Chapter 1Mirror of the past
Six o’clock. The bus hissed to a halt before the ancient house. The air was biting, heavy with a silence that seemed to exhale from the very stones. My fingers shook as I gripped the keys, desperate for the solitude I had traveled so far to find.
Inside, the scent of dust was stifling. I headed straight for Room 8. Setting my bag down, my eyes were drawn to the wooden table in the corner. There it was—an old, weathered book, lying in wait.
I opened it, my heart hammering. The words on the first page froze the blood in my veins: 'She has arrived, draped in her black coat, eyes searching for answers that only this room can provide...'
The book hit the floor. My breath hitched. How could it know? The color of my coat, the exact moment of my entry? I looked toward the wardrobe mirror, and for a fleeting second, my reflection stood perfectly still while I moved."
