(#1 in hauntedmantion)
Ruhi's life has always been overshadowed by something dark. A haunting presence, a cursed bungalow, and the lingering ghost of her twin sister, threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But when a mysterious figure from t...
I hurried home, the streets that once felt familiar now seemed foreign and unsettling, as if they belonged to a story I could no longer grasp. The air was thick, heavy with questions I wasn’t ready to confront but couldn’t ignore. With each step, I felt like I was being drawn into an inevitable truth that had been waiting for me all along.
When I reached the front door, I paused, the key trembling in my hand. The house was silent, the kind of quiet that presses against your chest. I stepped inside, my heart pounding, and found my mom in the living room, pacing in slow, deliberate circles. She wasn’t waiting for me by the door, but her presence felt like she had been.
She stood still when I entered, her back turned, staring at the mantel. A picture of me as a child rested there, my younger self beaming with a carefree smile—a stark contrast to the tension that hung between us now.
"Mom?" I called softly, my voice betraying the unease I felt.
She turned slowly, her face streaked with dried tears. Her eyes were red, but her expression was a mix of pain and something else I couldn’t place. We stood there in silence for a moment, the air charged with emotions I couldn’t name.
“Ruhi, we need to talk,” she finally said, her voice firm yet fragile.
I nodded, stepping closer, unsure of what to expect. "I know," I replied, steadying my voice. "Mom, I overheard you on the phone last night. What’s going on? What’s this about the pendant? And why... why don’t you call me Hina anymore?"
At the mention of the name, something in her eyes shifted—regret, fear, and a pain so sharp it felt like a wound reopening. She motioned for me to sit beside her on the couch. I hesitated but eventually sat down, the weight of unspoken truths settling between us.
"I’ve been trying to protect you," she began, her voice trembling.
I frowned, clutching the pendant around my neck. The small "H" engraved on it had always felt like a piece of me. “Protect me from what? Why do you act like this whenever I wear it?” I asked, my voice laced with frustration.
Her hands trembled as she reached for the pendant, but I pulled back instinctively. “No. Don’t take it away again,” I pleaded. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
For a moment, she stared at the necklace as if it held a memory she wanted to bury. Then, she sighed deeply and stood, pacing the room. "Ruhi, you don’t understand," she whispered.
“Then help me understand!” My voice cracked, the desperation clear.
Her shoulders sagged as if the weight of years had finally caught up to her. “Some things are better left alone,” she murmured, but her words felt hollow, even to her.
I shook my head. "No, Mom. I can’t let it go. Not after the dreams, the whispers, and the feeling that something... someone is watching me. Who’s Hina?"
Her reaction was immediate—her face went pale, and her breath caught. She gripped the couch tightly, her knuckles white. “Where did you hear that name?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
I held up the pendant, my fingers trembling. “You always called me Hina when I was little. I thought it was a nickname, but now... it feels like more. Why?”
Her silence was deafening, and for the first time, I saw her strength falter. She looked away, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Ruhi, you’re my only daughter. That’s all that matters,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
But her words didn’t comfort me. They only deepened the ache in my chest. “If that’s true, then why do I feel like I’m living in someone else’s shadow?” I pressed.
She turned to me, her eyes pleading. “Hina was just a name I used when you were little. It doesn’t mean anything.”
But it did. I could feel it. There was a weight to that name, a shadow it cast over me that I couldn’t ignore.
That night, as I lay in bed, the pendant resting on my chest, the name echoed in my mind. Hina. It felt like a part of me and yet someone entirely separate. The dreams came again, sharper and more vivid than ever.
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I was standing on a dark road, headlights blinding me as a car sped toward me. I couldn’t move. The laughter of a girl, cold and distant, filled the air. It sent chills down my spine. Just as the car was about to hit me, I woke up gasping for breath.
And then I saw her.
A girl my age, sitting at the edge of my bed. Her dark hair framed a face that was hauntingly familiar, like a distorted reflection of myself. Her eyes burned with a mix of anger, sadness, and longing. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
Before I could speak, she vanished, leaving me alone in the dark. But her presence lingered, along with the echo of her laughter, wrapping around me like a whisper I couldn’t escape.
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This chapter maintains the mystery around "Hina" and Ruhi's past while introducing a suspenseful element, with Ruhi feeling an unsettling presence but still unaware of the full truth. Her mother is hiding things, and Ruhi will have to unravel the secrets herself.
