Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 12
Lucas was skilled at steering the conversation, and before anyone could question why someone would instigate Lily in the first place, their thoughts jumped to whether Ethan could have done it.
“Plus, you and Serena were the first to find her body, weren’t you?” Lucas kept pushing. “And sending Serena down alone to tell us is suspicious too. While she was gone, you were alone at the scene.”
“If there was any evidence on Lily that pointed to you, you could have destroyed it then. Most importantly, before I checked the body, her clothes were disheveled. Isn’t that from you searching her?”
Suddenly, looks of shock, doubt, fear, and confusion all turned toward Ethan.
He didn’t back down under the scrutiny. He just narrowed his eyes and stared at Lucas.
“If you’re trying to pin this on me, you’ve got the wrong guy. Nothing you’ve said has any real basis; it’s all just your assumptions.”
“First, I have no motive to kill someone I saved.”
“Second, when I found Lily, she was under that bear plush. Even if her clothes were messed up, the most likely cause is the monster that attacked her last night, but you didn’t mention that at all. It makes me wonder what your angle is.”
“Finally, it’s not even certain that Serena and I were the first to discover the body. If someone did instigate her to come here, that person would know she probably died in the game room last night and could have come early to destroy evidence before we arrived.”
Ethan’s rebuttal was logical and convincing, dispelling much of the suspicion.
Still, Lucas poured cold water on their relief. “Don’t get too comfortable yet. No matter what, it’s odd that Lily would risk breaking the house rules to come here alone and spend the night. Ethan hasn’t cleared himself; he’s still the prime suspect.”
“Think about it: the real danger isn’t the obvious threats, but the hidden ones from behind. We’re all strangers here. Are they really trustworthy humans? What if there’s a spy from the castle among us?”
“You can’t just throw around accusations like that.”
Albert knew this could spiral out of control. From experience, he understood that in a strange, dangerous place like this, mutual suspicion among supposed allies could lead to disaster.
“You need evidence for claims like that. You can’t just make stuff up. Couldn’t the same be said about you? How do we know you’re not the spy?”
“I can’t prove it.” Lucas scanned the group coldly, his voice steady and firm. “And I don’t need to. From now on, I won’t act with you all. I won’t turn my back on people I can’t trust.”
Without waiting for a response, he headed out, but he paused at the door and turned back to Ethan.
“What’s your Blessing?”
The abrupt question caught Ethan off guard.
“My what?”
Lucas frowned, scrutinizing Ethan’s face for any sign of deception. Seeing no lie, his brow relaxed, and a strange smile crept onto his lips.
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