The next day, Shalma Hughes stepped out of her hotel room wearing a long white cotton-linen dress. Her slightly wavy hair was casually tied back, and she wore a lace-trimmed straw hat with a small crossbody bag. A pair of oversized sunglasses rested on her perky nose.
She had decided that over the next fifteen days, she would explore every corner of Eldoria.
Standing at the elevator doors, Shalma pressed the down button and waited in silence.
Soon after, there was a DING.
Hearing the sound, she didn't look up, merely stepping inside on instinct. But the moment her foot crossed the threshold, her right hand was suddenly seized. The world spun around her, and by the time she gathered her bearings, she was pinned hard against the cold, smooth wall of the elevator.
The presence looming over her carried a familiar scent, yet it felt surprisingly domineering and wild. The feeling was all too recognizable, even though she had kept it buried for three whole years.
