‘I’ll handle it.’
Manon does jujitsu and is very good at it, so I trust we’d have a fighting chance if she felt the need to put life and limb on the line. But that’s all well and good if it’s one person. What if there are two? What if there’s a whole gang?
I slide on my robe and then pick up my phone, activating the torch function.
‘Non!’ she hisses. ‘He’ll see us coming a mile away.’
‘He?’
‘Statistically speaking, he.’
‘Right. Right. I’m not very good at this. I have no true crime experience and I’d like to keep it that way.’
I creep behind Manon, holding on to the corner of her jumper so I don’t fall behind. She keeps brushing my hand off and I keep replacing it. I don’t know jujitsu so I’m not losing sight of my only hope of survival if we do run into a bad guy or three with an ulterior motive.
We check the hallway and find it clear. ‘Didn’t the sound come from above?’ I ask.
Manon grimaces. ‘Oui, I thought so too, but it seems so much more dangerous going up another levelawayfrom the exit, you know?’
I cock my head. I’ve never seen Manon scared. It’s jarring. ‘Are you… frightened?’
‘A little,’ she admits.
I reel back, surprised at her frank admission. ‘How can you be when you read about this sort of thing for fun? You listen to hours of podcasts. Torelax, for crying out loud!’
She lifts a shoulder. ‘Well, that’s because I usually feel very safe in my own world and not at all threatened there’s a serial killer lurking about, lying in wait for me.’
‘Serial killer?’ I hold my breath and hope she doesn’t give me one of those ‘statistically speaking’ answers again.
‘It’s best I keep some things to myself. Knowledge is power and all that, but not in every case.’
Mon Dieu!My skin breaks out in goose bumps.
‘We should at least get a knife from the kitchen!’ I hiss.
‘Rookie mistake, Anais. It would take but a moment for him to overpower you, and then guess what? He’s got the knife, and you’re not exactly a fast runner. Boom, he catches you and…’ She makes the horror movie slasher sound.
‘Let’s wake up the backpackers! There’s safety in numbers!’ I march ahead and am suddenly flung backwards as Manon grabs the belt on my dressing gown.
‘No, don’t disturb them.’
‘Why? They’re in danger too!’
She activates the torch on her phone and shines it under her chin, which is a frightening sight to say the least. When she gives me a maniacal grin, I know I’ve been had.
‘You’re the worst cousin in the world, Manon!’
‘This again?’
I shake my head. ‘Revenge will be sweet. My next book will feature a side character named Manon who wears only pink, has a girlish giggle and listens to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album on repeat.’
‘You wouldn’t!’
‘Polka-dotted pink!’
‘Fine, I’m sorry!’
‘Good. You are inherently evil, Manon.’
