TweetyGram

31 - #Moonlight

"Ladies and gentlemen," the DJ announced. The lights in the room dimmed, and the crowd quieted. "Please welcome, our queen, the one and only, Cher Quinn!"

A spotlight lit up the top of the grand staircase, where Charity stood with her chin up and shoulders squared. She had added two more outrageous accessories to her costume: a sparkly tiara on top of her head and a pair of white wings on her back.

She doesn't seriously think she's an angel, does she?

The opening tune of a dance-pop song blasted from the speakers. Charity started sashaying down the stairs, her shoulders swaying to the beat of the music. As her pre-recorded, digitally altered singing voice bounced off the walls and high ceiling, she moved her lips to the lyrics.

"I'm just too good to be true
Everyone can't take their eyes off me
I'm a queen
Everyone wants to be me . . ."

Charity couldn't sing. Not even it saved her life. And no, even the most advanced technology couldn't help her either. Although the song's tune was quite catchy, the lyrics were so terrible and narcissistic that it made me cringe.

Nevertheless, everyone's eyes were glued to her.

"Let's go," I whispered to Nat.

Like two hungry mice eager to steal a wedge of cheese in the middle of the night, we tiptoed away from the crowd and headed to Harriet's room. Stopping before the door, Nat pulled out the key to the room. Her hand shook uncontrollably as she tried to fit the key into the keyhole. The key slipped from her fingers and hit the ground with a cling.

"Dammit!" Nat muttered under her breath, her lips trembling.

Nat was too nervous to do this. Lucky for her, I had plenty of experience sneaking into places I shouldn't be.

I picked up the key, gestured for her to step back, and unlocked the door. "Stay here. If you see Harriet or anyone else heading to this room, knock twice and stall them, got it?"

"But we can find the book faster if we search for it together."

My eyes flicked to her shaky hands, then back to her face.

"Not a good idea, huh?" She let out a nervous laugh. "I'll stay here and be the lookout then."

Adrenaline rushed through me as my hand gripped the door handle. I took another glance at the entrance hall, making sure no one saw what we were doing before I opened the door. Quickly, I slipped into the room and closed the door.

Now, where should I st—

The sight before me made my jaw drop.

Harriet's room was bigger than my whole apartment. The white furniture with gold accent screamed opulence, the oversized canopy bed could fit a family of five and their pets, and the crystal chandelier above it added a touch of glamor to the boudoir. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought I had mistakenly entered the bedroom of a Maccheronian princess—or queen.

Wow. Harriet is so lucky.

Medusa Lindsey peeked from her cave, ready to strike, but I knocked her unconscious by reminding myself why I was there.

Focus, Lindsey. Focus.

My gaze darted to the large bookcase near the window across the room. More than a hundred novels and magazines sat on the shelves. Lucky for me, Harriet was a highly organized person. The books were arranged based on their genres—romance on the top shelf, mystery on the second, and fantasy on the third.

I scanned the titles and quickly found a copy of Moonlight and its sequels. To avoid leaving any fingerprints, I used a tissue to pull out the thick book.