Lia opened her eyes in the dim room, reaching towards the nightstand, but she knocked over a vase. She flinched at the sound, then took a deep breath.
She leaned forward, whispering to herself:
"Left. Three steps. Then the wall. "She counted steps, memorizing the room in secret, practicing.
A soft bell rang once in the room, from somewhere to her left.
Lia flinched, her head turning the wrong way at first before she sharply corrected herself.
Too late.
"You turned right... When the bell was on your left," said a calm voice from the shadows.
Lia's throat tightened. "Kesha?"
Kesha stepped into view—or at least into the faint line of light cast by the hallway crack. She held up the small silver bell, letting it dangle from one hand.
"You didn't follow the sound," she said flatly. "You followed the echo."
Lia sat up straighter, heart pounding. "That's not true! I just— It was faint. That's all."
You sound panicked," Kesha noted, calm as ever.
