sion and onto the street. The damp night air hit her face like a slap, chasing away the oppressive

e hell was

live, moving with intent, like something far older than the wall

of Lena's journal beneath her fingers. It was the only clue she had-and

lready

mansion? Or something deeper, something older that h

rk, but this was different. It felt personal, as though the shadows knew her-were waiting for her. Whatev

sion before heading down the street

-

at the

ed to close. She liked the noise; it drowned out the silence of her life. Tonight, though, the hum of voi

ing. Symbols she didn't recognize, crude sketches of figures in cloaks, and fragments of rituals-everything poin

out, underlined

ds them. It's connected to

ame tonight. It was everywhere in the journal, referenced like some ancient entity or fo

knock at

is hour weren't usually good news. She slid the journal into her desk drawer, stood, and crossed th

a crack, her

ood in th

lway. His eyes-cold and calculating-narrowed when they met hers. She felt the familiar r

smooth, like a warning wrapped in silk. He pushed the door

es narrowing. "What do you know

reach his eyes. "More than you do, obviously. And if

nce already thin. "You didn't answ

to something you don't understand. The Thread of Shadows-it's not just some story s

on the back of her nec

hick. "You've been marked, Sienna. The moment you stepped into that house, the

w tightening. "And I'm not about to start now. If

u're making a mistake. You think you're in control,

ed. "Inside me? What t

stay in this, the more it will consume you. The Thread doesn't just bind people-it d

iece together the fragments of information she had. The shadows at the mansion, the strange sy

t

the door handle. "Consider this a wa

f questions with no answers. She couldn't walk away. Not now. Somethi

out again. Her fingers flipped through the pages, but her thoughts were elsewhere. I

taken Lena was co

-

r That

re oppressive, creeping in at the edges of her vision. Every ti

ght of dawn was just beginning to creep through the blinds. Her a

g at her mind, but she pushed it aside

at, her fingers brushing against the journ

ning echoed

dn't walk away from