Chapter 341: Checkmate

Joseph's onyx chess pieces click as he moves them across the marble board. He smiles and whispers something in Caitan's ear, pointing at two different squares on the board. She nods and moves her crystal pieces, knocking Avery's bishop and queen aside. The carved pieces scatter across the tabletop and clatter to the floor.

"Checkmate," Joseph and Caitan say in unison.

Avery sighs and pushes Mamai's creeping foot off her thigh. She was hoping they'd play only one game, but Joseph and Caitan seem determined to make it last for hours. She checks the time on her phone and shifts in her seat. If she doesn't leave soon, she'll be late for the meeting with Evan.

"Dad, this is getting a bit boring," Caitan says. "Poor Avery looks like she's counting the seconds until she can leave. Why don't we make it more interesting?"

"Good idea, pumpkin," Joseph says, tapping Caitan's freckled nose across the table. "What do you have in mind?"

"I think we should raise the stakes," Caitan says. "The winning team members can draw something on the losing team members' faces. Anything at all."

Joseph chuckles and says, "But dear, that's not fair to poor Avery and Mamai. They've lost every single game so far."

"It's just for fun, Dad," Caitan says. "They can wash the drawings off as soon as we're done playing. Anyway, what do you think, Avery?"

Avery stretches her arms over her head and forces a huge yawn. She blinks her eyes and covers her mouth, pretending to be embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry," she says. "I must be more tired than I realized. I'm not sure I have the energy for another game."

Caitan's eyes narrow, and she says, "Come on, Avery, surely you don't want to disappoint your new father-in-law."

"Of course not," Avery says.

"Then stay and play," Caitan says.

Avery sighs and says, "Okay, I'll stay. But I'm afraid I'm no match for you two—especially when I'm this tired. How about we switch teams?"

"That's a great idea," Joseph says. "Caitan, go play with Avery. Mamai can join me over here."

Mamai raises his head and asks, "Huh?"

Avery shoves his barefoot off her lap again and kicks him under the table. He brushes his dark, wavy hair out of his eyes and looks around in confusion. Avery rolls her eyes and stands up to switch seats with Joseph. As she sits down, she pulls the chair far to one side, leaving several feet of space between her and Mamai.

"Bet this wasn't what you had in mind, teammate," Avery whispers to Caitan.

Caitan smirks and says, "I'm not worried."

The game begins, and Caitan sacrifices three pawns and then a bishop. Avery narrows her eyes, trying to understand Caitan's strategy, but it just seems like she's trying to lose as quickly as possible. Joseph and Mamai win within fifteen minutes.

Caitan claps her hands and calls for a black marker. A maid comes into the room carrying one, but Caitan shakes her head and whispers something into the maid's ear. The maid returns with an identical-looking marker, and Caitan nods.

Mamai grabs the marker and says, "I can draw on Avery's face."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Caitan snaps, snatching the marker from her boyfriend's hands. "Dad, do you want to do it?"

"I'm about as good at art as you kids are at chess," Joseph jokes. "You can do it, sweetie."

Caitan's eyes flash, and she uncaps the marker. A powerful inky smell washes over Avery, making her head spin. The marker tip is cold and wet against her cheek, and she fights the urge to push it away. Caitan steps back and looks at her work with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh, it's a snapping turtle," Joseph laughs.

Avery takes the pen and presses the tip to Caitan's pale, freckled cheek. She glides it back and forth, drawing a large turtle shell, ahead, and then a big, fierce mouth. The lines are a little shaky, but the design is clear enough. She nods with satisfaction and sits down. If Caitan is going to draw ridiculous things on me, I'm going to do the same to her, she thinks.

They play another round and then another. Mamai looks half-asleep, but Joseph beats Avery and Caitan on his own. Caitan draws another turtle on Avery's face, and Avery does the same to Caitan. After a few rounds, there's no empty space left on either of their faces.

"Well, I guess the game is over," Joseph says. "You two are free to go wash your faces now."

As Avery gets up, a team of maids comes into the room to clear the heavy chessboard away. The snicker behind their hands when they see her face, and she laughs with them. I don't know why Caitan insisted on drawing on my face, but it'll wash off in a few minutes, she thinks. Maybe she just wanted me to look ridiculous in front of her father.

"Wait, Miss Peters," a maid calls out. "I called the appraiser as you asked, and she confirmed that it's a genuine Hermes bag. Then I called Hermes, and they said that a few handbags had been accidentally leaked. When I sent them pictures of your bag, they agreed that it's authentic."

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Avery sees Caitan's head perk up from across the room. Caitan puts the finger on Mamai's lips to silence him and cranes her neck to hear the maid better. Avery smiles to herself.

"That's so strange," Avery says, raising her voice so Caitan can hear. "When my bag went missing before the dinner, I got worried and asked Andrew to get me another one. He said he couldn't find another real one, so he got a fake for me to use in the meantime. He must have somehow gotten another real one. Never mind, put it away, and I'll deal with it later."

Avery steals a glance at Caitan and sees the confusion on the girl's face. Good, she thinks. She's probably going to wonder about that one for a while. Who knows, she may even sneak into my room to try to steal the bag back. Then I can catch her in the act.

Avery checks her phone and rushes upstairs to wash her face before she meets with Evan. She squeezes foam cleanser onto her hands and massages it into her skin before rinsing with warm water. She blows her skin dry on a towel and checks her reflection in the mirror—the turtles are just as bold and dark as ever. She sighs and reaches for a tube of exfoliating cleanser and scrubs it into her skin. She splashes more water onto her face, but the turtles are still there. 

Her stomach twists and turns, and she wonders if the marker is permanent. No, she thinks, there's no way Caitan would let her own face get covered in permanent marker. There has to be some way to take it off. She reaches under the sink and pulls out a chemical peel. She rubs the gel onto her face and waits until it starts to burn. When she washes it away, her skin is bright pink and swollen, but the turtles are still there.

She tosses the towel onto the floor and walks into the hallway. She raises her fist to knock on Caitan's door, but the door swings open as if Caitan is waiting for her. Avery steps into the room and finds Caitan drying her face in the bathroom.

"Hey Avery," Caitan says.

She lowers the towel, revealing a perfectly clean complexion. Avery squints, looking for a faint outline of a turtle or even a dark smudge, but Caitan's pale skin is as flawless as ever.

"How did you wash the marker off?" Avery asks.

"You just have to scrub a little," Caitan says with a shrug.

"What kind of cleanser did you use?" Avery asks.

"Just my normal stuff," Caitan answers. "Hey, your skin looks really bad. It's starting to peel around your nose—what did you put on it?"

"Just my normal stuff," Avery answers, feeling her pulse quicken.

"Well, that's weird," Caitan says. "Hey, I'm really good at makeup. If you want, I can try to put some concealer on the turtles if you want to go out. Though honestly, they kind of suit you."

"Cut the crap," Avery says. "Just tell me how to wash it off."

The corners of Caitan's mouth twitch, and her eyes gleam, "Okay, I'm going, being honest with you—I played a little trick on you. The ink in the marker only comes off one way. But there's no way you're going to do it."

Avery steps closer to the girl and leans down to a whisper, "Just tell me."

Caitan giggles and whispers, "It only come off with a combination of urine and semen."

"Oh please," Avery says. "Do you think I was born yesterday?"

She turns on her heel and starts to walk back to her bedroom. If Caitan doesn't tell me how to take it off, I'll just have to wear heavy makeup, she thinks. I don't have more time to waste on this nonsense.

"Hey, brother," Caitan screams. "Come here quickly."

Before Avery can retreat to her own room, Andrew comes racing out of the study. He takes one look at Avery's face and doubled over laughing. Gasping for breath, he takes her in his arms and traces the turtle on her forehead.

"Oh honey, you look ridiculous," he says.

"I know," she says, pulling away from him. "Caitan had the same thing on her face, but she knew how to wash it off."

Caitan's eyes widen, and she mumbles something under her breath. Her cheeks turn pink, and she shakes her head back and forth. Avery smiles to herself. There's no way Caitan will admit to putting semen on her face, she thinks. Andrew would be furious.

"Well, what is it?" Andrew asks.

"It's nothing," Caitan says. "Just a joke I made to Avery."

"How can it be a joke if it worked?" Andrew asks. "Tell me, Caitan."

Caitan looks down at her shoes, and she whispers, "It comes off with urine and semen."

Andrew's jaw clenches, and he turns away from his little sister. He pinches Avery's cheek and asks, "Well, honey, do you want to try?"

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