Shadows of Eldridge

Chapter VII: The Blackwood Shadow

Ivy lingered outside her father's study, the heavy oak door a barrier between her and the man she had known all her life, but now seemed a stranger. The hallway was quiet, save for the faint ticking of a clock somewhere deep in the house. It was though time itself was holding its breath, waiting for her to make the next move. Her fingers trembled as she finally reached for the door handle, pushing it open with a creak that echoed in the stillness. Dorian Blackwood was seated behind his desk, bathed in the warm glow of a single lamp. He looked up from a stack of papers, his sharp blue eyes locking onto hers with a mix of surprise and caution.

"Ivy," he said, his voice clipped. "What brings you here?"

She stepped inside, the door closing behind her. The air was thick with the scent of leather-bound books and something else, something metallic and cold that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "I need to talk to you, Dad, about the research."

Dorian leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "What about it?"

"Why did you shut it down?" Ivy's voice was steady, but her heart raced. "And why is it so similar to what happened twenty years ago with Evangeline Hawthorne?"

A flash of something—fear?anger? Crossed Dorian's face before he masked it with a stern look. "Ivy, you don't understand. That research, Hawthorne's research, was dangerous. It should never have been pursued, and I won't allow you to follow the same path."
Ivy's gaze hardened. "Dangerous how? We were making progress, important progress. You've always encouraged that. Why are you so afraid?"

Dorian stood, his tall frame casting a shadow over her. "Some things are not meant to be tampered with. Hawthorne's work crossed ethical boundaries, pushing the limits of what science should do. I shut down your research to protect you, to stop history from repeating itself."

"But why now?" Ivy pressed, stepping closer, her voice rising. "Why after all this time? And what aren't you telling me?"

Dorian's eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "There are forces at play here, Ivy, that you cannot begin to comprehend. If you value your life, you'll let this go. I've seen what happens to those who don't."

Ivy's breath caught in her throat. "You're hiding something," she accused, her mind racing with suspicion. "Something about what really happened to Hawthorne, and now Ambrose."

Dorian's silence was more telling than any confession. His jaw tightened, and he turned away, his back to her. "Ivy," he began, his voice strained, "you're my daughter. I want to protect you. But if you keep digging into this, I can't guarantee your safety."

"Is that a threat?" Ivy's words were laced with disbelief and hurt. "From my own father?"
"It's a warning," he said, still not meeting her eyes. "Ambrose didn't heed it, and look what happened to him. Don't make the same mistake."

A heavy silence fell between them, thick with unspoken truths and buried secrets. Ivy's hands balled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. "If you won't tell me the truth, I'll find it myself."

Dorian turned back to her, his face pale and drawn. "Then you're on your own," he said quietly. "And don't expect me to save you."

Ivy felt a coldness settle in her chest, a rift opening between them that she knew could never be mended. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the room, the door closing behind her with a final, echoing thud.

The  drive away from the Blackwood estate was a blur. Ivy's thoughts churned, her father's ominous words replaying in her mind like a broken record. She couldn't go back to campus, not yet. Not with everything she had learned, and the weight of what she hadn't. There were secrets she was keeping too, things she discovered on her own, things she wasn't ready to share with anyone, not even Ophelia and Luna. As she drove, her mind drifted back to the moment she had stumbled upon the notebook, the one that had turned everything upside down. It was shortly after Dorian shut down their research project during the summer. Ivy had been furious, confused, and desperate for answers. Her father had been avoiding her questions, shutting her out at every turn. But Ivy had never been one to give up easily.