The Stray Souls ["The Diary Keeper" Sequel; "The Dark Legacies" Series]

Chapter 4: The dead among us

The next morning proved to be nothing short of insane. I woke up even before the alarm clock went off, as my smartphone was bombarded with a barrage of notifications. I squinted at the screen, still half-asleep, only to find hundreds of messages flooding the local Ravenwood chat groups.

Oh my goodness, what had happened? In my hometown, we hardly ever had any breaking news since, quite frankly, nothing much ever occurred. It was a place of perpetual tranquillity and boredom, where there was scarcely anything to discuss. Yet here I was, confronted with an overwhelming number of comments that made it feel as if aliens had descended upon us.

Suppressing my powerful urge to go back to sleep, I tapped on the first chat I came across. The largest number of comments was beneath a series of photographs. I took a closer look.

The photographs depicted various scenic spots in Ravenwood, but something eerie had materialized in them... something like ghostly apparitions. I quickly swiped through all the photos (there were around two dozen). It wasn't just a single ghost - there were several of them.

Then, I looked at the comments. The whole town was now abuzz, embroiled in heated debates about whether the ghosts captured in those images were genuine or mere tricks of the light. The boundary between the living and the spectral seemed to blur with each passing day.

Judging from the messages in the chat, the photos were taken by local kids that night. They realized that the adults wouldn't believe them, so they decided to capture evidence and share it online. But ghosts shouldn't appear in photos...

People's thoughts in the comments were quite diverse.

crazybee777: What nonsense, this is all just Photoshop or artificial intelligence.

forgotmyname: Well, I think it's true. Ravenwood has been so quiet lately that it's not surprising ghosts have appeared here.

truth_seeker: Time to gear up and start some paranormal investigations. This could be our big break!

ghosthunter01: Seriously, why does this town have to be so weird? What's next?

amy.white: Let's not jump to conclusions. There could be a rational explanation for these images.

disconnected222: I'm getting my camera ready for some ghost-hunting. Who's with me? 👻📸

skeptic4life: I'll believe it when I see it in person. Probably just kids playing tricks.

My hands trembled. As I scrolled through the eerie ghostly photos again, a shiver ran down my spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It wasn't just the typical internet scare; this was different. The way those ethereal figures loomed amidst familiar Ravenwood scenery, their spectral presence unnervingly real...

I zoomed in on one picture, the ghosts captured amidst the misty moonlight, and I could feel my heart race. I could almost make out their expressions – sadness, longing, and a disconcerting sense of purpose. It was as if the supernatural had decided to reveal itself, to tell us that our world and theirs were intersecting in unimaginable ways.

A tingling sense of unease settled in my gut. What if these were more than just photos? What if they were a harbinger of something much darker lurking within Ravenwood's shadows, waiting to make itself known?

***
The evening had cast a mysterious cloak over Ravenwood as I approached Di Flores Manor. The house, with its dark silhouette against the dimly lit sky, was an imposing presence.

The evening in our little town during spring is always a breathtaking spectacle. As the sun began its descent below the horizon, the sky transformed into a canvas painted with hues of pastel pinks and oranges. The air held a gentle warmth, and a fragrant breeze carried the scents of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass.

Trees, adorned with vibrant green leaves, cast long shadows that stretched across the cobblestone paths. Spring blossoms were in full bloom, and their colorful petals added a touch of magic to mundane reality.

I entered the manor, and its grandeur didn't fail to impress me. The opulence of the past still lingered in its elaborate decor. My footsteps echoed in the silence, creating an eerie symphony as I moved from room to room. Each corner seemed to hold some secrets.

I had come here in search of something useful, something that could aid me in my investigation into the paranormal activities that had gripped Ravenwood. Whatever lay hidden in the depths of Di Flores Manor might just hold the answers I needed to make sense of the inexplicable events unfolding around me.

While searching through Mia's room, I stumbled upon a small but intriguing discovery – a magnifying glass tucked away among her belongings. It seemed out of place among her studying supplies and music books, but there was something about it that caught my attention.

Kaira had mentioned before that there should be an item in Mia Lancaster's possession that had captured her gaze. Something that would allow me to observe Hazel's diary through Mia's eyes. Something akin to a mirror.

With a sense of determination, I picked up the magnifying glass. Uncertain if this was the right choice, but convinced that it was worth a try.