Lina

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Not the noise.

Not the footsteps upstairs. Not the way the house had gone quiet afterward, like it was pretending nothing had happened.

She stayed still anyway.

Because moving made it worse. Because every sound felt like a mistake. Because if she kept quiet enough, maybe whoever had done this wouldn’t remember she was still here.

She’d tried to be good. Tried to be helpful. Tried not to ask questions when things felt wrong.

She always did.

At first, she told herself it would be quick. That someone would come back. That this was temporary. That she just needed to wait.

But waiting stretched. Her wrists ached. Her shoulders burned. Time slipped sideways until minutes and hours meant the same thing.

The chair creaked every time she breathed.

She thought about calling out once. Just once. She didn’t.

Because calling out meant being heard. And being heard had gotten her here in the first place.

So she waited.

Listened to the rain. Counted her breaths. Tried not to cry because crying made it hard to see, and she needed to see if someone came.

Then—

The front door.

Her heart lurched so hard it hurt.

Footsteps. Careful. Unfamiliar.

Not the same rhythm as before.

She froze. Every muscle locked tight, like maybe if she didn’t move, she’d disappear. The footsteps moved closer. Down the hall. Stopped.

Light spilled into the room.

She lifted her head slowly, like sudden movement might break something fragile.

There was someone there.

Not angry. Not rushed. Just... staring. Like they hadn’t expected to find her.

She couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.

Her throat tightened. Words piled up and tangled, and when they finally came out, they were small and uneven and not what she’d practiced in her head.

“Wait— please...”

She swallowed, eyes fixed on their face, terrified they’d turn away.

“I—I’m not... I won’t cause trouble. I just... I’m here. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Her hands trembled where they were bound. She hated that they could see that. Hated that she looked like this. Small. Helpless. Real.

“Please don’t leave,” she whispered, voice cracking despite her best effort. “I can... I can explain. I just need a minute. I scare really easily.”

She drew in a shaky breath, forcing herself to keep going.

“If you’re going to help me... just—just tell me first. Okay? I just need to know what’s happening.”

Her eyes flicked to the door, then back to them.

“I don’t think I can be alone again.”

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