Chapter 183: Sudden ailments
The flickering flames danced upon every surface like they did every other night, painting each single touch of silver adorning the interior of that manor with the richest of golden hues.
Arabella stood at the center of that, seemingly never-ending hallway, utterly clueless as to the means that got her to that point.
Although intrigued, her only concern was returning to the safety of her room where a restricted number of faces came to see her.
Out there, there was no limit, she could stand nose to nose with just about anyone, stranger or not. The pity and judgement in Ada, Allegra and Katherine’s eyes were enough...
And so, Arabella walked at first, head turning from left to right in the hopes of spotting her door, but to no avail.
Each one was identical to the previous and then the one next to it, yet none resembled hers. Nowhere near allowing the slimmest chance of confusion even.
The shadows that obeyed the whims of every flame they were condemned to mind, somehow grew bigger and wider on her path, engulfing almost every ounce of light guiding her.
As if that hadn’t rattled her heart in its cage enough, voices came with the cool breeze that brushed her skin. Well above a whispering range, they did not blare too loud either. The scariest part of them was that they involved familiar voices along with foreign ones. They laughed one second and then seemed to argue the next about something that went over Arabella’s head completely.
Their words intelligible, the only certainty in them was that they were traveling closer to her frantic figure.
And thus, the walking turned to running as the young woman grasped and then tried with all of her might to turn the knobs in her way for the desperate need to leave the corridor that left her exposed before everyone’s eyes.
But warmth and safety weren’t so easy to find. No door allowed it. None of them opened for her.