, for the last time as she practically shoved Archer and I out of the door. It was always the way with her: no dilly dallying or fussing allowed. It just wasn't her way.

"Are you sure?" I repeated, despite having noticed her tight skin pulling even tighter across her brow as she looked up at me.

"I swear to god, Jolie," she said, letting Archer pick up the bag I'd quickly packed from beside her. I hadn't had the chance to unpack every bag I'd taken to Attwood, nor would I probably for a while, so I the bag Archer now had within his grip was a little limp. "If you don't get your arse in that car in the next two minutes..."

"Alright, alright," I appeased. "We're going, we're going, see?" I said, walking in the direction of the sleek black car parked on the road, boot open. "Call me if you need anything."

She laughed. "Alright, Mother."

She shivered, pulling her jumper tighter around her small frame and tugged at her headscarf once again. Despite her state, I was comforted to see her smiling, a bit of life had sparked in her eyes whilst the three of us had sat in her lounge and chatted about this and that. To say she was approving of Archer, would be an understatement.

"Ms Harris will be over in a few days with the shopping!" I called as I got into the car, blowing her a kiss before closing the door. Archer promptly clamped the rear of his car shut and seated himself beside me.

She watched us until we turned the corner.

***

"Did you really need to bring so much?" Archer was saying to Autumn, looking reproachfully at the bags upon bags encasing her. She didn't seem at all bothered by his disapproval, even less so by his annoyance. "Now we're going to need two cars."

She rolled her eyes. "Archer, will you just relax for once?" He ignored her, pulling his phone from his pocket and within moments, speaking into it, likely organising the second car he'd been so intent on avoiding.

The car journey from the school to mum's had been pretty awkward, to say the least; just us both sitting in silence, me counting the lines on my fingers and him, eyes trained on the road the entire time. And the one from mum's to the airport wasn't much better, despite putting on quite the show in front of mum, if I do say so myself.

I hadn't briefed Archer before we turned up on her doorstep, and I could safely say it felt like my entire insides would come splurging out when I realised. Even so, he didn't seem at all concerned by her state, and didn't make the slightest indication that she was any different from anyone else. Weirdly, I wasn't freaked out, too much, about having to face the inevitable questions sometime. Instead, I was a little at ease because, though Archer had his faults, he respected my mum and for that, I was grateful.

"Jolie?" Autumn said, waving her hand in front of my face. "We've got to get on the plane."

"But our flight hasn't been called," I said, motioning to the large board a little way away from us.

"Oh, darling," she said with a laugh. "Just come on."

I followed her through a private lounge and outside to where a car was waiting. Autumn and I slid in, Noah saying something about how him and Archer would join us in a few minutes.

"Gosh, Jolie," she said, eyes on her phone and swiping rhythmically. "You must get exhausted with all these stories appearing about you."

I peered over her shoulder and shrugged. "Don't really look at them," I admitted. "What're they saying?"

"Well, there's speculation about who you are.." a few swipes. "An inside source has said you go to Attwood with us and there's speculation..." a few swipes more. "That you're heiress to a huge banking empire, others say you're a business associate of Archer's."

"Riveting," I drawled, head lolling back on a yawn. "I don't know how you have the energy to look through all that stuff."

"I don't usually," she said, turning her phone off. "It's just a little refreshing to have it about someone else for a change." She grinned. I rolled my eyes with a laugh, almost choking when I caught sight of the plane taking us to France.

"Holy shit."

***

The excitement of it all must really have got to me because sat on one of the plush seats of the aircraft, I found my eyelids feeling like lead and convincing myself I would rest for five minutes. I jolted awake when I felt someone shake me.

"We're here, sleeping beauty," Autumn cooed, jiggling my shoulder. I tried to tame the bird nest now displaying itself on my head and got up, thanking Noah as he offered me a hand down.

Once at the bottom of the dozen steps, I took in a breath of air, heading the twins bickering behind me.

The wind was a little biting, but I didn't mind it, enjoying the change from a rather stuffy few hour plane journey.

"You should be used to it," Autumn was saying. "We've been living together for eighteen years. We know each other inside out." Her eyes flickered over to me, voice level. "We couldn't hide anything from each other, could we?"

Archer held his brow and sighed deeply. With a glance of his watch, he said, "Come on, lets just get there on time for once, shall we?"

"Yes, we shall," she said, rolling her eyes.

Noah made a face. "Alright I'll take her in this one. We'll see you in a bit," he said, making the educated decision to separate them, noticing each of their patience's thinning with one another.

"In a bit," I said, hastily following Archer to his own car, fearing quite rightly that if I didn't, he's leave me behind.

I climbed into the land rover and didn't complain as he flicked on the heated seats.

We'd been driving for about ten minutes, now on the motorway when the already tense atmosphere was heightened. And it wasn't my fault, for once.

God, I'm trapped. I thought. No where to run.

No escape.

"Why didn't you tell me your mum was ill?"