Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

(Congratulations to Draconia player Lyra Vance. S-rank reward drawn: Randomly clear all Wraiths from one district’]

At the mission entrance, all eleven of them went still. Every pair of eyes landed on the barefoot girl in tattered clothes. streaked with blood.

Sergei’s mouth hung open forever, but not a single word came out.

Lina’s tears, just wiped dry, were spilling out all over again. She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide as saucers.

Lydia threw Lyra two thumbs up.

Every face in the room said the same thing: envy.

Over on the Draconia stream, the chat blew up all over again.

LyraMyldol: [S. S-RANK. Another S-rank.]

NeverAteVeggies: [Clear an entire district. A WHOLE district. Am I reading that right?]

BornToCuss: [Did Goddess Lyra save the galaxy in a past life? Two games, two S-ranks?]

LuckyKoi: [Probability is dead. Statistics is dead. Goddess Lyra IS the supernatural]

LyrasNumberOneFan: [Supernatural my ass. That’s pure skill from my goddess.]

AnotherDayAlive: [Sob sob sob we’re getting a district back. A WHOLE district back.]

GoDraconia: [Goddess Lyra. Goddess Lyra. Goddess Lyra.]

LyraForeverGoddess: [I’m crying, I’m actually crying, I give up, Goddess Lyra is my religion.]

Lyra walked over to Lina. “Crying again?”

I’m not crying.” Lina swiped at her face, voice shaking. “I’m happy for you.”

“Fine, fine, happy happy.”

The rest of the surviving players finished their draws one by one. Some got weapons, some food, some medicine. The expressions varied, but the look they gave Lyra was the same.

The System’s announcement rang out again.

[For the countries of captured players, one district will be selected at random for a Wraith invasion. Selection complete. List as follows:]

[Aurelia: Dextra Region.]

[Niphonia: Kansay Region.]

[Bharatia: Mumber Region.]

[Gallia: Vansay Region.]

Chapter 32

[Wraith invasion begins in 15 minutes.]

[Material rewards for winning players have been delivered to their respective countries.]

[Game exit countdown: ten seconds.]

[Next round begins in three days.]

“Three days?” she mumbled. “Isn’t it supposed to be one a day?”

White light flared, and her vision blurred for a beat.

The lights of the monitor room hit her face. Lyra steadied herself and shook her head.

Behind the glass wall stood a row of people. Lana up front, with Zoe, Garrett, Ms. Reed, and a whole crowd behind her

Lana raised her hand and brought it down.

Clap.

A second one followed.

Then Zoe. Then Garrett. Then Ms. Reed.

Outside the monitor room, the applause swelled into a wave, and every face was lit up with a smile.

Lyra stood there, head tilted. Something climbed up from the spot in her chest. She couldn’t name it, ticklish and stuffy all at once. She scratched the back of her head.

Back at the psych hospital, whenever she did something, what she got was more meds, restraints, or solitary.

Nobody had ever clapped.

This sound, aimed at her-it was a first.

“What’s wrong?” Lana stepped inside and saw her standing motionless.

“Nothing Lyra dropped her hand and flashed a grin. “You guys are just being weird, that’s all.”

Lana didn’t answer. Her gaze traveled from Lyra’s face down to her clothes, then to her bare feet. “Infirmary first

“Food first.”

“The exam’s quick. Just cleaning up the wounds.”

“Food first.”

Lana stared at her. Lyra stared right back. Neither one would bulge.

“We clean up the wounds first. While the exam’s running, you tell the kitchen what you want, and it’ll be on the table when you walk out.”

Lyra’s eyes rolled around. That was a condition she could work with.

“Roast pork.”

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Chapter 32

‘Done’

“And barbecue ribs.”

“Donc.”

Lyra was happy. Satisfied.

Zoe reached out from the side-a small jar of lollipops sat in her palm. Lyra’s eyes lit up. She grabbed one, tore the wrapper off, and popped it into her mouth.

Taste like grape.

“Alright then.” The lollipop muffled her voice. “Hurry up, hurry up, let’s get the exam over with.”

Lana turned and glanced at Zoe.

Zoe snapped to attention. “I’ll go let the kitchen know right now.”

The infirmary door swung open, and the smell of antiseptic hit her face.

Dr. Walsh was already inside. The sterile kit was open, with cotton swabs, iodine, and gauze lined up in neat rows.

Lyra walked in, spotted Dr. Walsh, and rolled the lollipop around in her mouth. “Dr. Walsh, we meet again.”

Dr. Walsh looked up. When she saw the state Lyra was in, the tweezers in her hand froze.

Last time, it had been one wound.

This time, two on her back, one on her side. The bloodstains on her clothes had dried and stuck to her skin.

Her soles were rubbed raw, her arms scraped, and gravel dust was wedged under her fingernails.

Dr. Walsh ordered, “Lie down.”

Lyra obediently flopped onto the exam bed, chin on the pillow, the lollipop stick poking out from the corner of her mouth.

Dr. Walsh cut away the shirt covering her back. When she saw the two new wounds, her scissors stopped.

The old gash from last time, running from the back of her right shoulder down to her side, was still bandaged, the edges soaked through with blood and stuck to a fresh scab.

Right next to it were two new cuts-one slashed horizontally across her back, the other angled down, the edges of skin curling up.

Dr. Walsh drew in a long breath, picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and began cleaning, bit by bit. “You went at it with the Wraiths?”

“Nope. Just grazed me a couple times.”

“Grazed you a couple times?” Dr. Walsh’s voice climbed half an octave. “You call this being grazed? One wound last time, three this time. Next time, are you planning to replace all the skin on your back?”

“No way, no way.” Lyra crunched on the lollipop, her voice muffled by the pillow. “Next time I’ll dodge faster.”

Dr. Walsh’s hand paused, then kept wiping. “Don’t go head-to-head with those things, okay?”

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Chapter 32

“Mm

“If you can’t grab the chest, leave it. Your life is worth more than anything

“Mm-hm.”

“You’re still so young, and already so many scars-

“Dr. Walsh.” Lyra tipped her head sideways, the lollipop stick tilting up. “You did this last time too. Talk and talk until your eyes go red.”

Dr. Walsh lowered her head and pressed a strip of gauze over the wound with her tweezers.

They’re not red.”

“Liar.”

Dr. Walsh said nothing. Her hands moved more gently now, gauze layered on, medical tape pressed down in neat strips.

When she got to the wound on Lyra’s side, Lyra hissed through her teeth.

“Hurts?”

“Just a teeny bit.”

Dr. Walsh studied the depth of the cut and slowed the iodine swab down.

“You came back worse this time than last.”

“This time was an accident.”

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