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@beth20 Thanks for the summary! It did help!

@anne_the_noob14 Okay, thanks for keeping up with everything! You’re an excellent second-in-command. I think it is a good idea for you to do the next topic if more people join because I can’t promise I’ll be extremely active.

@rusted-knight Wow, I like the symbolism in the mirror. I will have to use that on Marlowe soon.

—

Marlowe was just a shadow among shadows. She passed unseen through the halls of this ancient castle, examining its rooms and listening to the voices of the people who were trapped just as she was. She had explored many ruins on her archaeological expeditions, but never found them singularly fascinating. What was crumbling stone when compared to the grandeur of modern architecture? The past was worth nothing to her.

One of the fellows she had met treated her politely, though he seemed to think she was a resident or servant in the place. When he asked for directions, Marlowe’s mood shifted. Her mordant side smirked and said, Here’s a fellow who isn’t too full of pride to ask for directions. Outwardly, she displayed a stoic face. “I’m afraid I can’t.”

The fellow’s expression flickered between frustration and that same politeness, evidence that he was being just as deceptive as Marlowe. “But surely since you work here, you know the layout of the castle?”

Pretending to belong here was too transparent of a lie. Marlowe stared at the fellow long enough to make him uncomfortable, then said, “If I worked here, I would likely scream and throw a fit and call for the guards to throw you out, but in fact, I do not belong here any more than you do.”

A girl with black hair, green eyes, and a sweet expression suddenly entered the corridor and nearly ran into Marlowe and the strange man. “I beg your pardon.” She blushed and took a step back.

“Pardon is given,” Marlowe replied with a comforting smile, instinctively slipping into a more tender mask.

As a third person stepped onto the scene, a boy with dark hair, Marlowe retreated into the shadows to watch, her hands clasped behind her back. “Hi there. My name’s Jaylin,” said the newcomer.

The tall man smiled in a way that seemed genuine enough. “I’m Dharin. Ah…” He motioned toward Marlowe. “I was just asking her if there was a privy somewhere close.”

Jaylin squirmed a little. “Uh, I’m afraid I don’t know. I’m not quite sure where I am.”

Dharin glanced at the shorter girl. “What about you?”

“Uh… I think I saw one back that way.”

I suppose she is the curious sort who peeks into random rooms. Marlowe ignored the part of her that wanted to chuckle and point fingers like a six-year-old. Humor had its place, and that place was not here. Or, countered her analytical side, the door had a label.

“Thank you,” Dharin said. “I’ll just be going, then. Have a nice day.”

How polite. Don’t trust him.

The boy Jaylin followed the tall man, leaving Marlowe alone with the unnamed girl. But when Marlowe glanced back, her companion had disappeared without a trace. No footprints marked her passing. No sound of rustling fabric had indicated her retreat. She had utterly vanished.

Marlowe glanced up and down the corridor. One less to worry about. Just make sure the others don’t accuse you of orchestrating her disappearance. With light footsteps, Marlowe became a shadow once more, lurking and listening to the tales told by the remaining visitors to the castle. They had entered a library.

 

When Marlowe peeked through the door at the old tomes lining the walls, her nose wrinkled. Yet more dusty reminders of an inferior age. The strangers were hidden among the bookshelves, none of them looking at the door. To make her presence known, she slipped into the room, picked up a dusty book, and allowed herself to sneeze twice.

They would think that she was a careless lurker who posed no threat. All was going exactly according to plan.