April's pov
I locked the door behind me, sliding the old brass key back into my pocket as the hallway behind me faded into shadow. The faint creak of the hinges still echoed in my ears. The air on this floor felt different, too still, like it had been holding its breath with me.
It was nearly dark outside. The sky, once pale and golden through the stained-glass windows of the upper floor, had now shifted to a moody indigo. The silence around me felt thick, clinging to my skin like mist. I needed to leave. I needed to get back before anyone realized I had been here before someone noticed I had been exploring a place that was meant to be forgotten.
I took a deep breath and moved carefully down the staircase, each step slow and deliberate. The weight of the diary I had just read, pressed
