CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Haunting dreams

Twenty-five long years had drifted by since Stella, Charlotte's mother, had left the shadows of Misthavan behind. Charlotte was now 16 years old, and life had settled into a semblance of normalcy, or so it seemed. Her parents, once deeply in love, had parted ways when she was just 10. They claimed that the love between them had faded, but they still shared custody of her. She spent most of her time with her mom, and despite the divorce, they remained close friends, united by their love for her.

Stella had a daughter, Charlotte, who was now 16 years old. Charlotte was the light of Stella's life, a radiant and intelligent young woman who bore no knowledge of her mother's dark past. Stella had worked hard to provide Charlotte with a loving and stable home, shielding her from the shadows that had once enveloped her own life.

Their life together had been idyllic, at least on the surface. Stella had managed to bury the memories of that fateful day deep within her, convincing herself that she had escaped the darkness of Misthavan.

Charlotte, unaware of her mother's past, had grown up free from the weight of secrets and tragedy.But the past has a way of resurfacing when it is least expected.

It had been a few months since I celebrated my 16th birthday, and something peculiar had started to happen. Nightmares, more vivid and chilling than anything I'd ever experienced, plagued my sleep.

The first one occurred about a month after my 16th birthday. I found myself standing in front of an ominous mansion, surrounded by the inky blackness of night. The only source of light was a flickering candlestick I held, its flame dancing erratically in the wind. I was about to enter the mansion when an ear-piercing scream shattered the silence, extinguishing the candle's light, leaving me in the eerie glow of the full moon.

Fear gripped me as I ventured deeper into the forest surrounding the mansion. It was a forest alive with whispers, as if the very trees and leaves were speaking to me. A haunting voice, a wan's voice, begged for help, and it sounded so close, like a sinister breath in my ear. In terror, I turned to retrace my steps, but to my horror, the path I had followed had disappeared, replaced by an impenetrable wall of trees.

Panic set in as I desperately searched for an escape from the claustrophobic woods. When I turned back to face where I had come from, I saw her—a woman in a flowing white gown, her eyes fixed upon me from a distance. As the seconds ticked by, she drew nearer and nearer, her gaze unrelenting.

I ran, my heart pounding with every step, the need to escape the woman in white consuming my thoughts.I broke free from the forest, gasping for breath, but just as I thought I was safe, a bone-chilling, otherworldly scream echoed through the night, reverberating through my very soul. It was that horrifying sound that jolted me awake, drenched in sweat, my heart racing.

I glanced at the clock—only a few minutes past 3 in the morning. I shivered and tried to go back to sleep, but it wouldn't come until around 5 .The second nightmare came two months later.

Once again, I found myself outside that same foreboding mansion. This time, I watched as the woman in white entered the mansion. Overcoming my fear, I followed her cautiously, and as I stepped inside, the grand doors closed behind me with a resounding thud. Simultaneously, the wall torches in the main living room flickered and died, plunging me into darkness.

I navigated through the mansion's eerie silence, its antique furniture and portraits on the walls seeming to observe my every move. My pursuit led me to a woman in white standing beside a spiraling staircase.

She turned and ascended the stairs, beckoning me to follow. But just as I began my ascent, I heard a soft whisper, my name carried on the air . I spun around to find myself no longer inside the mansion but standing before the same ominous forest from my first dream.

The fear returned, gnawing at me. In a desperate attempt to escape, I gazed into the depths of the forest just as another heart-stopping scream pierced the air.My eyes snapped open, and I was back in my room, gasping for breath.

My mother, Stella, had entered, worry etched across her face. She'd been trying to wake me, but I had been lost in the haunting depths of my nightmares.She held me close, and her loving embrace was a comforting anchor in the storm of my dreams. When she asked me what had happened, I pushed aside the truth, telling her it was just a nightmare. I didn't want to worry her.

As I got up and prepared for the day, I couldn't help but think about the dreams that had haunted me. Summer break had just begun, and I looked forward to spending it with my mom. Little did I know that our lives were about to take an eerie and unsettling turn.

During breakfast, my mom suddenly mentioned a trip. It filled me with excitement; I was eager to spend quality time with her. I headed upstairs to pack for the trip, not yet aware that this journey would lead us back to the shadows of Misthavan, where the chilling echoes of the past awaited.