Page 144 of Hidden

“When you fought against the witch, I only helped.” Mu tilted his head, studying me. “But you surely know that. When do you plan to tell the others?”

“Tell them what?” I snapped.

He didn’t seem to take offense. “That you know how to fight. Kieran taught you basic exercises. I may have started it, but you carried out the movements in the end.”

My face flooded with heat, and I pressed my hands against my cheeks. No one had known, not even after seeing the video.

I felt so guilty.

“I’m not very good at it.” I glanced at the floor. “It’s been a long time. I was only five when—”

“It’s enough,” Mu responded. “There’s the potential for something more. Just like Spring.”

I glanced at him. “Pardon?”

“Mu,” he replied, holding out his hand. In it was a dead daffodil. But as I watched, it regained its yellow color and sprung back to life. “Wood.Us. We’re the representative of Spring. Rebirth, flexibility, strength, and life. It’s not in your nature to be stagnant.”

“I’m not stagnant.” How offensive. I’d worked so very hard to avoid that accusation. “I’ve moved on with my life. I’mfine. It’s everyone else who seems to have a problem. Not me.”

“You’re okay?” Mu open his hand, dropping the flower. It disappeared before it hit the ground. “Is that why Shui is rummaging around in your head?”

“He’swhat?” I covered my mouth, but it wasn’t enough to prevent my squeaky outburst. “What if he sees something secret? You’re in my head too, right?” I glared at him. How could he allow this? “Go smite him. Get him out.”

“He hasn’t seen anything besides what you’d share if you could, but currently cannot communicate.” Mu tilted his head, studying me. “Don’t worry, I’ve locked away our deepest thoughts. Everything else remains a mystery, and he won’t search anymore. He’s gotten what he needed.”

I was going to throttle Julian.

“Which waswhat?” I growled. “Why am I here?”

“That’s the question. Whyareyou here, if you’ve moved on?” Mu asked. “Avoiding the problem isn’t healing, and it causes the issue to fester in your mind and poison your soul. Before you can truly move on, you need to confront your past.”

The bravado seeped from me. What was he saying? “I can’t…”

“Take it one day at a time.” He waved his hand and the ground faded from beneath my feet. However, instead of falling, this time I floated in place. “Confrontation of the current issue is a good place to begin, I think.”

And with that, the white lights faded to black.

This time I found myself in a circular room. Stone walls surrounded me on all sides, barring a tiny window to my right. There were no doors, and—upon peeking out the window—no way down from this tower besides a disastrous-looking fall.

There was no point in jumping, this time I doubted I’d float.

“My own subconscious is trying to kill me…” I fell to my knees in front of the low window, and from this position I could see the happy looking sky above my prison.

Stupid Mu. Why would he trap me here? I hated him. Perhaps there was a way to purge him from my soul.

“Bianca?” Julian’s voice drifted up to me.

At first, I was certain I’d misheard. But at his second attempt, I pushed myself up, pulling my upper body out of the window in order to see the base of the tower.

“Julian?” He was frowning up at me, and I blinked at him. What was this? Were we still in my head? Was he?

That sounded weird.

“Why are you up there?” he asked.

“I’m stargazing,” I said, narrowing my eyes. I hadn’t forgotten that he’d jumped into my memories. Lord only knew what he’d seen. It was too humiliating to face him, and anger still burned in me. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

His gaze turned to the cloudless sky, before finally returning to me. “Darling…” His voice was unsure. “That’s not the real sky. Secondly… Well, it’s daytime.”