I landed on a soft feather bed, turning my head from side to side to get my bearings. Rows of bunk beds ran parallel in the once spacious rectangular room. An explosion of painted pastel flowers covered the walls. I sat up, realizing that I was on the top bunk.

Beside me, Shay stood with one finger pressed against his lips, his other hand raised in a calming gesture.

"Shh... Calm, children. Calm. Your mistress must not know that we're here."

Over a dozen girls, ranging in age from twelve and up, stared at Shay with wide eyes and shocked faces. They wore dresses made of fine white silk embroidered with silver thread and pearls.

"Shay?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Who's that?"

"I know him."

"Yeah, I saw him at the party."

Shay sighed.

"You leave me no choice."

Shay raised his elbow over his face, the drooping sleeve of his lavender robe covering his mouth.

He muttered under his breath, reached into his sleeve with his other hand and pulled out a handful of honeyed nuts and hard candy.

A second gasp spread through the room.

"Sweets!"

"Lady Kateen never lets us have those!"

They swarmed around him, each taking a piece. I skimmed over the faces, looking for Isla but finding someone else.

I crawled off the other side of the bed, avoiding the crowd, to walk up to the girl huddled in the bottom bunk of the bed closest to the door.

Anissa looked up at me through the red curls of hair that framed her face. She leaned against the floral-patterned wall, knees pulled to her chest and arms holding down her puffy skirt.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Her voice wavered like someone on the verge of tears. No. She'd been crying. The handkerchief cupped in her hand was damp. She had dabbed away her tears to avoid ruining her makeup.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's Clarice. She's bullying her again," One of the younger girls said. The hard candy lodged in her cheek made her slur her words.

"She bullies all of us," another girl said. "But Anissa gets it worse cuz she's second."

"Second what?"

"Second favourite," half of the girls said in unison. The other half looked down, suddenly self-conscious.

I didn't have time for this.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Isla," Anissa said.

"Where is she?"

"Not here. She's in the Flower Room. All the new girls get sent there at first… To make sure they're pure."

A ripple of discomfort moved through the girls. The change in atmosphere sent a chill up my spine.

I needed to hurry.

"Anissa, where's the Flower Room?!'

She looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"Keep it down," She hissed. "Men aren't allowed in his room. If someone hears you..."

"I don't care! Tell me where she is."

"I can't!" She whispered. "Lady Kateen is preparing a feast for her. If she finds out I told you..."

Anissa glanced at the door.

I huffed, considering my options. There were ways to make her talk.

No... I was trying to be better.

"Shay, any ideas?"

He patted the head of a young brunette girl hugging his leg.

"Perhaps someone else knows where the Flower Room is?"

"A-Are you here to rescue us?" One of the older girls asked, her face lighting up.

"I want to go," a younger girl said. "Playing dress up was fun at first, but they beat us when we're not perfect."

I looked from Shay to the hopeful faces staring back at me and frowned.

This is not why I was here, but… but I was trying to be better. How could I save Isla and leave these girls to suffer the same fate?

It was the right thing to do.

The "right" thing...

The words tasted like vomit in my mouth. It would take a while to get used to this.

"Do you know Arwen? Tiny Tom's man. He has a daycare. I can take you there after I save Isla."

"What's a daycare?" One of them asked.

"A place for people like us. It's safe."

Anissa winced, an involuntary reaction to the word. Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you serious? Are you going to save us?"

I smiled.

"That's what heroes do."

Anissa searched my face for the lie.

But I wasn't lying. I was going to save them. I just hadn't figured it out yet.

She nodded.

"The Flower Room is down the hall. Take the second left and turn right—you can't miss it. The servants are busy preparing for the feast downstairs. We don't get many visitors on this floor, so you should be clear."

I exhaled, letting out the tension building inside me.

"Thank you..."

"Just... Just don't get caught."

I nodded, walking up and pressing my ear against the door.

"You coming, Shay?"

Shay was surrounded by his female admirers. A girl in blonde pigtails dangled off his left sleeve, looking for more sweets.

"I'll catch up. There is other business to be done."

I smirked.

If he wanted to assassinate Kateen while I saved Isla, that was fine by me.

"Don't have too much fun."

Shay smirked.

"No promises."

I cracked open the door, peeking through the sliver in the opening. Rays of sunlight shined through the arched windows into the wide hallway.

I crouched low, pouring will into my jacket and slipping through the door. I crept down the hallway, one hand running along the smooth, beige wall. A long-patterned rug was laid out in the middle of the floor. I clung to the side to avoid leaving footprints on the silk. The floor below me rumbled with low murmurs. Heavy footfalls stamped across the wooden surface, and chair legs shrieked as furniture was rearranged.

Anissa was right. With the mansion staff distracted by the feast, it would be easy to get Isla back to the Dormitory.

But what then?

I stopped at the first intersection, peeking down the hallway on my left.

It was clear.

I darted past it, walking with more confidence to the next intersection. If I kept going straight, the hallway would lead to a staircase to the second floor. I turned left, clinging to the wall and brushing past a portrait of Kateen.

I paused to take a deep breath. The Flower Room was right around the corner. I dropped my enchantment. I needed to converse my will, and the jacket's enchantment would be useless in tight spaces.

I turned the corner and bumped head-first into a middle-aged maid with short, brown hair. She stopped and stared, rubbing the sore spot where our foreheads met.

I blinked and then punched her in the face.

Her head snapped back, and her body went with it. With one hand, I cradled the back of her head as she crumpled to the floor.

I frowned. There were a dozen different ways to subdue her.

Why did I choose that one?

My left hand twitched in response.

My left hand… Sin's hand.

I sighed.

"I have to do better."

At the end of the hallway, a pair of mahogany doors faced me. A ring of flowers was carved into their surface.

The Flower Room.

That must be it.

I told Isla that I would change—that I would do better. This is how I would start… by saving her.

I walked up to the doors, took a deep breath and pulled them open.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.