“The floorboard creaked again, louder this time, sending a jolt through the tense silence of the lounge.
“What the hell was that?” Sophia gasped, her voice trembling as she clutched her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Without thinking, she moved closer to Marcus, her fingers brushing against his arm.
Marcus tensed at the contact, his sharp gaze snapping toward the source of the noise. His voice was low but steady. “Probably the storm… or something outside.”
Dean scoffed, though his eyes were alert. “You’re really going to blame the storm for everything? That wasn’t the wind.”
Vanessa, pacing nervously near the window, turned toward the group. “I’m not staying here while someone or something is creeping around this house. We need to check it out.”
“Absolutely not!” Helen snapped, stepping into the center of the room. Her authoritative tone cut through the rising panic. “What happened to sticking together? We can’t just split up and go wandering into the dark like idiots in a horror movie.”
Dean grabbed the candelabra again, the flickering light casting his face into sharp relief. “We’re not splitting up,” he said evenly. “We’ll go in groups. No one goes anywhere alone.”
“Exactly,” Marcus added, his voice firm. “The girls can stay here in the master bedroom. Get it ready as a safe space where we can all sleep together. Meanwhile, Dean and I will check upstairs.”
Sophia looked up at Marcus, her wide eyes betraying her fear. “What if the killer is up there? What if… you don’t come back?”
Dean smirked faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re men, Sophia. If someone’s up there, we’ll tackle them down. They won’t get far.”
Helen folded her arms, her piercing gaze flicking between the two men. “This is a bad idea. If you don’t come back in five minutes, we’re barricading the door.”
Marcus nodded. “Fair enough. Stay together and don’t open the door for anyone but us.”
As Marcus and Dean moved toward the stairs, candelabra in hand, the girls lingered in the lounge, their nerves raw. Ivy sat by the fire, staring into the flames, while Vanessa leaned against the wall, her arms crossed as she surveyed the room.
“Thunder’s really picking up,” Sophia murmured, breaking the silence as the windows rattled with the force of the storm. The sound of crashing waves echoed in the distance, a constant reminder of their isolation.
“It’s terrifying,” Ivy whispered, her voice barely audible. “I’ve never felt so… trapped.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s the point, isn’t it? Michael wanted us here, stuck on this damn island, so we’d have no choice but to… what? Reflect on Eleanor?”
“It’s been five years,” Sophia said, her voice shaking. “Why now? Why bring us all back here?”
Helen, seated stiffly in a chair by the fireplace, adjusted her glasses and turned toward Sophia.
“That’s the real question, isn’t it? Why did you even accept the invitation?”
Sophia hesitated, her cheeks reddening slightly. “It… it came with a business offer,” she admitted quietly. “Michael’s foundation offered to sponsor a series of charity events if I came.”
Vanessa snorted, a humorless laugh escaping her lips. “So it’s always about the brand, isn’t it, Sophia? The perfect influencer.”
“Don’t judge me!” Sophia shot back, her face flushing deeper. “You’re not here out of the kindness of your heart, are you?”
Vanessa’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Of course not. Michael offered to cover my company’s debts. A very tempting offer, I might add.”
Helen’s gaze sharpened as she looked to Ivy. “What about you?”
Ivy shifted uncomfortably, her fingers clutching the edges of her sketchpad. “Michael offered to feature my work in his gallery,” she admitted softly. “It’s… it’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
“And you, Helen?” Sophia asked pointedly.
Helen’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Michael didn’t offer me anything. I came because I wanted answers. Eleanor and I… we go back further than most of you realize.”
The tension thickened as the women exchanged glances, each wrestling with their own thoughts.
Suddenly, the overhead chandelier flickered. A hum filled the air, and the lights snapped back on, bathing the room in warm, steady light.
Sophia let out a breath of relief, her hands clasping together. “Thank God! Finally!”
Vanessa smiled faintly, but her relief was short-lived. From upstairs, a loud thud echoed through the house, freezing the group in place.
The girls exchanged wide-eyed glances, their momentary calm shattered.
“What was that?” Ivy whispered, her voice trembling.
Vanessa straightened, her posture tense. “That’s where the boys are.”
Sophia clutched the arm of the sofa, her voice breaking. “What if something happened to them?”
Helen rose to her feet, her expression grim. “We wait. Marcus and Dean said to stay here, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
The thud came again, followed by the faint sound of shuffling. Then, silence.
Vanessa’s gaze darted toward the stairs. “What if they need help?”
Helen shook her head sharply. “We stick together, just like we agreed. If they don’t come back in five minutes, we’ll decide what to do.”
Sophia’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the sofa arm, her eyes fixed on the stairway. “I have a bad feeling about this.”