Nadine and I waited for Leo and Kevin to return from their venture down the dark hallway. The first few minutes of waiting went by swiftly, and in no time at all, Liza vanished from her silent place in front of the steel gate.
"She must have woken up," Nadine said, furrowing her black eyebrows at the spot the blonde American girl had been sitting.
I nodded. "I think that's safe to assume."
"Hmph." The short girl standing beside me made no apparent attempt to hide her annoyance. She crossed her brown arms and pushed out her lower lip, pouting. "I hate it when people ignore you. It's like, we're right here! Aren't we?"
"We are."
"You, Samira." Nadine gestured at me, adopting an affirming smile, although her scrunched brow did little to make me think she was less agitated. "I like you because you've spoken to me since I got here."
I felt strange being analyzed by a woman whose overall behavior seemed more fit for a young teenager. Perhaps it was the fact that Leo had left my side temporarily, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had been exposed. To Nadine and whatever else may be lurking in the nightmare castle.
My gaze flicked to the walls lined with oil lamps, and I stepped toward one. "We should explore while we can," I suggested, wanting to distract myself from my discomfort. "Before the evil man arrives, if he comes at all."
"This is a dark world." Nadine sighed shakily. I had turned my back to her, and when I glanced around, I saw her heading to the opposite wall to investigate the lamps on that side. Like me, she tried to remove them from the wall or rubbed them as if a genie may be trapped inside the glass, waiting to come outside.
"You're wearing bright colors; I would think you have a lighter opinion."
"I'm not always optimistic."
Deciding the lamps were nothing more than lamps, I turned my attention to the center of the floor and the ornate blue rug I saw draped over it. I knelt and brushed my hands along the short, rough fibers. "Even optimists have to be realistic sometimes," I said, letting the tips of my fingers slip between the rug and the wooden floor.
"Is darkness realistic, though?"
"It has been for nearly five years now."
Nadine joined me on the floor and knelt on the opposite end. "Want me to help you flip this up?"
"Yes, that would be great. Thank you."
Together, we carefully lifted the rug, and beneath we found a trapdoor. We folded the mat over onto itself and then contemplated how we may open this sealed passageway to somewhere unknown. "I wonder if the guys will get back before we get this open," Nadine mused, expression brightening slightly at the mystery.
Although I would have liked to enjoy this mystery too, my chest ached at the thought of anything wrong happening to Leo. "I wonder ..." I repeated her words, however pointless as doing so seemed. I just couldn't bring myself to exude any enthusiasm.
Nadine reached for the lock on the trapdoor. "I want to know what's under here badly."
"Me too."
She hit the trapdoor with the palm of her hand and the echo sounded throughout the whole room. We looked at each other with our eyebrows raised.
"That's strange," I said.
She agreed, then did it again.
This time, the echo sounded like a young man's shout. An unmistakable, "No!"
*
I woke up with a start. It took me a moment to catch my breath as I sat up on the mat I had been sleeping on. The attic space we were currently hiding in was pitch black, but my face seemed to be emitting a faint golden glow that lit up anything a foot away from my head.
Reaching up to touch my cheeks and forehead, my eyes widened at the lack of pain. The eye marks on my skin usually burned. This improvement gave me a sense of relief, even joy.
When I glanced across the room, I didn't expect to see Leo because of the darkness. But I made out the outline of him sleeping behind some storage boxes. I wasn't willing to sleep in the same room as him unless there was something between us to keep our relationship pure. True, in my mind I hoped that one day we may be in love enough to wed and take the barrier away. However, that day had not arrived and I still felt like I didn't know him well enough to embrace him for the rest of my life.
"Leo," I whispered, hoping that would get him awake. But he didn't stir, so I decided to wait. I didn't want to crawl across the attic floor, in case that could alert those in the house below to our presence.
When Leo woke up, though, that risk increased greatly. He began to scream. I shushed him, and he covered his mouth with his left hand. I saw the whites of his eyes as he stared at me. And it took me a moment to understand why he was frightened.
He raised his right arm and I knew. I nearly screamed too, the sight was so grotesque. Real eyeballs had sprouted from his arm, where the tattoo-like versions previously were. "It hurts," he hissed, trying to be quiet despite the damage likely already being done. We would have to find a new place to live now.
"And you're glowing," he added, tears welling in his eyes.
Seeing his distress, I couldn't wait any longer to get closer to him. I knew I had to touch him; the impulse entered me like a blastwave.
"Touch my cheek," I said, nearly crying at the sight of his agonizing misery.
"I don't understand."
Evidently, he lacked the intuition I possessed. Not wanting to see him suffer any longer, I reached for his right arm and took his hand. He gasped, perhaps from the pain, or in surprise.
"Trust me," I said. My gaze fell on the bloodred eyeball twitching on the back of his hand. I sensed evil energy from his limb. "I can cure you."
"Cure me?" He asked through gritted teeth, confused.
Before he could fight me, I drew up his hand and pressed it against my glowing forehead. Leo winced as the ill transferred from his body into mine through my head. I ate the evil, and when I sensed it gone from within him, I collapsed onto the floor.
Then I opened my eyes and I couldn't see anything; my head had stopped glowing. But I felt Leo's warm arms wrapped around me. The right arm felt smooth. Normal. And I heard him whisper, "Thank you, Samira," into my ear. "I trust you."
Hearing his sweet voice, I smiled. The anxiety I felt while he was away in our dream had disappeared.