The mansion glittered like a place where pain was not allowed to exist.<\/p>\n
Crystal chandeliers poured light over white roses, gold trays, silk dresses, black suits, and champagne glasses that never stayed empty for long.<\/p>\n
I moved through it all with a tray in my hands and a fake smile on my face.<\/p>\n
My name was Grace Miller.<\/p>\n
I was not supposed to notice anything.<\/p>\n
That was what the event manager told us before the party began.<\/p>\n
\u201cServe. Smile. Stay invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I served.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
I stayed invisible.<\/p>\n
Until I heard the sound.<\/p>\n
Thump.<\/p>\n
I stopped near the west hallway, between a marble fireplace and a wall covered with paintings so large they looked like museum pieces.<\/p>\n
A man laughed behind me.<\/p>\n
A woman complained that the caviar was too cold.<\/p>\n
A pianist played something soft and expensive in the next room.<\/p>\n
Then I heard it again.<\/p>\n
Thump.<\/p>\n
Thump.<\/p>\n
Not loud.<\/p>\n
Not from the floor.<\/p>\n
From the wall.<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the tray.<\/p>\n
I turned slowly.<\/p>\n
The sound came from behind a massive oil painting of a woman in a blue dress. Her painted eyes looked calm, almost bored, while something behind her knocked again.<\/p>\n
Thump.<\/p>\n
My heart began to race.<\/p>\n
I set my tray on a side table.<\/p>\n
I looked around.<\/p>\n
No one was watching me.<\/p>\n
Everyone was too busy admiring the mansion, the champagne, and the woman who owned it.<\/p>\n
Vivian Blackwood.<\/p>\n
The richest widow in the county.<\/p>\n
The woman throwing a charity gala for missing children.<\/p>\n
That was the sick part.<\/p>\n
Her whole house was full of posters with smiling kids on them.<\/p>\n
Donation cards.<\/p>\n
Gold ribbons.<\/p>\n
Speeches about protection.<\/p>\n
And behind the painting, someone was knocking.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
The knocking stopped.<\/p>\n
A tiny voice answered from inside the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n
I grabbed the frame with both hands.<\/p>\n
It was heavy.<\/p>\n
Too heavy for one person.<\/p>\n
But fear gave me strength.<\/p>\n
I pulled.<\/p>\n
The painting shifted.<\/p>\n
A narrow hidden door appeared behind it.<\/p>\n
There was a brass latch.<\/p>\n
My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped it.<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
Darkness breathed out.<\/p>\n
And inside, curled in a tiny space no bigger than a closet, was a little girl.<\/p>\n
She could not have been more than seven.<\/p>\n
Her face was wet with tears.<\/p>\n
Her hair was tangled.<\/p>\n
Her wrists were tied with a silk scarf.<\/p>\n
Her knees were pulled to her chest.<\/p>\n
For one second, she stared at me like she did not believe I was real.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The mansion glittered like a place where pain was not allowed to exist. Crystal chandeliers poured light over white roses, gold trays, silk dresses, black suits, and champagne glasses that never stayed empty for long. I moved through it all with a tray in my hands and a fake smile on my face. My name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-366","sr_chapter","type-sr_chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sr_chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/366\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}