#Chapter 199: Effigies

Ava Chris’s revelation hit us all like a ton of bricks. The room went eerily silent, all of our eyes widening in unison. “But… But I saw you,” I muttered, shaking my head with disbelief. “Chris, I saw you walk past—” “Ava, I never left the main area of the house. We promised we wouldn’t leave the confines of this area when we discussed the rules. Remember?” My face paled a bit as I mentally recounted that discussion; Chris was right, of course. We had promised not to leave the areas of the house that we had cleaned earlier that day. During my excited run through the house, I must have gotten off track. Fabian was utterly dumbfounded. “Tell us exactly what happened,” he said. “Moment by moment.” I furrowed my brow and counted on my fingers. “First, I heard soft footsteps—like Chris’s paw pads.” “Or bare feet,” Fabian murmured with a shudder. “Then I saw a flash of white,” I said, ignoring him. “And I waited, thinking that Chris was right o