The closet was small. Too small. Boxes stacked high. Old coats. Dust thick enough to taste. There was nothing inside that could help me pry the lock or force the door.
Hours crawled by.
Eventually, the house grew quieter. The music faded. Evening settled in.
Then a soft knock came from the other side of the door.
Hope surged through me so fast it hurt.
I scrambled up, gripping the handle. “Hello? Someone’s there—please! Open the door!”
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then Elara’s voice slid through the crack like poison.
“Oh, Lyra,” she cooed. “Locked up exactly where you belong.”
I shut my eyes, swallowing the rage burning my throat. “What do you want? Are you done with your performance?”
A giggle. Light. Cruel. “Not even close. I didn’t know Magnus loved me so much he’d lock you away… even though he knows it’s your biggest fear.”
My jaw clenched. I refused to give her the satisfaction of hearing me panic.
“If you have nothing real to say, leave,” I snapped.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she purred. “I’m just getting started. But for now… I’ll let you rot in there.”
Her heels clicked away, slow and satisfied.
I let out a shaky breath.
Darkness crept deeper into the closet. I reached up, fingers brushing my hair. The small pin was still there, holding it in place.
A hairpin.
“Better than nothing,” I muttered.
I dropped to my knees and started working it into the lock. My hands shook too badly at first, but I forced them steady.
Seconds passed.
Minutes.
Then—
Voices.
Outside.
Two familiar voices, low and gleeful.
“Let’s teach her a real lesson,” Ian hissed.
Vale snickered. “Yes. Let’s.”
My blood ran cold.
Before I could move, something scraped against the tiny back window of the closet.
Then the nightmare began.
A buzzing roar filled the air.
Bees.
A hive—shoved through the opening.
And with it came crawling shapes that made my skin crawl: spiders spilling across the floor, over the boxes, over my shoes.
I screamed.
Stings hit my arms, my neck, my cheek. Bites sank into my ankles.
Pain lit up everywhere at once.
“Stop!” I sobbed, pounding the door with both fists. “Somebody! Help me!”
No one came.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Only the twins’ laughter outside, sharp and delighted.
“Next time don’t mess with us!” Vale taunted.
My right eye started swelling shut, heat throbbing under the skin. I couldn’t breathe properly. I couldn’t see properly.
But I didn’t stop.