The Kingdom of Guhya

CHAPTER 5

"No way," Ethan tightens his grip, determined not to release me.

"Back off, dude," Damon interjects in a serious tone, catching Ethan off guard.

I gaze up, back and forth, to see them lock their eyes. "Get a life, you jealous man," Ethan rejects. Damon forcefully throws a pillow toward us, causing me to quickly bow down to avoid it. I feel Ethan loosen his grip as the pillow hits his face.

"Bull's eye," Quinn remarks, laughing at Ethan. Ethan finally let me go and stared darkly at Damon.

"It slipped off," Damon innocently reasons out.

Ethan picks up the pillow and stands grinning.

"Do you want to die?" Ethan utters in a meaningful tone, ready for any pillow fight.

Before they can mess up the whole living room, I interrupt.

"Do you see those CCTV cameras? If Lorde sees you making a mess, you will all be kicked out before you can even explain," I threaten, pointing to the cameras placed in the corners of the living room.

Realizing my point, Ethan momentarily stops and eventually plops down with a pouted lip. He draws a deep breath and grabs a piece of pizza.

"Do you think...Do you think Lorde's up to something behind our back?" I ask hesitatingly. I let my eyes move from one to another, trying to look for some reaction, but they cannot care less and just go on eating.

"Don't twins have this extraordinary telepathic connection? You should know better," Ethan randomly asks as he enjoys his food.

"Telepathic, my ass. I can't even fathom his thoughts," I reply.

The doorbell unexpectedly rings as Damon is about to open his mouth.

"It could be him. Let me check," I state and stand up to check. When the realization hits me, I stop midway and face them.

"Why would he press the bell? This is his unit," I ask, wonderingly.

"That's my point, too. Are you expecting a visit from someone?" Damon utters, addressing his question to all of us. I shrug. It is already evening, and we do not normally invite people over. Lorde will kill us if we do so.

Ethan and Quinn, meanwhile, answer in chorus, "Nope."

"I'll go check," I state and walk toward the door.

I peek at the over-door camera. My eyebrows cross when I see no one outside. I feel a bit of goosebump when I turn to look at the boys. They wait for me to speak, but I just slowly shake my head. Ethan starts walking toward me, and the other two follow. I take another peek at the camera, but like the first time, I see no one. Ethan holds my arms gently and asks, "Who was it?"

Instead of answering, I just shrug. Damon and Quinn moved to join us. Ethan goes to take a peek at himself, but his expression tells me that he does see something.

Ethan, with crossed eyebrows, states, "There's a box."

As if he perceives it as a cue, Damon unlocks the door and goes outside. We wait for him to step back inside, but there is a sudden noise coming from outside. Ethan and Quinn look at each other, puzzled.

Ethan makes me face him by holding my shoulders and looking intently at me.

"Beau, no matter what happens, just stay here. Do you get me?" I release a hard breath and nod.

With that, Ethan and Quinn rush outside, and I lock the door. I cannot hear them clearly, so I do not know what the current situation is. I need to think. I need to do something. Beau, do something!

I rush to my room and search for my phone. I should call the cops. No, no. The media will ruin everything. I have to call our guards. No, it will take a long time. God, what should I do? Lorde. Yes, we need Lorde. My hands tremble as I nervously search for Lorde's phone number. Eventually, I found it and pressed the dial button, anxiously waiting for him to answer. My heart races as the phone rings relentlessly.

"Come on, Lorde," I mutter, pacing back and forth. Yet, the ringing persists, frustrating me. The call abruptly ends. Hearing the front door open, I quickly step out of the room while clutching the phone in my hand. As the three of them rush in, visibly exhausted and sweating, concern floods over me.

"What happened?" I scan their faces and bodies, searching for any signs of harm or wounds. An immense sense of relief washes over me as I find no evidence of injury. I approach them swiftly, locking eyes with each one. I realize that their attention is fixed on the phone I am clasping in my hand.

"Oh, I called Lorde, but he was not answering. Is everything good?" I say with a tone of panic. Ethan avoids my eyes, and so does Quinn. So, I look at Damon intently.

"What is it, Damon?" I asked in a serious tone. Damon locks his gaze on me. I reject my urge to blink and serve him looks that pierce through his soul which made him withdraw eventually. Damon clears his voice.

"We did not see his face. But..." Damon stops. I wait for him to continue, but he takes a very deep breath.

"Beau, when he was running away...his phone rang. "

His words struck like a thunderbolt, interrupting the flow of my thoughts, and stopping my mind from comprehending the earth-shattering statement. It left me momentarily speechless, but I strived to recover instantly.

What are you up to, Lorde? I ask at the back of my mind. Then I remembered the box.

"What was in the box?" I continue.

This time, Ethan and Damon look at Quinn who is staring blankly in the space.

We wait for his answer, but Quinn exhaustedly turns his back to go to the sofa. As he is about to sit down, he replies, "There is nothing in the box. It was perhaps a trap."