Turn 7 of 12

Ask Wren to walk with you to the flat

You stand up, the legs of your chair scraping harshly against the floorboards. The sudden noise draws a few glares from the other students, but you keep your gaze fixed on Wren. She rises with a grace that is almost unnerving, her movements fluid and entirely silent, as if she doesn't displace the air as she moves. The room feels suddenly cavernous and cold, the hum of the radiators dying away as the power is cut to the seminar wing for the night.

"Are you walking back?" you ask, your voice sounding steadier than you feel. You are attempting to dictate the pace of the exit, a small, strategic move to keep her in your sight rather than letting her slip into the shadows of the hallway. You want to gauge her reaction to being observed by you, to see if the dynamic of the caretaker can be disrupted by your own active participation in her movements.

She turns to you, a slight, enigmatic tilt to her head. Her expression is perfectly schooled, a mask of polite indifference that doesn't quite mask the possessiveness in her eyes.

"I am," she replies, her voice carrying a melodic resonance that seems to linger in the air long after the words are spoken. "The walk is short, though the campus paths are prone to winding in ways that surprise the uninitiated."

She steps closer, and you feel that familiar, sudden drop in temperature, the ambient air cooling as if she carries a localized winter in her wake. She isn't just walking with you; she is framing the experience, turning the walk into a guided transit where she holds all the cards. You catch a glimpse of Dario near the door, his eyes wide and watching from the periphery, clearly debating whether to intervene or keep his distance from the unfolding scene.

"Lead the way," you say, masking your apprehension with a forced composure. You move toward the door, conscious of her presence hovering just behind your left shoulder like a shadow you cannot shake. You feel like you are walking into a trap of your own making, yet the necessity of getting out of this room outweighs the danger of being alone with her in the dark. The hallway stretches out before you, long and dimly lit, waiting for your first step into the unknown.