All Serious

Raelynn sat on the edge of her bed, wrapping the thick blanket around her shoulders. The fire in the fireplace had died down, leaving only faint embers glowing in the dimly lit room. Yet the real ghost that haunted her mind was the figure she had seen standing near the trees.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry. It could have been nothing, just a trick of the moonlight and the swaying branches. But deep inside, a part of her knew better. Someone had been there. Watching.

Her fingers curled into the blanket as she tried to steady her breathing. Every sound in the room—the faint creak of the wood, the rustle of fabric as she shifted—felt too loud, like the house itself was holding its breath.