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CHAPTER FOUR; Beyond the walls (part two)

The tunnel smelled of earth and rain.

Luna lifted the lantern higher as she carefully descended the narrow stone steps. Shadows danced along the walls while cold air wrapped around her skin.

She had discovered the hidden passage years ago by accident.

At fifteen, after another suffocating dinner filled with expectations and rules, she had wandered through her room searching for silence and found the small wooden door hidden behind the wardrobe.

Since then, the tunnel had become her escape.

Her secret.

A few minutes later, she reached the small chamber near the exit.

Unlike the luxury above ground, the room was simple—bare stone walls, an old wooden bench, and a rusted mirror hanging crookedly beside a shelf.

A change of clothes waited inside a small chest.

Luna quickly slipped out of her expensive cream dress and changed into worn dark trousers, old boots, and a loose brown sweater several sizes too large. She tied a faded scarf around her curls before studying herself in the mirror.

No jewels.

No silk.

No sign of the Calipps heiress.

Perfect.

For the first time all day, a real smile touched her lips.

She grabbed the lantern again and pushed open the final door.

Cool night air rushed toward her immediately.

The woods surrounding the estate stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight, the massive walls of the Calipps mansion barely visible through the trees behind her.

Out here, she could almost pretend the mansion didn't exist.

Luna followed the familiar dirt path toward town, listening to the distant sounds growing louder with every step.

Music.

Laughter.

Voices.

Life.

By the time she reached the market square, the town was glowing beneath strings of golden lights hanging between buildings.

Vendors shouted cheerfully from crowded stalls.

Children darted through the streets chasing one another.

A group of musicians played near a small fountain while couples danced nearby.

Luna slowed her pace, quietly taking everything in.

No one bowed to her.

No one lowered their eyes.

No one looked terrified.

Here, she wasn't Luna Calipps.

She was just another girl wandering through the crowd.

And she loved it.

She stopped beside a fruit stand, watching an elderly woman struggle to carry two heavy baskets.

Before thinking twice, Luna stepped forward.

"Here, let me help you."

The woman blinked in surprise.

"Oh, no dear, you don't have to—"

"It's alright."

Luna lifted one of the baskets easily.

The woman smiled warmly.

"Thank you."

They walked together for several minutes until reaching a small house near the edge of the square.

"My sons usually help me," the woman explained. "But they're still working tonight."

Luna handed over the basket.

"It wasn't a problem."

The woman studied her curiously.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Luna's stomach tightened for half a second.

"Why do you say that?"

"You speak differently."

Luna forced a laugh.

"I suppose I travel a lot."

The woman nodded slowly, though she didn't seem entirely convinced.

Still smiling, Luna quickly said goodbye before heading back toward the market.

As she walked, snippets of conversation drifted through the crowd.

"...heard the Calipps convoy passed through earlier..."

"...the Whitmores still refused..."

"...fools, all of them..."

"...people disappear over less..."

Luna's smile slowly faded.

Even here, her family's name followed her.

Fear clung to it like smoke.

She turned into a quieter street, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling twisting inside her chest.

That was when she heard shouting.

A young boy sprinted past her, clutching a loaf of bread against his chest.

"Stop him!"

A furious shopkeeper came barreling after him.

"Thief!"

The boy couldn't have been older than ten.

Panic filled his face as he dodged through the crowd.

Without thinking, Luna stepped forward and caught him before he could fall.

"Please!" he cried breathlessly. "I had to—"

The shopkeeper grabbed the boy roughly by the arm.

"You little rat—"

"He was hungry," Luna interrupted.

"And that's my problem how?"

The man raised his hand as though ready to strike the child.

Luna immediately stepped between them.

"He stole from me," the shopkeeper snapped.

Luna reached into her pocket and pulled out several folded bills.

The man's eyes widened.

"This should cover it."

He quickly snatched the money before muttering something under his breath and walking away.

The boy stared at Luna in disbelief.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know."

"Then why did you?"

Luna hesitated.

Because no one had ever done it for her.

Because kindness in the Calipps mansion always came with conditions.

Because she was tired of watching people suffer while everyone else pretended not to notice.

But instead she simply shrugged.

"You looked hungry."

The boy grinned shyly before running off into the night.

Luna watched him disappear around the corner.

Then—

A black Calipps vehicle turned onto the street.

The reaction was instant.

Conversations stopped.

People moved aside.

Several shopkeepers quickly shut their doors.

The warmth of the town vanished within seconds.

Luna froze.

From inside the tinted vehicle, she could feel unseen eyes scanning the streets.

Searching.

Her pulse quickened.

What if someone recognized her?

Quickly lowering her head, Luna stepped backward into the shadows between two buildings.

The convoy rolled past slowly before finally disappearing around the corner.

Only then did the street begin to breathe again.

Luna stared after the vehicles, unsettled.

She had grown up hearing whispers about her family.

But standing here...

Watching fear spread through an entire street because of one name...

Felt different.

Real.

A cold wind swept through the alley.

For the first time since leaving the mansion, Luna suddenly felt very small.

And very alone.

Somewhere nearby, hidden within the crowded streets of the town...

Someone was watching her.