Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Lina? Why aren’t you opening the door? Did something happen to you guys?”

Lyra’s voice rang out agam, this time hurried and anxious, her words coming faster than before

Lina gripped her knees so tightly that her nails pressed deep into the fabric of her pants.

“Damn those Wraith cats! I’m going to track them down and get revenge for you guys!”

“Wait!” Lina almost shot up from her seat.

Lily grabbed her wrist, clinging to Lina’s arm with both hands, heels scraping against the floor as she dragged her back.

“Don’t open it!”

Lina glanced down at her. Lily’s face was bright red, lips pressed into a stubborn line, her hands gripping Lina’s wrist like lifeline, refusing to let go.

Lina opened her mouth. “But what if it really is Lyra? If she goes after those Wraith cats, isn’t she just putting herself in danger?”

“No,” Lily said softly, but every word carried weight.

“What did Goddess Lyra turn into when she left?”

Lina froze for a moment, and Sergei and Lydia both turned to look at Lily.

“A cat, Lina said, her voice changing. “She turned into a Cowcat.”

“Exactly.” Lily let go of Lina’s wrist and stepped back. “Do Cowcats talk like humans?”

Lina felt a chill run down her spine. Cowcats couldn’t talk-only Tricolor Mimics could.

If Lyra was in cat form right now, she’d just be meowing. There’s no way she’d be outside, yelling for us to open the door like

a person.

Lydia walked over from the shelf, her voice barely above a whisper. “And when she left, she went out through the ventilation duct.

She glanced up at the ventilation duct in the ceiling, blocked by a backpack.

“If it’s Lyra, she’d come back through the duct, not the front door.”

The four of them exchanged glances, but the voice outside didn’t stop.

“Lina, Lily, I promise I’ll get revenge for you!”

“It’s all my fault. The cats caught me, and my Transform Card stopped working, so I couldn’t shift back into a cat. The vent’s way too tight for a human to squeeze through.”

“If I could’ve come back through the duct earlier, you guys wouldn’t have been in danger.”

Lina’s hand trembled again. They all knew that if a Transform Card was exposed, it would stop working. If Lyra’s card really did fail, and she turned back into a human, there was no way she could squeeze through the ventilation duct.

So the front door was her only way back.

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Sergei gripped his hiking pole. his brow furrowed as he looked at Lydia. Is there any chance it’s really her”

Lydia didn’t answer. She was thinking, It’s possible the Transform Card failed, and it’s possible the cats found her too

“But if Lyra really is out there and we leave her locked out…” Lina’s voice quivered with uncertainty

“Don’t open it, Lily said, her voice crisp and resolute.

The three adults looked down at her.

Lily stood beside the camping lantern, its glow casting an eerie light upward onto her face. She was just a ten-year-old gr but not a hint of hesitation showed in her eyes.

“What did Goddess Lyra say before she left?”

Lily repeated every word, slow and clear. “No matter what you hear outside-game announcements, someone yelling for help, or knocking-don’t open the door.”

“I remember every single word Goddess Lyra said.” Lily thought, ‘Hmph! When Goddess Lyra gets back. I’m totally ratting these guys out! They’re so dumb! No wonder only Goddess Lyra and I can carry the team and beat this game!

And just like that, the three adults finally got it.

“And besides, it called me Lily-Goddess Lyra always calls me Lil Lily. That’s not something she’d ever get wrong.”

“The first time it said, ‘Lina, Lily, open the door,’ I knew right away something was off. Then it tried to fix it and called me Lil Lily, but switching like that just made it even weirder.”

Lydia narrowed her eyes. “This kid’s logic is way sharper than I expected. Are all Draconian players really this impressive”

“Don’t open it.” Lydia said, making up her mind.

Lina took a deep breath, moved her hands from her knees, and nodded. Sergei crossed his hiking pole in front of him and stepped back two paces.

There was a five-second silence outside the door.

Then Lyra’s voice changed. It wasn’t urgent anymore-now it was soft, almost helpless.

“Lil Lily, it’s really me. So you’re really still inside? You guys seriously don’t trust me?”

Lily’s shoulders tensed, but she didn’t move.

“You promised we’d fight our way through this game together, didn’t you?”

Lily bit down on the inside of her cheek.

I need you right now.”

Lily crouched down, covering her ears with both hands. Her voice was muttled behind her palms. “Goddess Lyra said not to open the door, so that’s what we’re doing.”

“Goddess Lyra’s like ten thousand times smarter than me. Whatever she says, I follow.”

Outside, the silence stretched on and on.

Then, a low, disgruntled meow came from outside the roller shutter, sounding a bit unwilling.

After that, there were more meows-maybe the cat was grumbling to itself or chatting with its friends. Either way, the

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Chapter 73

meows got quieter and quieter until they faded away.

Lily finally let go of her ears, let out a long breath, and turned to look at the three adults.

“It’s gone,” she said.

Lina slumped to the floor, completely drained. “Oh my god, do Tricolor Mimics really sound just like us

Lily didn’t stop there. Her eyes flicked back and forth, then she suddenly looked up at Lydia.

“Lydia, Goddess Lyra said Tabby Mirages can cast illusions,” Lily said.

Lydia nodded.

The Tricolor Mimic’s voice couldn’t fool us, but what if a Tabby Mirage tries to trick us next?” Lily’s words tumbled out faster and faster.

“If a Tabby Mirage casts an illusion on us, would we just end up opening the door without even realizing it?”

Lina’s head snapped up.

“So we need to tie ourselves down,” Lily said.

She turned toward the shelf, her eyes locking onto a coil of climbing rope. “Let’s tie our hands to the pillar that’s farthest from the door.”

“That way, even if a Tabby Mirage messes with our heads, we won’t be able to reach the door.”

Lydia walked over, picked up the coil of climbing rope, and gave it a quick check. It was over thirty feet long-plenty for what they needed.

“Alright,” she said.

Sergei grabbed the rope and gave the pillar a good yank. It was a metal display rack welded down to the floor-totally

unmovable.

He wrapped the rope around the pillar, tied a figure-eight knot, and tugged hard a couple times. The thing didn’t move an inch.

Tll go first, Sergei said, slipping the rope loop over his left wrist and pulling the knot tight with his right hand.

Lydia got Lina secured, then moved on to Lily. Lily’s wrists were so skinny that Lydia had to wrap the rope around three times before it was snug enough.

“Does it hurt?” Lydia asked.

“Nope, Lily said, giving her wrist a little shake and testing it out. She could sit, stand, or squat without any trouble, but she was still about fifteen feet away from the roller shutter.

Lydia tied the last bit of rope around her own wrist, biting down on the knot with her teeth to make sure it was tight.

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