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When it turned, she nearly cried

It wasn’t until the door was closed behind her that she felt her heart start again It was less dark out here, in the hallway Soht was on

It was faint, but unmistakable

Violet crept forward on careful, noiseless feet It was only then that she realized she wasn’t wearing her own clothesthat she was dressed in what looked like a child’s nightgown It was old-fashioned and stiff, and the lace at her neck itched She reached up to scratch it, freezing as she caught a gliernails were painted a fahtened and she forgot about the lace, her feet hts crystal clear She had to escape

Like a ht and found herself standing in a cave of sorts Everyhad been sealed, covered with ether with long strips of silver duct tape There was no way she could look outsideno way to see where she was

She glanced around her The hoown she wore Most of the furniture was delicate: velvet cushions and carved woods with intricate, spindled legs There were figurines and vases and painted chests Things that could easily be antiques, she supposed, but seee patchwork collectionthe s Beside the brick hearth, perfect rows of fireere neatly stacked

The light itself came fro they were alone, that it was just the two of them in this house She hoped he didn’t have a partner

She held her breath as she nudged the door open with her toe and found herself staring into the kitchen It was s theabove the sink The appliances were avocado green, re on the counter, the one thing Violet had been searching for: a telephone

She could hardly believe her luck She couldn’t believe she was actually going to survive this ordeal after all

The old rotary dial telephone was the sarandmother had once had, and Violet snatched it off the counter as she dropped to her knees, clutching the phone on her lap She lifted the receiver to her ear and listened

She waited

She pressed the button on the base, the one that would end a call, jiggling it up and down

But there was nothing No dial tone No sound at all

She checked the back of the phone, suddenly feeling the floor drop out fro There was no cord connecting it to the wall

She leaned her head back, releasing a silent mewl No, she wailed inwardly No!

She had no idea how many precious minutes she’d already wasted, or howas quietly as she could through the kitchen drawers, she realized she wasn’t going to find the cord Not easily, anywayand definitely not quickly enough

There was only one choice: She was going to have to take her chances outside

She didn’t have tirabbed whatever she could find