With Love // Farleigh X Reader // Saltburn ✔️

19. Finding Felix

When I'd woken up this morning I saw that Farleigh was looking panicked. "Is everything okay?" I asked him as I looked at him and he shook his head.

"No one can find Felix." He said to me and I could tell that this wasn't like he'd gone out somewhere. I was now stressed.

"What do you mean? Was he not in his room?" I asked him as I stood up. Still in my dress from last night. We'd gone back down to the party at some point before coming back up but I hadn't seen Felix again that night. I'd seen Beth but not him.

"No, we don't know where he is." He said to me and I looked at him.

"We'll find him. We have to find him." I said to him and we went outside. Maybe he'd fallen into one of the ponds last night. That's where we looked and with Venetia. Everyone else had left last night or early hours this morning. It was just us. "Felix!" I shouted as I looked around. We all kept calling his name. None of us knowing where he was. There was a sharp hint of fear in my tone. I didn't even care how cold the water was. Or how wet my hair was getting. I had to look.

"Felix!" Vee and Farleigh shouted.

"Felix!" I shouted but there was nothing here. I've never been more scared. The fact that my best friend was missing and I had no idea where he was. That was until we heard it. Elspeth's scream. The scream that was so full of distraught. That I knew what it meant. She'd found him. But not in the way we wanted him to be fine. The three of us climbed out the pond and ran towards the maze. That's where he must've been. When we got in that's when I saw him. Felix's lifeless body. He was gone. I got to the floor and cried. He couldn't have been gone. This. This wasn't real. My best friend. The one guy I counted on so many times. He was gone. Lifeless. I instantly went and took Vee's hand as I hid my head on Farleigh's shoulder. As I just cried and shouted.

"Darling, darling boy. My darling boy. Help me move him. We need to get him inside. Get him warm." James said and it was making this situation feel worse. Vee had let go of my hand. But Farleigh still wouldn't let me go. "I just need to get him warmed up. Felix, darling, where's your jumper? Hmm? Where's your jumper? Come on now! Help me!" James said and he tried to move Felix. We couldn't move him.

"I don't think we can move him, James. I think...I think the police." Farleigh said. We needed the police.

"Yes. Yes, come away, darling. It's nearly lunch." Elspeth said and she walked away. That's when I let out another cry. We had to act like everything was normal now but it wasn't. It never could be normal.

"Yes." James said and he stood up and walked away. I then hugged Vee and Farleigh and we all cried together. Everyone was upset apart from Oliver. As we sat around the table for lunch I'd completely dissected my pie. I couldn't eat. I was just staring at the chair. The empty chair beside Farleigh. Felix should be sat here. Not lying on some floor. I saw Duncan walk in and I looked at him.

"What is it, Duncan?" Elspeth asked him and I didn't want to know what this was about.

"It's the police, Your Ladyship. They're having trouble." Duncan said to her and she had a sip of water.

"What kind of trouble?" She asked him and I had a feeling I already knew what it was.

"They keep getting lost in the maze." Duncan said and I saw Farleigh look down. That was where Felix was. Still. Cold. Pale. Lifeless.

"And?" James asked and that's when I saw Duncan bend down to whisper to James. I didn't hear what he said. "Fine." James said and Duncan walked out of the room.

"Oliver, darling. Why don't you tell us about last night?" Elspeth asked, I know she wanted to talk about something else. But not this. Not the last place I saw Felix alive.