Page 97 of Hide and Keep

He could tell me.

Would he tell me? Edwin was scared to catch Ever’s wrath over some bats. I know firsthand how pissed she gets when I interfere in her sex life. Edwin wouldn’t want anything to do with that.

I’m half out of my seat when I get another notification, this one for her window.

“Shit!”

Abandoning my food, I take off in a sprint, my phone vibrating the entire way upstairs. I wait until I reach the hallway to our rooms to quickly swipe through them. They alternate between door and window.

What the fuck is happening?

“Ever! What’s going on in there?” I bang on her door with an open palm. “Open up!”

She doesn’t respond, so I try the handle. When that doesn’t budge, I press an ear to the door, my body practically flat against the ornate wood as I listen for any sounds from the other side.

Holding my breath, I pick up a thudding noise, except it’s far away, almost like it’s—

Boom!

That same sound smacks the door from inside, making my head jerk back. I’m quick to recover though, returning to my same listening spot.

Another faraway thud, followed by one against the door.

I take a step back to check my phone, watching the notifications come through at the same exact time as the thuds. Every four to five seconds, a new one appears.

I push my thumb and middle finger into the outer corners of my eyes, praying this shit doesn’t lead to a headache.

“Are you bouncing a fucking ball to trigger the sensors?”

A thump against the door, this time much louder, is my answer.

So unbelievably fucking petty.

But since I’m feeling petty myself, I call out, “At least I know your hand’s too busy to be drawing my dick again,” earning an even harder throw at the door.

Ever won’t just get my loathing for the next three years of my life. She’ll get my full, undivided attention.

I took my eyes off her for twenty seconds, now I’ll be paying for it the rest of the night.

At least we’re not going for another run tonight. She seems to choose when we do those on a whim.

I trudge my ass downstairs to grab my plate. Bringing it back up with me, I sit on the floor between Ever’s room and mine, my phone next to me with its screen facing up so I can study the pattern while I eat. Any inconsistencies and I’m breaking down her door.

Forty-five minutes later, the timing between her bounces begins to slow.

An hour and a half after that, she’s struggling to toss the ball more than once every ten minutes.

She’s getting tired.

Eventually, both her room and my phone go silent. The last notification coming from her door lets me know she didn’t go out her window.

I stick around a while longer though, making sure she doesn’t start back up again because she’s petty and it’d be just like her to wait until I’m in bed to resume her bullshit.

My head against the wall, my eyelids are just starting to sink when the overhead light flicks on. All the hallways in the manor have motion-activated lights. With me being so still, it automatically turned off…I don’t even know how long ago.

No more bats. Please no more bats.Those last ones took me forever to catch—and release one hundred percent unharmed because apparently Edwin’s not the only one who didn’t want to anger their caretaker.

Eyes open and already on the ceiling, I rotate my head around to find…

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