psychotic.
But it’s Oscar . I found myself saying that phrase an awful lot these days.
In all honesty, when my fingers first touched the cold blade of the dagger, I wanted so badly for it to be the final straw. And it should have been. I wanted to hate him, but instead I began making excuses. Maybe he’s been using it for gardening. Yes, that was fairly believable. Maybe it’s for opening boxes. Shaky, but still not completely unreasonable.
And then my rational side kicked in. He carries a dagger .
That was enough. I didn’t want to see it any more. Any of it. I just wanted to get out of that bathroom. Moving hastily, I returned the items to his pocket and made my getaway.
There was one slight catch, though. I must have slipped on the wet floor tiles, because I remembered falling forward towards the sink. I must have knocked myself out cold, because the next thing I knew, Oscar was sitting at my bedside, dabbing my head with a tissue. Then, of course, we argued, and I stormed off to show him what I had found in his pockets. But when I looked through his jeans again, the contents had vanished.
Or had they?
Wait. Backtrack. Before I’d left the bathroom, I’d put everything back…hadn’t I?
My hands began to tremble. Maybe I hadn’t put everything back. Even in my state of avoidance, I hadn’t been able to let go of the one thing that might have given me some answers. Genuine answers.
I quickly dug through my own pocket and drew out the brass coin.
There. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, it was real. I saw it, plain as day, before my very eyes. I had been right all along. And Oscar had lied to me—again.
There was an inscription on the coin. The print was minute and written in an unfamiliar language.
I grabbed a notebook from my dressing table and jotted down the words onto a blank page.
Bellator Tenebris. Mortifer Veneficus
I tore out the sheet of paper and folded it into a small square. Something about those words sent chills down my spine. This was my chance to finally piece together a part of the Valero jigsaw, and I wasn’t going to waste it. For the good or the bad, I needed to know the truth.
I scanned the table for a safe place to keep the coin—somewhere Oscar wouldn’t look. My eyes fell on my white leather jewellery box. Inside it there were a couple of secret compartments which would go unnoticed by anyone who didn’t know much about jewellery boxes—which I was guessing Oscar didn’t. Anyway, it seemed as good a hiding place as any, so I tucked the brass coin into one of the compartments, beneath a heap of assorted rings and bracelets.
Once the coin was hidden, I left the attic and snuck downstairs, all the while with my fingers crossed. If ever there was a good time not to bump into the boys, it was then.
I made it to the ground floor undetected and found Mary in the conservatory.
“Hi,” I said, hovering in the doorway. Uh oh. I’d almost forgotten about the huge bump on my head. If Mary saw it, she’d probably insist on my going to hospital to get it checked out. I was not loving that idea. Quick thinking time. I shook my hair forward to conceal the shiner. If she asks, I’m experimenting with the grunge look , I decided.
But she didn’t ask. She was lounging in one of the pink armchairs, reading a romance novel and sipping tea from a dainty china cup.
“Hello, dear,” she said, peering up over her reading glasses. “Everything okay?”
“Yep,” I smiled. “Everything’s fine.”
In the far corner of the room, Zack played with a plastic train, making an occasional choo-choo noise.
“Are you bored, honey?” Mary asked, placing her book down on the coffee table. “Where are the boys?”
“The boys are upstairs,” I said, struggling to keep my tone indifferent. “I’m not bored. I was wondering—”
Mary cut me off. “Why don’t the three of you go on a day trip or something? You can borrow the minivan. I’m sure Caicus would be able to
But it’s Oscar . I found myself saying that phrase an awful lot these days.
In all honesty, when my fingers first touched the cold blade of the dagger, I wanted so badly for it to be the final straw. And it should have been. I wanted to hate him, but instead I began making excuses. Maybe he’s been using it for gardening. Yes, that was fairly believable. Maybe it’s for opening boxes. Shaky, but still not completely unreasonable.
And then my rational side kicked in. He carries a dagger .
That was enough. I didn’t want to see it any more. Any of it. I just wanted to get out of that bathroom. Moving hastily, I returned the items to his pocket and made my getaway.
There was one slight catch, though. I must have slipped on the wet floor tiles, because I remembered falling forward towards the sink. I must have knocked myself out cold, because the next thing I knew, Oscar was sitting at my bedside, dabbing my head with a tissue. Then, of course, we argued, and I stormed off to show him what I had found in his pockets. But when I looked through his jeans again, the contents had vanished.
Or had they?
Wait. Backtrack. Before I’d left the bathroom, I’d put everything back…hadn’t I?
My hands began to tremble. Maybe I hadn’t put everything back. Even in my state of avoidance, I hadn’t been able to let go of the one thing that might have given me some answers. Genuine answers.
I quickly dug through my own pocket and drew out the brass coin.
There. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, it was real. I saw it, plain as day, before my very eyes. I had been right all along. And Oscar had lied to me—again.
There was an inscription on the coin. The print was minute and written in an unfamiliar language.
I grabbed a notebook from my dressing table and jotted down the words onto a blank page.
Bellator Tenebris. Mortifer Veneficus
I tore out the sheet of paper and folded it into a small square. Something about those words sent chills down my spine. This was my chance to finally piece together a part of the Valero jigsaw, and I wasn’t going to waste it. For the good or the bad, I needed to know the truth.
I scanned the table for a safe place to keep the coin—somewhere Oscar wouldn’t look. My eyes fell on my white leather jewellery box. Inside it there were a couple of secret compartments which would go unnoticed by anyone who didn’t know much about jewellery boxes—which I was guessing Oscar didn’t. Anyway, it seemed as good a hiding place as any, so I tucked the brass coin into one of the compartments, beneath a heap of assorted rings and bracelets.
Once the coin was hidden, I left the attic and snuck downstairs, all the while with my fingers crossed. If ever there was a good time not to bump into the boys, it was then.
I made it to the ground floor undetected and found Mary in the conservatory.
“Hi,” I said, hovering in the doorway. Uh oh. I’d almost forgotten about the huge bump on my head. If Mary saw it, she’d probably insist on my going to hospital to get it checked out. I was not loving that idea. Quick thinking time. I shook my hair forward to conceal the shiner. If she asks, I’m experimenting with the grunge look , I decided.
But she didn’t ask. She was lounging in one of the pink armchairs, reading a romance novel and sipping tea from a dainty china cup.
“Hello, dear,” she said, peering up over her reading glasses. “Everything okay?”
“Yep,” I smiled. “Everything’s fine.”
In the far corner of the room, Zack played with a plastic train, making an occasional choo-choo noise.
“Are you bored, honey?” Mary asked, placing her book down on the coffee table. “Where are the boys?”
“The boys are upstairs,” I said, struggling to keep my tone indifferent. “I’m not bored. I was wondering—”
Mary cut me off. “Why don’t the three of you go on a day trip or something? You can borrow the minivan. I’m sure Caicus would be able to
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