" It was 10 years ago." Aubrey hissed again. I feared for a minute.

I thought Emily could not have remembered this very well.
That too remembering something clearly which happened a decade ago was quite unnatural.
She might have seen it somewhere else then.

But it could have been a coincidence. She might have happened to visit that place like how Aubrey did. My mind flushed in relief with that thought.

"So what? She would have been the same age as you. She could also have visited that place and seen this before you went there." I reversed and thought of it that way.

" But I bought that within few days after they had collected it. I wonder if it went on display. " Aubrey continued her low tone conversation being careful not to be heard by Emily.

Emily was not leaving the side of Aubrey's table. She now sat in front of the table lamp and was eyeing it merrily.

" Isn't she weird?" I mumbled under my breath looking at her merry smile.

" Yes, Indeed." Aubrey replied at my ear ruffling my hair making me jump out a bit.

I scorned at Aubrey who grinned back at me. I held to the floor somehow and we continued watching Emily.

" She doesn't talk much, right?" I asked Aubrey.

" Yes, I feel like she lost the flow of language. She talks like a shy person. She eyes the floor the same way.". Aubrey rumbled in a low tone.

" You noticed it too?" I turned in awe when she too had the same thought as me.

" Yes. I feel like that when I see Emily."
Aubrey whispered again.

This time Emily turned at us. I think she heard her name even in the small tone we spoke. Wow she has sharp ears, I wonder whether she was listening to us the whole time.

But the look in Emily's eyes was a calm one. Unlike the stare somebody gives when catching others red-handed.
Her green almond eyes shifted again to focus on the lamp after sparing a glance at us.

" What is she looking at, so kneely in that lamp? She is acting like she is the owner of it." Aubrey pouted cutely after she expressed her jealousy at somebody else touching her favorite piece.

" Go and ask her when she saw that lamp. You might get a clear idea then." I suggested to her. We still whispered in our lowest voices.

" You are right." Aubrey's features lit up with my new idea and she walked across to Emily who was still inspecting the lamb.

I went to stand at the edge of the table maintaining considerable space for them to converse. Aubrey dragged the chair out from my table and sat facing Emily.

Emily kept her eyes glued at the lamp, continuing her inspection. She didn't acknowledge the presence of Aubrey near her.

" Hey there. Have you seen it before?". Aubrey started at Emily with a simple question.

Emily nodded her head in reply and while her slender fingers traced over the rainbow pattern of stones on the lamp.

" Where did you see it then?" Aubrey raised her voice above the average level she used to speak usually. She was looked like a police officer investigating an important case when all that seriousness smeared in her sweet tone. I snickered at her attitude. She caught me in my act and sent a death stare my way.

I placed a finger on my pursed lips and raised my hands in air. I turned  my back at them and laughed out in silence. I didn't want to annoy Aubrey by smirking at her face.

" Chinatown." Emily said sweetly in her mild voice.

" When? When did you see?" Aubrey sounded more serious. I was expecting to hear atleast a sentence out of Emily's mouth for that question.

" Was it on a summer holiday? Was it then?" She continued her enquiring without a pause when there was no reply from Emily's end.

Emily maintained her silence for two questions in row, it was as if Aubrey's words fell in dead ears.

I looked at both of them. Aubrey lost her cool by then when Emily didn't care to give a reply.

" When was it?" Aubrey stood up from her chair . She was has reached her level of impatience.

I dragged her away from the table.

" Relax. She will tell you when she wants to." I calmed Aubrey, patting  her shoulder.

" I just asked her few questions. Doesn't she speak? " Aubrey plopped on my bed near the door and stared at the floor.

" She would have forgotten and she might be thinking about the same. She will tell you soon." I tired to sooth Aubrey a little.

" I think so." I wasn't sure myself when I saw Emily with a bright smile sitting at the table.

Her light green eyes got some shades of colour reflecting from the lamp. She seemed much happier than the person she was while entering our room. Why she is this much happy in seeing an antique piece?

" Millie..." Aubrey called to get my attention. I stripped my focus away from Emily's face.

" Yeah.. I am here." I told Emily.

" Why aren't these prints drying?" Aubrey pointed at the floor.

The foot marks of Emily were still there. It was all over the floor, also it overlapped in the places where she walked twice. She didn't walk much too. That was why the prints were clearly visible as hers.

" I think mine didn't dry yet too." I searched around the place where I demonstrated my sweaty foot to her.

I spotted it.

It was visible. But it was dry. The floor had engulfed my foot print into it. It was unlike that of Emily's.

It seemed dry to my eyes while Emily's prints were fresh like what we had seen at first. What was it then?

My footprint dried out like a natural one. But Emily's still remained all over the place. How was that possible?

I was about to call Aubrey and show her. While my hand rested on her shoulders slid off her as she stood up instantly. She looked at Emily and asked.

" Which room are you from?" Aubrey was loud enough for Emily to take her hands away from the lamp at this one question. She kind of looked perplexed at Aubrey's words. But Aubrey did ask a difficult question.

Even I forgot to enquire about her room. We were immersed in things other than that. I totally forgot about the first question we should have asked her.

I was also surprised to see that the smile went out, the moment Aubrey asked that question. Emily sat there and didn't even twitch in the chair.

" Which is your room? Is it in this floor? " I asked Emily hoping to get a reply at the change of the enquiring person. But she didn't reply.

" Come on. Which is your room?" Aubrey asked impatiently.

Emily stood up from the chair and faced us. Her eyes were wide revealing the whiteness around her light green iris.

" Next door!" Emily mumbled in her low tone.

" Number 14?" Aubrey asked her.

But she didn't stand there anymore to reply. But walked towards us and left through the door past us in heavy steps.

" Hey wait." I called after her and ran to catch up with her pace.

But I was left at the corridor alone. Only to see her disappear behind the door of...

Room number 13!
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Added some changes suggested NinoAndria and emmacruz84

Thank you guys for the suggestions 😌