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There was one empty sleeping quarter, which meant Belly didn’t lie, at least. She checked out its neat state, then peeked inside the rest of the doors that housed more food in sacks and boxes, clearly set to be stored for a long time. At the last door, she peered into darkness before her eyes adjusted and found the square hole with a staircase leading downstairs. A deeper underground level?
Just leave it alone. It’s none of your business and no underground stairs lead to a good place.
But curiosity had a vicious way of grabbing one by the throat, and this one didn’t let go until she was walking down the stairs. Sapphire talked herself into believing that she had a right to know, even while she braced herself for a trap to spring the moment she landed on solid ground.
“Hello?”
Surprise coasted in when there was light at the end of the room where the stairs ended, illuminating her way to a bright-looking foyer. The windowless feeling was eliminated by the paintings hung on the walls, depicting varying images of the outside: mountain views, oceans, and even the garden in full bloom. Everything was rich in color, including the purple carpet that popped up when she turned a corner into a row of doors.
“Hello?” she repeated.
This time, a figure stepped out one of the doors, arms laden with blankets and eyes widening at the sight of her. Miko’s mouth sat agape before he set the blankets down and crossed his arms.
“What are you doing here?”
“Exploring. I thought I was walking into a torture chamber, not…”
“A vomit of colors?” he prompted, then bit back a laugh. “Sorry, intrusive thoughts. I always wanted a gray carpet to match the stone floors, but it was a majority vote?”
“By the staff?”
“Sure. Come on. Let me lead you to the torture chamber.”
Her heart jumped at his casual words as if he was used to it. She prepared herself for a depressing sight as she followed but was only met with more colors as he guided her to a lot of twists and turns and even more doors. The opened ones revealed lots of furniture, including couches and bookcases.
“Miko?”
“Hmm?”
“These aren’t torture chambers.”
“Uh-huh. They’re not prison dungeons, either. Those are elsewhere on the island and are currently empty. Hey, Angela.”
Her eyes widened when she recognized the teenage girl from before—the one that Klaus had promised to escort out of the island safely. Angela’s hair had grown and her cheeks had filled out, the pallor gone. The girl recognized her, too, smiling shyly before glancing at Miko and turning pink.
“Hey, Miko. How have you been?”
“Good. Are you going to the swimming hole?”
“Yes.” Another flush, then, “Are you joining?”
“Maybe later. Have fun. Don’t let Jacques tease you too much.”
Angela nodded, looked at her again, and gave another smile. Sapphire managed to break out of her stupefaction to smile back but returned to it when Miko continued walking.
“You’re aware she has a crush on you, right?”
“Shh,” Miko said. “Don’t let her or anyone else know that you know. It will embarrass her.”
“She was trying to flirt with you.”
“I know.” Now he looked embarrassed. “I’m trying not to encourage it while letting her do her thing. She’s too young for me. At the same time, rejecting her outright will just humiliate her. She’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Hmm. She’s around Jacques’ age, give or take.”
“Why do you think he teases her so much?”
She tried to imagine Jacques being all playful with someone else and couldn’t, especially because the boy had only showed her his earnest and obedient side. But then again, she hadn’t imagined the teenage girl to look this healthy and relaxed, and the discovery floored her.
