After

Chapter 18

Noah's pov
Richelle soon arrives in the living room in a set of Amanda's pyjamas, Richelle can keep them! Amanda already has too many clothes! Luckily, her knee has got better after her soak, and she can walk; well limp but at least I didn't have to help her out of the tub! However, I'll be happy to help her anytime she needs me.  

I'm sitting crosslegged on the red rug which is in front of the fire, keeping me warm. Richelle soon sits down, slowly, opposite me and sees what's in front of her.

Of course, whilst she was in the bath, I had to make us both a mug of hot chocolate, I know how much Richelle loves it! I'll always remember us having sleepovers and her whispering to me in a middle of a film, "Can we have a hot chocolate? Please?"

As soon as she sees what it is, her fave lights up and she smiles at me before saying, "Thank you, I haven't had one in years!"

And with that, she takes a sip of it, looking as though she wants it to last forever. Okay, now we need to start planning! I look at the clock; nine at night! I look back at Richelle snd say, "Okay, we have one hour until Amanda comes home, that's one hour to plan how we're going to catch her out."

"Any ideas?" Richelle asks, looking at the stairs with a small shudder running down her spine, "Because I think that I have one."

"What is it?"
"Remember that phase you had when you were about twelve and you were obsessed with technology? Your room was full of wires, computers, cameras, and, most importantly, those tiny speakers and microphones that can be plugged into anything?"
"Yes, I remember that well! But what has that got to do with this?"
"Do you still have all that stuff?"
"Yes, in my attic."
"Well, I think we should hide a camera inside her car, you could say that you're going to turn the outside light off or somethings so she won't get suspicious. Then, put one of those tiny microphones into one of her shirts, and connect that to your laptop and we can hear what she's doing, and see where she's going! And put a speaker into your ear, so that I can tell you when she's gone, because you won't wake up."
"Awesome idea, but how do I know what she's going to wear?"
"Last time she wore a white crop top, so you should chip it into there."
"Okay, we've got no time to lose! Let's do this now! You get the clothes, I'll go into the attic!"
"Okay, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Can you carry me up the stairs?"
"Of course, hang on."

With that being said, I stand up, walk towards Richelle, and gently lift her up off her feet. I begin to walk towards the stairs, and soon up them whilst thinking about this plan. I would never have thought of doing this! It's a risk, but it's a risk that might work! I can't believe Richelle remembered that I have all this stuff, I didn't even remember that I have it until Richelle reminded me! Thinking about it now, I hope that all the gear still works! Considering it's been years since they've seen daylight, and me.

Soon enough, we reach the top of the stairs and I gently put Richelle down. She smiles at me before saying, "Thank you. Now, I'll get the shirt, and you get the technology."
"Yep!"

Then, she limps off to mine and Amanda's room, leaving me alone to get the ladder down. As the ladder begins to fall, I can't help but think about what we're about to do, and what Amanda is doing behind my back. I guess that I have noticed that she's been more tired than usual lately, so that indicates that she has been going out late at night when I'm asleep. But, the question is, where is she going? There aren't many options, and the one that I'm afraid of thinking is that she's cheating on me. Well, one thing's for sure that tonight, I'll know the truth about Amanda.

Once the ladder is securely resting on the carpet, I begin to climb it. This is lower than I thought, maybe I've just grown a lot since I was ten years old. After all, that was the age I was at when I last came up here.

In only a matter of seconds, I'm at the top of the ladder, my head poking out of the small trap door at the top; the entrance to the attic. I place my hands on either side of the wood above me, and pull myself up, and through the small trap door.

I'm greeted by a musty smell, and a lot of dust. Wow, I should really clean this room sometime, but not now. Because right now, I'm on a mission (it sounds cooler if I think of it as a mission). Quickly, I fumble around for a light switch, which I find and turn on, and then a large box, that's where I remember putting the technology in.

Soon enough, my fingers feel a rectangular object; the box! As quick as a flash, I tear it open, which reveals its content. Richelle was right! Computers, speakers, cameras, mini microphones....everything! The camera is tiny, the perfect size for Amanda not to see in her car, the microphone is even smaller! She won't even see that on her shirt! Okay, I'll need to bring this whole box down, and set it up in the cellar, I guess. I mean, Amanda never goes down there, and I can't set it up in mine or Richelle's bedrooms, she may see. This whole plan is about to commence in about forty minutes, hopefully it works.