Chapter 21 – The Pantry Incident
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Which was always a dangerous sign whenever Care and Cole were involved.
The Plan
Care stood near the kitchen counter, pretending to drink water.
Cole leaned beside her, arms crossed, barely hiding his grin.
Across the living room, the others were distracted.
Nova and Ash were arguing over a video on Nova's phone.
Ben and Kevin were debating which sports team would win the college championship.
Lyra and Alex were quietly talking near the window.
Joong and Daisy were in the kitchen pantry grabbing snacks.
Care leaned closer to Cole.
"Ready?"
Cole whispered back,
"This is the worst idea you've ever had."
Care smiled.
"Exactly."
Cole looked toward the pantry door.
"You sure about locking them in there?"
Care shrugged.
"They'll survive."
Cole chuckled.
"You're evil."
Care's smile widened.
"I know."
From inside the pantry, Daisy's voice echoed.
"Joong, pass the chips."
Joong replied,
"You already took two."
Care gently pushed the pantry door.
Cole quickly locked it.
Click.
They both froze for a second.
Then Care stepped away calmly like nothing happened.
Cole nearly laughed out loud.
Inside the Pantry
A few seconds passed.
Then—
BANG.
"HEY!"
Daisy's voice exploded.
"WHO LOCKED THE DOOR?!"
Joong tried the handle again.
It wouldn't move.
Outside the door, Care leaned against the wall casually.
Nova immediately looked up.
"…Why do I hear chaos?"
Another bang came from the pantry.
"OPEN THIS DOOR!"
Ben raised an eyebrow.
"What did you two do?"
Cole whistled innocently.
Kevin immediately guessed.
"Oh no."
Nova stood up.
"What happened?"
Care said calmly,
"Nothing."
From inside—
"CARE!"
Daisy's voice echoed again.
Nova burst out laughing instantly.
"You locked them in?!"
Ash shook his head slowly.
"You're insane."
Phase Two
But Care wasn't done.
Not even close.
She walked toward Lyra and Alex.
"Can you help me bring something from the pantry?"
Lyra nodded without thinking.
"Sure."
Alex followed.
They opened the pantry door slightly.
Joong and Daisy looked furious.
"What took you so—"
Care suddenly pushed Lyra and Alex inside.
Cole slammed the door again.
CLICK.
Dead silence.
Then inside—
"…Care?"
"…CARE?!"
Lyra's voice echoed in disbelief.
Nova dropped onto the couch laughing hysterically.
"No way!"
Kevin fell back against the chair.
"That was brutal."
Ben covered his face.
"I'm witnessing a crime."
Ash shook his head.
"You two are going to die tonight."
Care dusted her hands calmly.
"Worth it."
Cole leaned against the wall laughing.
"This is the best night of my life."
Inside the Pantry – Cold Realization
Inside the pantry…
four people stood in darkness.
The small emergency light glowed dimly.
And the cold air from the freezer unit hummed quietly.
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…She locked us in."
Alex sighed.
"Yes."
Joong looked annoyed.
"I knew it was her."
Daisy tried the door again.
Locked.
Completely.
"This girl is insane."
The cold air slowly spread.
Lyra shivered.
"…Why is it so cold?"
Alex glanced around.
"This is the cooling pantry."
Joong blinked.
"…You're kidding."
Daisy sighed.
"Of course it is."
Outside the Pantry
Nova pressed her ear to the door.
"I can hear them."
Ben laughed.
"They sound angry."
Kevin asked Care,
"How long are you leaving them there?"
Care shrugged.
"Maybe the night."
Ash stared at her.
"The whole night?!"
Cole smirked.
"They'll survive."
Nova leaned toward Care.
"…This isn't about punishment, is it?"
Care's eyes sparkled.
"Maybe not."
Nova gasped.
"Oh my god."
Ben realized.
"…You're matchmaking."
Kevin clapped once.
"That's genius."
Ash groaned.
"This group is insane."
Inside the Pantry – Cold Night
Time passed slowly.
The temperature dropped more.
Lyra rubbed her arms.
"I'm freezing."
Alex immediately took off his jacket.
"Here."
She looked at him.
"You'll freeze."
"I'll survive."
She reluctantly accepted it.
Across the room, Daisy sat on a crate.
Joong noticed her shivering.
"…Are you cold?"
Daisy glared.
"What do you think?"
Joong sighed.
"Come here."
She hesitated.
But the cold was unbearable.
She moved closer.
Joong wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.
Daisy blinked.
"You'll freeze."
Joong shrugged.
"I play football in winter."
She looked at him for a moment.
Then muttered softly,
"Thanks."
Minutes passed.
The cold became worse.
Eventually…
Daisy leaned slightly against Joong.
Neither said anything.
But neither moved away.
Across the pantry, Lyra's teeth were practically chattering.
Alex finally sighed.
"This is stupid."
He gently pulled her closer.
Lyra froze.
"…Alex."
"You're freezing."
"…I'm fine."
"You're shaking."
She tried to argue.
But the cold won.
She slowly leaned into him.
His arm wrapped around her shoulders carefully.
Both went silent.
The pantry became quiet.
Very quiet.
Outside – Midnight
Nova peeked again.
"I can't hear them."
Kevin whispered dramatically.
"They froze to death."
Ben smacked his shoulder.
"Idiot."
Ash looked toward the door.
"Maybe we should let them out."
Care shook her head.
"Not yet."
Cole chuckled.
"You're terrifying."
Nova leaned toward Care.
"…You're enjoying this way too much."
Care smirked.
"Maybe."
Inside – Hours Later
Sleep slowly took over.
The cold made everyone curl closer.
Daisy was now resting against Joong's shoulder.
His arm loosely around her.
Across the pantry, Lyra had fallen asleep against Alex's chest.
Alex didn't move.
He simply held her there quietly.
The cold hum of the pantry continued.
And the night passed slowly.
Outside – Early Morning
The sun finally rose.
Care stretched lazily.
"Time to release the prisoners."
Nova rushed to the door excitedly.
"This is going to be good."
Cole unlocked it.
Click.
The door opened slowly.
Everyone peeked inside.
And froze.
Joong and Daisy were asleep together.
Lyra and Alex were curled up on the floor.
Nova gasped loudly.
"Oh. My. God."
Ben whispered,
"This is cinema."
Kevin grinned.
"Care, you're a genius."
Ash shook his head.
"…I hate that this worked."
Cole looked at Care.
"You planned this."
Care crossed her arms calmly.
"Maybe."
Lyra suddenly opened her eyes.
And saw the entire group staring.
"…Why are you all here?"
Then she realized where she was.
And who she was leaning on.
Her face turned red instantly.
Nova burst out laughing.
And the mansion filled with chaos again.