Chapter 1:The girl who ran away
Some people leave footprints behind.
Others leave memories.
And some leave promises.
The first thing Elara Vale remembered about the accident was the rain.
The second was waking beneath a ceiling of white lights.
The third was her mother's hand trembling around hers.
Three months passed before Elara was allowed to go home.
She was fourteen.
And during those three months, doctors discovered something else had changed.
Elara had begun experiencing things other people couldn't see or hear. She sometimes heard voices without a visible source. Sometimes shadows moved where nothing stood.
After careful evaluation, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Her parents tried their best to protect her.
Perhaps too much.
"Don't go outside alone."
"Don't climb that."
"Don't wander."
"Stay where we can see you."
Elara listened.
For a while.
But Elara had always been adventurous.
Mischievous.
Restless.
And after months of hospital walls, being treated like fragile glass became unbearable.
One afternoon, she packed a small bag.
She climbed out the window.
And ran.
She didn't know where she was going.
She only knew she wanted somewhere that felt like her own.
By sunset, she found it.
A mansion.
Hidden behind an iron gate and surrounded by enormous trees.
It looked like something from a forgotten dream.
Elara smiled.
"Perfect."
She slipped through the gate.
