CONJUROR

Chapter 2

"Ugh, my head is hurting like someone just hammered it" Victoria heard Patricia groan beside her as she slowly gained her consciousness. She looked around herself and saw Patricia and Helen both asleep on either side of her. They were in her room. The last thing Victoria remembered was that they all were on the Livingston estate. And those eyes, she can never forget those unique golden-red eyes.

And those words...amy soeur or wait, was it âme sœur? Yeah. Âme sœu.

'What does it even mean?' She thought frowning and made a mental note to search about it later.

"Pat, please don't shout my head is hurting too." Helen groaned as she sat up and looked at her surroundings. 

"Wait. We were on the Livingston Estate, weren't we? Then what are we doing here, in your room? And the boys, where are they?" Helen asked, looking around the room in confusion and bewilderment. 

Victoria ran a hand through her messy, dishevelled hair, still trying to find a clue of what exactly happened the previous day and said, "Hell if I knew. I just woke up too. I think we should find the boys, maybe they know something." 

They both nodded and left the room with a still sleeping Patricia. They started searching the house for the boys and at last, they found both of them sprawled over in Noah's bed in his room. It was a sight to see. Ryder was spooning Noah and Noah had clutched Ryder's hand in a tight grip.

Helen and Victoria looked at each other wide-eyed for a moment and then both started to laugh. Helen took out her phone and gestured to Victoria to stay silent as she clicked a couple of pictures of the two persons entangled with each other, in deep sleep. 

Victoria also clicked some pictures in her phone and then loudly cleared her throat, trying to wake up the sleeping couple. Noah and Ryder stirred slightly when the sounds of people whispering and laughing hit their ears.

"What the-man wake up and leave my hand right now!" Ryder yelled at Noah and tried to push him away. But Noah just snuggled closer to him and put his legs over Ryder's.

"Vic, take a picture now! This is gold." Helen said between laughs and Victoria snickered while clicking some more pictures. 

"What the f**k?! You took our pictures?!" Ryder growled at the both of them and pushed Noah off him.

Noah woke up, startled. He looked around confused at Ryder's angry face and the laughing faces of the girls.

"Helen, I think we are going to be popular soon," Victoria said between laughs.

"I know right, we will also get more followers on twitter soon."

"So how's the caption, 'cute gay couple cuddling'?" Victoria asked, laughing.

"Hmm, a good one but I think we can do better." Helen snickered.

"The f**k you guys are talking about?" Noah asked, still confused as of what's going on. 

"Oh, nothing. They were just talking about the pictures they took of us while you were stuck to me like a leech." Ryder snapped at him and the girls laughed.

"Guys." Victoria said in a serious tone, getting their attention, "does anyone remember what happened yesterday and how we got here?"

"We were playing truth or dare and then we went to the Livingston castle then the earthquake and the blank. I don't remember anything after that." Noah frowned trying to remember something, anything. 

"Same. I remember going into the castle and finding the piano then you playing it. But after that nothing. I don't know how we got out." Ryder sighed.

They all looked at each other for some time thinking of what possibly could've happened. How the hell did they get out of there? 

Patricia came running into the room, getting everyone's attention and distracting them from their thoughts.

"Guys, my mom just sent a message. She says they all will be here tomorrow." She said and they all groaned. 

"Why? Can't they not come this month?" Noah whined.

"I don't want to meet them. Can't we just tell them that we have a college trip or something?" Ryder groaned.

"You know we made a deal." Victoria pointed out and they all sighed.

"It was okay at that time but now it seems like we made a deal with the devil." Helen grunted.

True to her words, Victoria felt like they indeed made a deal with the devil. Around a year ago they all made a deal with their parents that they all could stay in Victoria's mansion, only if each month one of their parents can drop by to see how things are going on.

During the first few months, it was all good, one of their parents would come and stay for a day or two. But from the last few months, all of their parents would come and stay for a whole week. 

It's not that they hate their parents, or their parents hated them. No, on the contrary, they love each other very much but when all of their parents are together it just leads to chaos and trouble. After all their parents were highschool friends and their group was known as trouble for a reason.

"Now that I remember, we can actually go on a college trip." Noah said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What?"

"Really?"

"How?"

"Tell us!"

These were the excited replies of Patricia, Ryder, Victoria and Helen.

Noah turned towards a curious Victoria and said, "Tori, remember our history project?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Victoria mused, still having yesterday's incident on her mind.

"Don't you remember what was the project about?" He asked back, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I may or may not have dozed off during the class." She replied sheepishly.

"Typical Victoria." Helen teased and they all laughed. 

"In my defence the class was boring. You all know how much I despise history." Victoria grumbled.

"I don't even know why you took it as an extra subject." Ryder said rolling his eyes. He shared the same hatred for History as Victoria did. Hell, it was the main thing that they two bonded over.

"Obviously for extra credits," Victoria grumbled, leaning on the bed.

"Hey! History is not that bad as you two seem to make it as." Noah defended and for the first time in a while, Patricia agreed with him. Their love for history is the only thing they have in common.

"You would say that. After all, you love historical things." Ryder shot back.

Before the both could start arguing Patricia cut them off. "Now, now, boys, don't start a catfight. Let's go back to our current discussion." They both grumbled but complied. 

"So I was saying, the project is about historical places. Mr Harrison said we have to choose a historical place from a list of places that he'll give us tomorrow. We have to stay there for some months and write a report. Simple as that. And the best part is that it's a group project so we can stay together." Noah explained grinning like a five-year-old child who got his favourite candy.

"And what about me and Helen? Did you forget that we didn't take history this semester?" Ryder asked rolling his eyes.

"As much as I want to say that you should stay here with our parents, I can't do that to this doll here. So I've got a plan." He said winking at Helen and she blushed. Ryder visibly stiffened. He was jealous, there's no doubt in that.

Patricia rolled her eyes at the interaction as if it was boring her but Victoria knew that she also felt a pang of jealousy. 

"Tell us about your plan." Ryder snapped. 

"Victoria here will go to Mr Harrison and persuade him that we take Ryder and Helen with us." Noah said as if it was no big deal.

"Why me? And tell me how will I even convince him?" Victoria glowered at him.

"Because every teacher loves you. And you can tell him that we can't leave these two alone at home because our parents are out of town." He said shrugging and Victoria glared at him.

"Okay." She said.

"Okay?" He asked, wide-eyed. "You're agreeing so easily?"

"Do I have another choice?" Victoria asked signing. 

"No." They all replied in a union.