Idk which one was for this book, so I posted both chapters : The bedrooms of Blackwood Manor were as grand and as desolate as the rest of the castle. High ceilings, draped in faded velvet, seemed to press down on Valentine, amplifying the silence that hung heavy in the air. Dust motes danced in the weak rays of sunlight that pierced through the gaps in the heavy curtains, painting ephemeral stripes of gold across the threadbare carpet.
After a boisterous round of claiming rooms (Javier, naturally, snagged the one with the four-poster bed and a view of the graveyard), Valentine found herself alone in a turret room overlooking the gardens. The apricity of the afternoon sun did little to dispel the lingering chill that clung to the stone walls. She unpacked her bag, her fingers tracing the familiar contours of her sketchbook and charcoal pencils. Inspiration, she hoped, would be easier to find once the sun dipped below the horizon and the shadows grew long.
A soft knock startled her from her thoughts. Chloe slipped through the doorway, her face aspectabund with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. “Hey, you okay in here all by yourself? It’s a little…intense, even for you.”
Valentine smiled, touched by her friend’s concern. “Just soaking up the atmosphere,” she replied, gesturing to the room with a dramatic flourish. “Besides, a little solitude never hurt anyone. It’s how I tap into my creative juju.”
Chloe chuckled, her eyes twinkling. “Right, because talking to your demons is totally normal.” She crossed the room and perched on the edge of the antique writing desk, its surface scarred with the passage of time. “Seriously though, you sure you don’t want to come downstairs? Liam’s trying to get the ancient gramophone working, and Maya’s threatening to teach us all how to waltz.”
The image of Maya, all flailing limbs and infectious laughter, attempting to lead a room full of uncoordinated teenagers in a graceful waltz, brought a smile to Valentine’s lips. She could almost hear the dulcet strains of music, warped and distorted by time, echoing through the halls. It would be a scene of pure, unadulterated baltering, and for a moment, Valentine felt a pang of charmolypi, a bittersweet longing for the carefree joy of her friends, even as a part of her craved the solace of solitude.
“Go on, I’ll be down in a bit,” Valentine said, her voice soft. “I just need a few minutes to…acclimate.”
Chloe hesitated, her gaze lingering on Valentine’s face as if sensing her unspoken turmoil. Then, with a gentle squeeze of her hand, she nodded and slipped out of the room, leaving Valentine alone with the whispers of the past and the growing sense that something was watching her, its presence as diaphanous and unsettling as the dust motes dancing in the fading light.
YOU ARE READING
the Blackwood Manor
ParanormalI just wanted to get rid of this old story, so post here it's also on a03 account name Etherealmeadow , story same name .
