Primrose Egghart's Arc

Chapter 3 of 7

Primrose hears it before she sees anything — a soft scratching sound from inside the gazebo, like something small moving across wood. She goes still. The blue door hasn't opened, but she's not alone anymore. Someone else is here, tucked somewhere in the shadows behind the flowering vines. She steps up onto the gazebo floor and spots them: a dog with floppy ears and a brown collar, nose pressed to the boards where the vines grow thickest. Next to the dog sits a piece of paper covered in crayon marks — bright pink and yellow lines showing the oak tree, the hollow tree with its blue door, and a big X marked right where the gazebo stands. Someone drew this. Someone who knew exactly where the egg would lead. Primrose picks up the map. The lines are messy but clear. Whoever made this wasn't following prints or guessing. They knew the egg's path before it even happened. The dog lifts its head and wags its tail, then goes back to sniffing at something wedged between two floorboards — a spot Primrose can't quite see from where she stands. She kneels beside the dog and peers into the gap. There, tucked deep in shadow, is the egg. Not moving now. Just waiting. But before she can reach for it, she hears footsteps behind her — boots on wood. Someone is coming back for their dog, their map, and the egg they already found. Primrose doesn't grab it. She stands and turns to face whoever knew the secret first.