Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Four
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar
ANs: Thanks one more time to all my faithful readers out there, and more special thanks to those of you reviewing. Enjoy the latest installment!
(fade out...)
(begin chapter...)
Serena and Darien finally made their way back to their room after taking the rags Raye and Kingsly had gathered before the author's inquisition and cleaning Ralph's wounds. The ebony-haired young man watched his blonde roommate closely as she trudged toward the bed. She seemed to flinch with every step. "Are you okay, Serena?"
She stopped, startled, and turned to face him. "Yeah, I think so. I'm just tired and my knees are sore."
His eyes widened as he automatically looked at the source of her discomfort. "Serena, your knees are bleeding!" He dashed forward and picked the surprised girl up, taking her over to one of the chairs by the fireplace. He stoked the fire and added a couple of logs, then grabbed the various medical supplies he had left over from treating the butler from where he had dropped them by the door. He paused as he returned. "Um, you're going to have to take your pajama bottoms off," he said with a blush.
"Oh!" she exclaimed as she watched him, blushing as well.
Darien put down his armload and grabbed the thin crocheted throw blanket from the love seat facing the fire. "Here," he said, handing the petite blonde the blanket. "I'll turn my back while you take them off and cover yourself with this."
Once he had fulfilled his part of the deal, Serena painfully fulfilled hers. She covered her thighs and cleared her throat. "I'm done, Darien," she said quietly, still blushing furiously.
He turned around and knelt in front of her. He looked closely at the exposed skin and hissed lightly. "You have some glass shards in your knees. You really didn't feel them before?" He stood up and started for the bathroom.
"No. I guess I was too busy concentrating on Ralph, and then Raye screamed… My knees were the least of my concerns." She paused as Darien opened the bathroom door. "What are you looking for?"
"Tweezers," was the response. "I have to get that glass out of your knees. Where did it come from, anyway?"
Serena thought for a moment. "I guess it's from that broken vase on the landing. I didn't even think about it when I knelt down; I was only thinking of Ralph and how much pain he must be in."
The rummaging sounds in the bathroom's medicine cabinet stopped. Darien turned toward Serena, unnoticed by the girl, and gazed at her in wonder. He knew she was generous and giving, but that much? It made him hope this truce would last all the more.
Serena fiddled with the fringe of the blanket in her lap while she waited for Darien's return. When the sound of rummaging started up again an idea struck her. "Darien, wait! Get me my backpack!"
"Why?"
"I think I have a pair of tweezers as part of my nail kit."
Darien silently stepped back into the bedroom and just looked at Serena. "Nail kit?"
The blonde blushed. "Yeah, well… my mom bought it for me for Christmas last year. I was fine with my clippers and emery board."
He nodded. "Okay." He grabbed her backpack and brought it over.
"Thanks," she mumbled, quickly opening the bag and digging through its contents. "Here it is." She pulled out a small, pink billfold-shaped item and unsnapped it. She handed the young man once again kneeling in front of her the tweezers.
He shook his head as he accepted them. "Girls," he muttered under his breath. Then he focused his attention on extracting the glass pieces from the delicate skin of the young beauty before him, putting forth his best effort to keep it as painless as possible. Every flinch she made caused him to wince in response.
Finally he was done, and he turned his attention to cleaning out the wounds. He took a rag and the rubbing alcohol and set himself. "This is going to hurt. I'll try to be quick."
Serena clenched her teeth as the alcohol stung the cuts. Darien was true to his word and was done quickly. He then bandaged her knees with the remaining gauze and packed everything else up. "Is that it?" she asked softly.
He smiled at her gently. "Yeah. Surprisingly enough, nothing was too deep. You'll be fine soon."
"That's good," she whispered as she met his midnight blue gaze.
They lost themselves in each other's eyes for a while before a loud pop from the fireplace snapped them out of their trance. They both blushed and looked away. "Um, do you have anything else to wear? Since the knees are torn…"
"Oh, uh, yeah. I think I packed a pair of white sweats in my overnight bag, on the floor of the wardrobe." Serena gestured to the large piece of black walnut furniture against the wall behind her.
"Right." Darien retrieved the piece of clothing and turned his back once again as she changed into them. "Are you ready for bed then?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah." Darien merely nodded and picked Serena up off the chair and carried her to the bed.
"Darien! What are you doing?" she screeched as she clung to his neck tightly.
He groaned inwardly at the close contact and sighed. "Taking you to bed, what does it look like?"
"Oh."
He placed her into the unmade bed and covered her up gently. "Try to get to sleep. And let me know if your knees start bothering you at all."
"I will," she whispered as he went around to the other side of the bed and crawled in. "Good night."
"Good night, Serena." He turned off his bedside lamp.
She leaned over slightly and did the same. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Darien?"
"Yes?"
"Were you as scared as you sounded when you saw my knees?" She wanted to kick herself for the question, but couldn't get the look on his face out of her mind.
Darien closed his eyes and swallowed forcefully at the question. He gathered his wits before answering. "Actually I was. I didn't know what had happened to you."
Serena's ears barely caught the whisper. "Wow."
"I don't like to see you hurt."
"Thank you."
Darien sighed. "How can you thank me? I hurt you all the time."
Serena's shrug was unseen in the darkness. "Only every now and again. And I don't think you mean to. I guess I knew it was always just a game between us."
"I'm sorry for the times I've hurt you."
"And I'm sorry for the times I've hurt you. I know I have. I saw it in your eyes."
"You did?" Darien asked incredulously as he turned his head to face her.
"Yeah. That's why I left so suddenly sometimes."
He watched the faint light from the fire play gently on her features. "My god, Serena. I didn't think anyone ever looked that closely. Why did you?"
Serena continued to stare at the canopy above their heads. "Your eyes are what told me everything was a game. That was how I could tell the score. I always knew when to quit by watching the sparkle. You have too good a poker face otherwise."
"But that doesn't tell me why."
Her eyes closed at the seriousness in his tone. "I never wanted things to go too far; I never wanted to hurt you. It was a game. I knew you weren't really a jerk or anything else I called you; I watched the way you interacted with Andrew and the other girls. I even saw it in your eyes from time to time. I guess reading people is a gift of mine."
"You just didn't want to hurt me?" He couldn't believe that was the only reason.
"Well, yes. At first, anyway."
Darien just caught the second sentence. "At first? What about later?"
"You're my friend, Darien. You don't hurt your friends. Especially when they're as special as you are." Tears began to fall from her closed lids. He was getting too close to the truth about her feelings!
His shadow hid the watery trail from his sight, but Darien did notice the tenseness in her form. Hope flared in his chest; his little ray of sunshine cared about him! "I think you're special, too. I really look forward to seeing you every day."
His gently whispered statements caused her eyelids to squeeze shut even tighter. "Don't play with me now, Darien."
"I'm not playing. Serena, look at me. You'll see I'm not playing."
"I… I can't," she breathed.
"Why not?" he asked just as quietly.
"Then you'll be able to see me."
He smiled and decided to take a chance. "Is that all?" he asked softly and turned her head toward him. She gasped and her eyes sprung open. His smile grew wider as he noticed the raw emotion in the sapphire gaze and lowered his lips to hers.
It was like electricity shot through both of them at the intimate contact. They were both lost immediately in the surge of emotions that flowed between them, intertwining their souls and igniting their passion. But before things could go too far, Darien pulled away and stared down at Serena breathlessly. His darkened eyes searched hers desperately, hoping he hadn't just made a huge mistake.
Serena smiled at his anxious expression and reached up to caress his cheek. "That was wonderful. I've been dreaming of that for the longest time."
Darien's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" Serena nodded. His gaze softened as he returned the caress. "So have I." He came down for another brief kiss, then they snuggled up together and fell asleep. Both had the sweetest of dreams.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Morning came without incident. A thick fog muted the early sun and lent an eerie atmosphere to the surroundings. "You can't even see to the edge of the courtyard," Serena murmured from the glass balcony doors of the girls' room where the five scouts and Darien had gathered.
"Creepy," Mina agreed as she joined the shorter blonde.
"Well, I'd have to agree with your assessment of Eli and Mr. Ward," Amy said from her seat on the edge of the bed. "They do seem unlikely as suspects. And of course the four of us have alibis; we were together at the time of the murder, as were you and Serena."
Darien nodded. "We need a motive. That's the one thing I can't figure out."
Raye shrugged. "Money. Like you said, that's the only thing that makes sense since no one around here seems to harbor any bad feelings toward anyone else." She shifted a bit in her position leaning against the curtained doorway to the sitting area.
"Hey, Serena," Lita called from where she sat Indian style on the floor by the window she had opened the night before for the pigeon. "Why are you wearing those white sweats? What happened to your pajama bottoms?"
Serena looked at her brunette friend and smiled. "It seems I knelt in the broken crystal vase last night when I was trying to help Ralph. I cut up my bottoms and my knees. The sweats just gave me something to wear with the top."
"Oh, okay. Just wondering."
Darien stopped his pacing in the center of the room at the impish expression on Lita's face, the one that seemed to also be mirrored on the other residents of the bedroom. "I turned away when she changed. What kind of guy do you think I am?"
Raye shrugged again. "A typical one."
Mina's expression turned evil. "So are you trying to tell us that you didn't even attempt to sneak a peek?"
"Mina!"
"Oh, can it, Meatball Head. Can't you see we're trying to defend your honor?"
The petite blonde scoffed. "Oh, please, Raye. You're just trying to get some juicy gossip. Nothing happened."
"Uh huh. Sure. You were alone in that bedroom all night, and nothing happened. With the chemistry you two have?"
"Mina!" Amy admonished as the couple in question blushed. "That's enough! We really need to figure out what's going on here before someone else is injured or dies." Her dark blue eyes twinkled. "Save this interrogation for later."
"Amy!" Serena cried, shocked.
"She's right," Darien interrupted, his cheeks still flaming. "Let's get back to business before we have to go down for breakfast."
"Well, we know it's not the six of us, and it's probably not Eli or Barrett Ward. What do we do with that information?" Raye questioned.
"Watch the others. It's all we can do until we can figure out what else to do." Darien shrugged.
A knock at the door cut the conversation short. "Breakfast is ready, ladies," the voice of one of the serving maids from the evening before called from the other side of the bedroom door. Without waiting for a response, soft footsteps faded away down the hall.
"I guess that's our cue," Mina said quietly.
"Good, because I'm hungry," Serena said and led the way down to breakfast.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
The meal, like the dawn, was uneventful. It had been a tad gruesome to see Dr. Blake's place set out like nothing had happened, but beyond that nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. That fact sent shivers of nerves up and down the spines of the six teenagers that had decided to solve the mystery surrounding this place.
They all gathered in the drawing room after breakfast to discuss the events of the night before. Darien sat on the library desk and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Okay. We all know what happened last night, so I'm not going to rehash the details. What we need to do now is figure out who did it and why. Anyone have any ideas?"
"Now look here, young man. Why are you presuming to take charge of this case? It may have been necessary last night when everything was so hectic, but now that we've all had a good night's sleep to calm down, I think one of your elders would be better qualified to take the lead." Harris Kingsly puffed himself up proudly at the end of his speech, and it was obvious whom he had in mind for the position.
Darien's eyebrow shot up as everyone else rolled his or her eyes. "No offense, Mr. Kingsly, but I think the questions asked should delve deeper than whether or not any of us has read your books."
The girls stifled giggles at the comment while the adults smiled at the outraged expression on the author's face. "Well, I never!"
Darien sighed. "Look, I'm not power-hungry or anything. It just seems like I've stepped into this role, and I might as well keep it. If something else happens we can't afford to have the person in charge lose their head, and I've already proven I can keep mine. I just want the rest of us to leave this island alive. There's a murderer among us, and we need to find them as soon as possible."
"How do we know it wasn't you?" Madam Roselle asked meekly from her position on the chair she had occupied during the reading of the will.
Serena gasped as Darien turned his midnight-blue gaze to the older woman. "You don't, but I can assure you I was following the instructions I was given in Mr. Cunningham's will. I was with Serena at all times last night."
"That's right; he was!" Serena said quickly in support. "Besides, you stopped us all in the hallway on our way down to check out the gunshot! Darien was right behind me!"
Madam Roselle paused to think for a moment. "That's right; I remember now." She looked up. "Sorry about that."
"It was a perfectly understandable accusation. Unfortunately, that's the kind of mentality we need to some degree. One of us is a killer. Unless someone else wants to die, you have to question everything. And please don't get offended by questions. We need to figure out what's going on."
Everyone proceeded to take seats, except for Serena who chose to stand next to Darien by the library table. "Well, fire away, young man. Start your inquisition," Barrett Ward said with a smile, tugging at the collar of his red dress shirt as he shifted uncomfortably in the chair next to the desk between the portraits.
Kingsly also shifted around in the seat he had occupied during the will reading. "Yes. Do."
The ebony-haired young man scanned the room. Mr. Ward, in his red dress shirt and black slacks by the far desk; Kingsly in his brown terrycloth robe and slippers and white-and-brown-checkered pajamas sitting closest to him; Madam Roselle, her dark hair in large curlers, wearing a purple robe over a floral print flannel gown in the chair on the other side of the table next to the disgruntled author; Hewett Doyle in a black silk robe open over a matching set of pajamas and Eli Cunningham in a green bath robe over a darker green T-shirt and gray shorts made of a thin sweatshirt material on the love seat across from him; Mina in an yellow robe over a orange set of pajamas, Lita in a light green robe over pink pajamas with a dark green trim, Amy in a navy blue robe and slippers over an ice blue flannel gown, and Raye in a thick black robe over a deep purple silk gown on the sofa to his right; and Serena standing beside him in her pink bunny pajama top and white sweatpants. His own midnight blue silk pajamas were a dark contrast to the petite blonde. One of these people killed one man and injured another. Now to figure out who before someone else fell victim to the overwhelming greed – if that theory was right, of course.
"Are there any quarrels going on amongst any of you? Or with Dr. Blake or Ralph?" Blank looks were his response. "Okay, guess not. Is there some secret that Mr. Cunningham… took to his grave shall we say? Something that would inspire someone to kill?" The occupants of the room looked at each other questioningly and shook their heads no. "I'm looking for a motive here, folks. There's a reason for what's happened here. We have to find it."
Before anyone could respond, Barrett Ward grasped at his throat, tearing his shirt open, and making barely audible choking noises before collapsing to the floor in a heap. Darien and Amy flew to his side, trying mouth-to-mouth and eventually CPR. After ten minutes or so, the two teenagers looked at each other, stricken yet resigned. Amy closed the older man's eyelids and took note of the time on the mantle clock that sat on top of the roll-top desk.
Serena rushed over to Darien as he stood and stepped away from the body. He absently draped his arm around her shoulders and she squeezed him, for her own comfort as well as his. She couldn't believe this; it couldn't be happening. But it was.
Darien had a strange taste in his mouth after administering mouth-to-mouth to the dying man. He wasn't exactly sure what it was but he knew he needed to find out. "Does anyone know if there's a medical encyclopedia around here? Preferably in easy reach."
Eli mutely nodded and moved from where he had stood in front of the love seat at the start of the commotion to one of the bookshelves. He glanced over the spines for a moment then pulled out a thick volume and handed it to the young man in charge. Darien quickly flipped through the first half of the book then stopped as he found what he was looking for. His eyes scanned over the words and he nodded. The book snapped shut and Darien took long strides that took him speedily to the dining room, where not all the dishes had been cleared away. He snatched a half-full water glass and swished out his mouth, spitting it out when he was done.
He reentered the drawing room with narrow eyes. "Barrett Ward died of food poisoning if my taste buds do not deceive me. We have another murder on our hands."
Serena gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, which pretty much mirrored the response of the rest of the room's inhabitants. "What are we going to do?" the petite blonde asked in a barely audible whisper.
Darien's hard gaze softened as he looked at her. "Same thing we were going to do before, Serena. Find the killer." He looked around the room. "It's just all the more urgent now."
She nodded and turned to face the others. "Can anyone think of a reason two people are dead and one is injured?"
Everyone looked at everyone else. "Could… could it be money?" Madam Roselle asked meekly.
The five teenage girls and their dark-haired compatriot shot each other quick looks. "We can't be sure. We've only known you for a little over twelve hours," Serena responded.
"The will didn't say anything about other people getting our money if we died; what's the point?" Eli asked, bewildered.
"Wait a minute," Doyle said in sudden realization. "The will said you get the remainder of the estate. You'd get all the money not able to be claimed by the other heirs."
Eli's eyes widened in horror as the implications of that statement sank in. "I… I didn't kill anyone! I never even thought of such a thing!" He took a few steps back as accusing stares came from the adults in the room.
"Nothing has been proven," Darien reminded everyone. "So no lynchings, please." He walked over and placed his hand on Eli's shoulder to stop the green-haired man's retreat.
"I didn't do it, I swear," Eli pleaded as he stared into Darien's midnight blues.
"We'll see," was the response as Darien gazed deeply into the forest greens before him. Eli was a little startled by the subtle wink he was given. "Now I say we go back to our rooms and get dressed and ready for the day. Could someone place Mr. Ward into the freezer?"
"Eli and I will take care of it, Darien," Lita said with a bright smile to the shaken young man. Darien nodded as the two went over to take care of the latest body.
"Aren't you afraid you'll be alone with the murderer, young lady?" Kingsly asked as the two passed him.
Lita shot the author an evil glare. "No, I'm not. Besides, if he killed me now, he'd just confirm that he was the killer. Not very smart, wouldn't you say?"
The adults all looked uncomfortable at the tall brunette's question. They grumbled a bit amongst themselves while the body was removed then retired to their rooms to follow Darien's advice. After they were gone the remaining teenagers looked at one another. "Doyle had a point, Darien. Eli has motive," Amy said reluctantly.
Darien's brows furrowed. "Unfortunately. But I can't seem to shake the feeling that he's innocent."
Serena nodded vigorously. "Same here."
"That's all fine and dandy, you guys, but that doesn't eliminate his motive. We have to look at the facts," Raye said forcefully.
"Well, he has motive. Did he have opportunity?" Mina asked thoughtfully.
Darien sighed. "Same as everyone else, I suppose. I wonder how our culprit slipped the poison into Ward's food this morning? We didn't get served until we were all at the table."
Amy thought for a moment. "What if it wasn't the food, but the dishes or silverware that were poisoned? That could be accomplished quickly and silently without anyone noticing. Our places were set; anyone could have seen where he was sitting and anointed the appropriate setting."
The ebony-haired young man nodded. "That's probably it, Amy. Now, how do we find out who had access to poison, and is a pretty good shot with a gun? No one is going to admit to that kind of thing."
Amy shot a quick look at her fellow scouts and cleared her throat. "We should probably just ask general questions about their backgrounds, questions that will give us the answers we need without being too revealing."
"Like what?" Serena asked.
"What are your hobbies? Where do you like to spend your leisure time? Where did you go to school and what did you study?" Amy shrugged.
"I like to read fantasy novels, ride my motorcycle, listen to all kinds of music, and paint. I like to take long rides alone on my bike and go clubbing. I attended Stanford University with a major in Botany and a minor in Theater. I hate guns and am a lousy shot. I was kicked off the archery team in high school for my nonexistent aim."
Everyone jumped at the sound of Eli Cunningham's voice from the doorway. "I suppose I could have come up with the poison, if it was herbally based." He shrugged. "But I didn't." The green-haired man gazed at the teenagers carefully. "I swear to you all I didn't. I never even realized that I would get all the extra money."
Serena stepped forward and gazed directly into the forest green eyes. She seemed to be searching for something deep within the man. Slowly she smiled. "I believe you, Eli. Now we'll just prove your innocence."
Darien looked at the meatball-headed blonde quizzically. "Are you sure about that?" he whispered in her ear as he came up to stand beside her next to the sofa.
She gazed calmly at him. "Yes. Completely."
Raye smiled at the unusually calm demeanor of her leader. "If you're that sure, Meatball Head, we'll do it." The other girls nodded in agreement.
Darien just shot the girls a strange look and shrugged. "Well, now that that's settled why don't we go upstairs and change?"
The others nodded in agreement and made their way to their rooms to do just that.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
After Serena entered their bedroom, Darien grabbed Raye's arm before she could follow the other three girls into her own. "Why?" he asked shortly.
Violet eyes blinked. "Why what?"
"Why did you girls just go along with Serena? Amy just pointed out a major motive for Eli, and you all let it go. Why?" Darien looked truly confused.
Raye smiled. "You saw the way Serena looked into Eli's eyes? Almost like she was looking for something?" The ebony-haired young man nodded, fighting back the surge of jealousy at the memory. "Well, she was. I don't know if you've realized this yet, but Serena has an incredible knack for reading people. I'd even hazard to say she's somewhat psychic. I mean, how else do you think the five of us got so close? We were alone until that Meatball Head came along and found that certain something within each of us." Darien blinked at the implication of the priestess' words. They were alone until Serena…
"Serena was looking – for the truth I suppose – and she found what she was looking for. She says he's innocent. So he is. I know I don't feel any evil intentions coming from him. But I'm willing to trust her assessment. Not that we won't watch him anyway, but now we can put our main focus somewhere else." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now go change, oh glorious leader, before people start to worry over your delayed arrival." With that, she grinned and entered her bedroom.
Darien blinked a few times before following her example, and ended up closing the door behind him with an amused smile on his face. Serena stood next to the bed in a pair of short white socks and a long white dress shirt that hung to the middle of her thighs with a wide collar and long, translucent, puffy sleeves.
She spun to face him when she heard the door shut. "What do you think, Darien?" She held up a long light purple skirt and wide matching belt. "This one or…" She tossed them on the bed and picked up a pair of ice blue dress slacks and another matching belt. "This set?"
He gave her his quirky grin. "You do realize you aren't wearing anything on your legs, right?" He found himself discretely examining those legs.
Serena shrugged. "It's not like you didn't see them last night. Now which one should I wear?"
"The skirt," Darien replied as he walked toward the bed. "There's less chance of it bothering your bandages."
"You have a point. Thanks!" She turned to take up the skirt again when Darien finished closing the space between them and took her in his arms. "Darien!" she gasped, dropping the decided-on piece of clothing.
"I'm not alone anymore, am I?" he whispered, searching her eyes as he held her close.
"What? Alone?" Darien nodded. "What about Andrew?"
"He's a great friend, but I still felt… separated from everybody else. Alone. But with you, I don't." Darien chuckled ruefully. "Gods, Serena," he declared as he pulled the golden blonde even closer, "I've never, ever felt this way before – part of life, not watching from the outside. At least, not that I remember." He whispered his last statement into her hair.
Serena gasped at the intensity of his admission. But his soft words in her hair caught her attention the most. "What do you mean, that you remember?" she asked gently.
The ebony-haired young man tensed. He hadn't meant for her to hear that. He pulled back to look in Serena's sapphire blues. After searching them, Darien found himself speaking without intending to. "My parents and I were in a car accident on my sixth birthday. They died and I woke up with complete amnesia. So I grew up in an orphanage."
Serena swallowed and tried not to gasp. "I thought I heard you had an apartment."
Darien nodded. "I do. I guess my parents left me some money. I get checks for the interest on a trust account in my name."
"And that let you get out early?"
"Yeah," Darien confirmed, resigned.
A soft smile crept onto Serena's face. "I'm glad. That way I got to meet you. I'm sorry about your parents though," she finished earnestly.
Midnight blue eyes once again searched the blonde's face. Darien suddenly realized how he felt about this living ray of sunshine and knew he could no longer deny it to himself. He loved her. He loved her completely. And contrary to his expectations, the knowledge filled him with overwhelming joy. In celebration, he lowered his head and caught her lips in a passionate kiss.
Serena had been caught completely off guard by the move, but was quick to respond. She brought her hands up to tangle her fingers in the strands of black silk atop his head, which only caused Darien to groan and hold her tighter. He deepened the kiss, encouraging her to part her lips. She complied, and soon they were delving into each other, tasting with abandon.
Darien's mouth moved from her lips, trailing hot kisses along her cheek and jaw line to the tender, milky-white skin of her throat as she allowed herself to fall back onto the bed. "Oh, gods, Serena," he whispered hoarsely between kisses as he started to reach for the buttons of her blouse. "I need you. I need you so much."
Serena reveled in the fantasy come true as she responded breathlessly. "I need you too, Darien. I need you too."
Darien's lips had reached Serena's collarbone and he was two buttons short of being able to get the soft material out of his way completely when a loud knock at the door made him pause. Serena grabbed his face and brought it down to her own. "They'll go away," she whispered before locking lips with him once again.
The knock turned into a pounding. "You're too polite, Amy," Lita's voice said from the other side. "Serena? Darien? Are you guys okay? We're supposed to meet everyone downstairs now."
"Come on, Meatball Head!" Raye's voice snapped.
Meanwhile, the pair inside the room was scrambling to make themselves presentable. Serena's fingers were fumbling to button up her shirt while Darien grabbed an outfit and was rushing toward the bathroom to change.
"Okay, guys, if you aren't going to come out, we'll just have to come in!" Mina called out as she jiggled the doorknob.
"No!" Serena and Darien cried in unison before the ebony-haired young man dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, and the petite blonde yanked on the previously forgotten purple skirt.
Outside the door, three of the four girls standing there shared knowing, evil smiles. Amy just blushed. "I suppose we can just meet them downstairs, now that we know they're getting ready," the blue-haired genius said, embarrassed for the pair.
"Are you nuts?" Raye asked incredulously as a loud thump was heard from within. "This is the most entertainment I've had all weekend!"
"I know I'm not moving," Lita declared. "I can't wait to see them when they open the door."
Mina was staring blankly at the thick wood that stood between her and the pair inside. Her expression was nearly euphoric. "I… I just want to confirm it," the blonde said softly.
"What are you talking about?" Raye asked, confused by the normally bubbly blonde's response.
Before Mina could answer, the door to the master bedroom flew open and Darien and Serena stood there fully dressed and breathing heavily. "Satisfied?" the young man asked exasperatedly.
Lita and Raye snickered behind their hands and Amy turned a deeper shade of red. Mina on the other hand gasped and grinned from ear to ear. She quickly wrapped the shocked Serena in a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you!" the taller blonde whispered into her captive's ear. "Fill me in later, okay?" With that, she pulled back, gave Darien a quick knowing grin and wink, and proceeded to skip off down the hall toward the stairs.
The remaining five people just blinked as they watched the red bow bounce away. "All in favor of just ignoring that little incident?" Raye asked, her tone a bit bewildered. Everyone raised a hand. "It's unanimous. Let's go." The quintet made their way downstairs.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
Nearly everyone was present in the drawing room when Darien and the girls arrived. "Okay," the ebony-haired young man began after taking a quick head count, "where's Kingsly?"
"I haven't seen him since we went upstairs earlier," Madam Roselle said quickly. Eli and Doyle shrugged and shook their heads.
"How long have you three been waiting?" Amy asked.
"Twenty minutes," Doyle snapped. "I didn't think it took over half an hour to change clothes."
Serena bit her bottom lip and began to blush as Darien bristled and put an arm around her shoulders. "Back off, Doyle. That's not the issue here. We'd better check his room and make sure our resident author is all right."
"Did you all come down alone?" Lita asked Eli as the group made their way upstairs.
"Actually, I ran into Doyle on my way down. We both left our rooms at the same time. Roselle came in maybe five minutes later."
"And we were pretty much all together…" Mina mused from behind the pair as they all reached Kingsly's room.
"Mr. Kingsly?" Darien called out as he knocked on the bedroom door. "Is everything okay?"
There was a collective gasp as the door swung inward, revealing an unmade bed, a brown robe in a heap on the floor, an open window, and no Kingsly. Serena moved forward quickly and immediately brought her hands to her mouth to muffle a shriek.
"Serena!" Darien cried, rushing forward to take her in his arms. "What's wrong?"
The petite blonde pointed to an area that had been concealed by the half-open door as the others stepped inside. There, on the floor near the large wardrobe, was a sizable blood-red stain in the carpet, and it looked relatively fresh. Amy stepped over and crouched down to touch it. She gave Darien a nod after checking the fluid on her fingertips.
The ebony-haired young man sighed. "Well, folks," he said as he held Serena closer, "it looks like we just might have another murder on our hands."