Raelynn sat on the edge of her bed, wrapping the thick blanket around her shoulders. The fire in the fireplace had died down, leaving only faint embers glowing in the dimly lit room. Yet the real ghost that haunted her mind was the figure she had seen standing near the trees.
She swallowed hard, her throat dry. It could have been nothing, just a trick of the moonlight and the swaying branches. But deep inside, a part of her knew better. Soone had been there. Watching.
Her fingers curled into the blanket as she tried to steady her breathing. Every sound in the room—the faint creak of the wood, the rustle of fabric as she shifted—felt too loud, like the house itself was holding its breath.
She turned her gaze back to the window, her heart hamring against her ribs. The garden was still, bathed in silver light. But the spot where she thought the figure had been was now empty. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she forced herself to look away, not wanting to see it appear again.
A sudden noise—a soft thud—ca from outside the door. Raelynn tensed, her breath catching in her throat. It wasn't loud, but in the heavy silence of the night, it might as well have been a shout.
She hesitated for a long mont before slowly pushing herself off the bed. The floor was cold against her bare feet as she took slow, careful steps toward the door. She hesitated, pressing her palm against the wood, listening. Nothing.
"Elion?" she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
No answer.
Her stomach clenched as she reached for the handle. The cool tal sent a shiver through her fingertips. With slow movents, she turned it and pulled the door open just a fraction, peeking out into the corridor.
Empty.
She exhaled shakily, forcing herself to step out into the hallway. The dim lanterns along the walls cast long shadows, stretching across the floor like dark fingers. Her unease deepened as she took a few cautious steps forward. The silence pressed down on her, thick and heavy, as if the entire house was waiting for sothing to happen.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it.
A shadow. Flickering at the end of the corridor.
Raelynn's breath caught in her throat, and she took a step back, her heart racing wildly. The figure stood just at the edge of the lantern's glow, unmoving, watching.
And then—it vanished.
A choked gasp escaped her lips as she turned on her heel and rushed back into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Her fingers fumbled to lock it, her entire body trembling. She pressed her back against the wood, chest rising and falling in quick, uneven breaths.
This wasn't her imagination.
Her mind raced, grasping for an explanation. A robbery? But then—why was everything so quiet? Shouldn't there be shouting, footsteps, sothing? Unless… the security had already been taken down.
The thought made her stomach churn. Was she supposed to just stay inside, keep the door locked, and hope for the best? That seed like the safest option. And yet—
Elion.
Her fingers clenched against the door. She hadn't seen him since earlier, and now she couldn't stop thinking about him. Was he safe? Did he know what was happening? Or—was he out there, in danger?
Okay... she needed to find Elion.
Without wasting another second, she grabbed the thick robe draped over the chair and wrapped it around herself before hurrying out of the room. Her steps were quick but cautious, her ears straining to hear anything out of place. The halls seed eerily endless as she made her way toward Elion's study.
When she reached the heavy doors, she hesitated for just a mont before pushing them open. The room was dimly lit, the glow from the fireplace casting flickering gold against the bookshelves lining the walls.
Elion was standing by the large desk, his back to her, deep in thought. His long fingers tapped rhythmically against the wooden surface, his brows furrowed as if lost in deep contemplation.
At the sound of the door opening, he turned. The mont his eyes landed on her, they sharpened with concern. "Raelynn?" His voice was low, yet imdiately alert.
She realized how she must look—her face pale, her hands gripping the edges of her robe tightly.
"There's soone outside," she whispered, her voice barely steady. "Watching."
Elion's expression darkened instantly. He moved toward her in hurry, his presence grounding, yet laced with tension. "What did you see?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with sothing dangerous.
Raelynn swallowed, shaking her head. "I don't know… It was a shadow. A figure. I thought I heard sothing, and then—I saw soone in the garden. And just now, in the corridor."
Elion strode back to his desk without a word. Raelynn watched as he pulled open a drawer and, without hesitation, retrieved a gun. The cold tal glead under the dim light as he checked it.
Raelynn swallowed hard, her pulse spiking. She hadn't expected that. Seeing a gun in his hands made everything feel more real—more dangerous.
But she forced herself to stay focused. Now wasn't the ti to be distracted. His every movent was fluid, precise, like a predator ready to strike. He turned to her, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Stay here."
"Wait," she blurted out, reaching for his arm before he could leave. Her fingers grasped the fabric of his sleeve, her grip tight. "Be careful."
For a brief mont, Elion didn't move. He looked at her, his gaze flickering with sothing unreadable. Then, his expression softened—just a fraction. He raised a hand and gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his touch lingering for just a mont longer than necessary.
"I will," he murmured.
Raelynn hesitated, then slowly let go of his sleeve. She watched as he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, his steps silent, his presence like a shadow moving through the night.
The mont he was gone, the study suddenly felt too big. Too empty.
She pressed her fingers against her lips, trying to slow the anxious pounding in her chest. Outside, the wind howled softly through the trees, and in the distance, thunder rumbled low in the sky.
Raelynn sank into the nearest chair, her mind racing.
Sothing was out there. And she had a terrible feeling that this was only the beginning.
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