Darcy grabbed my arm in the hallway and spun me around to face him.
"Okay, what is wrong with you?"
I deadpanned, "You don't know?"
"I really don't so enlighten me."
He did look confused, so I decided to enlighten the lad.
"You called me fat and ugly."
Darcy started at me with wide, unblinking eyes. "You've officially lost your mind."
I scoffed, "How did you figure that?"
Darcy placed his free hand on my other arm and shook me.
"I did not call you fat or ugly. I never even mentioned the words."
"You didn't have to, it was implied!" I hissed.
Darcy look so confused that I almost pitied him.
Almost.
"Neala... What the fuck?"
I blew a large amount of air through my nostrils and said, "You said I was nothing like Laura Stokes. She is perfect if there is such a thing. She is gorgeous, tall, and skinny, and everything else that I'm not. I don't care that I'm not, but you didn't have to say it."
Darcy's shoulders slumped a little.
"You got mad because I said you aren't like Laura?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Call me crazy, but no girl, even an enemy, likes hearing they're nothing like a girl who could easily pass for a supermodel."
Darcy stared at me for a long moment, then the bastard burst out laughing.
I was instantly furious.
"You're an insensitive piece of-"
"You're crazy if you took what I said as an insult instead of a compliment," Darcy cut me off, still laughing.
Come again?
"Wait a fecking minute, I'm supposed to be flattered you think I'm nothing like Laura?" I clarified.
Darcy nodded his head.
"How do you figure that one?" I snapped.
He just shook his head and laughed.
"Answer me," I demanded.
Darcy tilted his head back and sighed before he lowered his head, and gaze, back to mine.
"Do you want to stand here and talk about this, or do you want to get out of this house?"
Topic change.
I hesitated for a moment then said, "Get out of the house."
Darcy nodded his head once. "That's what I thought, so help me figure a way out of here."
I'd let it go for the moment, but as soon as we weren't in a survivor panic mode I would be back on his case demanding to know what he meant.
"Okay, so all the door exits and windows are blocked up with snow. The smart thing to do now would be to ring someone to help get us out of here."
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment then gasped, "I left me phone in the pub with me ma last night!"
At the time I didn't want to bring it with me because I had no pockets on my blazer or dress and I didn't want to hold it while cycling the bike I got a loan of to go up the mountain. I then thought about the bike, and the kid who loaned it to me and inwardly groaned. He was so going to tell his parents I stole the stupid thing from him.
"Good thing I have mine then, isn't it?" Darcy quipped then turned and headed down the hall to his bedroom.
I pulled a face at the back of his head as I followed him. I leaned against the doorway of his bedroom and watched and he retrieved his phone from his bedside table. He turned to me and smirked as he waved his phone in my direction. I stuck my finger up at him to which he shook his head.
"Nice," he snorted and pressed on the screen of his phone.
He did this at the same time the lights in his bedroom went off.
I yelped, and so did Einstein from the kitchen.
"It's okay, sweetie!" Darcy called out.
I gripped onto the panel of the doorway. "I'm okay, Darcy."
Silence.
"I was talking to Einstein."
I glared into the darkness. "You're more concerned for your bird than you are me?"
Darcy snorted, "Uh, yeah."
Dickhead.
I stumbled back when something hard collided with my chest.
"Bloody hell, Neala. Where are you?" Darcy snapped.
He walked into me, and he was the mad one?
Typical.
I grunted and extended my arms out, and grabbed at thin air searching for him. I grabbed hold of what felt like his bare arm. I patted my way down his arm until I interlocked my fingers with his.
"Okay, you won't bump into me now. Lead the way."
Silence.
"Darcy?" I pressed.
He cleared his throat. "I heard you... I'm just wondering why the power went out."
I thought about it then grunted, "The weather? It seems to be fucking up everything else, why not the electricity?"
Darcy groaned. "Bollocks. We have to get out of here, man. My cooker is electric, so is the central heating system, the fridge runs on power, too. We're fucked."
Duh!
"Just ring one of our brothers to come and get us."
I looked to Darcy's phone when the screen lit up.
"Oh, shite," Darcy muttered.
That didn't sound good.
"What is it now?" I asked.
Darcy shoved his phone in my face. "I've only two percent battery left."
That was all?
"So charge it."
I felt Darcy turn his head to look at me. "They power is out... remember?"
I cringed and felt stupid for my snotty suggestion.
"Forgot," I mumbled.
Darcy lightly snorted as he pressed on the screen of his phone. Justin's picture came up onto the screen as Darcy's phone tried to connect to his. Darcy brought the phone to his ear when Justin's phone answered.
"Justin? Bro, you have to help me and Neala. We're snowed in at my house, and we need- What do you mean you're snowed in too? You can't be serious!"
My stomach sank as I clenched my hand in Darcy's and he gave me a squeeze back which surprisingly reassured me - slightly.
"Is it bad everywhere? The snow I mean," Darcy asked.
I strained to hear what Justin was saying, but his voice was very muffled so I couldn't hear his reply.
"Justin? Hello? I can't understand what you're saying. Bro, can you hear me?"
That didn't sound good.
Darcy cursed as he pulled his phone away from his face and when he looked at the phone, the home screen was visible indicating the call to Justin ended. I was about to suggest he redial Justin but Darcy's phone screen suddenly went black indicating his battery was drained. I gripped onto Darcy's hand when darkness consumed us once more.
"We never going to get out of here," I said and gnawed at the inside of my cheek.
Darcy grunted from my side. "We will. If our families can't come and help then we'll just have to help ourselves and get out of here."
I humourlessly laughed, "We're snowed in you bloody gobshite!"
Darcy growled, "I'm going to get out of this house even if it kills me."
I pulled my hand free from Darcy's hand when he moved away from me. I heard him make his way into his bedroom. I snorted once or twice when he cursed because he stepped on something or walked into something. He was making a lot of noise, and just as I was about to ask what he was doing a candle's light appeared in the hallway.
"I'll look for a torch, but for now I've a bunch of candles we can light to brighten the place up. Hold this one."
I took the candle from Darcy and when I inhaled, a sweet vanilla scent filled my nostrils.
"Scented candles, really?"
Darcy playfully shoved me as he passed me by. "Go ahead, laugh it up. Vanilla scented candles smell lovely, and if you disagree hold your breath."