff was rather. . .childish because of how badly children enjoyed the holiday. Although now I thought about it, not many children could be seen walking around this Haunted Mansion. In fact, it was really only people around our age.

"I hate this!" I slammed the door shut.

"What?" Darius ran a hand through his untidy dark hair, seemingly unbothered by it all. "Don't tell me you're still scared?"
I shoved him against the wall but all he did was laugh, grinning in spite of me. "I never thought it was going to be like this. I thought it'd be fun."

"Actually," Darius went to stand up normally again as we walked on, the screams now becoming sort of boring to me, "I'm finding this very entertaining. Seeing you scream at every second thing that happens amuses me very much, if I may so."

"You may not," I spat. "I'm sick of this—and not just the whole scaring thing. I don't understand why one would have the symbol of Ides on the front of this place and yet have nothing inside that has anything to do with the man."

"Are we really that surprised?" Darius peeked around the upcoming corner before we strode down it. "The people here love to mess with the tourists' heads for the hell of it."

"Psychos. . ."

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

"Yes, you're right, it's totally unfair of me to think that the people that nearly killed me a dozen times tonight already are psychos."

Darius laughed. "It's not their fault you fell for the snake twice."

I scoffed. "It isn't normal to hide a creature like that under a hat!"

"Just admit you're scared, Princess. I'd do the honourable thing and take you back outside."

"You?" I smirked. "Honourable? Don't think those two words should be in the same sentence."

"What are you talking about?" He actually looked offended. "I'm a gentleman."

"Which is precisely why you've been an absolute menace towards me for the last few days."

"You're very—"

"Scarlett."

My body locked, staring ahead at the empty hallway, the dimly lit candles offering a strange warmth in the coldness of the dark. My eyes closed and opened but nothing changed. The whisper had come and gone in a second. A woman's voice—soft yet sharp and demanding all at the same time.

"Scarlett?" Darius.

I held my hand up. "Wait."

"What are yo—"