Gloria felt sick to her stomach.  With every step she felt more inclined to run back to the tower.  This was stupid, wasn’t it?  If somebody wanted to speak with her, there were plenty of opportunities to do so in ordinary places at ordinary times without resorting to this silly, mysterious, sneaking around stuff.  Gloria paused to peek through a door that stood ajar and trotted along after Lisette.  

“Maybe I can go in first and hide behind something?  And I can see who it is and then sneak out tell you?”

“Would you do that?” Gloria asked, her tone clearly eager for such a favor.  “It’s probably some stupid person playing a joke, you know?” she went on.  “I wouldn’t put it past one of my brothers to send me that message just to get me going on a wild goose chase.  It’s so silly. I don’t know why we don’t just turn around right now and go back except that my mother always said my curiosity would be the death of me.”

Gloria stopped ranting only because they had come around a corner to find a door standing open with pale candlelight spilling out into the hall.  A big window box was beside the door, full of sparkling trophies and plaques.  This had to be it.  Gloria took two steps back.  She glanced around the corridor, hesitant.  

“You look first,” she implored.  “I’ll . . . I’ll keep watch.”



Gloria Watkins