#Chapter 63: Clock Strikes Midnight

Audrey It was nearly midnight as I lay in my bed, tears silently streaming down my face. The events of the day kept replaying in my mind like a horrible movie I couldn’t turn off, and sleep eluded me. Linda’s cruel laughter, the snip of scissors, the feeling of being exposed and humiliated in front of everyone... I shuddered, pulling my blanket tighter around me. It was like a nightmare. It certainly would have been easier if it had actually been one. Suddenly, a soft knock on my door made me jump. I froze, wondering if I had imagined it at first, but then another knock came—slightly louder this time. I hesitated, unsure of whether to answer or not. What if it was Linda and her friends again? But when another knock came, I quietly climbed out of bed and padded to the door to peer through the peephole. I was met with a familiar face on the other end. “Miss Thatcher?” Charles, Edwin’s assistant, called out. “Are you in there?” I chewed my lip as