The Anonymous

Epilogue: Inception

Shannon's POV

I was running straight ahead while looking for a nice place to hide. This huge mansion has so many rooms which were not open to the public that is why I'm unfamiliar with the place. If I am correct, he must've been done counting by now and looking for me. This time I need to beat him and end his winning streak. That's why when I saw a small door in the next hallway, I unhesitatingly opened it and hid inside.

While trying to catch my breath, my eyes gradually adjusted to the dark room. I walked carefully to scan the room which has a huge round table in the middle. There are thirty chairs around the table based on what I counted.

"What is this for? It's gigantic," I asked myself.

As I observed the walls of the room, I noticed that there are a lot of art pieces hanging everywhere. One of them stood out in particular; It is a big canvas in the middle of the room with a painting of a mask.

I approached the captivating painting in awe. I really love art, especially paintings like these. This specific art piece feels like there are countless stories behind it, behind the mask. At first glance you'll feel scared by how eerie it looks but when you look at it closely and appreciate it more, you'll see how beautiful it is.

"Wow. This is so lovely! Mama should see this," I whisper to myself.

Forgetting that I was in the middle of a game due to the wonderful painting I saw, I exited the room and looked for my Mama. I ran towards the dirty kitchen of the mansion and asked from her confrère.

"I got you!! I won again!"

"Wh-What? Oh! I forgot!" I facepalmed when I remembered that we were playing hide and seek. The art was just so irresistible and hypnotizing.

Xeno danced in victory with a mocking face which made me laugh instead of angering me. He's so adorable when he's making faces. He looks so serious most of the time especially when his dad or grandfather are around, so it's really nice seeing him have fun.

"You should do your dare now, Ed. I bet you'll look fabulous wearing a skirt," he laughed while teasing me.

Of course I'll look beautiful wearing a skirt, I'm a girl after all, but he doesn't know that.

We decided to go to his room so that I could execute his dare. This was the reason why I was so eager to win the game. I don't want to wear these kinds of clothes knowing that Papa will get angry at me when he finds out.

I sighed when I saw the dress he prepared on his bed. He must've been so excited and was anticipating this moment.

"Get inside now, buddy," he chuckled and gently pushed me inside his huge bathroom.

"Fine fine! I hate you.".

"Oh no you don't." He grinned before completely closing the door.

I stared at the dress for a good minute but realized that I had no choice but to wear it. Begrudgingly, I changed into the dress.

When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but smile. I was so used to wearing baggy and manly clothes that I forgot how good dresses are. I twirled around and felt myself while wearing it. It's one of the rare moments that I wear clothes like these in front of other people aside from my family.

"Slow poke! Are you still not done yet? Come on, Ed!" I heard loud knocks followed by Xeno's impatient voice. I rolled my eyes before opening the door for him.