All Chapters of ECHOES OF TRUTH: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

After a few hours, darkness began to flow through my room, and I glanced at the clock: 8:10 p.m. I carefully stepped out, looking in both directions down the hallway. I walked slowly toward the stairs; I knew the guard for the girls' wing wasn't there because I had memorized her routine. That was guard changing time; I had five minutes before the night guard arrived. The first floor didn't have as much security as the second and third. The regular stairs were heavily guarded starting from the second and third floors. But the outside emergency stairs couldn't be blocked by law, and as the guard changed, I had a few seconds to reach them and climb up to the roof. As soon as I reached the rooftop, the wind blew my hair back violently. The night was deadly cold, as usual. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body, trying to protect myself from the breeze that chilled my skin.The sight of the dark forest surrounding the mental hospital building was a little scary, along with the light of

“At 5:00 a.m.?” the girl exclaimed in disbelief. “People do that sometimes, you know,” I said, showing him my towel and soap. “Strange people do that,” the girl replied, shaking her head. “I’m Lyra.” She extended her hand toward me. She was going to say my name, but I knew she’d never pronounce it correctly. “Anna.” I shook her hand. “What's with your accent?” the boy frowned. “Leave her alone, Flynn.” Lyra smiled at me before focusing on him again. “Before he—” Lyra pulled him by the hair and kissed him passionately. I looked away uncomfortably. A few seconds later, Flynn was climbing out the window. He took one last look at us and blew a kiss to Lyra. “See you tomorrow at the bonfire,” Flynn whispered and disappeared into the shadows. “Bonfire?” I asked. Lyra looked at me for a second as if she were hesitant to tell me. “Yes, it's a secret celebration. You know boys and girls can't mix in this crazy place, so we have a midnight bonfire once a month where boys and girls can

“Lyra, wait!” I exclaimed as I followed her through the dark hallways of the mental institution. She was walking fast. We were heading for the bonfire, but at that moment I regretted my decision. If we got caught, I doubted I would come out of this unscathed. But the adrenaline was flowing through my veins, and it felt good. The clock was almost striking midnight. “Just hurry up,” Lyra whispered as she continued on her way. I stared at her back as I silently followed her; Lyra had a nice body, I must admit. She was wearing tight jeans and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. She had a small waist and rounded hips. Her black hair was in a ponytail. She looked really good, which made me evaluate my outfit once again. I was wearing baggy pants and a loose purple shirt with a pair of purple Converse. I sighed; looking attractive had never been my thing anyway. “Anna?” “Hey?” “You can see the guard over there.” She pointed ahead; there was a young woman sitting in front of a metal gate. “She

I was frozen; the hooded boy was there in front of me. I didn't expect to see him. I had so many questions, yet for some reason, I couldn't get a word out. His grey eyes looked deep and intimidating to anyone who looked at them. I lowered my gaze, trying to avoid his. “Anaís.” I looked up in surprise; he pronounced my name perfectly. “That's your name, right?” “How do you know my name?” “I just know,” he shrugged indifferently. “I must say, you're not very good at hiding.” I... “Although you are good at hiding what you feel.” “What? What are you talking about?” “Nothing, forget it.” “What do you want?” I asked, remembering that he had found me, so he had the right to ask me something. He moved his head to the side and then took a few steps toward me until he was close enough for the fragrance of a delicious cologne to brush my nose; it smelled very good. “What do I want?” he asked, pacing around me, making me nervous. I felt like prey about to be devoured by its pred

“You have a secret admirer!” Émilie exclaimed excitedly after I showed her the little piece of paper. We were having lunch after our morning classes; three days had passed since the day I received that note. "I don't think so," I said, taking a sip of my apple juice. Isn't this just like a romance novel? he said, adjusting her glasses. I mean, he sends you a letter, Romeo and Juliet style. It's not a letter. It looks like a letter to me. Well, it's not, I repeated. I wasn't as excited as she was about it; I had no idea who could have sent that note, and those possessive words gave me chills. I didn't want to think that it was the killer. He couldn't get in here, right? Lost in my thoughts, I stared at my sandwich. It didn't look appetizing; I wasn't a fan of food lately. You're not going to eat that? Émilie asked, worried. Food was a sensitive subject for her. You ate half of your food yesterday, Anna. You need to eat more. I know that, but ever since my parents died, ea