Chapter 176 Missing Door
>>Seraphina
“Are you guys alright?” Seeing their reactions made me nervous, “What’s this about a door?” I asked, “And what’s a banshee?” That was a word I had never heard before.
They all looked at each other in worry, “Oh right, you’re a human, so you wouldn’t know.” Those words made me nervous.
“Well, we didn’t know of it either till we formed this pack.” Tuilum said.
“Everyone thought these creatures were a myth.” Ben added.
“This whole place was empty before the pack was created and dark magic creatures roamed around the woods.” Runy said, “Or so the story goes.”
I frowned, “So, it’s just stories?”
“Not really…. To be honest, none of us are sure,” Hoor nodded, “You don’t need to worry about the banshee, we don’t mean to scare you or anything. Just never go out when you hear something weird in the middle of the night.”
“And keep your door locked.” Loid said.
“Door locked?” I looked at them in fear, “Will locking a door keep something supernatural out?” They all looked so serious about it that it made me scared. I’m not really a believer of supernatural stuff, but then again, I never thought werewolves were real but here I am. Sitting and chatting with them, in their territory.
Hoor nodded, “Yes, because locked doors means you’re not invited and they take those hints and leave.”
“Doesn't a locked house count?” I said, and they all looked at each other.
….
They just kept staring at each other without talking.
Wait
Are they talking but excluding me?
“A banshee can enter a house,” Loid said, “Since it’s a big space, and there are many places used as public space..”
“The smaller rooms need to be locked,” Lila finally said, her voice low. “A banshee is more particular about individual spaces. Locked rooms are seen as personal territories, so it’s more effective.”
I felt my heart rate pick up. “So, if I hear something strange... I should stay in my room?”
They all nodded, and I could see the sincerity in their eyes. “Yes,” Tuilum said gently. “Stay in your room, lock the door, and don’t go out until it’s light again.”
“But, what sort of sounds are we talking about?” I asked
Lila glanced out the window, “Anything that resembles wailing.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing with images of eerie specters and ghostly wails and I don’t even know what this banshee thing looks like.
“You’re just trying to scare me,” I said, forcing a shaky laugh.
But their serious expressions didn’t change. “We wouldn’t joke about this,” Runy said softly. “We just want you to be safe.”
….
Her words made me only feel further bad.
I nodded, trying to muster some courage. “Okay. I’ll make sure to lock my door.” We were having such a lively conversation. How did the direction change so drastically?
The room gradually returned to its earlier warmth, the pack members shifting the conversation to lighter topics. But I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in my chest. The thought of a banshee, of eerie wails in the middle of the night, kept replaying in my mind.
An unsettling feeling lingered in my mind as I climbed the stairs to my room. The house seemed quieter than usual, each creak of the floorboards and whisper of the wind outside amplifying my anxiety. I reached the top of the stairs and walked down the hallway, my thoughts racing.
When I turned the corner, I froze. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at where my door should have been.
I blinked a few times looking at it, then closed my eyes to rub them, and then opened them again, hoping to see something different but unfortunately, nothing changed.
The door to my room was gone.
A cold wave of fear washed over me, and I stood there, rooted to the spot. The familiar wooden door that had always been there had simply vanished. In its place was a blank, space, from where the inside of my room looked back at me
I felt a shiver run down my spine. This couldn’t be happening. I rubbed my eyes again, hoping it was just a trick of the dim light, but when I opened them again, the door was still gone. Panic began to set in. The pack had told me to keep my door locked, but now I didn’t even have a door to lock!!!
I took a step back, my mind racing with possibilities. Was this some kind of prank? Had someone in the pack done this to scare me? Or was it something more sinister, something supernatural like the banshee they had warned me about?
Oh no,
This has to be a prank! This is all too well timed!!
“Hoor?” I called out, my voice trembling with fear. “Runy! Lila!?” The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that seemed to amplify every tiny sound. Outside, the sky had darkened, thick clouds rolling in as the first rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance. The atmosphere was thick with an impending storm, the air heavy and oppressive.
Wait,
Is something wrong with the weather? It was fine when I was roaming outside!!!
A flash of lightning illuminated the hallway, casting long, jagged shadows on the walls. I felt a shiver run down my spine,
OH! NO! NO! NO! NO!! My heart beat rose up like crazy.
There was no response. The silence in the house was deafening, each second stretching into an eternity. I felt a surge of desperation. I needed to find someone, anyone, to make sense of this.
I turned and ran down the hallway,
The nearest room is of Azef
It’s late but I don’t have anywhere to go! If I just knock and see he’s up, that would be fine, right?
Another crash of thunder, louder this time, shook the house. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to seep into my bones. The wind picked up outside, howling through the trees and rattling the windows
Somewhere along with it, it felt like I was listening to the sound of wailing
I did not have the time to think as I was panicking, and I ran straight to Azef.
>>Azef
I sat on my bed in my room after working. I tried to negotiate with the people who had the key to the safe once more but they told me, ‘I don’t deserve it’
Which was odd. If We have the deed, shouldn’t we get the key naturally? It feels like they want to give the key to a specific someone.
I folded my arms as I thought about it. To begin with, the people who have the key, haven’t ever revealed their identities.
Is there some bigger picture at play here? I tapped my finger on my arm as I thought about it. In the end I couldn’t do anything about it since no one knows where these people live either. I just called Matthew and told him to be careful.
“Beta,’ Someone tried to link up with me
‘Yes?’ I let them in
‘We have a little surprise for you’ It was Lila’s voice
‘Surprise?’ I asked as I slumped against the bed’s back, ‘This late at night?’
‘Yes!’
‘What?’
‘You like Miss Sera, don’t you?’
‘...’ I frowned, ‘I’m sure you’ve already noticed.’
I heard her chuckle in return, ‘We were right then,’
“What do you mean ‘we’?’ I asked, ‘How many of you are involved in this?’
‘A few…’
‘What did you do?’
‘Oh! You’ll find out!’ She seemed happy, ‘Please, be sure to make the best of it!’ And then she linked off, leaving me a little confused.
Surprise?
What sort of surprise? What are they planning?
The knock on the door made me look up
"Come in," I said.
The door opened slightly and someone peeked inside.
"Seraphina?" She poked her head in, "Is something wrong?" I asked because I could immediately tell she was nervous.
"Uh- I'm not quite sure." Her voice was shaking,
I stood up from the bed, "What's wrong?" I went over to her
"Um," She slightly entered the room nervously, "The door to my bedroom is gone."
"What?" I was baffled at her words, “Your door is gone?” I stopped right next to her.
...
Then I recalled something. The conversation Lila just had with me.
Did the pack members take the door out!?? I thought about it for a second. Yes, they definitely took it out.
"Uh," I wasn’t sure how to react to that, "How could the door be gone suddenly?"
"That's what I'm saying!" She was completely oblivious of what had conspired behind her back, "It was there in the morning!"
The wind howled louder, and another flash of lightning lit up the sky, making her jump, her nerves seemed to be on edge. The rumble of thunder that followed was so loud it felt like the ground was shaking.
She jumped into my embrace, wrapping herself around me
!!!
It made me freeze up
I could feel her heart drumming through my body. What is happening here?
There’s something happening here! And I’m not sure what it is!
It’s not the weather! There was a storm last time too when we were together, it did not faze her like this.
I looked down at her, she had her face buried in my chest.
“Seraphina?” I gently touched her body, putting one hand on her back, and one of her head, “What’s wrong?” I asked, softly.
She raised her head to look at me while still hugging me. There were tears in the corner of her eyes
!!!
My heart skipped a beat at that view and my wolf howled in delight
HOLY HELL! I stared at her with wide eyes
What is this adorable and beautiful creature?!!!
“T-the pack members told me a Banshee would come.” Her voice was trembling
“A Banshee?” I looked at her with a confused expression. Do they even exist anymore? And even if they did, a banshee doesn’t visit houses for no reason, “What did they say?”
“That a Banshee comes in the house on full moons. But she can’t come through locked doors,” Her voice trembled, “But I don’t have a door to lock!!” I felt her heart beat grow through me, and it took all I had in me to stop myself from smiling.
A Banshee has nothing to do with full moons.
“Are you scared?” I asked her.
She nodded her head, her cheeks were a little flushed and I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and took her in. She buried herself in me again, sending a feeling of peak elation in my body.
Ah~
I bit my lower lip in delight.