Chapter 2 - The Hollow Echo
"Lily, no!" Arthur shouted, breaking away from Vanessa.
But the little girl was astonishingly fast.
She bypassed them entirely, throwing her tiny body against the massive floral installation.
She swung the heavy hammer blindly, smashing it into the dense layers of roses and the wooden scaffolding beneath.
*Thwack! Crack!*
Petals rained down like snow.
Guests gasped in horror.
Whispers erupted across the ballroom.
"Mommy!" Lily shrieked, her voice cracking with raw agony.
She swung again, her small hands blistering from the weight of the metal.
"Mommy is inside! Let her out! Let her out!"
Vanessa’s face drained of color.
The practiced smile shattered.
"Security!" she shrieked, her voice shrill and panicked.
"Get that hysterical child out of here! She’s ruining everything!"
Arthur lunged forward, grabbing Lily by the waist to pull her back.
"Lily, sweetheart, stop! Mommy isn't here. Mommy left—"
"No!" Lily thrashed wildly in his grip, pointing a trembling finger at a small, dark gap she had smashed through the floral foam.
"I heard her! She’s crying! Mommy is in the wall!"
Arthur froze.
The ballroom was dead silent, save for the frantic murmurs of the elite crowd.
Arthur stared at the hole in the wall.
He stopped breathing.
He strained his ears, tuning out the whispers, tuning out Vanessa’s frantic orders for the guards.
From deep within the dark, suffocating hollow of the wooden scaffolding, came a sound.
It was faint.
A muffled, desperate whimpering.
The sound of someone choking on their own breath, scratching weakly against the plywood.
Arthur’s blood ran cold.
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The polished veneer of his world cracked open in an instant.
He released Lily, stepped forward, and ripped the golden hammer from the floor.
