CHAPTER SEVEN
The Voice in the Dark
The door clicked shut behind me.
I froze.
For a few seconds, I stood there with my hand still resting on the handle.
Slowly, I turned around.
Nothing.
The corridor was empty.
No mysterious man.
No maids.
No footsteps.
Just the endless hallway stretching into the dimness.
I looked down at my phone.
The call with Ethan was gone.
My heart was still beating too quickly.
I stared at the screen, replaying the voice in my head.
Who told you to answer that phone?
It hadn't sounded surprised.
It hadn't even sounded angry.
It had sounded certain.
As though whoever had spoken already knew exactly what I was doing.
I swallowed.
"Who was that?"
The question disappeared into the empty corridor.
No answer.
I looked toward my room.
I could go back inside.
Lock the door.
Wait for Joel to return.
Pretend none of this had happened.
That would probably be the sensible thing to do.
I took a step toward my room.
Then stopped.
"No."
I turned back toward the corridor.
If I was going to get out of this place, I needed answers.
I couldn't keep sitting in that room waiting for someone else to decide what happened to me.
Besides, I had been here for seven days.
Seven.
And somehow, I still didn't know where the hell I was.
I took another step.
"Okay."
I sighed.
"Just a little investigation."
I immediately shook my head.
"Bella, you're an idiot."
But I kept walking.
---
The mansion felt different at night.
During the day, it had been beautiful.
At night, it felt enormous.
The lights along the walls were dim, leaving long stretches of darkness between them. My footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor, making the silence feel even louder.
I slowed down.
I had no idea where I was going.
I wasn't even sure what I expected to find.
A way out, maybe.
Someone I could question.
Anything that made this place make sense.
I turned another corner.
Nothing.
I continued.
Then—
A sound.
I stopped.
Footsteps.
Somewhere ahead.
My body stiffened.
I listened.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then silence.
I waited.
Nothing.
I frowned.
"Okay..."
I whispered.
"That was definitely weird."
I moved forward.
Another sound reached me.
Not footsteps this time.
A voice.
Quiet.
Young.
I stopped.
A child?
I couldn't make out the words.
Curiosity pulled me forward before common sense could stop me.
I followed the sound.
The corridor narrowed as I walked. The walls here were different from the rest of the mansion. Fewer paintings. Fewer decorations.
Even the air felt colder.
Then I heard the voice again.
"Where is he?"
I slowed.
A child's voice.
I glanced around.
"Hello?"
Silence.
I took another step.
The voice came again.
"He's going to be angry."
I frowned.
Who was the child talking about?
And why was he wandering around this enormous house alone?
I followed the voice around another corner.
Then I saw him.
A little boy stood at the end of the corridor.
He couldn't have been more than eight or nine.
He was dressed neatly in dark trousers and a white shirt, though his hair was slightly messy.
He stood with his back toward me.
I hesitated.
"Hey."
The boy froze.
I softened my voice.
"Are you okay?"
Slowly, he turned.
The moment his eyes landed on me, he went completely still.
His face changed.
Not ordinary fear.
Something else.
He stared at me as though he had seen a ghost.
I frowned.
"Um..."
I took a small step toward him.
The boy stepped backward.
"Don't be scared."
He didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on my face.
His eyes stayed on mine.
He looked frightened.
But there was something else there too.
Something I couldn't name.
I crouched slightly.
"What's your name?"
His lips parted.
Nothing came out.
I smiled gently.
"I'm Bella."
The boy's eyes widened.
"Bella..."
He whispered my name like he had heard it before.
My smile disappeared.
"You know me?"
The colour drained from his face.
He took another step backward.
"Wait."
I stood.
"I just want to talk."
The boy turned and ran.
"Hey!"
I instinctively followed.
"Wait!"
His footsteps echoed through the corridor.
I hurried after him.
Then he suddenly stopped.
He turned around.
His face was pale.
His eyes were wide with something that looked dangerously close to terror.
And then—
He screamed.
The sound tore through the corridor.
I flinched.
"What the—"
The boy spun around and disappeared around the corner.
I ran after him.
But when I reached it—
Nothing.
No boy.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
I looked left.
Empty.
Right.
Empty.
I stared down the corridor.
"Where did he go?"
My breathing had become uneven.
There was no way he could have disappeared that quickly.
I moved forward, searching the hall.
Another turn.
Empty.
Another.
Nothing.
I stopped.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
"Okay."
I whispered.
"Maybe this is the part where I turn around and mind my business."
I took one step backward.
Then I heard it.
A door closing.
Somewhere nearby.
I turned.
At the far end of the corridor stood a large wooden door.
I hadn't noticed it before.
It looked different from the others.
Darker.
Older.
Almost completely untouched by the warm, polished elegance of the rest of the mansion.
I stared at it.
Something had been carved into the centre.
A symbol.
I couldn't make it out from where I stood.
I took a cautious step toward it.
Then another.
My curiosity pulled me forward.
I reached the door.
My fingers hovered over the handle.
"Don't."
I whispered.
"Don't touch it."
My hand remained suspended above the metal.
I stared at it.
Then sighed.
"Why do I never listen to myself?"
My fingers moved closer.
Almost touching—
"Bella."
I froze.
Every muscle in my body went rigid.
I knew that voice.
The same cold voice from the phone.
Slowly—
very slowly—
I turned around.
The corridor was empty.
Again.
But this time, the silence felt different.
Heavy.
Watching.
"Who's there?"
Nothing.
I took a cautious step forward.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then—
from somewhere deeper inside the mansion—
I heard the child.
Crying.
I turned toward the sound.
His voice came faintly through the darkness.
"She shouldn't be here."
My blood ran cold.
I stared into the corridor.
"Why?"
No answer.
Only hurried footsteps.
Fading.
I took one step forward.
Then another.
Somewhere behind the walls, a door slammed shut.
I jumped.
My gaze returned to the dark wooden door in front of me.
For the first time since I arrived at the mansion, I wasn't curious.
I was afraid.
I stared at the door.
I didn't know what was behind it.
I didn't know why the child had reacted to me that way.
I didn't know why someone in this house knew my name.
But suddenly, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.
I turned around.
And for the first time since waking up in the mansion, I wished I had stayed in my room.