The Recall Trials
Chapter 103: Behind the Painting

Chapter 103: Behind the Painting

Zaara’s POV

The door slammed shut behind me.

For a moment, I stood still, my palms were sweaty, my heart was racing.

Then I turned...and there was Nomi.

She was already halfway across the room, leaning her hip against a faded turquoise dresser, eyes glinting as she surveyed our prison room.

"Well," she said, flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, "this looks charming."

I swallowed hard and forced myself to look around.

Our escape room was styled in something that looks like an abandoned Victorian sitting room.

A grand velvet settee sat under cracked plaster moldings, its gold trim was already flaking away. A dusty oil painting of a woman in a high-collared dress stared down at us with eyes that seemed almost alive.

On the far wall, an ancient fireplace, filled with blackened logs and scraps of scorched paper.

Candle flickered along the walls.

A giant timer glowed red above the door.

59:59

Nomi huffed out a breath. "Romantic, isn’t it?"

I laughed. "Sure. Perfect spot for a first date."

Then the Voice rolled over the speakers:

"WELCOME, CONTESTANTS. THIS IS YOUR ELEVENTH TRIAL.

YOU HAVE SIXTY MINUTES TO ESCAPE. FIND THE CLUES, SOLVE THE PUZZLES, AND UNLOCK THE EXIT BEFORE THE TIME RUNS OUT."

The door jammed as hidden locks sealed the door tighter.

59:40

Nomi pushed herself off the dresser, rolling her neck. "Alright. Let’s get this shit done."

We started searching.

I checked under the couch. Nomi flipped open books on the bookshelf, scanning the pages so quickly.

Suddenly, nomi pulled back that dusty oil painting of the woman in a high-collared and found a button underneath it.

She pressed it.

There was a low rumble...and a hidden tile in the floor popped up.

We both stared at it.

"You gonna open it?" she asked.

I hesitated. "Why do I feel like this is a trap?"

"It probably is." Nomi grinned. "But we’re already in one."

I knelt and pulled the tile.

Underneath was a small box with a tiny logo.

Nomi crouched beside me slowly. Her face shifted. "This is Sector A’s old logo."

She grabbed the box and opened it.

Inside was a riddle printed on a card with faded blue ink:

"I guard the night but know no stars.

I hum with life but breathe no air.

You’ve seen me, worn me, needed me...

But only Sector A can solve me fair."

I frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

Nomi stared at the card.

Then... her whole face changed. "Holy shit."

"What?"

She stepped back, lips slightly parted, eyes scanning the room.

"It’s the uniform," she whispered. "The answer is the Sector A guard uniform. They issued it to every outer-ring kid who made it to the patrol corps. It has this tracking chip... hidden under the left sleeve."

My brows rose. "You used to wear one?"

She snorted. "I stole one."

She strode to the wardrobe at the side of the room, yanked it open...and sure enough, inside hung a single uniform. Faded navy. Buttons missing. Left sleeve stitched oddly.

Nomi yanked it down and ripped open the seam.

A metallic glint flashed. A small, flat chip.

She held it up between two fingers like a prize.

"Bingo."

I exhaled. "That’s smart."

She smiled.

"Guess I’m good for something after all," she muttered.

"Zaara... can I ask you something?"

My stomach dropped. "Sure..."

She exhaled,. "Vincent. Did he... ask you out?"

The question hit me.

Heat rose in my chest. "Nomi, this isn’t..."

"Just answer me," she snapped, stepping closer. "Did he? Yes or no?"

My throat bobbed. I wanted to lie. I couldn’t.

"Yes," I whispered.

Nomi froze. For a moment, her face was unreadable.

She blinked hard. "So it’s true. He finally picked you."

"Nomi..." I started, my voice breaking. "It’s not like that. I didn’t...."

Her voice rose, trembling. "Why not me, Zaara? Why is it always you?"

I felt tears burning behind my eyes. "Nomi... I love him. I...I didn’t plan for this. It just happened."

Nomi laughed mockingly. "Yeah. Everything just happens to you, doesn’t it? Vincent’s heart. The sympathy. The heroics. You just breathe and everyone wants to save you."

I felt like the floor was tilting. "That’s not fair..."

"Fair?" she cut me off. "Nothing about this place is fair. You know how many nights I sat there praying he’d notice me the way he notices you?"

She scrubbed at her eyes. "But he never does. He only looks at you."

I tried to reach for her hand. "Nomi, please.."

She pulled back.

Her chest heaved. "You’re the ’good girl.’ The perfect one. But you’re not the only one who loves him, Zaara."

My breath caught in my throat.

Nomi swallowed hard, forcing herself to look me in the eye. "And don’t you dare pity me."

The timer above the door kept ticking.

45:06

"Let’s just finish this. I can’t stand being here with you any longer." She said, as she strode to the side table and began rifling through the drawers, wiping her tears away with trembling fingers.

I stood there, shaking, wanting to hold her and terrified to touch her.

40:30

"We... we should check what the chip does," I said.

Nomi didn’t look at me. She wiped her cheeks roughly, sniffed, then held the tiny chip out between her fingers. "Right."

I took it from her gently. It was light as a feather...a thin silver wafer, etched with microscopic circuits.

My eyes darted around the room until they landed on the fireplace. In the middle of the blackened wood sat an old brass clock, its glass face cracked. At its base was a small metallic slot, blinking faintly with a green light.

I pointed. "There."

We both hurried over. Nomi kept glancing at me as if she wanted to say something more, but she bit it back.

I knelt and pushed the chip into the slot. A soft chime rang out.

The clock’s hands spun so fast.

Then a panel slid open in the fireplace’s brick, revealing a hidden compartment.

Inside was another velvet-lined box the size of a shoebox, it was bigger than the last.

Nomi laughed. "Holy shit."

I reached in, my fingers trembling, and pulled it out. It felt moist.

I flipped the lid open.

Inside lay a heavy brass key... and another folded slip of paper.

Nomi grabbed it before I could. She scanned it, her lips moving silently as she read.

Then she lowered the paper and looked at me.

"It’s a riddle," she said.

I leaned closer.

"I am taken in silence and born in darkness.

I hold the shape of secrets and the weight of time.

I can unlock worlds...

But only if you see me for what I truly am."

Nomi tapped the paper.

"What’s that?" She said, tapping her felt lightly.

I blinked. "A photograph?"

She nodded firmly. "Hmmmm.. Taken in silence. Born in darkness...in a camera. Holds secrets, memories, time... unlocks worlds."

I stared around the room, scanning every dusty surface. My eyes landed on a battered photo album.

"There!" I yelled.

We rushed over. Nomi grabbed the album, her fingers smearing dust across the dark leather cover. She flipped it open.

Most photos were blank with age. But one near the middle caught my eye.

It showed the same sitting room we were in... but it wasn’t old. Bright velvet curtains, polished wood, golden chandeliers gleaming.

And in the corner of the photo... was a painting of a woman.

I frowned. "That’s... the same painting hanging above the couch."

Nomi’s eyes widened. "Shit. Check behind it."

We flipped the painting and saw a riddle written on it with a blank ink.

"The code if the safe is the date the photo was taken."

She flipped the photo over.

On the back, scrawled in fading ink: 13/09/1994

I swallowed hard. "Let’s try it."

I typed in: 13091994

We searched for a safe, and typed in the code.

Inside was another riddle.

"Divide the day by the sum of the hours in four.

Multiply the answer by the number of walls in this room.

The result is the first number of the master code."

Nomi let out a low groan. "This is math bullshit."

I stared at the paper, trying to keep my thoughts steady. "Divide the day... so thirteen, divided by..."

Nomi interrupted, voice tight. "Sum of the hours in four. That’s 4 + 8 + 12 + 16 = 40."

I nodded quickly. "So 13 divided by 40... that’s 0.325."

Nomi squinted. "Multiply that by the number of walls. Four walls. So... 1.3."

She scowled. "So the first number is one? Or do they mean the decimal?"

I bit my lip. "We should try one. It’s probably the integer."

Nomi sighed. "If these assholes want decimals, they can kill me."

I cracked a smile despite everything. "Don’t say that."

She met my eyes. For a moment, the fight between us softened.

"I’m... I’m still mad at you, Zaara," she said quietly. "But I don’t want you dead either."

"Same here," I whispered.

We stared at each other until the timer beeped ominously.

43:29

"Alright, genius. Let’s keep finding the rest of this master code. And get the hell out of here."