Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 16
For Ethan, this might have been the first time in his life entering a girl’s bedroom, but he had no interest in looking around; he just wanted to find key clues.
Yesterday on the second floor, he’d confirmed that when the master and mistress were out, their rooms were always locked, though he didn’t know if they locked them when inside.
In his guess, Bella’s room should fall under the locked category too. If she caught someone rummaging through it while she was away, she might be forced by the rules to kill the guest, like the butler had done.
That was probably why Bella stressed she’d be playing piano in the music room: to ensure she wouldn’t run into guests in her bedroom.
“I’ve been thinking; we should divide the work.”
As the three prepared to search, Ethan spoke up suddenly.
Seeing their confused looks, he scratched his head.
“We only have six people left now. Lucas isn’t much of a team player, so swapping info with him will be tough. Then Daisy and Grace are checking the second floor, which we can’t count on much. That leaves the third floor for me alone, which is fine, but mainly the first floor.”
“With six days remaining, the sooner we uncover the castle’s secrets, the better our chances of survival. So I suggest you two investigate the first floor, and we’ll pool our info tonight. What do you think?”
The three fell quiet for a moment.
“Just me and him?” Serena’s voice carried some reluctance.
“If Bella’s really on the human side, then I’ll be safe alone on the third floor. But for you two, investigating together is safer than going solo.”
“Okay,” Serena nodded with effort.
Seeing her agree, Albert looked awkward; he could tell she felt safer with Ethan than with him.
Soon, the two left the room, leaving Ethan alone inside.
Bella’s room had a very girly vibe, mostly in pink tones, spotlessly tidy, fresh and cute at a glance, with a large kangaroo plushie by the bed.
Everything in sight fit a little girl’s style, except for the painting above the bed.
It was a creepy piece; at first it looked like just a black frame, but closer inspection revealed black textures outlining a circular object, split in half by a dark red line.
Where there’s something out of place, there’s trouble. Ethan had no intention of touching the painting. Its mismatch in the room would naturally draw curiosity and prompt investigation.
The Detection and Evasion skills from Snake made him instinctively repel it, so he looked away without hesitation and started searching the room.
He began with the nightstand, desk, vanity, wardrobe, and other furniture, but found nothing that qualified as a clue.
What would a clue even be?
As he searched, Ethan pondered and noticed something odd: he’d found a few personal photos of Bella, dressed casually in things like sundresses, far less exaggerated than her current gothic style. She looked like the pure, cute girl next door, with skin not so pale and a sweet smile on her face.
But that wasn’t the issue; it was this:
There were no family photos of the three of them in the room.
More precisely, there were photos, but someone had cut out the parents with scissors, leaving only Bella, which explained their irregular shapes.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.