The sound of pounding footsteps and voices from the staircase startled Mai Mingle in an instant.
The jolt snapped her out of it. The long lily petals in mid-air, like curling, ever-expanding fingers, finally slid from her consciousness, freeing her mind from the pitch-black darkness at the flower's core. Her heart felt as if it would burst from her throat and ears at the same time, and for a moment, the pounding of her own blood deafened her to everything else.
'Run.'
The staircase was behind her, the floating lilies before her. For a moment, all she could do was stagger a few steps to the side, hitting the stair railing with a soft THUD.
Only then did she realize that the people downstairs had apparently already called out several times.
Perhaps because Mai Mingle hadn't answered, the man stopped shouting for her to identify herself. Instead, he bellowed downstairs, "Get a few people up to the third floor! And notify Tian Xi!"
