Chapter 18 #4
Her expression softened immediately. “Oh, of course.
I'm so sorry about your brother.” She shifted the linens to one arm and pointed down the hallway.
“Take that corridor all the way to the end, turn right, and you'll see the northeast entrance.
There's always a guard posted there, but if you tell him Taisiya cleared you to leave, he won't give you any trouble.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, relief washing over me.
She smiled kindly. “It’s fine. I'll call ahead and let him know you're coming. What's your name?”
My mind raced. “Kelly,” I said, remembering the girl I’d been mistaken for earlier.
“Okay, Kelly. You go ahead. I hope your brother's all right.”
“Thank you so much,” I repeated.
I followed her directions, moving quickly through the corridors.
The northeast entrance appeared ahead, exactly where Taisiya had said it would be. A guard stood beside it, and as I approached, he lifted one hand in a wave.
“You’re Kelly?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Tai said you've got a family emergency. Sorry to hear that.” He pulled open the door. “Want me to call you a car?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m going to the BHU medical center, so I can just walk.”
He frowned. “It’s pretty cold out there, and BHU is a twenty-minute walk away,” he said. “I’ll call a car around.”
I gulped, hoping this wasn’t some sort of trap. “Is that okay?”
“Of course. There’s always drivers on standby here,” he said, waving a casual hand. He touched his radio. “Need a car at the northeast entrance. Medical center run.” He glanced at me. “Two minutes.”
“Thank you,” I managed.
Cold night air hit my face as I stepped outside. The guard stayed in the doorway, and I resisted the urge to bolt. Just act normal, I kept telling myself. Like I belonged here. Like I had every right to be leaving.
True to the guard’s word, headlights appeared around the corner of the mansion less than two minutes later. A sleek black sedan pulled up, and the driver got out to open the passenger door for me.
“Central Hospital?” he asked. “Or Mercy?”
“Actually,” I said, sliding into the back seat. “My brother’s at the BHU medical center. So if you could just drop me over at the campus, that would be really helpful.”
The driver nodded. “No problem.”
The door closed, and the car pulled away from the mansion, tires crunching on gravel. I watched through the rear window as the sprawling estate grew smaller.
We finally passed through the gate, and the guard there waved us through without a second glance.
Only then did I let myself breathe.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to read my notifications. Fifteen missed calls. Multiple unread messages in the group chat.
10:35 Jeremiah: Any more updates, Violet? We’re finally at the med center. Just helping Cherry get signed in, and then I’ll head back to the tunnel.
10:49 Jeremiah: Okay, finally done checking her in. It took forever. Walking back to the chapel now.
10:59 Cherry: Not fractured, thank god! Just twisted it, so I need some ice and rest. Someone from the theater is picking me up and helping me get back to my dorm. Vee, is everything going ok? You haven’t replied for a while…
11:01 Jeremiah: OMFG you won’t believe this shit! One of those stupid ghost tours runs here on Friday nights, and they’re in the chapel and ossuary from 11 until midnight! So I can’t open the tunnel and go back in, or else they’ll see! FFS.
11:03 Cherry: Wtf, that’s so annoying. It seems so late for a tour.
11:04 Jeremiah: I guess this time of night is considered prime haunting time for all the ghosthunter types? Idk. Anyway, Violet, where are you? Getting worried. Your last message was ages ago.
11:13 Jeremiah: Violet… hello…
11:19 Cherry: Vee, please tell us you’re okay. It’s been over an hour since we last heard from you.
11:28 Jeremiah: Omg I knew this was a really bad idea. I knew we shouldn’t have let you go alone. Please, please, please be okay….
11:36 Cherry: Okay, honestly, it might be time to call the police. But what do we even say to them? That we encouraged our friend to trespass alone and now we think she’s been abducted??
11:37 Jeremiah: I don’t know. I’m seriously freaking out.
That last message had just come through a minute ago. I quickly tapped out a reply.
So sorry! I’m safe! I just didn’t have my phone for a while. Heading back to BHU now. Probably be there in 10. Jer, if you want to head to Cherry’s dorm, I can meet you both there. Lots to tell you.
I set my phone down on the seat and leaned back with a heavy sigh, suddenly bone-tired.
Everything I'd witnessed tonight—the blood ritual, the chanting, Julian's masked face—already felt like surreal fragments of a fever dream, even though I'd been standing in that underground chamber less than thirty minutes ago.
My phone lit up with a notification a few seconds later.
I turned it over and clicked on the screen, expecting to see a reply from either Jeremiah or Cherry.
Instead, the notification bar informed me that I had a new message from the anonymous ‘Number Withheld’ person who’d sent me threatening texts a couple of weeks ago. The person I’d suspected was Julian.
Dread washed through me as I unlocked my phone and clicked into the message.
I saw you.