Page 2 of Carnival

Rose

I spent the rest of the day lounging in Aria’s bedroom. At some point, she fell asleep next to me, yet I couldn’t bring myself to sleep a wink. Partially because she snores like crazy and partially because my mind was too preoccupied with the carnival.

Nothing makes sense, and it’s pissing me off.

If I ignore the fact that I had sex with the bastard, it still leaves many questions.

All of the bodies were recovered right behind the terror house, hence why they assumed the murders had taken place there.

The image of the clown they have was taken from outside, not the inside of the house.

It’s the only public image, and with the information Aria provided me, I highly doubt they have anything else there.

And the far more important bit – Aria was right.

I was able to find all the names of the victims, but there was nothing on them.

I don’t even know what they looked like because their bodies were mutilated beyond belief.

Some weren’t even recognized by their families, lying there in the morgue as Jane Doe’s.

The more I spent my time reading it, the more I realized Aria was right. This was not one person’s doing. At least three people were responsible, if not an entire organization, like Aria’s theory suggests.

That just makes me uneasy on a whole different level. It brings back memories from that fateful night almost two years ago. Well, from what I can actually remember since I was drunk, it was embarrassing.

I’ll never admit it to Aria, but my goal that night was to actually lose my virginity to someone.

Alcohol was supposed to help me loosen up a little, but I went a little overboard with it.

My mind blocked half of the events of that night, but from what I can remember, I practically begged that man to fuck me.

That’s an embarrassment I’ll never live down.

I spent the better part of the night just doing research, and now, I’m barely holding my head up straight as Noelle serves us breakfast. Arlo and Blair are on some sort of vacation, Aria is helping her mother, and Hudson is at the head of the table, reading newspapers.

He worked all night long, and he’s in terrible shape.

The scent of Noelle’s famous fluffy scrambled eggs. In reality, they’re not anything special, but they were the first thing I ate when I came to their house years ago, the first decent meal I had in years.

She puts a filled plate in front of me, and Aria brings her plate, plopping on the chair next to me. Hudson lowers his newspaper, sips on his coffee, and stares at Noelle lovingly. That’s all he does – just stares at her.

“Rosie,’’ Noelle’s voice breaks my trance as she sits across from me. “Aria tells me you want to go to New Orleans.’’

I throw Aria a dirty look, which she ignores, stuffing her mouth with food. My eyes fall back on Noelle, raising a brow at me.

“Well–’’

“No. You’re not going.’’

Her firm voice shakes me momentarily before I break it. I take a deep breath, ready to reason with her. “I’m grateful for your worry, but I need to go.’’

She scoffs. “Rosie, in every way except biological, I’m your mother. I worry. And no. You’re not going. That’s final.’’

I turn to Hudson, pleading with my eyes for some sort of support. He raises an amused brow at me, folding his arms in front of his chest. He chuckles, shaking his head.

“Sorry, kiddo. What my wife says goes.’’

“What if I promise not to go to that specific terror house?”

“First off all, that’d be a lie.’’ Noelle sees right through my bluff. “And secondly, you’re not going. It’s dangerous. If Hudson and I don’t know what’s happening over there, you sure as fuck aren’t going to investigate.’’

“How about I take Arlo with me?”

“Arlo has missions of his own,’’ Hudson adds. “Besides, you’re not hearing us. We don’t know what’s going on in there. It’s too dangerous for you to go.’’

I smile sheepishly. “Then come with me?”

He gives me a knowing look. “Nice try.’’

“Damnit.’’

Aria laughs, patting my shoulder. “Sorry, sweetie. You’re outnumbered.’’

“I always am,’’ I mumble.

“That’s because your ideas are always either calling for trouble or downright stupid.’’

“Thanks, Hudson.’’

He nods. “You’re very welcome.’’

With a deep breath, I focus on my food.

I’d definitely sneak out and go to New Orleans without their approval, but I can’t do that to them.

They pulled me out of the terrible system and an even worse foster home.

If I hadn’t met Aria randomly during one of my late-night walks when I was eight, my life wouldn’t have been as nice as it is now.

Noelle and Hudson took me in, unofficially adopted me last year, and showed me what a loving family truly was. Arlo became like a brother I never had, and Aria, alongside being my best friend, became the sister I always wanted to have.

I can’t worry them.

They gave me a loving home, paid for my education, and from day one treated me like a member of their family – my family. Immediately, my pictures were hung on the walls, and my academic achievements were on the main shelf alongside Arlo and Aria’s.

I take a deep breath once I’m done eating.

“Fine. I’ll stay put,’’ I say, grumpily.

Hudson ruffles my hair affectionately, and I try to bat his hand away. He grins, and I scowl as my hair is now sticking out every which way. My hair is too thick, and I can barely get it to cooperate with me, and that’s on a good day.

“Why are you so interested in this whole thing, anyway?” Noelle asks, curiosity written on her face, eyes narrowed as she’s trying to read me – and succeeding.

“I’m not sure,’’ I lie. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I won’t be going.’’

“You bet your ass you won’t be going,’’ she snorts. “I need all my children safe and sound under my roof, and trying to scout out some fun in a terror house that’s a crime scene isn’t the way to do that.’’

“Yes, yes,’’ I sigh. “I get it.’’

“Do you?” Aria asks, grinning. “Do you actually get it? You won’t whine as soon as we’re alone?”

I shove her and roll my eyes. “I can’t make any promises.’’

“Typical.’’

“Anyway–,’’ Noelle interrupts the bickering. “Any plans for your birthday, Aria?”

Shockingly and coincidentally, our birthdays fall in the same week of October, with me being younger than her.

“I’d like to take a little trip with Rose.’’

Noelle nods, but Hudson frowns, brows creasing. “Where, exactly?”

“Well, it’s October… so I was thinking somewhere warm?”

He raises a brow. “Alright. Let me know once you decide. But can we celebrate one birthday with you at home?”

“Maybe next year,’’ she smiles.

“I’ll hold you onto that, princess.’’

The conversation, thankfully, shifts to Aria’s birthday plans.

I nod along, though my thoughts are elsewhere.

I keep on thinking about the carnival, and I’m itching to go.

Yet, I know that unless I want to worry Hudson and Noelle beyond belief, I’ll need to stay put.

So, I smile and converse with them, ignoring the burning desire to sneak out and leave.

◆◆◆

My nerves don’t let me stay still. By lunch, I’m already on the brink of annoyance. I’m the rational one. Aria and Arlo are the ones always getting into trouble, and I’m always the one pulling them out of it or covering for them with Hudson and Noelle.

So why am I acting like a petulant child and not a grown-ass woman?

Noelle and Aria outlined exactly why I shouldn’t go.

Not that I needed them, because my common sense still seems to be working fine and I already knew all of it.

It’s dangerous. And quite frankly, since I don’t have the man’s name, I’d be looking for a needle in a haystack.

I focus on studying for the upcoming exams since, Lord knows, I need all the motivation and all the cramming I could possibly get done.

When people say that university isn’t for everybody, they mean me.

It’s not for me. But now that I’ve started my third year, I can’t give up.

On top of all of that, I spent a solid two hours in the city looking for the perfect gift for Aria’s birthday.

She’s extremely high maintenance, but that’s not the issue.

What to buy for a person who already has everything she could ever ask for and more?

For that eventful eighteenth birthday, Hudson and Noelle bought her an island.

Yes, an actual island, which they named Aria.

She built resorts on it, and she’s been dealing with the business since.

Similarly, they got me an entire apartment complex for my eighteenth.

I’ve been renting it and saving up money just in case I needed it or to return it all to Noah and Hudson, but since she already got a fucking island as a birthday present, what could I have gotten her to at least make her smile?

I wouldn’t be able to compete with an island, nor am I trying to, but, Lord, it is difficult to pick something she’d like.

Eventually, I settled for her birthstone jewelry.

Since it’s in October, it’s opal, but I opted for black opal since she stated a few times she didn’t like the regular ones.

It’s a set of earrings, a ring, and a matching necklace.

Was it hella expensive? Yes. But is it also something she’ll love and wear? Yes.

Still doesn’t compare to a fucking island, though.

I take a deep breath, trying to focus on the books and studying in front of me. The books and notes are sprawled on the floor in front of me, and I have four empty coffee mugs collecting mold and dust from the past few days I spent studying – and semi-stalking this whole murder case in New Orleans.

The door of my bedroom bursts open, and I flinch. Aria strolls inside in her workout leggings and a sports bra, her hair tied into a high pony. She’s all sweaty, flushed in the cheeks, but of course, she doesn’t care.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

She shrugs and slumps on my bed. “Whatcha doing?”

“Studying.’’

“How about you do something more fun?”

“Like what?” I sigh, closing the book on my lap, taking off my glasses, and turning to look at her.

“Packing.’’

“You’ve settled on a destination? What should I bring? A few bikinis?”

“Not quite,’’ she smirks. “I decided against a tropical island. Instead, you should pack some regular t-shirts and pants.’’

I raise a brow. “There’s only a handful of places I know that don’t require coats and jackets for October.’’

Aria grins. “Come on, get there faster.’’

My brows narrow, and within the next two seconds, they widen astronomically wide. My mouth parts and I blink, trying to figure out whether or not she’s messing with me. But the smirk on her face tells me she’s dead serious, and I can’t help but grin in return.

“Are you serious?”

“We’re going to New Orleans, baby.’’