Thana wiped her hands on her skirt. The blood-red dress was no longer as beautiful as it had been at the beginning. Besides, Thana had been too lazy to get up and use one of the linen handkerchiefs neatly folded on a table. She had spent the rest of the time lost in thought and staring at the ceiling again. She had, however, kept the plate she had eaten from firmly tucked under her arm. It felt like hours had passed, and her legs were stiff from sitting on the bed. In an attempt to calm her thoughts, Thana had started pacing back and forth in the room.

The room was much larger than hers at home, but she could cross it in just a few steps. For a moment, Thana considered doing some exercises, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She hadn't gone mad and never did that sort of thing anyway. Thana decided that her dress was the reason she stuck to pacing, but deep down she knew she had never been into sports.

The hours seemed to drag on, and soon Thana was convinced she had paced a half-marathon. A soft creak startled her, and she pressed her ear to the door. The footsteps prompted her to hide behind the door, still clutching the plate. It was time to put part of her plan into action, she had decided. "Sorry, Delilah," Thana muttered. She wasn't sure if it would be the girl bringing her food or checking on her. But Thana couldn't imagine that no one would come to see if she was okay. If necessary, she would play the part of Mara. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the kiss. Thana closed her eyes to calm herself but immediately saw Davion leaning toward her again. She felt his hand on her hip and quickly opened her eyes.

The footsteps approached, and Thana decided they were indeed coming for her. After all, she hadn't seen any other doors in the large room. Although Saskia had told her that doors opened when you needed them, except for the large door on the other side. "I can do this," Thana whispered to the plate, making herself as small as possible. She reminded herself that she just needed to wait until the door opened, then she could get out.

Time seemed to slow down as the lock turned. The door handle went down far too slowly, and someone pushed the door open. "My lady?" someone said, but Thana didn't give the person a chance to finish speaking. As hard as she could, she struck the person who had just entered with the plate. To her own surprise, the plate shattered. Thana screamed and let the shards fall to the ground. "That hurts!" cried Saskia, who had staggered back, holding her arms up defensively. But Thana had only had a plate, which now lay in pieces on the floor. Somehow, Thana had expected more; in movies, this always seemed so much easier. She felt panic rising as she looked at the taller woman.

"S-Sorry!" Thana quickly responded, making sure to put some space between her and Saskia. Her cheek had tingled long enough after the slap last time. Thana quickly looked around to see if there was a broom anywhere. She had no desire to cut her hand on the shards scattered across the floor. "This wasn't meant to happen!" Thana lied quickly, but all she got in return was laughter. It wasn't Saskia who was laughing, though; Davion stood in the doorway, laughing as if Thana had just made the best joke ever. Seeing the man alone made Thana want to sink into the ground. Everything in her screamed to get away from him.

He seemed completely unaffected. His laugh sounded like alarm bells in Thana's head as he regained his composure. "Dear, I must admit that this is already a better plan than the hairbrush you were eyeing earlier," Davion began. His grin resembled a hyena that had cornered its prey. "I see the fire in you hasn't gone out," he added with a wink. Thana hated that she started to blush at the wink; she was old enough to understand what he meant by it. Yet, she was too embarrassed by what she had done to come up with a retort about him calling her dear again. "Saskia, will you clean this up, please?" he continued as if he couldn't sense her discomfort.

Saskia had not only recovered from the blow but also began to clean up the shards. It made Thana want to slap Davion herself. Yet she was also grateful that he wasn't angry and seemed to find it amusing. "I wanted to invite you for a walk, Mara," Davion's voice brought Thana back to where she was. She needed to stop letting her thoughts run wild in the lion's den. "If you're done throwing things, that is, my dear." It was supposed to be a joke, but Thana felt no inclination to laugh. Still, she forced a smile for lack of a better reaction. He held his hand out to her: "Unless you'd prefer to change first?"

If Thana hadn't started blushing before, she was now as red as a beet. She had completely forgotten what her dress looked like. On the other hand, this was her chance to get out of the room, and she had no idea how long his offer would stand. Quickly, she shook her head, "No, I'll come with you now!" Davion's gaze was cold as ice, and she couldn't read him at all. He reminded her of snow, Thana realized, but she couldn't quite explain why. Saskia was easier to read, shaking her head and muttering something in a language Thana couldn't understand. The choice between Davion and Saskia was quickly made as she took his hand and walked out of the room with him.

Thana had expected him to let go of her hand, but instead, he took hold of her entire arm. She wasn't sure if this was a sign of affection or his way of ensuring she wouldn't get away from his side. She recognized the room all too well, but to her great relief, the monster was no longer in its usual spot. She decided to remember that for her escape attempt; it was already looking more realistic without the monster. Now that she could focus more on her surroundings instead of the monster, she noticed that there were more vases in the room than she could count. Each of the vases was filled with a bouquet of red flowers that she vaguely recognized. She was sure her mother had them in her garden too, but she had no idea what they were called. Davion must have noticed her staring at the vases. "Each peony is for the time you've been away, my dear," he told her, making her look at him in surprise. "Your favorite flower, Maar," he smiled helpfully.

Peonies were not Thana's favorite flowers at all, which got her thinking again. Was it a sign that her mother had planted those flowers in their front yard? For years, they had been the only color the garden had. Thana couldn't understand it; earlier, she had been convinced of the truth with Delilah. But now, hanging on Davion's arm, the doubts returned. Another thought crossed her mind: how would the man react if he realized she wasn't Mara? She didn't want to find out what he was capable of, and the monster terrified her. The chance that he would simply return her home seemed non-existent. "A flower for every day I was away?" she decided to ask, trying to figure out how long Mara had been gone.

The laugh she had heard earlier filled the room again. Davion looked at her as if she had made a joke. "No, my dear," he shook his head. "Your mind is still stuck in the time from where we found you. It won't be long before the shield completely fades, and you can remember everything that happened." He winked at her again. "So we can finally punish those who deserve it." The chills were back, and Thana wasn't sure why. His confidence in punishing the culprit made her shiver, especially since she knew she wasn't Mara. Besides, what he said matched how Delilah had reacted to the fact that Mara had been gone a long time. One thing Thana knew for sure was that hundreds of flowers filled the room.

"Is everything alright, my dear?" she heard Davion ask. "Are you cold? You're shivering!" Thana didn't know how to tell him that she wasn't shivering from the cold but from the chilling feeling that had settled in her heart again. "Are you sure you still want to walk?" he continued, concerned, but Thana's throat was tight. Still, she managed to nod softly; she desperately needed some fresh air.