Lina sat up abruptly and started pacing the room.
No more wandering blindly into ominous glass cells. No more trusting warm smiles backed by secret underground bunkers. No more deaths.
This time, she'd play smart. Strategic.
New Plan:
Step One: Avoid the basement. It's a bad ending waiting to happen.
Step Two: Keep Fredrich at arm's length. Charm him, yes—but don't trigger his darker tendencies.
Step Three: Secure communication with her grandparents. Check in. Confirm Christian's movements. Avoid getting tracked and kidnapped.
Step Four: Slowly gain Fredrich's trust—without feeding his obsession. She needed him if she wanted to avoid Christian.
Step Five: Find a way to earn the Completion Star without dying, becoming a hostage, or being turned into another glass case girl.
She paused, fists clenched at her sides. Seemed about right, and easy enough . . . or so she hope.
"This time," she whispered, "I'll make sure I win."
