The air was thick tonight, dense with an almost electric charge that prickled against my skin. It wasn't the usual calm of the manor—it felt like something unseen was in the room, watching. The full moon bathed everything in a cold, silver light, casting shadows across the floor that seemed to stretch and shift unnaturally.
Selene stood by the window, her figure bathed in moonlight. She was always graceful, but there was a tension in her stance now. Something about her seemed… unsettled. I could sense it without even needing to look at her directly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would disturb the eerie silence.
For a moment, she didn't respond. Her eyes stayed fixed on the trees outside, watching the branches sway lightly in the breeze. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but laced with unease. "It's the shadows," she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at the corners of the room. "They're different tonight."
"Different?" I echoed, trying to follow her gaze. "They're just shadows."
Selene turned toward me, her expression serious. "No. They're not. I can feel them, Leo. They're moving in ways they shouldn't. It's subtle, but… they're not natural."
A chill ran down my spine. I glanced around the room, taking in the moonlit corners. The shadows did seem… off, now that she mentioned it. The way they clung to the walls, the way they stretched and shifted, almost as if they were alive. I tried to shake off the feeling, but the longer I looked, the more it gnawed at me.
"It's probably just our minds playing tricks on us," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We've been cooped up here for too long, reading creepy old books. It's messing with our heads."
Selene didn't respond. Her eyes remained fixed on the far corner of the room, where the shadows seemed to deepen, the darkness swirling in a way that defied logic. I could see the tension in her, the way her fingers curled slightly, the way her breath hitched.
"Leo," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, "something's here."
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. "What do you mean?"
She glanced at me, her usually serene face clouded with concern. "There's a presence. I can feel it. It's been growing stronger since we opened the book."
My gaze flicked to the Creatures of the Dark tome resting on the bed beside me. The old leather cover gleamed faintly in the moonlight, the title still glinting with an eerie silver glow. I had closed the book after reading the last unsettling passage, but now, in the dim light of the room, it seemed to pulse with a quiet, dark energy.
"You think it's the book?" I asked, my voice low.
Selene hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I don't know what's inside it, but I've felt something change ever since we read those words. There's a power in it, something ancient, something that draws in the darkness."
I felt a cold sweat forming on the back of my neck. I'd joked about the book earlier, brushed it off as nothing more than an old collection of spooky tales, but now I wasn't so sure. The room felt different, heavier, as if the air itself was closing in on us.
I stood up, trying to shake off the creeping sense of dread. "Okay," I said, taking a deep breath, "let's not panic. If there's something in here with us, we'll deal with it."
"How?" she asked, her voice edged with concern.
I didn't have an answer. The logical part of my brain told me that there was nothing to be afraid of, that this was all in our heads. But something deeper, something primal, told me otherwise. The shadows weren't normal. The room wasn't normal. And the more I tried to convince myself otherwise, the more I could feel the presence Selene had described.
I glanced toward the far corner of the room, where the shadows had gathered thickest. They seemed to pulse, as if they were alive, shifting and swirling in the dim light. My heart began to race, a cold dread settling in my chest.
"I'm going to open the curtains more," I said, my voice tense. "Let's get more light in here."
Selene nodded, but she didn't move. Her eyes were still fixed on the dark corner, her brow furrowed in concentration. I moved quickly, pulling the curtains wider, letting the full force of the moonlight flood the room. The silver glow chased away some of the darkness, but the shadows in the corner remained, stubbornly clinging to the walls like a living thing.
"Is that helping?" I asked, though I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer.
Selene finally tore her gaze away from the shadows and looked at me. Her eyes were dark, troubled. "Not much. They're stronger than the light."
A chill settled in my bones. I could feel the tension thickening in the air, as if the room itself was reacting to the presence of something unseen. I wanted to say something reassuring, but the words wouldn't come. The longer we stood there, the more it felt like the darkness was closing in.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered, stepping closer to me.
The space between us shrank, and I could feel the warmth of her presence despite the chill that gripped the room. Her vulnerability in that moment was palpable, and my chest tightened at the sight of her troubled expression.
I placed a hand on her arm, hesitating at first, unsure if she'd welcome the contact. But when she didn't pull away, I gave her a reassuring squeeze. "We'll figure it out, Selene. We're not alone in this."
Her gaze softened at that, and for a moment, the fear seemed to ebb, replaced by something warmer, more fragile. "I wish…" She trailed off, her eyes searching mine.
"Wish what?" I asked, my voice gentle.
"I wish I could remember everything," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "I feel like there are pieces of me still missing… things I need to understand before…" She stopped, biting her lip.
"Before what?" I pressed, feeling like we were on the edge of something important.
Her eyes flicked to the book on the bed, then back to me. "Before it's too late."