this morning, while trying to find the cemetery my great-grandmother was buried in. I snapped a photo of the gates, rather unusual and ornate in design, and exited the car to see if I could look around inside. Unfortunately, my attempt was thwarted by a large man carrying a gun, who told me I was trespassing on private property.
The blog then went on to describe, in tedious, rambling detail, the person’s journey through various deserted Belarusian roads and how he kept getting lost every few miles. Probably should have invested in a satnav.
Closing my browser with a sigh, I put my phone down and went to make a cup of tea while we waited for Cassius to return.
Why did we always end up with more questions, and no answers?
TWENTY-FOUR
Christmas came and went without incident. Alstone Holdings closed down from Christmas Eve until January 2nd, and Arlo and Christine had flown away to some luxury ski resort, leaving us to spend Christmas alone, which was actually the best thing for us. I couldn’t think of anything that would ruin Christmas faster than being forced to spend it with my mother.
Me, Cade, and West spent the day lazing around, watching TV, and we ordered Chinese food rather than cook anything. We’d decided not to give gifts to each other, either—to be honest, none of us felt all that much like celebrating. I was missing my dad even more, and we were all feeling kind of discouraged by the fact we had just as many questions as answers when it came to my mother.
Z was spending the day with his dad, and Cass was with his family, so the house was kind of quiet and subdued. In the evening, West shut himself in his computer room, talking all things computery and gadgety with Mercury and his other dodgy web contacts, so Cade and I reacquainted ourselves with the hot tub. Twice.
Now it was New Year’s Eve, and we were going to what was apparently the traditional New Year’s Eve party, hosted by Cassius’ family. They had a sprawling mansion, very different to Arlo’s. It was nestled into the cliffside, all shiny and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows and several different levels, starting at the clifftop and gradually moving down the side. If I could compare it to anything, it reminded me a bit of Tony Stark’s Iron Man mansion.
According to Caiden, when it had been built, the locals had petitioned against it, saying it spoiled the scenery and general feel of the area, which was predominantly Georgian and Victorian buildings. Unlucky for the locals, since the Drummonds were a founding family of Alstone Holdings and therefore controlled the land, there was nothing they could do about it. I could see both sides of the argument, but there was no denying this mansion was bloody beautiful. All sleek lines and sparkling glass. I bet it would look amazing from the sea.
Speaking of the sea…I’d arrived at the mansion early since the boys were off doing some male-bonding shit, paintballing, and Lena had asked Cassius to ask me if I wanted to come over. Pretty starved for some female company after a week of testosterone with no Kinslee, I’d jumped at the chance.
Time to kick off the New Year’s Eve celebrations, Lena-style.
Lena and I were standing at the foot of the cliff on a tiny pebble beach, the mansion high above us. You know what this mansion had? An outdoor lift. I had no idea such things existed until that moment in time.
The beach had a little jetty with a motorboat moored to it. Lena skipped down the jetty, pulled the cover off the boat, and climbed inside.
“Coming?” She cocked her head at me, the ends of her formerly blonde hair, now a shade of pastel pink, tumbling from under her beanie hat and blowing in the breeze.
I nodded slowly, tugging my own hat further down over my ears. “Are you sure you know how to drive one of these? Or is it sail? Whatever it is, we’re not going to die, are we?”
A loud laugh burst from her, her thin shoulders shaking under her down-filled winter coat. “You should see your face right now. You look fucking terrified.” Fumbling around in the boat, she grabbed an orange life jacket and threw it to me, clipping one on herself, then spun around, stretching her arms out. “See? We’re safe.”
I stayed rooted to the spot, and she sighed, rolling her eyes. “Winter. I promise we’ll be fine.