Blood Money (1) | The Inheritance Games

LVI. out of the woods

"The rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming colour."

Arriving at True North, everyone separated to do their own things, Avery and my brothers searching for their next clue, everyone else doing something or other, and me sitting alone in my bedroom staring blankly at the poem left in the coded box trying to decode it. 

In the cold where snow will fly, find the warmth under the sky. A place where stars and silence meet, True North waits, where heat feels sweet. Place the paper in the glow, and hidden words will soon bestow, then you will know.

This whole place is cold, so I'm looking for somewhere warm. Somewhere ideally outside or near a big window where you can stargaze. Somewhere with a bright light. 

That brings me o the conclusion I'm either looking for the hot tub, or the fireplace. Something about the hot tub convinces me, as the poem said it's somewhere silent, and the fireplace was never quiet with the 5 of our rooms directly above it.

Pulling my navy blue bikini over my body I can't help but linger at the mirror the way I always do. I've been getting better, but it's hard when wearing a bikini or underwear. 

I blur everything in the world around me and focus on the slight blubber on my stomach. It proves I'm getting better, but it also proves I'll never look as good as I always wanted. 

I feel two hands right on my waist and actually jump. "Shit sorry." Noah splutters. I cross my arms over my chest insecurely. "I just wanted to scare you and say you looked pretty but I got all flustered and just put my hands on your hips." He mumbles, embarrassed. 

I blush, forcing the smile that desperately wants to show away. "It's fine." I brush off, knowing there are worse reasons for him to have his hands on me. "You going for a swim?" He asks conversationally, rubbing the back of his neck the way he always does when he's nervous. 

"God no. Not when it's this cold. Hot tub." I clarify with a laugh. He smiles softly. "I heard from Jamie that you didn't want me here?" He asks. "No.. no that's not what I meant. I just joked that he always invites my ex wherever I go." I laugh, trying to lighten the tension. 

"If I'd known you didn't want me here I wouldn't have came, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He tells me. I shake my head, "Seriously, I'm fine with you being around. It's not like we had some awful breakup." I assure. 

"So why the hot tub?" Noah asks curiously. "Oh you know.." I tut awkwardly. Then after a second, I just blurt it, telling him literally everything. I tell him all of it from the old man's clues, to the guys who kept Maja. He just stares blankly at me. 

I've never been a good liar. Especially not to him. 

"Okay." He blinks flatly. "That's a lot." Noah swallows. "I don't know why I just told you all that. I haven't told anyone." I gape a little. 

"Well you need an extra set of hands?" He offers weakly. "You really want to go on a treasure hunt with your ex?" I scoff a laugh. "Everyone's solving Avery's latest mystery, I'm apparently just here for moral support. I might as well help." He shrugs. 

"Meet me at the hot tub in ten." I reply, pulling sweats over my bikini for warmth. 

True to his word, Noah's down in exactly ten minutes, the two of us awkwardly hugging ourselves in the cold. I take the brave step of going in first, taking my sweats off and dipping my toe through the surface of the hot water. 

Once one toe's in, I hurry to get the rest of me out of the cold and into the burning heat. "This is better than an orgasm." I groan, rolling my head back at the heat and submerging my whole head under to slick my hair off my face. 

Noah belly laughs, taking his shirt off to climb in. The air leaves my body when he takes his shirt off. On his lower abdomen is an array of thick purple bruises, a couple looking particularly worse than others. 

My heart needs to ask instantly why, beg him to tell me what happened. However my head knows precisely what would happen. He'd get defenceless, he'd become uncomfortable, and then he'd leave. And that grin on face is enough to confirm to me that I can't ask. All I need to know right now is he's safe when he's around me, if I push him away tonight then things might change. 

He too sighs at the heat, submerging his battered stomach in. His glasses fog up and I giggle. "Can you see anything if you take them off?" I ask curiously. "Just shapes unless I'm up close." He laughs, taking his glasses off and placing them on the table beside the hot tub. 

I swim across the hot tub, sitting directly beside him, our thighs brushing a little. "Better?" I ask, tilting my head slightly. Noah's lips curve up, "Much." He whispers, the word sending a chill through my body. 

I swallow and shake my head to focus, holding up the red filter. "What do we do with it?" I ask with a pout. "Well red filters block out every colour except red. If the clue's hidden, maybe it's not about seeing more.. maybe it's about seeing less. If we strip away the other wavelengths-" He starts rambling, unfazed. 

"I want you to stop for a minute and remember who you're talking to." I interrupt with an arched brow. Noah's lip curves up just enough to show his dimple, "Red paper plus light equals hidden message." He simplifies. 

"See, that I understand. Next time lead with that." I joke, take a deep breath before submerging myself fully under water, I watch Noah turn the bubbles off, grab his glasses and dip his head under too, his eyes taking a moment to adapt to the water. 

I press the filter against the big light at the bottom of the tub, the whole tub turning a purple-ish colour. It also reveals writing scrawled on the floor of the tub. 

I barely manage to read it all before running out of air and floating back up, Noah following. 

From the warmth you bask in, you must be bold, go where it is cold. Where water's ice and breath is thin, the next clue awaits, but you must swim. In the chill where you must dive, only then will you arrive.

We share a concentrated look, then both hurry out of the hot tub, wrapping ourselves up tight in towels.