Twilight, but make it ✨CHONI✨

Chapter 15

Fenix hotel
Living room
Late afternoon

The blinds are closed. Josie and Reggie stare blankly at a TV set across them, several plates of food sitting on the table. Josie looks up as Toni enters, looking at her cell phone.

"I wish he'd call" she sighs.

"You should eat" Josie suggested.

But Toni ignores the food. She sits down in an arm chair.

"They could get hurt. It's not worth it"

"Yes. It is" Reggie insisted.

She's taken aback. This is the first time he's engaged with her.

"Cheryl's changed since she found you. And none of us want to look into her eyes for the next hundred years if she loses you" he looks forward again. "It's worth it"

Suddenly, Josie reels. Reggie goes to her, Toni following.

"What did you see" he asked her.

"The tracker. He just changed course" she says with deep worry.

Reggie then quickly sets a pad of paper and a pencil in front of her.

"Will where it take him, Josie?" He asks.

Josie's vision:

A disorienting version of him standing in a room full of..

"Mirrors! It's a room full of mirrors" she rushes out.

Josie begins to draw at hyper speed, closing her eyes, trying to see it clearly.

"How do the visions work? Cheryl said they weren't always certain" Toni asks.

"She sees the course people are on, while they're on it. If they change their minds, the vision changes" Reggie replied.

Toni looks over Josie's shoulder to see the drawing.

"So the course James is on now will lead him to... a ballet studio?" Toni asks confused.

"You've been here?" Josie looks up at her.

"No. I don't know. I used to take ballet lessons as a kid. The school had an arch like that"

"Was your school here in Fresno?" Reggie asks.

"Yeah, around the corner from my house. But I haven't been there in like, ten years"

"Do you have any reason to go now?"

"No. Hell no. I hated that place"

Josie and Reggie share a look, trying to figure this out. Suddenly, Toni jumps as her cell phone rings. She picks it up. She sighs in relief when she sees the caller ID.

"Cheryl. are you okay?

Jeep
Freeway ext
Arizona

Dr. Blossom drives the Jeep, fast, Betty in the back, Cheryl in the passenger seat on her cell phone.

"I'm coming to get you" she says, determined. "We lost the tracker. The woman is still in the area. Veronica,
Penelope, and Archie are protecting your father"

"This is my fault. You warned me, but I didn't think. I just.." Toni stampers.

"Toni, we're in too deep. We can't change how we feel" Cheryl sighs.

"No.. we can't" she pauses. "When will you be here"

"In a couple hours. Then you and I will go somewhere. Together. The others will keep hunting" she stops for a second. "Toni, I swear to you, I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe again"

Hotel lobby

Josie is in the lobby, settling the bill. Reggie loads up the car out front.

Hotel Bedroom

Toni gathers her things, then her phone rings again. The caller ID reads home. She picks up..

"Mom. I'm so glad you got my-"

"Toni? Toni where are you?" She hears her mother's panicked voice.

"Calm down, mom. Everything is fine, okay? I'll explain everyth-"

She then hears rustling on the line, as if her mother dropped the phone.

"...mom? Are you okay?"

She hears a voice that sends a chill down her spine.

"Nice house you have here. Not the best on the block, but comfortable" James says through the phone.

Rene's house
(Toni's mom)

"I was Prepared to wait for you. But then mom came home after she received a very worried call from your dad. It all worked out quite well.."

Toni's eyes widened with fear.

"I must say, Riverdale high doesn't protect it's student's privacy very well. It was just too easy for Victoria to find your previous address" James snickered.

"Toni?! Toni?.." she hears her mother's voice in the back.

"Leave my mother out of this"

"Your protective of her. That's nice. You can still save her. But you'll need to get away from your friends. Think you can do that?"

"I... don't think so"

"If your mother's life depends on it?"

Toni is terrified, but there's no choice here.

"Where should I meet you?"

James grins as he looks at a of Toni that's attached to the refrigerator with a magnet. It's the same photo Charlie has of her, age 7, in a tutu, sitting at the ground.

"The old ballet studio around the corner. And I'll know if you bring anyone along. Poor mommy would pay the price for that mistake" he pauses to sniff the air. "She smells like you. Delicious"

Toni hangs up, panicked. She starts flinging drawers open, searching for a weapon - A pen, sewing kit. Useless. then she remembers...

Her purse. She dumps out the contents, and finds the pepper spray Charlie gave her. She clings to it, her only protection now..

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Heyy!
This book is coming to an end soon :(