Chapter 2
700 Words
A Warning from the Staff
Determined to learn more, Selena wandered through the endless halls of the mansion.
Every corridor seemed to stretch for miles, adorned with antique paintings and hauntingly lifelike statues. The place was beautiful, but there was an eerie stillness to it, like a house frozen in time.
She found herself in the kitchen, where the scent of freshly baked bread lingered. The staff moved about, preparing the next meal, but when they noticed her presence, they stiffened.
A young maid—Elena—quickly set down the tray she was holding. Her brown eyes darted around nervously before she whispered, “You shouldn’t be wandering alone, ma’am.”
Selena frowned. “Why not?”
Elena’s gaze flickered toward the grand staircase, as if checking for Adrian. “There are things in this house… that should not be disturbed.”
A chill crept down Selena’s spine.
“Like what?”
Elena hesitated. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “The voices.”
Selena’s breath caught.
Before she could press for more, an older maid—Margaret—stormed forward and yanked Elena away. “That’s enough, girl. Get back to work.”
Margaret turned to Selena with a forced smile. “You mustn’t pay attention to foolish gossip, Mrs. Sinclair.”
Selena stiffened at the title. Mrs. Sinclair. It didn’t feel like hers.
Margaret lowered her voice. “The master does not like questions.”
Selena nodded slowly, but inside, her thoughts were racing.
Something was wrong in this house.
And she was going to find out what.
---
The Forbidden Room
That night, Selena couldn’t sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the weight of the mansion pressing down on her. Every creak, every distant echo sent a shiver through her.
Then she heard it.
The whisper.
Soft, almost sorrowful.
She sat up.
The hallway beyond her bedroom was shrouded in shadows, but the whisper grew louder. It called to her, leading her toward the locked door at the end of the hall.
Selena’s heart pounded.
Adrian had forbidden her from going near that door.
But she had to know.
Carefully, she turned the handle. Locked.
She pressed her ear against the wood.
The whispering stopped.
Then—
BANG.
Something slammed against the door from the other side.
She stumbled back, her breath coming in sharp gasps.
What the hell was in there?
She turned—
And nearly screamed when she saw Adrian standing in the shadows.
His expression was like ice.
“I warned you,” he said, voice deadly calm.
Selena swallowed hard. “There’s someone in there.”
Adrian stepped closer. The hallway light cast harsh angles across his face.
“There is nothing in that room,” he said, his voice eerily quiet.
Liar.
But before she could speak, he grabbed her wrist.
His touch was fire. Searing, overwhelming.
Selena gasped. A rush of heat and something unexplainable shot through her veins.
Adrian’s grip tightened for a moment—then he abruptly let go, as if burned.
His expression flickered. Regret? No. Something darker.
“Go to bed, Selena,” he murmured.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving her breathless in the dark.
---
The Fire in His Touch
Selena couldn’t forget what happened.
Not just the locked room, not just the whispersbut the way Adrian had touched her.
There was something unnatural about it.
She decided to test it.
The next evening, when Adrian returned home, she met him in the foyer. He shrugged off his coat, but before he could walk past her, she reached out and grabbed his hand.
The moment their skin connected, it happened again.
A jolt of heat surged through her, setting every nerve on fire.
She gasped, her fingers twitching. What was this?
Adrian yanked his hand away like he’d been electrocuted. His breathing was uneven.
Selena stared at him. “What was that?”
His jaw clenched. “Nothing.”
She stepped closer. “Liar.”
Adrian turned away. “Drop it.”
But she couldn’t.
Because she had a feeling that whatever was happening to himwas connected to the secrets of this house.
And to her.
- Writer
