Kaida, now in the room.
Anna stood beside her—small, quiet. The door vanished behind them again with a soft click, like it was never there.
Everyone stared.
No one said a word.
So I broke the silence. "Well. At least one of us can make the door appear."
Ethan gave me a look but didn't take the bait. His focus went to Anna. "How long have you been in this mansion?"
Anna blinked at him. "I… I don't know exactly."
Marcella stepped forward, voice already high-pitched and irritated. "Of course she doesn't! I mean, come on. Who even lives in a place like this? Who in their right mind—"
"Marcella," Ethan cut in, sharper than usual. "You're not helping."
She clamped her mouth shut but crossed her arms hard enough to bruise herself.
I folded my arms. "It's a fair question, though. How does someone end up here without knowing when or why?"
Ethan nodded. "What do you know about the mansion?"
That's when we noticed—Anna wasn't answering.
She was just staring at us.
"Anna," Kaida said gently, stepping closer. "It's okay. You can talk. Just tell us what you know."
For a long second, nothing. Then Anna's lips parted.
"I… remember waking up," she said slowly, voice soft and uncertain. "Just a few hours before you arrived."
She didn't look at any of us as she spoke. Her eyes were distant, like she was seeing it again. "I knew people were coming. I don't know how. But I did. I expected you at the mansion… and you didn't come. Not for hours."
That made my brows draw together.
We arrived at the beach, took us an hour or so to get to the mansion, maybe less?
But she remembered waiting for much longer.
Waiting for us to show up.
That was off. That was really off.
"I knew… enough," Anna continued. "Enough to take care of the mansion. I don't remember learning. But it was there. All of it. Like I was supposed to know it."
Kaida frowned. "And the thing you said earlier—about not being allowed upstairs. Did someone tell you that?"
Anna hesitated. Then, slowly, shook her head.
"No," she whispered. "No one told me. I just… knew. I couldn't go upstairs. Even if I tried. I wasn't allowed. It was like—" She paused, searching for the words. "Like I wasn't built for it."
Something prickled at the back of my neck.
"What are you then?" I said before I could stop myself.
William stepped forward, voice smooth but tight. "What about the master of the mansion? Who owns this place?"
Anna lowered her gaze. "I don't remember much. Only that… he isn't here. And I'm supposed to take care of things while he's away."
"That's it?" Lucas said, brow raised. "That's literally every haunted novel ever written. Creepy girl, empty mansion, mysterious absent master—what's next, ghost dog in the attic?"
No one laughed.
Not even Harrison.
Harrison stepped forward, arms folded. "Okay then. What about earlier? I saw you talking to Ms. Nakamura. What were you two talking about?"
Anna looked up slowly. "She asked about the bathrooms. Said they weren't working in the rooms. I told her I didn't know. She asked me to check, and I said I couldn't. Then I told her I couldn't go upstairs, and she said it was fine. That she'd talk to the students about it the next day. Then she left."
He narrowed his eyes. "Do you remember anyone calling for her? Because I did. It was outside. Did you see who it was?"
Anna went still.
"I heard someone call her," she said after a moment. "But I didn't see the face. They were outside. I… I don't know why, but that surprised me."
"Surprised you how?" I asked.
She blinked. "Because… I have this feeling. That I should never leave the mansion. Especially at night. I didn't even think it was possible. But she followed the voice. And… it seemed like someone she knew."
That stopped the air in the room. Thick. Cold.
I glanced at Ethan—and he said it.
"Maybe Ms. Nakamura's not here anymore."
I looked at him sharply.
"Or maybe," he went on, "she's dead. Like Lyra."
Silence.
And then—
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sebastian snapped. "You say that like it doesn't matter!"
His voice cracked. Just a little.
"She's our teacher, man. You don't just—don't talk like that."
I rubbed my jaw. "He's not wrong to ask, though. This place isn't exactly handing out happy endings."
"Still doesn't mean you drop it like a bomb," Sebastian muttered.
William stepped between them. "Stop. All of you. This isn't helping either. We need information. Not accusations."
The tension didn't ease. But no one argued.
Anna stood there, small and quiet.
And I had a sick feeling we hadn't even scratched the surface yet.
"I hate to say it," I muttered, "but maybe that's the problem."
Everyone glanced at me.
William's voice came next, sharper than before. "Ever since we got into this room, our thoughts dispersed. Nothing has made sense. No clues, no answers—just tension and chaos."
No one interrupted. Maybe we were finally starting to listen.
He stepped forward a bit. "And instead of trying to find out what's going on, we've just been accusing each other."
I leaned back against the wall. "And it all started with Sebastian, didn't it?" I glanced at him. "You were the first to accuse Ethan."
Seb's jaw tightened, but William raised a hand before he could speak.
"There's one moment," William said, "just one... where someone actually got out of this room."
His eyes locked onto Kaida. "You."
Kaida tilted her head, voice calm. "What do you mean?"
"We're not stupid," William said. "After we got in here, all of us saw it. The door vanished. Completely gone."
There was a long pause.
"Then Marcella started yelling at the maid-girl, and you—Kaida—got mad. Which is unusual. You never get worked up like that. But when it's about her, you seem to do, even though you recently just met."
Kaida's voice didn't waver. "And?"
"And," William continued, "you rushed toward the door. Opened it. Pulled her back in—like the door had been there the whole time."
"What are you implying?" she asked coolly. "That I had something to do with it?"
"No," William shook his head. "I'm asking how you opened the door when it wasn't there for any of us."
Kaida's brows drew slightly together. "The door was right there. I was wondering why all of you acted like it wasn't. I figured maybe you were just trying to scare someone. So I didn't say anything."
She turned toward the body. "And look at that—"
"Wait," I said, stopping her.
William nodded slightly, picking up where she left off. "Then maybe... Kaida, could you open the door again for us? Since you're the only one who can see it."
Lucas let out a laugh. "Wait—are you the protagonist of this horror novel of ours? Or—hold on—maybe you're the mastermind. Secretly working with the owner of this creepy mansion."
"Lucas, stop," Ethan said flatly.
Kaida shrugged. "I could see it before, yes. But after I came back in, I also noticed... it was gone."
I spoke up again. "Maybe it's not just that the door disappeared. Maybe it's that we thought it disappeared. And because we believed that—it did."
Sebastian frowned. "Then explain why Kaida could still see it."
William tapped his chin. "I have a theory. When we all came in, someone—don't remember who—pointed out the door was gone. That thought took hold. We believed it. But Kaida thought we were joking. So she didn't fall for the idea."
Sebastian snorted. "That doesn't explain much."
William pressed on. "Think back. When Harris came in, we all panicked—told him not to close the door. That moment? Kaida may have subconsciously believed the door really was gone. Maybe she didn't realize it then. But once she left... and we reacted the same way when she came back... that seed of belief grew. She started to doubt. And then—bam. The door vanished for her too."
I gave a low whistle. "Wow. You really are smart, William. I had a similar idea, but damn. You beat me to it."
William blushed a little.
Sebastian glanced at me, clearly annoyed.
I raised my hands. "Hey, I'm on your side. Sort of."
"But that's not the only thing," I said, straightening. "When we got here, we all freaked out over the body. But now? It's like it doesn't exist. We're talking, accusing each other... like it's not even there. That's not normal."
I let my gaze drift toward Ethan for just a second—just long enough to make a point.
Sebastian caught it. "Maybe you're right. Maybe the killer wanted us to ignore the body. Wanted us to get distracted. To turn on each other."
William nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's weird how quickly we've moved on. Like someone is influencing us... pushing us to fight."
"That's unlikely," Harrison chimed in, arms crossed. "Who would want that? If this place really is dangerous, infighting only makes it worse."
Ethan stepped forward. "Exactly. Finally, someone gets it. I was trying to say that from the start. Panicking won't solve anything."
Sebastian scoffed. "Perfect. That's it. That's exactly what a killer would say to cover their tracks. Calm everyone down. Keep the attention off the body." He backed up a little. "He's the one who told us not to panic. He's the one who shifted our focus. I was right—he killed her."
"Sebastian—" William warned.
"I'm done talking!" Sebastian snapped. "Anyone who believes Ethan did it, come with me. We'll find our own way out. We'll break down the damn wall if we have to."
"Seb, calm down," William said again.
"Why? So we can just sit here and die like her?"
His hand moved too fast. He shoved past William—accidentally knocking him to the ground.
I stiffened. That was too much.
Before I could reach William, something stopped me. A voice. Cold, amused.
"Well," it said, echoing across the room. "Things are getting interesting."
Silence swallowed us whole.
"Maybe it's about time I reveal myself."
And just like that, everything in my body stilled.
The voice was real. It wasn't in our heads.
I turned slowly. My gaze fell on Lyra's hanging form—her head bowed, her arms spread like broken wings.
Like a crucified saint.
My chest tightened.
I'd felt it ever since we stepped into this mansion.
Eyes watching. Always watching.
From the moment we got off that damn boat.
Now it all made sense.
And it was only just beginning.
CHAPTER END.