Lily pov
The girl didn't look up as I approached. The sobbing was a hollow, echoing sound, as if it were coming from deep underwater. My instinct was to run, to scream for the guards I hated, but the sight of her—so small and broken—stirred a protective fire in my chest.
"Hey," I whispered, kneeling a few feet away. "Are you hurt? Did Lukas do this to you?"
The girl shivered. Slowly, she turned her head. Her skin was the color of sea foam, and her eyes were wide, dark pits of sorrow. The red stains on her dress were fresh, glistening under the dim glow of the coral lamps.
"It's okay," I said, reaching out a hand. "Come sit with me. It's safer by the bed."
To my surprise, she rose silently, moving with a strange, floating grace. She sat beside me on the silk sheets, her presence radiating a cold so intense it felt like ice against my skin.
"What is your name?" I asked.
"Annabelle," she whispered. Her voice sounded like wind whistling through a shipwreck.
"That's a beautiful name," I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "How long have you been in this castle, Annabelle? Are you a prisoner too?"
"Ten years," she said. Then, she blinked, her expression flickering with confusion. "No... no, my mistake. Not ten years. Only ten days."
A prickle of dread crawled up my spine. Ten days? Ten years? The way she said it made it feel like time didn't exist for her. I wanted to ask her more, but a sudden noise at the window distracted me.
A hand gripped the stone ledge. Then another. Jack scrambled over the sill, his face bruised and his clothes soaked with seawater. He had climbed the outer wall of the fortress in the middle of a storm.
"Lily!" he gasped, leaping into the room. I threw my managed to hug him, buried my face in his chest. "I'm here. We have to go, now."
"Jack, look," I pointed to the bed. "This girl, Annabelle—she needs help too."
Jack turned, his brow furrowed. He looked at the spot where Annabelle sat, his eyes searching the empty air. "Lily... what are you talking about? There's no one there."