Fontaine Five

PREFACE

THE NIGHT ELLIS GREY DISAPPEARS

"Let's go cliff-diving."

The sentence leaves Nathaniel Jude's lips as a mere innocent suggestion, a harmless gust of wind. Little did we know he'd elicited a storm, ugly and black and begging us to revel and suffocate in its chaos.

I raise an eyebrow, but my lips curl upwards in spite of me. "Right now? At this time of night? You're insane, Jude."

"I'm just looking for a little fun." The glint in his eye is unfathomable, but I know what he's hinting at. My mind flashes back to smooth black granite, and I chug down the remnants of a vodka and coke.

Ellis shifts underneath me; I'm sat on his lap. "Lan's pool wasn't big enough for you?" he asks, amused. I can feel his fingers running through my damp hair.

Orlando re-enters the room, a towel looped around his neck and a six-pack in hand. "Oh, I'm sorry I don't have a diving board for you to throw yourself off of. I know my mansion isn't all it's lived up to be." He tosses a can to Jude, as sarcasm oozes off his words. "But I'm getting a little bored so, hey, why the fuck not?" He looks to Blair, who's stayed silent.

"What do you say, Flores?"