Chapter2:TheNewHouse
1659 Words
The storm followed them into Italy like it knew their names.
Rain slammed against the windows while the car climbed higher through the cliffs, headlights cutting through thick silver fog that swallowed the narrow roads ahead. Below them, the ocean crashed violently against jagged rocks, dark and endless beneath flashes of lightning.
Evelyn sat silently in the backseat with her forehead resting against the cold window.
Everything felt unreal.
London already felt far away somehow.
Like she had left more than a city behind.
Beside her, Jake snored lightly with his hood pulled over his face, completely unaffected by the terrifying roads winding through the mountains.
Evelyn envied him.
“How are you sleeping through this?” she muttered.
Jake barely opened one eye. “If we die, we die.”
“Comforting.”
“Thanks.”
A tiny smile tugged at her lips before disappearing again.
The dream still clung to her.
The burning palace.
The screaming.
The man with green eyes.
The woman crying while placing the silver necklace into Evelyn’s hands.
No matter how many times she had those dreams, they never felt like dreams.
They felt like memories.
And that terrified her.
Lightning flashed across the sky again.
For one brief second, the cliffs below became visible.
Evelyn froze.
There were statues carved into the rocks overlooking the ocean.
Huge ones.
Ancient ones.
Human figures with crowns and wings and swords, weathered by time and sea storms.
Watching the water.
Watching the town.
Watching her.
A strange chill crawled down her spine.
“This place is creepy,” she whispered.
John glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “It’s historic.”
“It looks cursed.”
Jake lifted his head slightly. “That’s because Europe likes decorating things with dead people and suffering.”
Adeline sighed from the passenger seat. “Can we try being positive for one hour?”
Jake considered that seriously. “No.”
Evelyn laughed quietly before looking outside again.
The town slowly emerged through the rain.
Small streets curved between ancient stone buildings glowing warmly beneath old lanterns. Flower boxes hung from balconies despite the storm, while narrow alleyways disappeared between restaurants, bookstores and cafés that looked hundreds of years old.
Beautiful.
But something about it made her uneasy.
Like the town was too quiet.
Even the people walking beneath umbrellas seemed strangely calm despite the thunder shaking the sky.
And everywhere Evelyn looked—
she felt eyes on her.
At first she thought she was imagining it.
Then she noticed it happening again.
A woman standing outside a bakery stopped walking entirely as the car passed.
Her gaze locked onto Evelyn through the window.
Not curious.
Startled.
Another man looked up from unloading groceries and frowned deeply at the car before quickly looking away.
Jake noticed too this time.
“Okay,” he muttered quietly. “Why are people staring at us?”
“No one’s staring,” Adeline answered too quickly.
Evelyn looked at her immediately.
Her mother kept her eyes forward.
Too calm.
Too careful.
The uneasy feeling in Evelyn’s stomach deepened.
The car finally turned away from the main town and onto a quieter road lined with towering cypress trees. Fog curled around the branches while iron gates and stone walls appeared occasionally through the darkness.
Then the trees opened.
And Evelyn saw the house.
Her breath caught softly.
The mansion sat overlooking the cliffs like something pulled from another century. Pale stone walls climbed upward beneath ivy-covered balconies while massive windows reflected flashes of lightning from the sea below.
It was beautiful.
And somehow lonely.
Like the house had been waiting too long for something.
“Welcome home,” John said gently.
Home.
The word felt strange.
Nothing about this place felt like home yet.
The iron gates creaked open slowly as the car pulled into the driveway.
The closer they got, the stranger Evelyn felt.
Pressure slowly built inside her chest.
Not pain.
Awareness.
Like the house itself recognized her arrival.
The second the car stopped, her necklace turned warm against her skin.
Evelyn inhaled sharply.
Her fingers wrapped instinctively around the silver crescent pendant beneath her sweater.
Warm.
Again.
Not burning this time.
Just alive.
“Evie?”
She looked up quickly.
Jake frowned at her from beside the car.
“You zoned out.”
“I’m fine.”
Lie.
The rain had softened into a drizzle now, but cold wind still whipped through the cliffs as they climbed out of the car.
The ocean roared somewhere below them.
Evelyn turned toward the sound instinctively.
And froze.
For one impossible second—
she thought she heard whispers rising with the waves.
Soft voices tangled within the wind.
Waiting.
Watching.
Calling.
A shiver ran through her body.
“You coming?” Jake called while grabbing boxes from the trunk.
Evelyn nodded quickly and followed them inside.
Warmth wrapped around her immediately.
The house smelled faintly like cedarwood, old books and sea salt.
Dark wooden floors stretched beneath elegant chandeliers while enormous staircases curved upward toward shadowed hallways. Candle-shaped wall lights cast golden glows across old paintings and carved statues placed throughout the mansion.
Everything looked expensive.
Ancient.
And strangely untouched.
Like nobody had truly lived there in years.
Jake whistled softly. “Okay, rich people definitely died here.”
“Jake,” Adeline warned.
“I’m just saying this looks exactly like the beginning of a horror movie.”
Evelyn wandered further inside slowly.
Her footsteps echoed through the quiet house.
Something about it felt familiar in ways she couldn’t explain.
Not memory exactly.
Instinct.
As if some hidden part of her already knew these hallways.
A large painting near the staircase caught her attention.
Evelyn stopped completely.
The portrait showed a woman standing beside the ocean beneath a crescent moon.
Long dark red hair blew around her face while icy blue eyes stared outward with heartbreaking sadness.
Evelyn’s breath caught painfully.
Those eyes.
She knew those eyes.
From the dream.
The realization sent coldness rushing through her veins.
Impossible.
Slowly, Evelyn stepped closer to the painting.
The woman looked so real.
Too real.
Her expression felt familiar in a way that made Evelyn’s chest ache unexpectedly.
And suddenly—
dizziness slammed into her.
The room tilted violently.
Ocean waves crashed loudly inside her head.
Images flashed.
Silver crowns.
Blood.
A woman screaming.
The necklace around Evelyn’s throat burned hot—
“Evelyn!”
Strong hands grabbed her shoulders before she collapsed.
The visions vanished instantly.
Evelyn blinked rapidly and realized John stood in front of her, concern filling his face.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Her breathing turned uneven.
“I…” She swallowed hard. “I got dizzy.”
Adeline moved beside them immediately.
Her eyes landed on the painting.
Then on Evelyn’s necklace.
Fear flickered across her face so quickly Evelyn almost missed it.
“You should rest,” Adeline said softly.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re pale.”
“I said I’m fine.”
The sharpness in her voice surprised everyone.
Even herself.
Silence settled heavily afterward.
Because the truth was—
Evelyn was tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Tired of feeling strange.
Tired of unanswered questions.
Tired of dreams that felt too real.
And lately…
tired of the way her parents kept looking at her like they were hiding something.
Jake awkwardly cleared his throat. “I call the bedroom without ghosts.”
“That’s not helping,” Evelyn muttered.
“It’s helping me.”
John sighed tiredly. “Go unpack.”
Jake saluted dramatically before disappearing upstairs.
Evelyn almost smiled.
Almost.
Instead she looked back at the painting one last time.
The woman’s eyes still followed her.
Sad.
Knowing.
Like she recognized Evelyn too.
The thought made her stomach twist.
Upstairs, Evelyn’s bedroom overlooked the ocean.
The view should have been calming.
Instead it made her feel painfully small.
She slowly unpacked clothes while rain tapped softly against the balcony doors.
The silence inside the room felt heavy.
Lonely.
Her entire life had changed in less than a week.
New country.
New house.
New school.
New everything.
And somehow—
instead of feeling excited—
she only felt emptier.
Evelyn sat slowly on the edge of her bed.
The silver necklace rested cold against her collarbone now.
Normal again.
She stared at it quietly.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
The question wasn’t directed at herself.
Not completely.
It was directed at whoever left her with this necklace eighteen years ago.
At whoever haunted her dreams.
At whoever she saw burning inside that palace every night.
No answer came.
Only the distant sound of waves crashing below the cliffs.
Eventually Evelyn stood and stepped onto the balcony.
Cold wind immediately tangled through her hair.
The town stretched below the cliffs beautifully beneath the fading storm. Golden lights flickered through narrow streets while the sea reflected moonlight like black glass.
Italy looked beautiful.
Beautiful things hid monsters best.
The thought came suddenly.
Darkly.
And for some reason—
true.
Evelyn wrapped her arms around herself.
The strange feeling from earlier still lingered beneath her skin.
That awful sense of being watched.
She looked toward the forest surrounding the estate.
Nothing moved.
Only shadows between trees.
Still…
her heartbeat quickened.
The wind shifted.
And suddenly—
Evelyn saw someone standing beyond the gates.
Her breath stopped.
A tall figure stood motionless beneath the trees.
Watching the house.
Watching her.
Lightning flashed across the sky—
and the figure vanished.
Evelyn stumbled backward immediately.
Her pulse thundered painfully.
No.
No, someone was there.
She knew they were.
The balcony doors burst open behind her.
“Evie?”
Evelyn turned sharply.
Jake frowned at her from inside the room.
“You okay?”
She looked back toward the gates.
Empty now.
Only darkness remained.
But the feeling stayed.
Heavy.
Wrong.
Like something had finally found her.
And somewhere deep below the cliffs—
the ocean whispered her name.
- Writer
