Page 45 of Maddox

"Good," Anna said softly. "Now, can you tell me about the other people in that house? Did you ever see anyone besides Jeremy?"

I frowned, trying to remember. "There were guards sometimes. They didn't talk to me."

"Were there other Little girls there?" Anna asked gently.

I nodded slowly. "In the beginning. I saw them at...at mealtimes." My voice became smaller. "Then they started disappearing."

"Disappearing?" Anna prompted.

"If they were bad, they went to the naughty room," I whispered, clutching Henry tighter. "And then they were gone."

I saw Daddy tense from the corner of my eye, but he remained silent, letting Anna guide the conversation.

"Can you tell me about the naughty room?" Anna asked.

I shook my head violently. "Don't wanna."

"That's okay," Anna assured me quickly. "You don't have to talk about anything that feels too scary."

I relaxed slightly, my breathing evening out again.

"Clare," Anna continued after a moment, "you mentioned an 'evil king' to your Daddy. Can you tell me about him?"

I stared at my hands, feeling a strange mixture of fear and confusion. "The king watches," I whispered. "Through the magic mirrors."

"Magic mirrors?" Anna asked gently.

I nodded. "In the walls. In the ceilings. Everywhere. Jeremy said the king likes to watch his princesses."

"Did you ever see this king?" Anna prompted.

I shook my head. "No. But Jeremy talked to him sometimes. On the phone."

I noticed Daddy and Anna exchange a quick glance.

"The king picks his favorite princesses," I continued, my voice dropping even quieter. "If you're good enough, you get to go to his castle. But..." I trailed off, a chill running through me.

"But what, sweetheart?" Anna encouraged.

"Nobody ever came back from the castle," I whispered. "I think...I think they go away forever."

My breathing quickened, and I felt myself starting to panic. Daddy moved closer immediately, his presence warm and solid beside me.

"You're safe now, princess," he murmured, his hand gently stroking my back. "You're with Daddy. Nothing can hurt you here."

I leaned into his touch, drawing comfort from his presence. Anna waited patiently until my breathing steadied again.

"Clare," Anna said carefully, "do you know where this castle might be?"

I frowned, concentrating hard. "Jeremy said it was far away. Somewhere with desert, scrub, hot. And huge cities." I closedmy eyes, struggling to remember. "He showed me pictures once. Said if I was very, very good, I might get to go there."

"Do you remember anything else about those pictures?" Anna asked gently.

I shook my head, then paused. "There was a big lake. Blue like the sky."

Daddy shifted slightly beside me, and I could feel the tension in his body, though his hand remained gentle on my back.

"Did Jeremy ever mention a name for this place?" Anna pressed.

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