Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Lina sat cross-legged on the floor, staring in Lily’s direction. “I’m so jealous,” she said, her voice muffled.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

“I wish I could get my panel unlocked too,” Lina said.

She traced a circle on her pant leg. “I wonder if moving to Draconia would let me unlock it.”

No one responded. Honestly, who wouldn’t be jealous? Who wouldn’t want their panel unlocked? At least then you’d know your stats. But right now, it seems the only way is by pulling a stat card.

Outside, the mall was still in chaos. Screams echoed in from time to time-some close, some far, some short, some drawn out until they faded into whimpers, then silence.

Lyra perched on the counter, watching the cats outside, but her mind was elsewhere.

Last round, in the Cursed Forest mission, the ice tree, conjured from dreams, even managed to resist at the very end.

Even an ice tree without a soul could resist.

What about these cats? She could clearly see that there was a soul inside each of them.

‘Could they be awakened?’ Lyra wondered.

Her feline eyes narrowed.

I’m not sure, she thought.

‘Guess there’s only one way to find out, Lyra mused.

She hopped off the counter and made her way to the spot right under the vent, glancing up at the opening, which was blocked by a backpack.

“Meow.”

She let out a meow and raised her front paw, pointing at the vent.

Sergei glanced at the Maine Titan, unsure. “Lyra, you want to go out?”

Lyra gave a little nod.

Sergei climbed onto a shelf and yanked the backpack out of the vent. The orange peel scent drifted out, and cold air flooded in from the duct.

Lyra pushed off with her hind legs, sprang up, hooked her front paws onto the vent’s edge, and slipped inside with a nimble flip.

“Goddess Lyra!” Lily rushed over, staring up with her mouth agape. A fluffy tail flicked out of the vent for a second before vanishing.

Sergei stuffed the backpack back into the vent and hit it with a couple more sprays of perfume.

Lina stood frozen, her hands clasped together. “She’s gone out alone again.”

Lydia leaned back against the shelf, arms crossed. “Eh, you’ll get used to it. Just stay safe and don’t drag her down-that’s all we gotta do.”

15:14 Tue, Jun 30 d

Chapter 84

Lyra crawled through the vent for about forty feet, then stuck her head out of another opening. She scanned her surroundings-ten cats were spread out across the mall.

Her mind raced. If she wanted to weave a dream for them, she’d have to get close. But with ten cats roaming three floors. she’d need to bring them together first.

‘How do I get them all in one place?’ Lyra wondered.

Before she could figure it out, a fluffy blur darted around the corner.

It was the Maine Titan.

The real one.

The two Maine Titans ran smack into each other in the middle of the hallway. The real one cocked its head to the side and/ let out a curious, “Meow meow meow?”

‘Huh?’ the real Maine Titan wondered.

Its pupils dilated as it stared at Lyra for a couple of seconds, then tilted its head again. “Meow?” “Wait, why are there two of me?’ it wondered.

Lyra’s tail stiffened for a split second, then relaxed. ‘Got it! I know what to do now!’ she thought.

The real Maine Titan took another step closer, its nose twitching. The next second, its fur stood on end.

“Mrrrowww!” it yowled. ‘How dare you pretend to be me!’

It arched its back, making itself look twice as big, and let out a low, menacing growl, its front paws scraping the floor.

Lyra lifted her head and meowed, “Meow.” “You’re the fake one, nya-nya.’

After throwing that taunt, she spun around and bolted.

As she ran, a burst of white light exploded around her. Her body stretched, her bones lengthened, and her fur melted away -Lyra was back in her human form.

Behind her, the real Maine Titan let out a fierce yowl and launched itself after her, all four paws pounding the floor.

“Mrrrow! Mrrrow! Mrrrow!” it yowled.

The Maine Titan was right on her tail, meowing up a storm. Lyra had no clue what those meows meant, but judging by the tone, it was definitely cussing her out.

‘Hey, if I can’t understand it, it’s not an insult!’ Lyra thought, grinning to herself.

Lyra dashed past a sports store, made a sharp turn, and sprinted toward the stairs.

The Tricolor Mimic popped its head out from the escalator, ears perked up, watching Lyra race by with the Maine Titan chasing right behind her.

“Meow?” the Tricolor Mimic chirped.

Lyra ignored the Tricolor Mimic completely, jumped right over its head, and charged down the escalator toward the first floor.

The Tricolor Mimic paused for a second, then darted after her.

“That’s two chasing me now, Lyra thought.

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Chapter 84

Lyra barreled into the first-floor lobby and ran right into the Shadowcat by the fountain The Shadowcat sprang to its feet, all four paws braced, eyes fixed on her.

That’s three now, Lyra thought.

Lyra didn’t slow down. She circled the fountain and bolted toward the south side. The Golden Veil darted out from a store entrance, tilted its head at her, then joined the chase.

“That’s four now, Lyra thought.

As she dashed through the atrium, the Silver Whisper leaped down from the second floor, landing about fifteen feet ahead of her and blocking her path.

“That’s five now, Lyra thought.

Lyra braked sharply, veered left, and darted into a side corridor.

The cats chased after her, their paws pattering against the floor in a rapid, steady beat-so dense it sounded just like a rainstorm.

She reached the end of the corridor, skidded around a sharp corner, and nearly crashed into a pillar. She braced herself against it, using the momentum to swing around.

She glanced back.

Six cats now-somehow the Ragdoll Healer had popped up out of nowhere, running right behind Silver Whisper, those blue eyes lighting up the darkness like headlights.

Lyra ducked under a row of toppled shelves, squeezed through the gaps, and dashed over to the escalator.

The Ambercat was hunkered down at the bottom of the escalator, its round face looking utterly bewildered.

“That’s seven now, Lyra thought.

Lyra reached out and gave the Ambercat’s head a good rub as she dashed past, not even breaking stride.

The Ambercat’s ears twitched, its body stiffening for just a moment. “Mrrrow!” it yowled. ‘How dare you, you insolent human! Who gave you permission to touch my head!”

Without missing a beat, the Ambercat joined the chase-unsurprisingly, it was the fastest, catching up to Lyra in a flash. Seeing this, Lyra spun around suddenly, and the Ambercat skidded to a screeching halt.

Lyra’s stamina was running low, but she couldn’t help but grin.

‘Here they come! All of them!’ Lyra thought, her heart racing with excitement.

She deliberately slowed her pace, pulled an orange peel from her pocket, and tossed it over her shoulder at the Maine Titan right behind her. The peel smacked the Maine Titan right on the forehead and bounced off.

The Maine Titan freaked out. “Mrrrow!” it yowled. ‘She threw poop at my head!”

It sped up even more.

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