Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 05

Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 05

Six in the evening.

When damon got back to the inn, the yard gate was open.

No one at the front desk.

Three boxes sat neatly on the table.

Wind blew in from outside. Lifted the corner of the delivery receipt.

Adrian glanced at the stairs. Asked, offhand.

“Still not down?”

Vivian held her camera. Quiet.

“Is blair still mad?”

Damon hadn’t gotten a single message from me all day.

The photo he’d sent to the group before they left? No response.

He’d asked at noon if i wanted food brought back. The chat stayed gray.

He draped his jacket over the chair. Flat.

“Leave her. Let’s look at the figures.”

Three boxes, opened one by one.

Damon. Adrian. Vivian.

The figures had fired perfectly. The burgundy skirts glowed warm under the light.

Vivian had just picked hers up when adrian frowned.

“Blair didn’t sign for them?”

The front desk clerk walked in from outside.

“Blair checked out this morning.”

Damon paused.

“Checked out?”

“Yeah. She asked me to sign for the figures for you.”

The clerk handed over the receipt.

“She also said there wasn’t one for her.”

The yard went quiet.

Damon stared at the signature. Then asked.

“Where did she go?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Her luggage?”

“Took it all.”

Vivian’s face paled.

“She wouldn’t have gone home first. Would she?”

Adrian dialed my number.

No answer.

He messaged the group. Only three members left.

“She left the group.”

Adrian stared at the screen.

For the first time, hesitation in his voice.

Damon went upstairs fast.

The door wasn’t locked. The room was spotless.

The closet empty.

Nothing on the sink. Even the band-aid wrappers in the trash were gone.

Not a quick errand.

Not a fit.

Damon stood in the empty room.

He thought about that morning.

When he’d asked through the door if my foot had split open again.

He hadn’t come in to check.

He hadn’t heard how calm my voice was.

He called again.

This time, the message changed. Unable to connect.

Adrian followed up. Face dark.

“Where could she go?”

“Home. Probably.”

Damon said it. But his fingers tightened.

Vivian stood at the door, Cautious.

“So what do we do now?”

“Go back as planned.”

Damon turned downstairs.

“She’s alone with her luggage. She can’t get far.”

Adrian grabbed the excuse.

“Right. She probably just went home first.”

“When we see her, we’ll make her talk.”

They still thought i was using leaving to force them to bend.

Like every fight before.

I’d message first. Give them a way down.

Vivian packed the three figures back into the boxes.

Damon saw that flash of burgundy. Spoke suddenly.

“Leave that one here.”

Vivian froze.

“Why?”

“Blair bought the paint.”

“But my name’s on it.”

She clutched the box.

Damon paused. Finally looked away.

“Forget it.”

That night, they got on the return train.

The seat next to damon was empty.

It used to be mine.

Adrian had traded seats once to play cards with vivian.

Now there was no need to trade.

Vivian pulled out the cards. Forced a smile.

“Still playing?”

No one answered.

The train left jingdezhen.

Damon opened the ticket app. Tried to look up my return train.

He found out my ticket had been refunded two days ago.

Two days ago.

That was when i’d stood in the pottery shop.

I was watching them crowd around vivian, writing her name.

The color drained from his face.

“She didn’t leave today.”

Adrian looked up.

Damon stared at the refund time. Voice tight.

“She never planned to come back with us. Not from the start.”