Chapter Eighteen: Caught!
"What are you doing here?" the Voice roared at Christine, shocking her out of her trancelike state.
He appeared out of the shadows like a wraith, amber eyes blazing with barely-controlled rage behind the black silk mask that hid his face from view.
He glanced over at the glowing rose and the fire in his eyes intensified.
"What did you do to it?"
The redhead quickly backed away from the table.
"No-not-nothing," she stammered, her heart thudding frantically in her chest.
The masked figure kept coming toward her.
"Do you realize what you could have done?" he snarled.
"You could have damned us all!"
"I'm sorry..." Christine gasped.
Suddenly, there was a terrible cracking sound and one of the thin columns that accented the balcony began to crumble, pieces shattering and falling close to the glass bell jar holding the rose.
Panic filled the masked man's eyes.
Not looking back at Christine, he threw his body over the rose, desperate to protect it.
"Get out!" he roared over his shoulder.
Christine didn't need to be told twice.
Turning, she fled back the way she had come.
She ran through the room and out the open door, then she raced down the long hallway and the even longer stairs.
She barely registered the shocked faces of André and Firmin as she passed them on the landing, and when they asked her where she was going, she didn't even pause.
"Getting out of here!" she cried over her shoulder, and kept running.
Because that was exactly what she was going to do - get out.
It was what she should have done already.
But she had been distracted by André and his dinner entertainment, and then the castle mystery had lured her in further...
But she was done with all of that now.
She was going to get out of this place, with its talking dishware and enchanted candles and clocks, and get back to her father.
No matter what.
Unfortunately, the castle didn't want to see Christine leave just yet.
Hitting the bottom of the grand staircase, she ran straight toward the front door.
To her dismay, however, the door seemed to see her coming, and before she could reach it, the bolt slid shut.
Chapeau, the tall coatrack, slid in front of the door a moment later, blocking Christine's exit.
Christine's pace slowed.
What was she going to do now?
She didn't know the castle well enough to go running through it blindly in search of another exit.
Then, just as she was about to give up hope, she heard the sound of a dog barking.
Turning, she saw Fifi, the bichon frise turned harpsichord bench, who had free rein in the castle.
She barked wildly as she gave chase and for a brief moment, the redhead was worried that she was going to pounce on her.
But to Christine's surprise, she ran right past her and scooted through a smaller door that was built into the much larger main door.
The redhead almost cried from relief.
Her way out hadn't been completely blocked after all!
Once again picking up her pace, she shimmied through the smaller door, but not before grabbing her cloak from a befuddled Chapeau.
Behind her, Christine heard Madame Giry's tea tray rolling across the floor and André shouting.
Still, she kept running.
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