Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Hennessey: If these walls could talk…
My stomach knotted, churning with each second that passed between us. He narrowed his intense honey-colored eyes at me, and then, out of nowhere, he grinned, sensing all my conflicting emotions playing like a broken record in my head.
Still, I couldn’t see enough of his face, but it didn’t stop me from knowing he was handsome. He was tall with broad shoulders, carrying himself with such effortless authority that made the room bow at his feet.
Who is he?
My chest tightened, caught off guard by the silent understanding between us. Just as quickly as it occurred, the crowd parted, and he was gone. At first, I thought maybe I imagined him as I followed the housekeeper through the halls.
A huge Gothic-style chandelier with red-burning candles hung above my head, illuminating the ominous allure of the walls, casting shadow upon shadow as we walked.
Merely fueling my overly rampant thoughts of what secrets these rooms held on to for centuries and what could’ve transpired behind these closed doors.
The scent of expensive cigars, sophisticated cologne, and designer perfume lingered through the air, assaulting all my senses. The whole decor and allure of this place was haunting. To the point you could feel the souls clawing at your feet.
I had two choices. I could get ready for an event where I played my part of a doting niece, or I could escape with my sanity intact and leave as fast as I could. I decided on the one that made the most sense to me.
I got dressed, and a makeup artist and hairstylist were waiting to do their best on me. I wasn’t much for either. I preferred climbing trees and talking to the wildlife while dancing under the full moon with my ancestors.
This just wasn’t my vibe.
I hated pretentious bullshit. I guess you could say I had a fierce resting bitch face and was proud of it. At least you know what you were getting with me. I didn’t sugarcoat my emotions. I wore them proudly, a badge of honor for what I said: I meant it, my word was bond, and I took that seriously.
How the hell I was supposed to fake this was beyond me. I didn’t know how to pretend in this situation.
The women were both giggling, talking about nonsense I barely paid attention to.
“There,” the makeup artist exclaimed. “He’s going to love this.”
I shuddered. “Who?”
The room went silent.
The hairstylist forced a smile, stating, “Your uncle, of course.”
I don’t believe her.
Their hesitation made my skin crawl. By the time they were done, I felt more like a porcelain doll you’d put on a shelf than a woman.
“You look perfect,” they complimented over and over. “You’re going to fit right in.”
Their words hit harder than they should have, but I couldn’t help it. The little voice in the back of my mind wasn’t just screaming. It was drowning out everything else around me.
“Just remember,” the makeup artist said out of nowhere. “Don’t speak unless spoken to.”
“Amber, enough,” the stylist ordered.
Unable to avoid it, I blurted, “And what happens if I do?”
They exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing through them. One lowered her gaze to the floor, and the other gripped her makeup brush so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Amber’s lips parted like she wanted to tell me something.
She didn’t.
Instead, she whispered, “Just… don’t.”
“Why?”
Her throat bobbed. “Because…” She looked toward the door again before forcing a smile that never reached her eyes. “It’s just better if you don’t.”
“Better for who?”
“For…” She stopped herself.
I insisted. “Better for who, Amber?”
She shrugged. “For everyone.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Well,” the stylist interjected. “It’s the only one you’re going to get. She’s already said too much.” She snatched her wrist. “Let’s go.”
I watched them leave, but at the last second, Amber turned her head ever so slightly, mouthing, “Better for you.”
I sucked in a ragged breath. I couldn’t stay, not for another moment.
Without looking at their creation in the mirror, fully aware I wouldn’t recognize the woman staring back at me, I fled.
I ran so fast in heels that shot fire through the soles of my feet until I was finally outside, bursting through the tree line into the woods.
I couldn’t tell you what my dress looked like. I couldn’t even tell you what color it was. It didn’t matter to me. It wasn’t me, and I’d be damned if I was going to act like it was.
Once I reached taller grass, I hiked up my gown, threw off my heels, and hauled ass until my feet were on fire for a whole other reason.
Sharp rocks sliced into my skin as twigs snapped beneath my feet.
Branches clawed at my arms as if they were trying to pull me back in.
I ran until I couldn’t feel the house breathing down my neck, the demons desperately yanking me back into their sanctuary.
“Don’t speak unless spoken to…”
It repeated in my head while I ran with the certainty of trying to get as far as I could from that party.
Just as I was about to run farther into the darkness, I found a tree that called to me and climbed it.
My dress snagged on every branch, lace tearing at the seams. The higher I climbed, the more the estate disappeared beneath me.
Minutes, hours, days could’ve flown by at the speed I was scaling those branches.
I wouldn’t stop until I was sure no one could find me.
Branches whipped against my face every time the wind shifted, and the higher I climbed, the thinner they became, but I didn’t stop until the trunk was barely wide enough to wrap my arms around it.
Finally, I thought I was alone.
My dress hung in shredded ribbons from every splinter I dragged it across while blood slid down my legs. Below me, the forest stretched into an endless sea of black, swallowing every path that might lead back to that cursed estate.
Back to them.
I rested my forehead against the rough bark, whispering to the tree, “Don’t let them find me.”
The leaves answered with a soft rustle, reassuring me with a yes I chose to believe. For a while, time no longer existed as I witnessed the moon climbing over the horizon. The insects and birds grew louder, claiming their territory.
I apologized to them. “I’m so sorry for invading. It was either them or me.”
I heard a crow accept my apology, making me relax. My breathing slowed enough that I could hear my own heartbeat instead of the night that awaited me. Closing my eyes, I felt the comfort and peace of the forest regulating my nervous system.
Then… voices.
So. Many. Voices.
“She couldn’t have gotten far!”
“Check the creek!”
“Spread out!”
“We need to find her! Now!”
Branches cracked around me, leaves crunching everywhere their feet stepped. It was their bright lantern lights, flickering through the trees like wandering ghosts, that made me lock up. Every single one of my muscles tensed. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe.
I didn’t exist.
“If she made it this far, she’s exhausted! We’ll find her!”
“She won’t survive the night if we don’t find her!”
“Don’t worry! We’ll bring her back before sunrise!”
Bring me back?
I didn’t recognize any of the voices. My uncle wasn’t part of the search party and a sadness I wasn’t expecting settled through me. If my uncle ordered people to find me, it meant I wasn’t just running from one man. It was the entire Academy. Maybe even the whole damn town.
My pulse violently hammered against my ribs. I was certain they could all hear it. Every beat felt like it was betraying me as it echoed through the woods. I thought about the power my uncle held. If he had men willing to search for me, that just meant he had men willing to die for him.
Loyal men. The kind that didn’t ask questions and simply followed orders. That was the scariest thought among all the ones I was drowning in.
What did my family get me into?
My stomach lurched, and I bit my hand so hard I tasted blood just to keep from making a sound. The search party drifted farther away, their voices growing quieter until all I heard were echoes through the wind that were swallowed up through the trees.
Except it didn’t give me relief. One set of footsteps remained. They were slow and unrushed, each step more precise than the last. Every crunch under his boots sounded deliberate.
He wasn’t searching. He was following.
As soon as the footsteps stopped, silence settled again. This time, it wasn’t from the peacefulness of the woods. It was from the hunt. I was being hunted, and that realization alone was enough to cause my lungs to burn. I needed to breathe more than I was, but I wouldn’t let them find me.
I can’t.
This was a game I wasn’t willing to lose.
If I didn’t move, maybe he’d think I was just another branch in the tree or just another secret the forest decided to keep. Minutes passed, then another and another…
He never called my name, never took one step, he already knew exactly where I was. In the blink of an eye, with an eerie tone, he declared, “I know you’re up there!”
My heart stopped. For some reason, I knew exactly whose voice that belonged to.
I closed my eyes. Of course it would be him. He could probably smell my blood and was getting off on it.
“Your dress might as well be an invitation! It stands out against the woods!” he called out.
I didn’t answer, opening my eyes instead. My gaze drifted down to the ivory gown clinging to my body. It was only then I realized what they created.
I was the sacrificial lamb for the party.
He waited just long enough for the realization to take over before speaking, almost like he watched it unfold inside my mind.
“You didn’t earn the hunt,” he said quietly with a short pause. The silence stretched between us, and after a beat, he seemed to reluctantly admit…
“But they dressed you like prey regardless.”