The Joy of Revenge

CHAPTER 14 Scavenger Hunt I woke up with a huge headache 1 drank to much too quickly With a gran. I sat up with my hand om my head and noticed a breath staple of alcohol looked and me, surveying my surroundings not recognizing the room into felier of panie rared server my chest. I pushed the blankets away from me and discovered, to my utter relief, I was fully clothed clothes 1 had worn yesterday, all the way down to my socks. Then, I remembered and smirked like an idiot. Right…I was at Sebastian’s lakehouse celebrating my birthday A glass of water and a couple of pills of aspirin were sitting on the night stand beside my hed with a happy birthday note. I gratefully took the medicine and got out of bed to wash up. After brushing my teeth, I let the warm water of the shower wash my hangover away. The painful throbbing in my head slowly began to ebb, so I took the time to recall the events: from last night. After dinner at the terrace of the Domenico lakehouse, we celebrated and I drank shot after shot after shot… The I was in high school with… they tied me up on the boy’s vertical bench press, tore this beautiful white gown I made myself, raped me then beat me to a pulp.” I gasped in horror. I was so drunk that I had unwittingly told them what happened. I tried to think fast and hard, trying to recall their facial expressions, but it was mostly a blur. I do remember Cristos holding my hand while I relived my experience… The boys pounding away on my raw vagina and anus as the beat me up. The impact of the baseball bat when it hit bone. My struggle to breathe and the pain I felt as I took each breath so I could survive. The silent prayer I made, hoping my parents could live through the heartbreak of my death. Will Cristos, Sebastian and Xavier treat me differently knowing I was raped so savagely? Are they disgusted? Has Xavier contemplated killing them? I fixed myself as quickly as I could. Before going downstairs, I checked my phone for

messages and saw two were from my parents. I called my mom. 14 CHAPTER 14 Scavenger Hunt “Happy Birthday, sweetie! How’s everything going?” My mom asked. “Hey Mom! I just finished taking a shower. Everything has been really fun. There was a cake and some champagne,” I told her.

“I know you’re of legal age now, but easy on the booze. Make sure to take lots of pictures. I gotta go, honey. I’ll see you soon.” “Say hi to dad, Mom. Love you.” cked 1 heaved a sigh and decided I couldn’t stay up here forever. I opened the door and caught a whiff of barbecue. They were cooking. I ran down and saw all three of them preparing our food. Sebastian was cooking pasta in the kitchen while Xavier and Cristos were arguing by the grill. “Cristos, well-done doesn’t mean burnt,” Xavier said. “I told you I’ll do it.” He picked up a piece of burnt beef with some tongs and made a face. “You need to learn how to cook.” “I’ll help you, Xavier,” I said shyly. I can grill.” “Good morning, sleepy head,” Xavier said, smiling. “Sure, let me see your skills in grilling.” After placing some olive oil on the steak, I added seasoning. I made sure the heat was concentrated in the back. I only needed the heat for several minutes for each side before I moved the steak to simmer a little at the front of the grill. Romero the steak off the grill, I sliced it to show Xavier the center of the steak was pink and juicy. He tried it and gave me a thumbs up. See, Cristos. This is how you grill steak.” We had brunch at the terrace. Steak and pasta with marinara sauce while we shared a couple of bottles of red wine. Along with the view of the lake, I was blissfully content. After all the dishes were in the dishwasher, they told me to go upstairs and change.

dan “What’s wrong with the clothes I have on?” I had an oversized T-Shirt over bicycle shorts. I wanted to be comfortable and not look like a flower vase. Sebastian placed both of his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes, giving me his poker face. “You need to where something you can swim in, run in, hike in, but still look presentable if you were to have dinner at, let’s say, some random cafe,” he said. 2/4 CHAPTER 14 Scavenger Hunt I eyed him warily. “Okay. Do I need anything else?” “Wallet, phone, identification…the usual. After you’re done, meet us by the pool.” I put on a violet knotted floral-print bikini underneath a white button-down polo shirt tucked into denim shorts. After putting on my trusty white sneakers, I placed all my essentials in a small leather backpack, including a small face towel, clean underwear, a clean shirt, a Swiss army knife, some biscuits and a small bottle of water. It seemed the boys had something planned and I didn’t want to come out unprepared. It was a bright sunny day, perfect for lounging at the pool. The beige cu shions of the chaise wicker lounge chairs were each draped with beach towels and covered by beige outdoor umbrellas. I walked towards the chairs and found one chair had a small white gift box tied up with yellow ribbon. I picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a piece of paper. It read: I’m not the alphabet, but I have letters. I’m not a pole, but I have a flag. Mailbox. I stuffed the box and the piece of paper in my bag and began my walk to the road. where I noticed the mailbox when we arrived yesterday. It was outside the gate of the property and a good hike upwards. Sebastian wasn’t kidding when he said hike. I opened the mailbox and found another box with a blue ribbon tied around it. I opened it and found another piece of paper and a car key. It had two riddles;

Watch where you’re walking. If you step on a c rack, you might break your mother’s back! I’m always tired but never sleep. If you get sleepy, take a nap in my backseat. So I needed to find a car parked near a sidewalk. Sebastian’s property was at the end of the road. I surveyed the road ahead and saw a sidewalk. There sat a lone silver car parked beside it. I ran towards it and pressed the button of the car key. It’s lights flashed and the doors unlocked. I opened the door and found another a box with a red ribbon. I took the box and slid into the driver’s seat. This time the box was bigger and heavier. Mmmm….It had that new car smell. It was a brand new BMW. I opened the box and found a brand new phone. As I lifted the phone from its box, a sheet of paper fell. 3/4 CHAPTER 14 Scavenger Hunt It read: I used to be a tree until I traded my root for routes. I have a rose, but I’m not a garden. I have a ring, but no finger. Sometimes I die, but if you charge me up, I come alive. A map and a phone. I had the phone so I needed to find the map. The car had a navigation system. I started the car and turned on the navigation system. It pointed me to store. I dialed the store’s number and a woman answered. “Hi! My name is Joy Taylor and I’m calling- “Yes Ms. Taylor. We have your items ready for pick-up.” I drove to the store which was located in Incline Village. It was a small jewelry store beside a boutique. The store manager quickly handed me a small box which had an expensive watch inside of it, a box with black pumps my size and a bigger box with a black co cktail dress “Mr. Domenico wanted me to direct you to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Ms. Taylor.” After thanking him, I drove to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. After handing my car to valet, I walked inside the hotel, armed with my treasures I found at the end of each clue, and asked if there were any messages for a Joy Taylor..

The staff waltzed me right into a suite where the phone was ringing. “Dinner will be served at our Private Dining Area at six in the evening, Miss Taylor,” the woman said. I looked at the time and noticed I only had a couple of hours to get ready. Good thing I brought everything I needed. Even clean underwear. Chapter Comments Luna-Mom the guys are amazing, putting Joy first and no go on a killing spree VIEW 1 COMMEN POST 31 < SHAREContent bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.