Page 93 of Song of the Abyss

Bitsy made quick work of it, and Ace had been waiting for her.

“You in?”

“I’m in. Show me the map to get back to my old rooms.”

A map projected right in front of her. The blue lines showed her which tunnels to trace her way back to her old room, although there would likely be an issue as soon as she got there. After all, there was no entrance into the pool systems anymore.

“Have you gotten anywhere in draining the pool?” she asked, turning left and almost slipping on some left over algae.

“No. Looks like they sealed off the entrance to your pool. I don’t know if there’s even water in it. But there seem to be service tunnels that might be of use.”

“Just let me know which ones to break into.”

“You have the tools Mira gave you?”

Yes, but she wasn’t very good at using them. Mira had given her the run down on how to use all the tools themselves, but now that she was freezing with shaking hands and absolute terror dogging her steps, she wasn’t sure if she could do it.

“Yes,” she replied, turning again. “I have the tools.”

“Good.”

“I’m not sure I can...” she trailed off, not sure what to say.

There were a few blinking lights before Ace replied, “You have to.”

Of course she did. Because no one else could do this as easily as she could. No more lives deserved to be risked because she was afraid to face her father.

Anya steeled herself and kept moving. There was a service entrance, just like Ace had suggested. The short ladder took her right up to the small hatch that had apparently been hidden behind a wall near her pool her entire life. How many times had someone come in here? Had her father ever had someone spy on her?

It took her four times to get the screwdriver into the marks that Mira had told her to put them in. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped the automatic tool.

With a deep breath, she let the hatch drop and then released Bitsy into the room. Even though her droid was a little worse for wear, and moving slower than she should, she made quick work of her job. Climbing up the wall, she scrambled the camera long enough for Anya to get out of the hatch and step into her old bathing room.

As she shucked her wetsuit off, she marveled at how nothing had changed. If she stood still, she could almost pretend that nothing had happened. She had been here her entire life. Maybe she’d fallen and clocked her head on the side of the pool and dreamt all of this up. But then she felt the aching bruise on her neck where Daios’s tentacle sank underneath her skin, and she knew it had been real.

And she had a job to do.

Mira had offered her one of her few dresses that was still in good shape. The bright blue fabric was pretty and almost looked like it fit Anya. It was still dry enough to convince her father that she had been here for a while.

“Come on,” she said, reaching her arm out so Bitsy could jump onto it. “It’s show time.”

Smoothing her hair back, she made one more check to make sure she didn’t have a drop of water on her, and then strode into her bedroom. Nothing had changed here, either. All of it was exactly where she had left it. Like she’d just walked out yesterday.

That would only make it easier for her argument. Sitting down at her dresser, she started pulling out small pieces of makeup. Lipstick. Eyeliner. Pieces she hadn’t had at her disposal for a while.

It took exactly three minutes and forty-two seconds before the door to her bedroom slammed open and her father strode through with rage turning his face ugly. “Where have you been?”

She pretended to look startled, not even struggling when two of her father’s men stomped in after him and grabbed her by the arms. “Dad? What is going on? You said you knew where I was going! I told you I was spending a few days with my friend.”

“Days? You’ve been gone for weeks!”

Of course she had. She knew that. But she blinked up at him, making her eyes a little wider and even more innocent. “I lost track of time, Daddy! I’m so sorry to have worried you. I’ve been back for a while, though. Surely you noticed?”

Let the games begin.

34

Daios

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