Black Blood

-B2- Chapter 66

After some time, staring at the black fish in dead silence, I raise my head back to the woman.

'What was I supposed to see in that mirror?' I inquire. The woman lets out a small mocking laugh.

'You can ask your friends and your little brother.'

'I'm asking you.' A soft sigh escapes the woman's lips as she raises her hand, and the two fish, along with the pond, vanish into nothingness. The pure white floor remains, as if nothing had ever been there.

'You're more difficult than I had anticipated,' the woman concedes as she takes another step toward me.

'I've heard that before.'

'What is your greatest wish, Celeste?' I cross my arms in front of me and look at the woman with raised eyebrows.

'My greatest wish?' The woman nods.

'I have everything I want.'

'You're lying,' the woman observes without much effort.

'You're not answering my question.' She rolls her eyes.

'The Mirror of Sins shows a person's greatest mistakes.' Now it's my turn to take a step toward her.

'If that's the case, why didn't I see anything?' The woman's bare feet hover over the stones as she moves toward the right wall.

'That is a good question.'

Elien sometimes gets on my nerves, Novak maybe even more so, but this woman is truly getting under my skin. In every corner I try to get her into, she finds a way out. I think we could keep this up indefinitely, but no one will win.

'You're not going to answer?' I continue. The woman laughs mockingly again.

'Wouldn't it be more fun for you to find out for yourself?' Observing, my eyes slide over the woman. Her nonchalant demeanor conceals every emotion she has, yet there is something in the distance that I only seem to place later.

'You're lying; you don't know either,' I conclude.

I had hoped the woman's demeanor would change, that she would show a sign of surprise, but nothing comes.

'Lying is forbidden within these walls.'

'Why?' I take another step closer, inspecting her white eyes.

'Lying often arises from jealousy, revenge, or greed.'

Now it's my turn to let out a deep sigh. This woman won't tell me anything I can use, so why am I even trying?

Alisha recognized the mirror.

I need to get to Alisha.

'Where are my friends and little brother?' The moment the question leaves my lips, the woman places her hand on the white wall. The uniform white reveals a new door.

'At dinner.' I suppress any surprise after those words.

The woman places her hand on the white doorknob before pushing it open. An enormous white space appears with an expansive white table in the middle, laden with food. The walls and floor are the same as in all the other rooms: pure white without blemishes. From chicken and potatoes to strange vegetables and even a whole pig with an apple in its mouth, everything is laid out on the table. The precisely eight white chairs are occupied by three people: Elien, Novak, and Alisha are sitting in the middle three.

'Hey Cel, where were you?' Novak's cheerful voice sounds as soon as he spots me.

I should be surprised by his good mood after what happened with the mirror earlier, but by now, I don't take anything here as the truth.