Chapter eleven

After supper, we all retired to bed. The dining hall had been occupied by quite a few people, but I was too tired to ask about them, and nobody had offered any explanation. I had eaten my fill and felt warm, tired, and sleepy. Gabriella took me to my room, though she seemed unusually quiet. I couldn't help but wonder how we would survive as sisters. There were so many things we still had to learn about each other.

After she left with a quick "goodnight" wish, I fell onto the bed and sighed wistfully. I couldn’t believe all of this was mine. I had never dreamt of anything like this. But anyway, I decided to take life as it came.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, my mind still swirling with thoughts of the evening's events.

Suddenly, I jolted awake. My heart was racing wildly, and my whole body was drenched in sweat. I had had a nightmare! It was still dark, and I didn’t have a phone, so I couldn’t check the time. Deep down, I knew it was the dead of night, the earliest hours of the morning.

I knew I wasn’t going to get any more sleep anytime soon. I decided to get up and explore my room to ease my anxiety. As I turned to switch on the light, I noticed something else that made my heart hammer in my chest.

The paintings on the wall were glowing! The people in those portraits seemed to be watching me! I was completely freaked out and let out an involuntary scream. I bolted out of my room without even throwing on a top over my pajamas. I didn’t even bother with shoes.

I had no idea where I was going, and the darkness was overwhelming. My heart pounded in my chest, and when I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew I was having a panic attack. I tried taking deep breaths, but they didn’t seem to help.

I collapsed onto the floor, unsure of where I was. I had been wandering aimlessly in the dark. My breaths came in short, rapid gasps. I whimpered and wished I could be with my best friend Sandra. She always knew how to calm me when I had nightmares.

I thought about all the good times we’d had—our laughter, the joy we shared, the arguments that never lasted long. I thought about all our experiences together.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t realize my panic attack had passed until someone patted me on the shoulder. I nearly had a heart attack and let out another scream of fright.

I jumped up, ready to scream again, but the person placed a hand over my mouth and shushed me gently. That’s when I realized it was Mason. I hadn’t even felt the usual tingles when he touched me. I hadn’t noticed I’d been crying until my face felt itchy. I wiped at it and discovered the tears.

Mason turned me around and pulled me into a hug. I cried. I cried for all my fears, for my past, for my current life, and for all the uncertainties I faced. Mason didn’t even flinch as I cried on him. He just rubbed my back, offering silent comfort.

After what felt like hours, I calmed down, and the tears stopped falling. Mason used the t-shirt he was wearing to wipe my tears away. Under different circumstances, I might have melted at his gesture, but right then, I didn’t respond. I only felt grateful.

Mason led me back to my room, but when we got there, I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I couldn’t find the words to explain why. He coaxed me gently, and finally, I stepped inside. My eyes immediately went to the photos, but nothing seemed unusual. The room was plain and dark. Had I imagined the glow? Maybe it was the aftermath of the nightmare, but I was certain the paintings had glowed.

Mason switched on the light, and that’s when I became acutely aware of my sleeping attire. I was wearing a short pair of pajama bottoms and a matching Mickey Mouse top, which didn’t cover much. Mason had an intense look on his face, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

I grabbed a robe from the closet to cover myself up. We then sat on my bed, telling each other random stories, and I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep again.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Mason was nowhere in sight, but I already knew he had stayed by my side the entire night. Thinking back to the previous night, I nervously glanced at the framed photos again. Still, nothing seemed out of place. I was starting to convince myself I had imagined the whole incident.

That was when the framed picture of the oldest person in the series fell, and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces! I was too shocked to react. I just sat there, rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

I stared at the photo on the ground, half-expecting it to sprout multiple heads and attack me. A breeze suddenly blew the picture in my direction. I hadn’t even noticed the window was open! I was certain it had been closed last night!

The picture floated toward me, landing on my bed, and I had to stifle a scream. As it landed, I saw that it was upside down, and there were strange writings and drawings on the back. None of it made sense to me, but I cautiously picked the photo up.

As I studied the foreign words, I couldn’t shake the feeling that these were the same words from my nightmares. I examined the drawings, and suddenly, I saw my own reflection in the image.

It was me, but my face was bloodied, my clothes torn. Then the image shifted, showing a dungeon filled with what looked like torture devices. I realized with a jolt—it was a torture chamber! I saw myself tied to a table, high up, surrounded by men in black attire. Their faces were painted with what looked like blood, and I shuddered.

They were chanting, and when I focused, I realized they were saying the words from my nightmare. The man standing at the center of the table raised a knife, poised to strike my bound form.

At that moment, the door to my room opened, and I jumped so high I fell off the bed. I was so shaken that I didn’t even feel the impact of the fall.

Looking up, I saw Mason, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern. I glanced at the photo on the bed, but it wasn’t there anymore. I looked around, dazed, and sure enough, the photo was back on the wall where it had been yesterday.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

Mason was by my side in an instant, but I felt numb. I sat there, not knowing what to feel anymore. This place was so confusing—one moment, it was peaceful, and the next, it was full of torment and fear.

How could these things be happening? What was going on? What did those things I saw in the photo mean? What was really going on??

Questions like these raced through my mind, and a headache started to build.

This was only the second day here, yet it felt like a lifetime. I felt like I’d been here forever. I was losing it. I didn’t know what to make of what was happening anymore. I didn’t know how I would cope with all this. And I certainly didn’t know what to make of the things I’d seen.

I knew I had to talk about it or it would slowly eat away at me. I already felt like I was losing my mind. But who could I tell? And how could I explain the things I was seeing?

I had to see Justin. He might be able to help me figure this out...