Chapter 23 - The Girl in the Red Sweater
The laughter came again.
Soft.
Playful.
Margaret followed the sound through another corridor until she reached an indoor courtyard illuminated by artificial sunlight.
Flowers bloomed beneath glass panels in the ceiling.
A fountain trickled quietly in the center.
Standing beside it was a young girl wearing a bright red sweater.
She couldn't have been older than ten.
She looked completely calm.
Almost as though she had been expecting visitors.
When she noticed Margaret, she smiled warmly.
"You're finally here."
Margaret approached carefully.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Clara."
"Do you live here?"
Clara nodded.
"I've always lived here."
Rebecca exchanged worried glances with Daniel.
"There shouldn't be children here."
Clara tilted her head.
"Why not?"
Arthur stepped closer.
"Who takes care of you?"
"The Archivist."
"Where is the Archivist?"
Clara simply pointed toward a tall wooden door at the opposite side of the courtyard.
Before anyone could move, Clara asked a question that stopped Margaret cold.
"Did Grandma Eleanor remember to leave you the blue blanket?"
Silence settled over the courtyard.
Margaret slowly knelt until she was eye level with the girl.
"How do you know Eleanor?"
Clara smiled with complete innocence.
"She taught me how to knit."
Arthur's face lost all color.
Helen gripped the back of a nearby bench to steady herself.
Rebecca whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Clara..."
"...when did you last see Eleanor?"
The little girl thought for a moment before answering.
"Last Tuesday."
May you like
No one spoke.
Because if Clara was telling the truth, Eleanor had been inside Section Thirteen only a few days earlier—and someone in the facility knew exactly where she was now.
