Sure enough, right above the handle is a metal lock, with a big opening like an old skeleton key should fit in there. I bend over and peer into the hole, hoping to see something, anything, on the other side, but it’s dark.
My little bird friend is gone today, but I search for the hole in the door that he had flown through, and find a design that looks like it maybe used to have stained glass in it or something. Now it’s hollow, a little circle hole in the top of the door. The vines are thick, and the hole is just high enough that I can barely see it if I stand on my tip-toes. I peer inside.
All the air rushes out of my lungs.
It’s bright inside there. Green, and pink and purple and white, white like marble? I’m not sure. The fragrant flower smell is the sweetest I’ve experienced, even better than walking through the normal parts of the gardens. Whatever is behind this door is a hundred times better than the gardens out here. I just know it. I can feel it.
I drop down on my feet and grab the door handle again, anxious and desperate to get inside.
I brush away more vines, wondering if I can somehow pick the lock, despite having no lock-picking skills at all.
And then I see it.
An old silver emblem mounted into the wood, just above the lock. The once-shiny metal is now brown from the elements, but the symbol is still there, easy to see. I run my fingers over the intricate curves, the familiar design making all the heartache of last night come back to me full force.
The symbol on this lock is the same symbol on the pendant around Declan’s neck.
If there’s a key to this hidden paradise, Declan will know how to find it.
Chapter Thirteen
I spendthe rest of the weekend in my room with Belle, but when Monday comes, I know I have to drag myself out of this dorm and the safety of Netflix marathons with my cousin and face the real world again. I used to get annoyed and even a little resentful that I had to leave and face a student body that hates me and she got to stay home.
But now I just feel sad for my sweet cousin. Her crippling anxiety is like a prison, holding her in one place and not letting her move. I pull my shoes on and then turn to face her.
“There’s a hidden part of the gardens.”
She sits up on her elbow, blinking away the morning sunlight that filters in through the lone window in our room. “What do you mean hidden?”
“It’s like… a secret place. No one goes out there. But it’s beautiful. It’s mysterious. Surrounded by flowers and sweet little birds that fly up to you.”
Belle sits up and kicks the blanket off, her eyes wide open now. “You’ve been there?”
“Yes,” I say. “It took me hours to find it, and I know how to get back.”
I’m stretching the truth, but I can’t help it. I mean, yes there is a hidden part of the garden, and I know how to get there. But I can’t get inside. But it’s not like it matters, right? Belle will never know the difference, which means I can just entertain her with my story of a beautiful place she’ll never see.
“I want to see it,” Belle says.
“I’ll take some pictures for you.”
“No…” she stands up, slipping her feet into her plaid house shoes. “I want to actually see it.”
My jaw drops. “Now?”
“Well… no,” Belle admits, her teeth wearing into her bottom lip. “It’s before school and there will be people everywhere…” She thinks for a moment, and I just can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“What about later?” Belle says, glancing out the window. “Maybe at night where no one would see me. You said you can get around the campus without being seen. Can you take me?”
My jaw works, but it takes me a second to find the words to speak. “Um… Yeah. I mean, yes, I can. Are you sure?”
She nods, her gaze still out the window as the early morning sun shines through. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. About graduation and what I’ll do after. You’re right—I can’t stay here. I can’t just stay here forever.”
“This is great news, Belle.”
She nods softly then walks to the front door. “I just need to get over my anxiety and just…do it.”
She twists the deadbolt, her fingers moving very slowly, but finally the door clicks and it’s unlocked. She reaches for the door handle. I have about five minutes to jog across campus and get to my first class before the late bell rings, so I shoulder my backpack and meet her at the door.
