Nora rocked the crying child gently back and forth.
The sound of sharp high heels clicked loudly against the marble floor.
Nora turned her head around toward the archway.
Elena, the mistress of the mansion, walked into the hallway.
She was wearing a sparkling golden dress that swept the floor.
She held a half-empty glass of expensive champagne in her hand.
When Elena saw the open panel, her face turned pale with rage.
She did not look guilty or ashamed at all.
Elena: What do you think you are doing?
Elena spoke in a sharp, ice-cold voice that echoed down the hall.
Nora stood up slowly while keeping the little girl behind her back.
Nora: You had a child locked behind the wall!
Elena: Put that painting back right now and walk away!
Nora could not believe what she was hearing from her boss.
Nora: She was tied up in the dark!
Elena: You are an employee in this house, nothing more!
Elena took a aggressive step toward Nora with her chin raised high.
Elena: You will close that door and forget you saw anything!
Nora felt a sudden wave of hot anger wash over her entire body.
She reached out and knocked Elena's champagne glass off the table.
The glass shattered violently against the marble floor with a loud crash.
Champagne splashed across the hem of Elena's expensive golden dress.
Nora: I will never let you hurt this girl again!
Elena snapped her teeth together in pure fury.
She raised her right hand high in the air to strike Nora across the face.
Nora watched the hand come swinging down toward her.
Instead of flinching, Nora raised her own arm with lighting speed.
She grabbed Elena's slender wrist mid-air with a tight grip.
Elena gasped in absolute shock at being stopped so easily.
Nora pushed Elena's arm back with strong force.
Nora: Do not ever touch me!
Elena stumbled backward on her high heels across the slippery floor.
She lost her balance completely and fell hard onto the marble surface.
Her golden dress bunched up around her knees as she hit the ground.
Elena glared up at Nora with eyes full of utter hatred.
Elena: You will rot in a cell for this!
Nora: You are the one who is going to prison today!
Nora turned her back on the furious woman sitting on the floor.
She knelt back down to comfort the trembling child.
The little girl gripped Nora's navy apron with tiny, tight fingers.
Her tear-filled eyes were staring past Nora into the wall.
Nora noticed the child was pulling on her sleeve with desperate force.
The little girl pointed her small, shaking finger into the dark space.
Little Girl: My brother... he is still in there...
Nora felt her entire heart stop beating for a brief second.
She looked back at the small opening hidden behind the heavy frame.
The interior of the compartment vanished into complete, deep pitch-blackness.