Execrable

Chapter 5

The days that followed were tense. Every shadow seemed to hold a threat, every whispered conversation felt like it was about us. Bellatrix and I kept our heads down, trying to pretend that life was normal, but the unease was impossible to ignore.

It wasn't long before the effects of that box began to ripple through our lives in unexpected ways. At first, it was small things—unexplained chills, objects moving slightly out of place, the feeling of being watched. But then, the dreams started.

They were unlike any dreams I'd ever had. Vivid and unsettling, they always involved the box—its symbols glowing, shifting, almost as if they were alive. In these dreams, I would see people I didn't know, their faces obscured, but their intentions clear. They wanted the box, and they weren't going to stop until they got it.

I didn't tell Bellatrix about the dreams at first, not wanting to add to her stress. But one morning, after a particularly harrowing night, I found her sitting at the kitchen table, her face pale and her hands trembling.

"You too?" she asked quietly, not even needing to specify what she meant.

I nodded, sinking into the chair opposite her. "They're getting worse, aren't they?"

She nodded back, staring down at her hands. "It's like... it's like the box isn't done with us. Even though we gave it back, it's still... connected to us somehow."

A shiver ran down my spine. "Lisa said something about others wanting it. Do you think... do you think they're trying to get to us through the dreams?"

Bellatrix looked up, fear in her eyes. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's not going away."

That day, we resolved to find out more about the box. Whatever it was, it had its claws in us now, and if we didn't understand it, we would never be free of its influence.

We started with the school library, though we knew the chances of finding anything there were slim. Bellatrix and I combed through old history books, mythologies, and anything that might hint at the box's origins. But after hours of searching, we came up empty-handed.

"It's no use," Bellatrix said, frustration lacing her voice. "If this thing is as old as it seems, we're not going to find anything in these books."

I knew she was right, but I wasn't ready to give up. "Maybe... maybe there's someone who knows more about this kind of stuff. An expert or something."

"An expert in cursed boxes?" Bellatrix asked, her sarcasm barely hiding her fear.

"Something like that," I replied, determined. "We just need to find someone who understands ancient artifacts. Someone who can tell us what we're dealing with."

But finding such a person was easier said than done. Days passed, and our search led to dead ends and more questions. Meanwhile, the dreams continued, growing more intense, more insistent. It was as if the box was trying to tell us something, but we couldn't understand its message.

Finally, in a last-ditch effort, I decided to visit an antique shop on the edge of town that had a reputation for dealing in strange and unusual items. The owner, a reclusive old man named Mr. Grimsby, was rumored to know about things that most people wouldn't believe existed.

Bellatrix was hesitant, but I convinced her that we had no other options. We couldn't keep living in fear, plagued by dreams and uncertainty. We needed answers, and Mr. Grimsby was our best shot at finding them.

When we entered the shop, the musty smell of old books and ancient wood hit us, and I could feel Bellatrix tense beside me. The shop was dimly lit, cluttered with oddities from every corner of the world—objects that seemed to hum with forgotten stories.

"Can I help you?" a voice croaked from behind the counter. Mr. Grimsby, with his wild white hair and piercing eyes, looked at us with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

I swallowed my nerves and stepped forward. "We... we need information. About an artifact. Something old, and dangerous."

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might throw us out. But then he motioned for us to follow him deeper into the shop. "Come with me. If you've gotten yourselves tangled with something you don't understand, it's better to know what you're dealing with."

Bellatrix and I exchanged a glance, and then we followed him, hoping that we were finally on the path to understanding the mystery that had turned our lives upside down.

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Next Chapter coming out on next Saturday. Stay Tuned!

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