Clara woke before dawn, the kind of waking that came from instinct, not alarms.
The air in her room felt… expectant. Like the quiet before a knife slips from its sheath.
She swung her legs out of bed and dressed in layers—soft enough to move in, dark enough to disappear in shadow. Then she opened her notebook and started a new page.
**Storm prep:**
– Moon phase: waning gibbous, two nights to full.
– Wind: northwest, cold enough to carry scent away from the manor.
– Guard rotation gaps: kitchen deliveries at 5:10 a.m. / laundry cart back entrance at 8:40 p.m.
– East fence “repair" scheduled for tomorrow.
– Medical supplies to be stashed near old well.
– Go-bag in laundry chute: extra clothes, food, rope, silver-resistant gloves.
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By the time the first kitchen light flickered o
