Chapter 20: The Trap is Sprung

This is a stupid ass idea, even by my standards. 

Heading to the Gelsper’s manor was one thing. Sneaking in was something entirely different. She only barely had a hunch where to look for the book that Rey had mentioned, and only a vague idea of what it looked like. Even if none of the Gelspers were home, that valet Josef surely will be. I have to somehow sneak into the building, avoid getting spotted by Josef and whoever else is home, and find an obscure book in the Gelspers’ massive library. A book that Rey says will explain everything. 

Like I said. Stupid ass idea.

Rey drops me off down the street. It’s a short walk to get to the Gelspers’ place, through the nicest neighborhood in all of Robin’s Brook, I’d wager. There are front lawns here larger than Rey’s family’s whole property, all rolling greenery and lush trees and well-kept gardens. It doesn’t seem fair. 

I creep my way to the Gelspers’ front yard and make my way around to the gate by the side of the house. If I remember correctly, there’s a sliding back door in the living room that leads into the backyard—If I’m lucky, maybe they keep it unlocked. Kind of silly to be doing this in broad daylight, but it seems like this is the only way I’m going to get answers, since everyone else is being so tight-lipped.

There’s only one car in the driveway. If I’m lucky, nobody is home and this is just some extra car. And if somebody is home…Well, Malcolm did say I was welcome anytime. I’ll just have to wing it, I guess.

I hop the gate and creep my way around the house. An enormous inground pool dominates the backyard, covered by a thick blue tarp. At the far end of the yard is a cobblestone path winding from the back door of the house to an enclosed gazebo, surrounded by decorative flowers. All of it is pristinely well-kept. I wonder how many people the Gelspers employ just keeping this place looking as pretty as it is.

I sneak over to the sliding back door and peek inside. There doesn’t appear to be anybody in the living room. I wait for about a minute or so, ready to dart if anybody shows up…but it’s empty as can be. Maybe Josef is out running some errand. Or he’s cleaning some other room or something. Either way, now is my opportunity. I grab the door handle and push.

Locked. Just as I suspected, it’s not going to be that easy. I look around to see if there’s an open window or anything I can climb through. A wooden deck leads up to another back door, but that’s locked tight, as well. All the windows on the first floor look sealed shut. That’s when I spot it—a window on the second floor, cracked halfway open. And it’s directly next to a vine-covered lattice crawling up the back wall.

Am I really going to do this? I pace for a few minutes before making up my mind. I’m not gonna get any answers just sitting around. And besides, Rey is waiting for me to call her back so she can swing by and pick me up. I can’t just dawdle. It’s now or never.

I’m not exactly an athletic person, but I used to do indoor rock climbing with some friends back home. As I grab the first rung of the lattice, those instincts snap into place, and next thing I know I’m scaling the wall without much trouble. Still, the Gelsper manor is taller than your average two-story building, and by the time I’m halfway up, I’m starting to panic. This was a really stupid idea. How am I going to get back down, anyway?

I shake my head and keep climbing. I’ll leave through the front door if I have to. I have to find this dumb book, or I’ll never know the truth. Up and up my climb continues, until finally I reach the bottom of the window. Peering in, I recognize the room it leads into immediately. Laetitia’s. I spot the bed on which we kissed, and butterflies flit about in my stomach. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to be home. I lift the window with my right arm, keeping my grip on the lattice tight with my left. With any luck, I’ll be able to squeeze through this window pretty easily; it’s rather large, after all, and I’m a tiny little thing, all told.

The good news is, I’m able to pull myself up and through the window. The bad news is, the window happens to be directly above Laetitia’s desk, and there’s pretty much nothing here that can break my fall. I try to fit my leg through the window, but there’s no way I’m going through unless it’s headfirst. Thankfully, there’s not much cluttering the desk. Laetitia’s tidiness is enviable.

I collapse onto the desk and roll onto the floor, knocking her chair aside. One of the arms of her desk chair jabs into my side as I fall. Pain shoots through my chest. I groan and rise to my feet, dusting myself off. Honestly, I’m lucky the whole damn desk didn’t collapse when I fell on it. 

Okay, it’s Metal Gear Solid time. I creep over and listen through the closed door. I hear the steps creaking and somebody heading closer, so I dash over to the closet and slide it closed just as the door to Laetitia’s room opens. The closet is full of beautiful dresses, many of them black, some of them a dark navy blue or a deep purple, all of them soft and expensive-looking. I slide them in front of me so I can barely see through them. From the slits in the closet door, I see Josef poking his head in and looking around. I guess he’s content that nobody is stupid enough to crawl through Laetitia’s window, because he quickly shuts the door and starts walking in the opposite direction.

Phew. Too close for comfort. At least now I know Josef is around. I have to start being more careful now that I’m inside. I’m about to sneak out of Laetitia’s room when a strange impetus grips me. Laetitia’s been a mystery to me ever since I arrived. Maybe I can learn somebody about her if I snoop around a little.

Okay, I know snooping is wrong, but come on, this is the girl who says she’s “claimed” me by some ancient decree or some shit. If I can’t figure out what her deal is, what was the point in even coming here? I open her desk drawers and start rummaging through them. I’ve never seen a desk so well-organized. Some notebooks, pens and pencils, nail polish, a key to Gods know what. No journal or anything obvious like that. The bottom drawer, however, holds something curious. It’s Confess to Me, the book I’d taken out of the library and returned just recently. Same library sticker and everything. I lift it up and check it out. A bookmark is stuffed about a third of the way through the book. She’d mentioned it was good when she first met me, so she’s definitely read it before…Is she reading it again because of me? Or is this just a coincidence?

I imagine Laetitia in her bed, wearing silken pajamas that beg to be touched, candles lit on her night tables, lights dim, book in her hands. My mind wanders. I wonder if she’s…enjoying the story as much as I did. I wonder which parts are her favorite, which parts titillated her. A blush creeps along my cheeks as I paint a glorious picture in my mind, a picture in which Laetitia is sharing the same intimate experience I shared.

Okay, enough of that. I go to deposit the book back where I found it…and that’s when I see it. A photograph. Of course it’s an old polaroid photo, because why would anyone in this town use anything from this decade. I lift it up and my jaw drops immediately. There’s no way I’m looking at what I think I’m looking at. I wrack my brain for an explanation,any explanation, but none comes.

The photo is of a somewhat younger-looking Laetitia, wearing a gorgeous starry black dress with frilly shoulders and a plunging neckline that leaves her cleavage gloriously exposed. A sapphire pendant hands from around her neck, its luster matching her eyes perfectly. And standing next to her, clung to her arms, is the person I least expected to see:

Addison Grey. Wearing a fiery red-and-orange number that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen her wear, her hair pulled up in a bun that I’m pretty sure wouldn’t be possible anymore with the sides shaved close the way they currently are. Her lips are tinged with bright red lipstick, her eyes forming half-moons as she smiles. 

Smiling. Clinging onto Laetitia and smiling.

It’s funny how my stupid mind works. I should be confused, amazed, shocked, even. And I am, don’t get me wrong. But the first thing that pops into my head? “Damn, they look amazing together.”

Like I said. My mind is stupid. It’s true, though; they make a cute couple. I don’t know if that’s exactly what this is a photo of, but it sure does look like it. The way they’re holding onto one another, the smile on their faces…I’ll eat my nonexistent hat if the two girls in this photo aren’t at least making out on the downlow. 

Okay, so Addy and Laetitia used to be a thing. That…might explain why the two hate each other now, if they had some kind of a falling out. It might also explain why the two are so competitive. And what does it mean that Laetitia’s holding onto this photo? Does she still have feelings for Addy? I’d find it pretty difficult to get over Addy, too, if it were me. That body, those arms, that smirk…we haven’t even kissed or anything, and already she’s got a hold over me that I can’t describe.

I just wish they’d just told me the truth. Look, judge me for snooping around all you like, but this seems to be the only way for me to get any godsdamn information off of anyone. Just look how much they’ve been hiding from me!

I commit the photo to memory (look, they’re cute together, okay? so sue me) and gently place the photo and the book back into the drawer, in that order. Can’t let Laetitia know that I was snooping around her—

The door opens behind me. I spin around and shut the drawer just as Laetitia enters the room. She’s wearing the same white dress she wore when she came to the Rat & Raven this morning, the pleats coming down to her knees; the neckline, let’s say, generous. The look of confusion on her face fades into a knowing, sultry grin the moment she realizes it’s me. “Why, degenerate, I had no idea you were so eager to see me again.”

“A-actually, I was just leaving,” I say. Smooth. Very smooth.

“No, I don’t think you were. It looks like you were looking for something. Now what ever could you be looking for?” Laetitia’s voice is a purr, a whisper in my ear that sets my hairs on end. She could seduce me with just the sound of her voice if she wanted to. And something tells me she does want to. She steps closer and runs her nails up along my arm for emphasis.

This is bad. At this rate, I’m not going to be able to make it over to the library. I try to come up with a compelling lie. What other reason could I have possibly come here for? “You,” I say. “I was, um, looking for you. I wanted to…talk to you.”

Yep, I’m an idiot.

“Oh?” Her eyes light up with curiosity.

“Yeah. About what you said this morning.” I inhale sharply, trying to think of something, anything. “You said that I ‘reciprocated,’ but I didn’t give any kind of permission to being claimed by you or whatever. So…”

“Ah, but you did,” Laetitia says, tugging on my arm and bringing me closer to her. Her other hand grips onto my hip as she pulls me in. “I felt it in your bones, in your heart, in your mind. You want me. You desire more than just this simple touch.” Her fingers trail up my arm, forming goosebumps in their wake.

A shiver crawls up my body. My eyes linger on her skin. She’s not wrong. There’s a lot of pent up desire going around…but that’s not what I came here for. “That doesn’t give you control over me like I’m some object.”

She scowls, but doesn’t remove her hands from my body. Instead, she drifts dangerously close. My eyes dart down to her lips. Dammit, I hate that she has this effect on me. “That’s not how I view you,” she says. 

“Could have fooled me.”

She leans forward, then freezes and locks her eyes with mine, as if asking for my permission. I can’t help myself. My breath hitches. Her lips are so enticing, so beautiful. Does she have some kind of control over me? Why am I doing this? Why do I want this so much?

Her lips touch mine, and once again, the trap is sprung.

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