Mira stood firm.
The wooden piece pulsed in her hand like it knew it was important.
Mrs. Hodgins narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."
Mira didn't blink. "Bring them up. Or I break it."
The room held its breath.
Then—Hodgins sighed.
With a flick of her wrist, the trap creaked open.
Anne, Brittany, and Lily were lifted from the bunker in a swirl of fog and light. They landed softly, coughing, dazed.
Anne remained in a trance—her eyes distant, her pendant dim.
"She's still fogged," Brittany whispered.
Mira nodded. "Leave her be. For now."
They turned to Hodgins.
"What is this piece?" Mira asked. "Why does it matter?"
Hodgins stared at the wood.
And then she spoke.
"I wasn't always like this," she said quietly. "I was married. Recently. I thought it was love."
Her voice trembled.
"But he changed. Cold. Distant. I thought it was stress. Then I found out—he was having an affair."
Brittany clenched her fists.
"I was going to confront him," Hodgins continued. "But that same day… I found out I was pregnant."
She paused.
"I waited. I thought maybe the baby would change things."
Her eyes darkened.
"He was happy. Or so I thought. But he had other plans."
Mira leaned in. "What plans?"
Hodgins looked at the wooden piece.
"You know what happened during the Blair Witch trials. Witches were burned. No one questioned it."
She smiled bitterly.
"My husband and his mistress decided they'd kill me. Quietly. Legally. No one would ask why."
"But the baby… it complicated things."
To be continued…