Until The Clock Stikes (NACS Remake)

Chapter 9

Clare takes me down a hall I've yet to explore, she complains some more as buttered popcorn scent becomes stronger.
"Welcome to our rec room!" Will shouts, greeting us at the double doors.
"Can I stay for a little while, please?" Clare begs, hanging on her brothers arm. Will shakes her off with slight irritation, eyes glowing with affection.
"You know you can't. You have to study for your french class."
With a lot of grumbling, Clare waves us goodbye and starts off to her room.
Will grabs my hand, eyes bright with excitement. He glances around at Lucy and Thomas, smiling mischievously. Then, like a rocket he sprints off into the rec room, pulling me around the small crowd.
Thomas and Lucy gasp, immediately trying to follow after us. I glance back long enough to see Thomas' expression and my feet plant in place.
Thomas and Lucy catch up, Lucy giggling and panting.
"Almost lost us." She says between breaths.
"Well apparently my kidnappee forgot how her feet work." His tone is light but he seems genuinely confused at me.
"Thomas." Will greets belatedly, as if he's finally recognized Thomas.
"Prince." Thomas's retort is emotionless and cold.
Instinctively I place my hand on his chest, soothing him.
Will ignores the gestures tugging us all back to the group of teens.
"Thank you all for coming but unless you have an actual invitation, please leave." He announces.
Most of the teens look confused, but move to the door, leaving only a handful left.
"Mia, Lucy, Tommy." Will starts, "Meet Brynn, Wesley, Jude, Hannah, Karen and Ben." He points them out as he goes.
The boys start shaking hands, Ben is the first to grasp hands with Thomas.
His thick Scottish accent surprises me but his sentences aren't broken, his lingo straying closer to our own. "Pleased to meet you, Tommy."
Thomas smiles slyly, inclining his head. "I'd prefer Thomas, if you don't mind."
Ben nods, his thick brown hair bounces.
Jude and Wesley are brothers and awkwardly stumble through a greeting.
Hannah blatantly ignores all of us, eyes only on Will.
Brynn is dark haired and quiet, talking with her hand covering her mouth.
"Nice to meet you." She whispers, eyes smiling.
Karen is polite and regal. Her hair is bright flame, orange and wild.
She nods at each of us, smiling.
Hannah speaks now, finally sizing us all up.
"Let's play a game." She says in a breathy, high voice.
In a circle we sit, behind the pool table and mini golf course.
"Mina. Truth or Dare?" Hannah is looking at me with disinterested eyes, I'm confused.
"It's Mia, what game is this?" I ask.
Will chuckles, leaning into my side.
"It's truth or dare. You choose truth and you're asked a question that you've got to answer truthfully. If you choose dare you've got to do whatever the person asking you says."
The idea horrifies me. "Truth." I blurt out.
Hannah smiles, biting her lip.
"Who was your first kiss with?" She asks. Lucy and Thomas gaze curiously at me, Thomas's face feigns interest, his eyes burning with something I can't read.
"Will was my first kiss." I say it quietly, feeling Will go still next to me.
Hannah nearly chokes on her own spit. "Well." she says after a pause. "Aren't you a lucky duck."
Brynn leans into my side. "It's your turn to ask someone truth or dare." She whispers helpfully.
"Jude." I say with a deep breath, hoping to get the attention away from me. "Truth or Dare."
We go through the motions of this, everyone asking someone different.
"Thomas." Brynn announces quietly. "Truth or Dare?"
Thomas' lazy smile appears, as he studies Brynn.
"Dare."
Brynn grimaces. "Had to make it difficult." She mutters, standing up and pacing.
We watch her, and she animatedly whirls to face us.
"I dare you to kiss Lucy."
Lucy's eyes gleam in triumph, Thomas looks impassive.
With a sigh, Thomas gets up, walking over to Lucy in the circle.
He leans into her, eyes open.
Lucy breathes unevenly, closing her own and tilting her head in anticipation.
My breath turns ragged, eyes burning.
Everyone's eyes are on Thomas and Lucy, except for Hannah, who is watching my reaction.
Thomas leans in and places a soft kiss on Lucy's cheek, returning to his spot in the circle. Lucy looks disappointed and actually quite furious. My breathing stabilizes, the pressure in my throat dissipating.
"Mia." Thomas says in an even voice. "Truth or Dare?"
And then I'm angry, irrationally so. At Thomas. At Brynn.
"Dare." I say boldly.
Thomas tilts his head back, watching me with his passive face.
"I dare you to speak your feelings out loud for the rest of the game."
Wesley and Jude laugh obnoxiously.
"What's that supposed to do?" Wesley asks, looking at his brother.
"It means no matter what she's feeling she has to be truthful and be open about it."
"So it's like a continual truth?" Ben speaks up, looking appreciatively at Thomas.
Hannah gets this glint in her eye, clapping. "My turn. Mia just went."
No one objects, so she looks around the circle in anticipation.
"Will." She purrs at him, biting her lip.
He sighs, his face resolute.
"Dare."
She doesn't skip a beat, crawling across the circle to him. Her perfume is so strong it makes me sneeze, a chorus of blessings follows.
"I dare you to kiss me." She pauses. "On the lips."
Will keeps his face neutral, placing a hand on her neck and pulling her in. The kiss is quicker than the one we shared, he leans back, discreetly wiping his mouth.
"Hey Mia." Lucy says. "Why don't you tell us how that made you feel?"
With a sigh I shoot a glare at Thomas. "It was just a kiss. I didn't feel anything."
Lucy nods as if she's figured something out.
Will sighs. "Alright. This one's for everyone. And I'm allowed to do that because I'm the Prince!" He adds, chuckling.
"I dare you all." He says licking his lips. "To kiss someone."
No one moves, shocked.
Hannah rolls her eyes and sighs, grabbing Jude and planting a sloppy kiss. Karen turns to Ben, pulling him in, their kiss is subtle and sweet.
Thomas hasn't moved yet, but he's staring at me with burning want. Will rolls his body around me, blocking Thomas from my view.
"Round two?" He asks chuckling.
I find myself shaking my head.
"I'm sorry. But I think I need to do my own scientific research." I tell him, getting up to go around him.
Thomas is gone.
The door of the rec room is closing quietly behind him.
Without another look back I try to follow him, calling his name as I go.
He doesn't turn until I finally catch up to him near the entrance.
"Thomas!" I shout, grabbing his arm. "Where are you going?"
"Home." He mutters. "Why are you worried about me? Go back. To the Prince."
"That's not fair." I whisper.
He grabs my waist, picking me up and pinning me against the wall.
The corridor is lit by candles, and I realize this was the costume room.
"What's not fair is I dared you to tell the truth, Mia." His eyes are liquid chocolate, warming me.
"What do you want to know?" I ask desperately.
He's pressed against me, Thomas licks his lips. "I want to know." He whispers, nuzzling into my neck. "What my touch does to you." He says, in a desperate voice.
"I want to know if you want me to kiss you." He says, leaning in so close that our noses touch.
"Thomas." I sigh, feeling a certain fire and the immense confusion building up inside me.
"I don't know everything." I start, trying to steady my voice. "I know that when I'm around you, I'm happy. I know that when I'm this close to you, there's a part of me that wants to get closer. I know that we've been here, on the brink like this before and I don't know what's on the other side of the door we're unlocking."
His eyes stare into me and he sighs. "You didn't answer the question."
Before I can form an answer, we hear footsteps drawing near, Thomas let's me down gently, taking a step backward.
It's Will.
"Mia?" He asks, confused. "What are you doing out here?" He asks me.
Thomas sighs, "She came to see if I was okay."
Will laughs. "Why would she care?" He asks. "You're just the gardener."
"He's important to me, Will." I retort.
"So this is your little experiment?" He asks now, relaxing. "What are you trying to do? Turn the Pauper into the Prince?"
Thomas looks as though I took a baseball bat to his stomach.
"Experiment?" He hisses, his face contorting into pain. "I'm just a toy for you to play with?"
"No!" I assure, placing my hands on his face.
"So everything you just said. Was just to see how much I could fall in love with you?" His voice, morphs into something cold, he pushes my hands away.
Will watches, confused.
"In love with her?" He asks. "You were leading on a server?" He asks me, voice somewhat shocked.
"I'm not leading him on." I tell Will, turning to Thomas, stomach twisting.
"It's not like that." I tell him, my throat becoming tight.
"No, you're right," he says, stepping into the shadows and opening the door. "Because there's no way in hell I could fall in love with a girl like you."
With that he leaves, and I don't follow after him.
No one could possibly fall in love with you.
You're worthless.
Will places a hand on my shoulder, unaffected by the gravity of everything.
My hand collides with his jaw in an audible crack.
"How dare you assume!" I yell at him.
He stands there, stunned. "Well it was either assume you're just leading him on. Because all I can do is think about you, Mia." He says in a low voice. "It was better to assume than to fully realize I'm losing you to a boy with nothing to offer you!" He shouts, leaving me alone in the darkness.
Alone, I collapse under everything. Sliding down to the floor, crying.
Somehow between the sobs I am swallowed by unconsciousness.
I let sleep take me in the awful hopes that this was all just a horrible nightmare.