Night had fallen just before a horrifying scream echoed from downstairs. I opened my bedroom door, terrified by the sound, and was about to head down when a cold hand rested on my shoulder, stopping me.
"Don't go down," Lorian said.
"What?"
"Don't go down," he repeated, ordering me. "Go back to your room, lock the door, and don't open it, no matter who asks."
I stood still, watching as Lorian walked "painfully and sorrowfully" towards the stairs. But when we were alone in his room earlier, he was playing with the fencing swords kept there.
I watched him slowly descend the stairs, then retreated to my room, naively believing it was likely a family matter. I stayed silent, looking out the window and observing the neighborhood's routine, noting when everyone went to sleep for when I might need to escape and retrieve my belongings. But a series of sounds from the stairs soon caught my attention.
