Babysitters

Chapter 34

VERONICA VALDEZ

Tom's room was very different from Theo's. It was much larger and had a better view outside since his room had two windows. One of them gave out a view towards the driveway and the large gates, while the other one was in the same direction as Theo's, towards the dark forest.
I was honestly surprised when Tom invited me to his room. Was he trying to befriend me so the marriage could be arranged more peacefully? I was sure he'd seen the way I'd acted around Theo. Perhaps it irritated him, though Tom didn't seem like the type to get jealous over something that was being done purely for our families' benefit.
I sat back on the black armchair sitting in his room, watching the way his black curly hair was styled so neatly along his scalp as he sat on his bed. I'd never seen him without hair gel, but I was sure his natural hair would be similar to Mattheo's. They were brothers, after all.
"What's going on between you and Theo?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
I knew it.
He had seen us, and was seemingly curious.
I stared into his eyes, trying not to show how intimidated I felt. "We're friends."
Tom scoffed, tilting his head to the side with an almost mocking expression. "Bullshit, Veronica."
"It's not," I replied, trying to regain the bravery I never even had. "We're just friends."
"I'm almost offended now that I see how stupid you think I am." Tom's eyes bore into mine, and despite my best efforts on keeping the eye contact even under the pressure he gave me, I just had to look away. "You shouldn't have such high hopes for him. Whatever there is going on between you two, it won't work out."
A surge of anger flashed through me at his words. I bit my tongue to not say anything stupid, like revealing how much I actually knew. "And why's that?"
"You'll find out eventually," he said matter-of-factly. "I suggest you keep him as 'just a friend' if you don't want to get disappointed."
"I think I can make my own decisions, thank you very much," I replied bitterly. I knew my anger could be seen miles away, but I just didn't have the strength to hold it in or hide it in any way.
I didn't know how everything could be so complicated. Summer breaks are supposed to be relaxing so you could focus again during the next semester, but this summer seemed to go wrong in every aspect.

THEODORE NOTT

I watched as Enzo dragged the man through the hole, making sure his body was always two steps ahead of us in case he had set up something. The hole took us to an old staircase that seemed as if it could collapse the second one of us would step on it.
"It's safe," the man coughed out as he saw our expressions. "It won't give out."
I still felt suspicious, but as Enzo pushed the man on the first step and seemed okay, I followed quickly behind.
As we made it down the dilapidated stairs, we were met with an eerie darkness. The man turned on the light by a switch on the wall to our left, and revealed a massive room decorated with a couple of sofas and a large flat TV. The room gave the impression of a cozy living room. I looked around, not daring to take a step in any direction. A valuable artifact would most likely not be hidden in a nice, luxurious place with nothing to protect it. The place had to be filled with traps of some kind.
Enzo seemed to think the same way, because he turned to the man and looked down at him contemptuously. "You have two options. Either you tell us straightly what traps or protective spells you have set here, or we make you walk ahead of us and take the hit yourself."
I felt almost surprised when I saw the man's expression turn into a more fearful one. He was already dying, how would going first change the situation for him any way, other than make the death quicker and less painful?
The man crumbled down quickly under pressure, and told Enzo the spells that had been cast across the room. I counted 12 on total.
Me and Enzo questioned him of the counter spells, and after fifteen minutes, the room was, according to the man, completely safe. Despite, Enzo gave him the honor of walking ahead of us.
I chuckled internally. Liar.
The man's footsteps were wobbly and unsteady. He was clearly in a lot of pain, since the wounds hadn't and wouldn't close on their own. If Enzo wouldn't have mercy and cast another counter spell on him soon, he'd die. I knew it, and I was certain the man knew it too.
The man lead us to a stop at one of the couches, instructing us to push it backward a little. As the couch was moved, a small hatch was revealed.
How unique. Even a child could find that.
I was about to reach out a hand to open it, but Enzo grabbed it before I could.
"What was that?" He asked, glancing at the man, who was clearly holding back a pained smirk. Then I heard it too. Small clatter from the floor above us.
"Why are you smiling?" I growled at him.
He just shook his head, almost laughing now. "You really thought I'd give you the artifact so easily?"
"It's not in here?" Enzo snarled at him, grabbing him by the collar tightly.
I let out a groan, gathering all of my courage before diving into the hatch. My hands went through the small hole, soon finding something. I pulled it up, inspecting it. A small bottle, filled with some kind of liquid.
"This is it?" I asked, glancing at Enzo. The man struggled, trying to grab the bottle while letting out pained whines. It told me everything we needed to know.
"Let's go," I told Enzo, standing up quicker than I ever have before. He nodded, letting go of the man and pushing him backwards so he fell onto the floor with a loud thump and another sound that indicated suffering.
I stuffed the bottle into my pocket as we ran to the stairs, but were quickly stopped by a deep voice, coming from the other end of the staircase.

"Not so fast, boys."

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A/N:
Hello loves
I hope you've had a wonderful week :)
Here's another chapter, for those who've been wanting it. I'd appreciate if you'd vote or/and comment if you liked the chapter. It means a lot to me.
Love u all x