In Reach?

Mira’s POV

It’s past dinner time, though everyone is still at the table all hyped up, talking about the fights they had and saw today.

It seems Theo still wants a rematch with Noah. He on the other hand says, he won fair and square, and there’s nothing Theo can do to justify his losing to him.

I really wonder how Noah would have reacted had he be the one to lose.

Mason is already getting up to leave, - something about having to get up early tomorrow morning.

Aubrey and I get up to help Meg in the kitchen. She helps out around the house. Always making sure that things in the house are top notch. I didn’t even know she was here until a few days ago. Apparently she’s just always busy with stuff, so I won’t necessarily see her that often.

“So how is the interrogation going?” I hear Liam speak in the background. He must be talking about those assholes in the dungeons.

“Not as promising as I would have hoped for.” That sounds like Noah. “They have admitted to there being more women, we’re just struggling to get names.”

I can’t help but stand still to try and get a better listen to this. Even Aubrey is frozen next to me, she must also be trying to listen in. She seems very nervous though.

“Judging from their profiles, Eli has much more dirty laundry than Max, who by the way seems to look up to Eli. I don’t think they are going to spill anything if we keep them in the same room. We need to split them up.” Theo really seems to be the analyzer in these things.

“Okay, try that. And take it up a notch.” Whatever Liam means by that.

I’m still trying to hear them when I get distracted with Aubrey rushing out of the kitchen behind me.

I spin around trying to catch the direction she’s going into. She going up the stairs.

“Hey Aubrey.” But she can’t hear me, or she’s ignoring me.

I follow her up. She’s going into her room. I rush in after her.

“Hey!” She look surprised by me barging in.

“Hey me? Hey you. I called after you but you just ignored me.”

“I’m sorry. I must not have heard you.”

“My thoughts exactly. So what’s got you so on edge?”

“Nothing, it’s.....it’s nothing.” She’s fidgeting again.

I knew it. I was hoping that my suspicions were wrong, but I’ve seen this too many times, to not pick up on the signs. She seems shy and timid, but only around the guys. Once she’s with me, and what she was like with Katy, she was always joking around and scolding us every once in a while. The way she panicked when she heard about where Katy’s body was found. Her incessant fidgeting, and how she was trying to eaves drop on us when Sarah and I were taken to the infirmary the other day.

It must be true, she must be one of the girls.

I stand there looking at her in silence, not really knowing how to go about this. Judging from that conversation downstairs, chances are high that they will find out.

“Aubrey,……..don’t you think it will be better that Noah hears it from you rather than someone else?”

She instantly looks up at me shocked, fidgeting with her fingers. “What,….what are you talking about?”

I take slow steps towards her. “You don’t have to lie to me about this. I know.”

“What do you mean you know? How can you know?” She’s walking backwards, away from me.

“That’s not the point here Aubrey. You have to tell him, before he finds out from someone else.”

“No! I can’t”

I finally reach her and hold her by the arms to try and calm her down.

“ Yes, you can, you should.”

“You don’t get it. He’s gonna lose it. He always talks about making sure to protect me, coz I always wind up in unnecessary trouble.” A tear slips down one of her cheeks.

“This isn’t your fault, you know that, right. He won’t blame you.”

“But what if he does?” I sit her down on the bed next to me. She seems calmer now. “What if it’s worse, and he blames himself for it, all because of me?” She sniffles a bit. “Things are just better with him not knowing.”

“But it won’t be that way forever. These things always find a way to get out. You need to take control of the situation before it turns against you.”

“How? There is no way I can not let this turn against me. I don’t want him to know. I don’t want anyone to know. I would have preferred it to stay a secret.” She's fidgeting with her fingers again.

We sit there for a while in silence, not knowing what else to say.

“Help me. You have to help me.” Aubrey turns to me.

“What do you mean?”

“We have to stop them. I don’t know how exactly. But we have to stop them from saying anything.”

“Aubrey, this is insane.”

“No!” She stands up looking at me. “This is just how it has to be. Now, are you going to help me or not?”

She can be so feisty. If only she used this to battle her demons.

“I’ll help where I can. But,……I think it best you still prepare yourself for worst case scenario. Just in case.” I sigh as I get up next to her and pull her into a tight hug. Surprisingly she hugs back, still sniffling a little.

"Thank you.