The Intruders

Chapter Eighteen

I WALK INTO the kitchen the next morning. Veronica is sat with a cup, steam rising, staring at me as I walk down the corridor. I look behind me, checking she's not watching anyone else. I sit myself down, there's a bowl of oatmeal at my place.

"Any reason you're staring at me like a psychopath?" I ask her, taking a sip of the water next to my oatmeal.

"What are these?" She asks, I frown, unsure what she's asking, but she nods to a counter behind me. I turn around and find the stack of R's sopping journals. I turn back. How did she know? Did she go in the room while I was sleeping? What do I even say? I was reading the day Marissa died, and then the book started to bleed, so I put them under the shower to wash the blood of them and then put them back?

"Didn't like what you read?" She asks.

I bow my head, "something like that." I reply. I grab the spoon, scooping into the oatmeal, and shoving a spoonful into my mouth.

I immediately spit it out. It's ice cold and tastes like salt and has the slippery feeling of oil.

I grab my glass of water, and drink the entire glass, trying to get rid of the taste.

Veronica takes a sip from her coffee.

"I assume this is your doing?" I ask her. She nods. "Why?"

"Do you want to tell me where my files are?" She asks. I freeze.

"Files?" I ask her.

"The files you stole."

"I didn't steal any files." I tell her.

"Oh really?" She asks. "Do you want a guess of what files went missing?" She stands up, her heels on the floor send shivers down my spine. "Elizabeth Sterling, Peter Sterling, Sarah Sterling, Elara Sterling and Samuel Sterling."

I gulp.

"What a coincidence." I reply.

"Oh, that's not the only coincidence that all your family members' files went missing, but also your little pals' files." She is directly behind me. "Want to know who else went missing?" She asks. I shake my head.

"Lyton Adebayo, Ronan Blanchard, Mikko Jones, Luka Knight and Cassandra Kowalski." She repeats.

"Wow, Kowalski, sounds Polish, I never knew Cassie was-"

Her arm is around my throat before I can say another word. The cup of coffee is split on the floor, and she tightens her grip with every syallble that leaves her mouth. I grab onto her arm, my trachea cracking underher strength. I kick my feet, the chair opposite me falling to the floor.

"But do you want to know the one that really," her mouth is so close to my ear, I can feel her ruby red lipstick staining my light hair. "confused me." She hisses. "My father's file is also missing. Now, what do you want to know about my dear old Dad?"

"His... zodiac-sign," I spit out.

She lets go of my neck, and my lungs explode with air. I try to catch my breath as she struts around the table again and swings another chair round to sit on. My hand rubs at my throat as I struggle to learn how to breathe.

"You're not funny, Mavis." Veronica says. "But, you're also smart, and I know those files are long gone." My mind pings to the file in my bedroom, and I think of seven new hiding spots. I'm also thankful Veronica can't read minds. "But take this as a warning, you steal from me again, that oatmeal will be the least of your worries." She stands up and begins to walk away.

"Why have them in the first place?" I ask her.

"I have files on everyone, you know that." She nods to me. "There is only one way you can keep people safe, and that to know everything about everyone." I hear her walk away and mumble under her breath, and a smile is etched onto my face, because for once I have the upper hand.