Sinister Inheritance

Chapter 4: The In Between

I blinked, my vision swimming as I tried to focus on the ceiling above me, the cracked plaster a distorted blur. Somehow, I had ended up sprawled on the wooden floor of the main hall, my head a heavy, throbbing weight. I didn't remember fainting. All I remembered were the voices—the angry, accusing whispers that still lingered like echoes in my mind.

"Does she remember?" a voice hissed, drifting through my thoughts like smoke, curling into every corner of my mind.

"Does she realize what her father had done?"

I winced, clenching my teeth as the voices overlapped, each one carrying a different note of accusation, pity, and warning. Their words struck against my skull like hammers, each sentence driving my pain deeper. I wanted to scream, to push them out, but my voice felt trapped in my throat.

"She is going to realize the deeper truth sooner or later."

The last voice sent a chill through me, colder than any shadow or lingering spirit. There was something ominous, almost gleeful, as if they were waiting for me to stumble upon some hidden horror I could never unsee.

"Stop it," I whispered, forcing the words past my dry lips. My own voice sounded small and hoarse, but I pushed myself upright, gripping the edge of a dusty table for support. "I can't think with all of you... crowding my mind."

The voices wavered, then quieted, fading into the background like whispers blown away on a cold wind. I exhaled shakily, the silence ringing almost painfully loud in their absence. My head still throbbed, but at least I could think.

Footsteps echoed across the hall, and I looked up to see Elias watching me, his face a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"You fainted," he said softly, stepping closer. "The spirits... they can overwhelm those unaccustomed to their presence." He tilted his head slightly, his gaze searching. "But there was more, wasn't there?"

I hesitated, my fingers trembling against the wood. "They spoke to me... I heard them in my head. They kept asking if I remembered... if I understood what my father had done."

Elias's expression grew serious. "They are bound to the horrors of the past, Helen. They can see memories that even you may have buried deep within yourself."

I shook my head, the thought almost laughable. "I have no memory of anything sinister. My father was... strict, yes. But obsessed with dark magic? With curses and restless spirits?" My voice trailed off as I realized I wasn't sure what I believed anymore. The visions, the voices—they couldn't have been real. And yet...

Elias placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Your journey has only begun. And the mansion will reveal the truth in time, whether you're ready or not."

A cold shiver passed through me. If what I'd seen was only the beginning, then what lay hidden in the deeper shadows of this house? I clenched my fists, grounding myself, determined to face whatever was waiting.

"Then let's continue," I said, my voice steadier. "I came here to find the truth. No matter what my father left behind... I need to see it through."

Elias nodded, his gaze steady, almost proud. "Then follow me," he said, gesturing toward a corridor shrouded in darkness. "There are rooms untouched by time, places where his secrets linger."

I squared my shoulders, ignoring the icy prickle at the base of my spine, and followed him into the shadows.

I glanced around the dim hall, the shadows stretching long in the faint afternoon light. It had been hours since Mr. Taylor handed me that key and left me to explore, slipping away as quietly as he'd come. Since then, it felt like the entire manor had conspired to keep me in its grip, revealing secrets while keeping others maddeningly out of reach.