The Raven Conspiracy

Chapter 32 - Caught!

Chapter 32 – Caught!

I was lucky. Archer and Meg opened up the door for me, and my parents were still asleep.

“You owe us – big time,” said Archer, a satisfied grin on his face. He folded his arms over his chest and looked down at me. I frowned, wondering when he had gotten so much taller than me.

“I know, I know...You can blackmail me in the morning. I need to sleep.”

Meg stood in front of me, her mouth turned into a stern frown. I stopped in my tracks, amazed by how much like my mother she looked when she was angry.

“You can’t be cross with me for telling Archer,” she said firmly. “I couldn’t sleep when you were gone and I heard a car outside. I had to wake him up to open for you – mom keeps hiding the keys from Tabitha and Wren.”

I yawned and messed up her already sleep-tangled hair.

“It’s fine, Meg,” I said. “I’m glad you guys opened up for me and not mom. Come on, let’s go and sleep.”

Archer tapped my shoulder and tossed me the keys.

“If you’re going to keep sneaking out, get a copy of those made for you. Then Meg won’t have to disturb my sleep every time you want to visit your secret boyfriend in the middle of the night.”

I looked at the keys, surprised by his actions.

“For the last time, I don’t have a secret boyfriend,” I rolled my eyes. “How did you get the keys from mom’s room?”

“I didn’t have to – she forgot them in the kitchen, stupid. Get them back as soon as possible – I’ll tell mom that I saw Wren playing with the keys, but that will only give you a day or so.”

“Thanks, Arch...Why are you being so nice?”

It was unusual for him to do anything for me without getting something out of it in return. I wondered if it was simply the blackmail he was after.

“I don’t know...Maybe missing sleep is making me act weird.”

We started walking up the stairs and reduced our voices to a whisper. Meg stayed in front, pretending to be a look-out. I stepped into a circle of lamp light as he walked past me. The bruises on my arms looked horrifying now that I could see them properly.

“Maya...What happened to you? Who hurt you like that?” he asked, his voice a mixture of anger and alarm. His eyes were fixed on the bruises and on my face, where I suspected there was a scrape on my forehead.

“No-one turn me,” I replied, calmly. “I fell.”

His reply was a grim silence.

“Give me back the keys. You’re hurt – I’m sorry, sis, but I have to tell mom.”

“Please, don’t do that, Archer. It wasn’t a lie – I did fall, but from the back of a truck full of stolen gold. I snuck out for my job.”

“A truck full of what? Maya, that’s a ridiculous lie. If you tell me the truth, I won’t say that you snuck out – but I have to tell mom that you got hurt!”

“It is the truth. I did sneak out for my job,” I argued, keeping my voice at an angry whisper.

“Whatever. If it was for your job why’d you sneak out? And how did this happen to you?”

“Because I knew that mom and dad would say no! You really think they’d let me go anywhere, so late at night, chasing after some criminals? I am not lying. I’ll...I’ll let you phone my boss and he can confirm it!”