Is there a better way to get inside? To get to Luci?
No. The only other option is to knock on the connecting doors near her quarters and hope she’s the only one who hears me.
I picture Noah’s smile and remember how kind he was after the dance. When I basically broke down in his arms. My heartcaves in a little, but I stomp on sentimentality and refocus on the goal. The big goal. The only goal that matters.
Surviving this night.
All of us. Luci, me, and Alice.
I imagine Alice being hurt, being drained of blood as I stand here, wavering.
And I picture the little girl Luci used to be. Young, innocent, trusting. Abused.
Like Mackenzie.
My conviction floods back in, and I turn the handle. I won’t be that person again. I won’t be selfish. Or a coward.
Luci’s room is on the second floor, and I feel better about sneaking down from the attic than up from the basement. But there will still be a short trip to Luci’s room. And I have no choice but to sneak through the house.
Hopefully, I won’t run into any family members. Or servants. I don’t know if I can trust them either. Money is a powerful motivator, and I remember the expression on the manservant’s face when he confronted Alice. No compassion. No mercy. Only blind loyalty to the Marteaus.
I have to risk it. This is my only path to Luci.
And maybe a way to reach the police.
The door opens with a plaintive groan, as if it knows what I’m about to do and is wailing for me to stop.
Even the rain seems to tap out a pattern. Drops hit the round windows and beat a refrain, a chorus of voices warning me to run.Go back. Go back. Go back.
The attic spreads out before me, only dim light on the stormy day, leaving the far end swallowed in darkness. The air smells stale and unused, a thin layer of dust on every surface.
As I peer at the wooden planks, I can make out a trail. The coating disturbed by someone else’s footprints.
A shiver of unease wracks my upper body. I already suspected someone had been entering the apartment, but the undeniable evidence shakes me to my core.
Panic makes a bid for return, so I take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. I’m swamped by the smell of dust and neglect, but I repeat the exercise two more times.
Taking light, easy steps, I follow the footprints, doing my best not to make any noise. When the floor creaks beneath me, I freeze. My heart swells against my ribs as if it wants to escape.
Tense and afraid, I wait and I listen. But I don’t hear any movement.
With my feet still in the same spots, I look back to see how far I’ve come. By my estimate, I’m still over my apartment.
I haven’t even reached the danger zone yet.
A door waits farther down, an entrance to the mansion. I’m so close.
Lightning streaks across the sky and lights up the attic. When thunder follows, I use the sound as cover and cross the remaining stretch.
At the door, I press my ear to the wood. Hearing no noise of any kind, I test the knob.
A chill grips me, crawls down my back, and no amount of deep breathing can calm my racing heart.
This is it. I’m crossing the threshold.
There’s a greater chance now that someone will find me.
Someone who might not be Luci.
