Afraid of the Dark

Chapter 15: Burning Bridges

Reela spent maybe too long getting herself cleaned up in the bathroom. One reason for this is because she spent at least ten minutes marveling at how fucking fancy their bathroom is. What kind of bathroom has drapes and a fireplace? And here she thought her house in Sage was nice. This place is infuriatingly pristine.

She feels like she's staying at a hotel she knows she'll go bankrupt for stealing a towel from. Oh, speaking of the towels, why the fuck are they so soft?

She doesn't know how she managed to pull her mind together long enough to wash her face in the absurdly nice sink. How does Avinalyn keep everything so fucking neat? And how many different types of conditioner do they need? She counts at least five that are lined up neatly along the back of the counter.

Listening to the cat part of her brain known as her 'intrusive thoughts,' she snickers before knocking them all over.

For a moment, she considers their offer of letting her use their makeup. But she can only imagine the smug ass look they'd have on their face if she does. Besides, if they're expecting her to be doing her makeup, they're probably anticipating her to take a while.

Giving her a perfect opportunity to slip away.

She exits the bathroom silently and glances down the hall in the direction of the kitchen. She thinks they're still there, and so long as they stay there, she has her window. She turns the other way and starts making her way down the hall.

This house is honestly more like a castle than a house. Its gothic doors look authentic, and the locks are as well. They must take skeleton keys, meaning she's able to see through the key holes.

She checks a few, not seeing much on the other sides. Just guest rooms and storage closets by the looks of it from her limited view. A lot of the rooms are empty as well. Unfurnished and just stacked with dusty old crates.

Eventually, she finds a door that seems to be hiding a very well furnished room on the other side. A bedroom, she thinks. She's guessing it's Avinalyn's, considering that the door is slightly larger and more ornate than all the rest. The master bedroom.

They just came out to find her less than an hour ago, so luckily they didn't lock the door. Reela spares the direction of the kitchen another quick glance before turning the knob and slipping into the room. She softly closes the door behind her and turns to look around.

Replace all the red with purple, and Reela has found her dream room. All the gothic furniture, antique armchairs and drapes over stained glass windows. The massive bed has an intricate, dark wooden frame with gold trimming and a velvet canopy. Even the fireplace and the mirror above it are authentic as fuck.

She reels her focus back in. Avinalyn must have her katana here somewhere. If she can just locate it, she can possibly try to snatch it when they aren't looking. Maybe she could hide it in a bathroom or closet somewhere and after she's done eating, she can try to slip away to retrieve it and bolt for the door.

She starts searching the obvious places first. Under the bed, in the wardrobe – which even she has to admit, they've got decent taste in clothes – and she checks behind the curtains and around the fireplace, but nothing.

Where could it be? If she were an evil, sociopathic kidnapper with a fire kink, where would she hide a stolen katana? Avinalyn strikes her as clever somehow, at least compared to her who is a dumbass. Secret compartment in the wall maybe? In video games, fireplaces or torch sconces usually hide secret levers. Look for a torch that's not burning? Fuck, they just have lanterns that are all lit. A fake book on the shelf? Dammit, they're literate. No way in hell can she go through all of those fucking books. Why does this asshole have to be a fucking nerd.