CHAPTER FOUR
1182 Words
A PAINLESS BREADTH
For the first time in her life, she felt genuinely afraid of her sister.
The realization settled heavily in Tania's chest.
Not because Ellen had threatened her.
Not because she had shouted.
Not because she had done anything violent.
It was the opposite.
The calmness.
The stillness.
The unnatural silence surrounding her.
And now...
The absence of a shadow.
Tania blinked repeatedly.
Perhaps the dim lighting was playing tricks on her eyes.
Perhaps she was imagining things.
Perhaps she had spent too much time listening to ghost stories.
But when she looked again, nothing had changed.
Ellen remained standing in the doorway.
And the floor behind her remained empty.
No shadow.
Nothing.
The coldness in the room intensified.
"You shouldn't be reading that."
Her voice remained soft.
Controlled.
Almost gentle.
Tania swallowed.
The journal lay on the floor between them.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Tania forced herself to speak.
"Why?"
Ellen's expression remained unreadable.
"Because some things hurt when you know them too early."
Tania laughed nervously.
"That's not creepy at all."
No response.
The silence that followed felt worse.
Tania bent quickly and picked up the journal.
Her hands trembled.
"You wrote these entries."
"Yes."
"You thought someone was following you."
Ellen nodded.
"And Augustus knew something?"
A flicker crossed Ellen's face.
Gone before Tania could identify it.
Fear.
Regret.
Pain.
Maybe all three.
"Ellen..."
The older woman slowly stepped into the room.
Dust swirled around her feet.
Yet somehow none of it touched her clothes.
Nothing ever seemed to touch Ellen.
Not really.
"You should go downstairs."
"No."
"Tania."
"No."
The firmness of her own voice surprised her.
Months.
For months she had watched everyone tiptoe around Ellen.
Protecting her.
Defending her.
Making excuses for her.
Now she wanted answers.
Real answers.
"Mom is hiding something."
Silence.
"You are hiding something."
Still silence.
Tania's heartbeat quickened.
"What happened to Augustus?"
For the first time, Ellen looked away.
Toward the old window.
Toward the gathering clouds outside.
The storm was returning.
It always seemed to return whenever Ellen became emotional.
The thought unsettled Tania.
"He died."
"I know that."
"You know what everyone knows."
The answer only created more questions.
Tania stepped forward.
"What does that mean?"
Before Ellen could answer, a voice echoed from downstairs.
"Tania!"
Their mother.
Calling.
The tension shattered instantly.
Ellen's expression changed.
The strange sadness returned.
"Go."
"I'm not finished."
"You are for today."
The statement sounded less like advice and more like certainty.
Tania hated that.
She hated the way Ellen always spoke as though she knew things nobody else did.
As though she could see events before they happened.
As though she carried secrets too heavy for ordinary people.
Their mother's voice came again.
"Tania!"
This time louder.
Reluctantly, she turned.
When she reached the doorway she glanced back.
The room was empty.
Completely empty.
The journal remained on the floor.
The dust-covered furniture remained untouched.
But Ellen was gone.
Vanished.
As though she had never been there.
Tania's stomach dropped.
There had been no second door.
No balcony.
No place to hide.
Nothing.
Yet Ellen had disappeared.
Again.
And somehow that frightened her more than anything she had read in the journal.
---
Downstairs, their mother stood near the kitchen.
A worried expression lined her face.
"Where were you?"
"Upstairs."
Immediately her mother's face paled.
"The third floor?"
Tania frowned.
"Why does everyone react like that?"
"You weren't supposed to go there."
"Why?"
No answer.
The older woman turned away.
"Tania."
"Mom."
"What?"
"What happened in that room?"
Their mother froze.
Only for a second.
But Tania noticed.
The woman slowly set down the glass she had been holding.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do."
Their eyes met.
The silence between them stretched painfully.
Then her mother sighed.
A tired.
Broken sigh.
"There are things you don't understand."
"Then explain them."
"I can't."
The answer frustrated her instantly.
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't my story to tell."
The words struck harder than expected.
Not my story to tell.
Meaning there was a story.
A secret.
Something everyone seemed aware of except her.
And for some reason, Ellen remained at the center of it.
---
That evening the rain returned.
Heavy.
Violent.
The wind rattled the windows.
Thunder shook the walls.
The atmosphere inside the house felt strangely oppressive.
Dinner passed in near silence.
Their mother barely touched her food.
Ellen sat quietly.
As always.
Perfect posture.
Minimal movement.
No unnecessary conversation.
Watching them with those dark observant eyes.
Tania suddenly realized something.
She couldn't remember the last time she had actually seen Ellen sleep.
The woman was always awake.
Always present.
Always moving from one responsibility to another.
Yet never appearing tired.
Never appearing exhausted.
Not truly.
The realization sent a chill through her.
"You okay?"
The question startled her.
Ellen was looking directly at her.
Waiting.
Tania quickly recovered.
"Fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I could say the same thing about you."
Their mother glanced between them.
Uneasy.
Nervous.
As though she feared where the conversation might lead.
For a moment Ellen almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she returned her attention to her plate.
The discussion ended.
Just like that.
Yet the tension remained.
Lingering beneath every word.
Every glance.
Every breath.
---
Near midnight, Tania woke suddenly.
No nightmare.
No sound.
Just an overwhelming feeling.
Something was wrong.
The room felt colder than usual.
She sat upright.
Listening.
Silence.
Then—
Tap.
A single sound.
Against her window.
Tania frowned.
Tap.
Again.
Slow.
Deliberate.
She climbed from bed.
Carefully approaching the curtains.
Outside, rain continued falling.
The garden below appeared deserted.
Empty.
Dark.
Tap.
The sound came again.
This time directly beside her.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She turned toward the source.
The bedroom mirror.
Another tap echoed from its surface.
Tania stumbled backward.
Her pulse exploded.
The mirror reflected her room perfectly.
Except for one thing.
A figure stood behind her.
A woman.
Pale.
Motionless.
Watching.
Tania spun around.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
She looked back at the mirror.
The figure remained.
Still watching.
Still standing there.
A scream rose in her throat.
Then the figure moved.
Its lips parted.
And though no sound emerged, Tania clearly understood the words.
HELP HER.
The mirror shattered.
Glass exploded across the room.
Tania screamed.
The door burst open.
Their mother rushed inside.
"What happened?"
Tania pointed toward the broken mirror.
Breathing heavily.
Unable to speak.
Unable to explain.
Their mother followed her gaze.
Confusion filled her face.
"What did you see?"
Tania opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Because another figure stood behind her mother.
Ellen.
Silent.
Watching.
But unlike before, she looked terrified.
Truly terrified.
And for the first time since Augustus Coker's death, Tania saw genuine fear in her sister's eyes.
Fear not for herself.
But for someone else.
Someone—or something—coming for them.
And deep down, Tania knew one thing.
The secrets surrounding Ellen were no longer buried.
They were beginning to surface.
And when they did, nothing in their lives would remain the same.
- Writer
