Chapter 284. You’re Not Alone, Maddy

*Maddy*

“

Maddy!

” The voice comes again, louder than the first time. I rise to my feet, my legs tingling from lack of use. The fire in the cave shudders out on a phantom wind.

I bristle against the sudden chill, my hands trembling as I feel along the cave wall toward the entrance. It’s nearly pitch black. I’ve never been anywhere so dark and empty, especially with no moonlight illuminating the outside world, let alone the cave entrance.

I take a moment to feel over my clothes. They’re not mine, and I’m wearing something thin and rough. A man’s shirt, I realize, that brushes just over my knees. My legs prickle from the cold–and the knowledge that someone had to undress and then redress me.

I make it to the cave’s entrance and stand, my bare toes curling over cold stone. I glance behind me into the inky darkness and shiver, deciding maybe I’m better off outside than I am trying to maneuver around the cave again with Mystica’s magic fire and her gho