• The door started to creak open. Mandari, who was always alert and uptight, quickly pulled on her under gown. She slipped out the other side of the tub, and squeezed into a small space between the edge of the curtained tub and the wall. She heard who ever was there open the curtain on the other side of the tub. The water was turned off . The raven haired teen held her breath in.

    The shadowy figure on the other side of the tub lingered there for a moment. Then it heavily stomped out of the room. Peering around the curtain, Mandari checked to see if the coast was clear. Was that Junpei? No...it sounded heavier...and darker

    Much darker.

    She followed the wall to the door and repeatedly checked her next moves. No one was in the house. She quickly slipped under the covers and hid. For a couple of minutes the cabin was silent. The drip of the far away bathroom was all Mandari could hear, except for the pound of her own heart. Then voiced gradually emerged.

    "I've checked the cabin, sir"

    "And?"

    "The beds were unmade and the shower running. It seems someone is living here. We've yet to conclude whether it's Prince Venka."

    Mandari opened one of her eyes from under the covers. They weren't looking for her. Prince Venka, where have I heard that name? The men continued talking outside the little home. "He's been gone for so long. Does our Lord really think he ran out this far into the woods?" "Anything is possible, that boy could run like a gazelle. "
    A sudden creak came from the floor. A couple of floorboards had lifted off the ground. "Mandari, we must hurry! Come down here quickly"

    Junpei's soft voice pursuaded her to hurry across the cold floor. He took her hand and led her into the trap door. Mandari blinked to adjust to the darkness. A warm cloth placed over her shoulders. "I am so sorry you were showering when all this happened. Here you're all wet". She tightened the shawl around her shoulders. The material was quickly absorbing the water dripping from her long hair.

    "Who are those people?". Junpei lit a torch. "The Ninkin. Their prince went missing a long time ago. And they've been ranking the forest for him. Alive or dead, they need a body to bring home. But it isn't so noble...." he sighed. Mandari quirked an eyebrow. "