Chapter 9 - The Attic Door
The heavy footsteps stopped directly outside Lily’s bedroom door. There was no knock, no warning call for her to open up. Instead, the brass doorknob slowly turned with a soft, metallic click.
Lily spun around, clutching the brass key and the folded note to her chest. The door swung open to reveal Mark standing in the threshold. His dark grey t-shirt was torn at the shoulder, and a fresh scrape stained his jawline. His eyes weren't angry anymore; they looked terrifyingly hollow and blank.
"You found the hideout, didn't you, Lily?" Mark asked, his voice frighteningly calm.
Lily backed away until her legs hit the edge of the bed. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice shaking but defiant. "You're not my dad. The tape said you're not my parents!"
Mark flinched as if struck by a physical blow. A flicker of deep, genuine pain crossed his face, instantly replaced by a grim resignation. He stepped into the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"That tape was recorded by a woman who lost her mind long before the fire ever started, Lily," Mark said softly, holding his hands out palms up, as if approaching a frightened animal. "Your mother—the woman you remember—she couldn't protect you from what you were becoming. So we stepped in."
"You locked me in this house! You staged a fire!" Lily screamed, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "You're keeping me prisoner!"
"We are keeping the world safe from you!" Mark’s voice rose, losing its calm facade as a flash of intense frustration broke through. "Do you have any idea how many times we’ve had to move? How many towns we’ve had to flee because of your episodes? You don't just sleepwalk, Lily. You draw things out of the dark. Things that burn."
Before Lily could process his words, Elena hurried into the room, her face pale and frantic. "Mark, stop! Don't tell her like that! Look at her eyes—she's slipping again."
Lily looked down at her own hands. In the dim light, the skin of her fingertips emitted a faint, unnatural amber glow, casting flickering shadows against the bedroom wall. A sudden wave of intense heat washed over her, making the air in the room shimmer.
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Mark lunged forward, grabbing Lily’s wrists before she could realize what was happening. "I’m sorry, Lily," he whispered, pressing the heavy brass key out of her grip. "We have no choice."
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