Chapter 5 : A Haunting Revelation

Emily's research led her to a hidden room in the attic, filled with dusty old journals and family heirlooms. Within the pages of one particular journal, she stumbled upon a disturbing revelation: a long-lost ancestor, Victoria, had been accused of dark magic and banished from the family centuries ago.

The shadowy figure was none other than Victoria's restless spirit, seeking redemption and release.

In order to free her from confinement, Victoria created a rift between both worlds. And her ancestors, including her own grandparents, had been forced to watch their beloved daughter go through with the spell. They feared for her life and for the safety of their descendants that were scattered throughout the world.

When they found out that she had willingly sacrificed herself to achieve her goals, she was banished once again by her furious ancestors and was forced to live in seclusion within the darkness.

The book continued on with detailed descriptions of the event that occurred the night the rift opened up and the rift was cast out into the world.

Emily read every single passage carefully, hoping to find the truth. To uncover why her family had acted so strangely that night. To find some sort of explanation that would make sense of this strange situation. But she discovered that she was unable to discover anything useful.

Because no matter how much Emily looked and questioned, she couldn' t find anything that gave her any clues as to what kind of spell Victoria used. What kind of power it possessed or what purpose she thought it served. All she received was silence in response to her inquiries.

The book didn't answer any questions. It merely provided her with the knowledge and the information. That is the way she wanted it to be.

Emily hated it.

How frustrating!

She tried many times to delve deeper into the topic, but she simply couldn't decipher it no matter how hard she worked and studied. It seemed as though whatever the secret was that Victoria had attempted to protect was completely useless.

Until she found that journal.

Emily picked it up and turned the page, looking over at the writing in the corner. Her eyes widened slightly, her mind immediately becoming entranced with her grandfathers words.

"Do not let your curiosity get the better of you," he had told her, "especially regarding these dark forces. It is not wise to take the risks of attempting a forbidden task. There are dangerous consequences that can arise from such actions. Be cautious. Do not become distracted from your duties. You will be judged harshly if we find out that you've broken the rules."

She read on as her grandfather's message sank in. The warning echoed ominously inside her. Warning her not to do anything reckless.

To not try and figure out the reason for her family's unusual actions.

The very reasons that her grandparents were worried about in the first place.

Suddenly she couldn't help wondering...was her grandfather right? Was Victoria's plan really so terrible? Why couldn't anyone in her family tell her the truth?

She didn't remember seeing or hearing any mention or mention of evil spirits before.

And yet, Emily found herself wondering if her grandmother could possibly be the source of the mysterious and dark phenomenon. If she might somehow be responsible for this sudden attack. After all, she had been attacked, hadn't she?

She shook her head as she turned the page once more and began reading through the rest of the journal.

For several minutes, Emily sat silently beside her desk, studying the contents of the journal in her lap.

It was written on parchment of varying lengths and thicknesses, but each one ended up being roughly two inches deep. She ran her fingertips along the edges of the papers, trying to determine which section of the journal had caused such a reaction in the others. The paper felt rough against her fingertips. Dry.

She knew it was old because it smelled stale and dry. It had probably been sitting in this same room for at least five hundred years or longer.

"Why aren't they talking to me?" Emily suddenly asked aloud, breaking the silence that had enveloped the attic as she stared intently at the paper in her hand.

She glanced back at the ghosts watching her quietly. The ghost standing in front of her still remained immobile, not saying a word as she searched through the book and the pages.

After staring at him for a moment, she flipped to the next page of the book. This time, her eyes widened in surprise.

"What is this?"

The page in question depicted Victoria's mother, Victoria herself. Her hair was black with grey streaks, almost black in fact, covering most of her scalp and her eyes. It had been the color of the colorless mist that surrounded her, giving the impression that she was always hovering above her mother's body as it laid lifelessly in the bed.

"No way..." Emily murmured under her breath.

It seemed impossible that a mere human could create such a powerful spell.

She was just beginning to wonder what else the ghost would have to reveal about himself and how he came to be in her attic, when she noticed another name. The one that Victoria wrote beneath his portrait in the bottom right corner of the page.

James.

"So, you're James," Emily said.

She turned the page once more and froze. At the top of the page were a series of letters forming the name, but she couldn't read what they said.

"I'm sorry," Emily apologized and placed the journal on the bed. She leaned forward and grabbed a piece of white chalk that lay on her small desk before leaning back again. She stared blankly ahead, searching for something. For answers.

"Can you read this?" She questioned as she turned to look at James.

James nodded once and moved towards her. He paused momentarily, eyeing her cautiously as he approached. She ignored him and focused on drawing his portrait on the white board.

Once she'd done that, she moved away, allowing James to study the photograph for himself and continue examining his surroundings.

This was the first time he'd ever come into contact with people from the outside world. He never imagined that such things were possible to happen during his lifetime. Especially since the stories that his grandmother told him about those living here in this town all said the opposite. That it was quite rare for any human to visit these parts.

His gaze shifted between the photo and Emily. When he finally decided to speak, he spoke softly. "I don't know if I should tell you everything." His voice was soft and weak, unlike his usual strong tone.

"If you want to, that's fine," Emily replied with a smile. "It's going to be a lot easier to understand everything when I can actually understand you."

She placed the white board next to where she had been sitting and began to write on it, making notes in the margin of the paper. When she was finished she passed the piece of paper to James. "Just put what you think I need to hear into this sheet and I'll add whatever I think will work for my understanding."

"Alright." He nodded slowly. Taking Emily's note, he started to write on the paper, using his fingers rather than pencil. He didn't seem nervous or embarrassed by Emily's presence. In fact he seemed quite calm about everything.

James took the last few steps and stopped directly in front of the empty spot that Emily had previously occupied. Looking around once more to see if anyone had witnessed his odd behavior, he then lowered his face and leaned forward.

Emily heard a soft click and the paper began turning yellow.

The tension escalated as Victoria's presence loomed larger. The aging parchment triggered an ominous reaction, prompting Emily and James to exchange crucial information covertly. Yet, Victoria's awareness heightened, her footsteps echoing through the house, leaving Emily to grapple with the uncertainty of her intentions and the mysteries surrounding the attic's existence.

And then the footsteps and bangs started once again.

Looking up from the aging paper towards James' direction, panic visible clearly.

He disappeared, no longer visible to to Emily's eyes. That's when she knew, he wasn't supposed to say anything, not even write anything of the past. And Victoria realised, Emily scrambled to hide the piece of paper, she grabbed the old journal and information provided by James and precisely hid it under her pillow.

Laying down swiftly, covering herself with her duvet, facing the door, and the footsteps neared.

Loud and clear, presenting her madness and anguish. The magic of the parchment paper aging in front of her eyes must have set off an alarm bell in Victoria's head. Victoria's footsteps however didn't stop at the attic it swiftly passed further and further into the house. Searching frantically, a mirror smashing in the background.

She passed by multiple times.

Yet she never came near the attic.

Can she even sense the attic being here?

Does she know it exists?

What is going on?