Mavis felt an unsettling tension in the air as soon as she entered the room, but she couldn’t quite place the cause. She glanced around, trying to understand why it felt so different today. Something wasn’t right. Then, she turned to Vanessa, her friend, and asked quietly, “Vanessa, what happened?”
Vanessa hesitated for a moment. She glanced at the others in the room, her gaze dropping as if she were unsure how to speak. Her fingers nervously twisted a napkin in her hands. Mavis was her closest friend, and though she knew she should warn her, something inside her told her it wasn’t the right time. Still, she had to say something.
“Mavis, in fact, Amelia...” she started, but before she could finish, she was cut off.
“Vanessa. Room 3 needs to be cleaned,” a voice interrupted sharply. The
