Asulon: Where Secrets Lie

Chapter Six: Tricks

Now the drama starts to heat up!! Mwa ha ha ha!! Please comment and vote if you like!!!

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. - Proverbs 15:1

The silence is fragile – one sound and it is destroyed.

The thin slice of quietness is only occasionally cut by the loud snore of someone that I am ready to throttle right now. Keeping my cool, I tiptoe like I am walking on a delicate sliver of glass while holding my breath. The purse, clutched in my hands, starts to quiver, and I grip it tighter to my chest in attempt to hush it. It stills for a moment, and I know that I have to act fast.

Stealing across the carpeted floor, I stay up on my toes and watch where I step. I soon reach the bed and hover over it for a minute. I watch as the light pink sheets slightly rise and fall, and listen to the faint sound of deep breathing that sifts through the linen. Her head is buried under the blanket of cloth, but I know who she is – my victim.

With no time to lose, I swiftly unzip the leather handbag, lift the bottom corner of the victim’s sheets, and shake the purse’s contents out and on to the bed under the cloth. I observe in satisfaction as I catch a glimpse of a green, scaly tail slipping under the pink sheet. Bag in hand, I sneak out of the bedroom and close the door without a single peep. My work here is done.

***

“Skye!”

“Hmm?” I mumble sleepily.

“Time to get up!” The four most wretched words in the universe interrupt my slumber.

I toss over in my bed and pull my blanket up, securing it over my ears.

“Skyler!” The persistent voice is demanding as it scratches at my sheet’s surface. “Get up!” Something tugs at the corner of my obscuring cloth.

“Blah,” I mutter, my opposing voice muffled.

My blanket is suddenly ripped off, exposing me to the humid morning air. My eyes snap open, revealing a blurry mess of a room.

I blink them a few times and give them a good rub before opening them again. Brianna’s flawless face comes into focus, her clear blue pupils burning into mine. “Breakfast time!”

I just stare up at her in my frazzled state.

“Come on!” She flutters across the room and pulls the string on the blinds, welcoming the sun’s faint morning rays into our room. I notice that her wavy hair is damp, and she is already dressed in a blue and white striped halter top and denim shorts. She glows in the sunlight, and the jealousy awakens in my stomach.

I unsteadily sit up and run my fingers through my tangled hair. I discover my reflection in the evil mirror placed on the dresser opposite of me, and horror registers on my reflected face as I examine my messy auburn locks and smudged makeup. My gaze then darts to the digital clock next to the mirror. Its little red numbers light up six thirty.

“Six thirty!” I exclaim in a groggy voice. “Are you kidding me? I don’t even get up for school that early!”

“You’re lucky that I let you sleep in,” Brianna says as she saunters over to her bureau and picks up a hairbrush. “Breakfast starts at six thirty. I usually wake up at five or so to get ready. Which –” She stops her repetitive brushing and glances at me in the mirror. “You should probably be doing right now.”

I cannot argue with her suggestion, so I slide off my bed and tiredly shuffle around the bedroom. I find my wrinkled duffel bag and spill its contents on to my mattress. A couple shorts and shirts lifelessly flop on to my bed in the most unappealing way, along with a hairbrush and deodorant. I really did pack light.