Asher shot Zane one last glare before heading to the door.
Zane sighed, tugged the blindfold back over his eyes. The colors of the world bled away, leaving only the grayscale shadows he was now used to. The quiet, steady pulsing of threads and silhouettes felt almost comforting.
Click.
Asher pulled the door open. Standing there was a girl about their age, her posture hesitant, shoulders slightly tucked in as though she wished to be invisible. She had soft brown hair that framed her face like a curtain, and her eyes—though downcast—shimmered with a nervous glow. She twisted her fingers together as she spoke, voice gentle.
"Um… I'm looking for Asher?"
Asher straightened, instantly shifting into what Zane called world-class flirt mode. He leaned against the doorframe like it had been staged.
"Well, lucky you. You've found him. Name's Asher. And you are…?"
She hesitated, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "…Luna."
"Luna." Asher repeated it like it was the most beautiful word in existence. "Fits. You really do shine like the moon."
Zane groaned loudly from the bed. "Oh no. It's starting."
Ignoring him, Asher offered his arm. "Care for a walk? Maybe down the corridor?"
Luna's shy smile said everything. She nodded, and the two strolled away together, Asher firing off cheesy lines with surprising success.
Just as their footsteps faded, Zane sat up. "HEY!" he yelled down the hallway. "You forgot to lock the—"
SWISH!
A dagger cut through the air, slicing past where his head had been a heartbeat earlier. Zane ducked, eyes widening behind the blindfold. The blade embedded itself into the wall, quivering.
"The f#*#…" he hissed, hand instinctively going to his shadow.
The room was suddenly quiet. Too quiet.