Elara
I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring.
For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling. Today is my first official day as Auron's nanny.
I slid out of bed, stretched, and shuffled into the adjoining bathroom. After a quick shower, I got dressed in a simple jeans and a soft blouse.
I checked my reflection before leaving my room. I looked tired. Maybe it was the dream I half remembered, something about a dark shadow behind me... Ah! Whatever.
Auron's room was just down the hall. I knocked gently and let myself in.
"Morning, sleepyhead."
Auron blinked up at me from his pillow, hair tousled and eyes bleary. He grumbled something incoherent and rolled over, but eventually, I coaxed him out of bed.
The next thirty minutes were all brushing teeth, folding pajamas, and navigating tiny sock battles. He wasn't difficult, just a little stubborn, like he wanted to test how far he could push me. I didn't mind.
Once Auron was finally dressed, I took his hand and we made our way down the grand staircase. In the dining room, the long table was already set, though only two places had been prepared, one for Auron, and one for me I guess. No sign of Lucien or Caelum.
I glanced around and spotted one of the maids arranging a tray by the sideboard. "Excuse me," I said gently. "Are Lucien and Caelum not joining us this morning?"
She looked up and offered a polite smile. "They left very early for a meeting, miss."
"Oh," I murmured, blinking in surprise. And here I thought I woke up early.
With that settled, I helped Auron into his chair and sat beside him. Breakfast was simple, scrambled eggs, toast, and slices of fruit.
After breakfast, Auron tugged at my sleeve, "Can we play the Memory Match game?"
"Sure." I replied.
I followed him into the sitting room, where he pulled a deck of colorful animal cards from a wooden box. He flopped down onto the rug, legs crossed, already shuffling in the most chaotic way possible.
"Shuffle gently, Auron. Not like a wild wizard casting spells."
"I am a wizard," he announced dramatically. "And my power is... perfect memory."
"Uh-huh," I said, settling across from him on the floor. "We'll see about that."
Some minutes into the game..
"Ha! That's the lion! I win again!" Auron cried, flopping backward in victory.
"That was just luck," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I'm watching you."
"Elara, you're fun when you lose." He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
"Just wait, little wizard," I said, reaching for my next card. "The revenge of the Nanny Sorceress is coming."
After three rounds of Memory Match and three crushing defeats on my part, I raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. You win, Master Auron," I said, slumping back against the couch. "But now, the mighty Nanny Sorceress must take a royal break."
"Are you going to pee?" he asked innocently, tilting his head.
"Yes, thank you for announcing it to the kingdom," I muttered with a laugh as I stood. "I'll be right back. No sneaky practice rounds while I'm gone."
He threw me a mock salute, and I left the sitting room, deciding to use the bathroom in my room upstairs.
I pushed open my bedroom door and headed straight into the bathroom, yawning as I stepped in.
I moved to the sink to wash my hands and froze.
There was writing on the mirror.
Big. Bold. Black. As if burned into the glass.
"I'M COMING FOR YOU"
My hands trembled under the water, still running. The message dripped. Literally. Thick black droplets slid down from the letters like ink bleeding from the mirror.
I took a step back.
And then I saw it.
A figure in the reflection. Standing just behind me. Tall. Black. Faceless. Its shape wasn't solid, its edges wavered, like smoke pressed into the shape of a man.
The shadow from before.
I couldn't breathe.
It didn't move. It just stared. Or felt like it stared. There were no eyes, just a void where a face should be. My mouth opened but no sound came.
I told myself not to turn around.
Don't turn. Don't look.
I turned.
It was right there.
The thing from the mirror. Standing inches from me. A mass of darkness and cold and wrong.
I screamed and my body moved before my brain could catch up. I shoved the door open, sprinting into the hallway barefoot, gasping, and my heart hammering like it was trying to escape my chest.
I didn't stop until I slammed into someone.
Arms caught me.
"Elara?"
Lucien's voice.
I was shaking. Trembling so hard I couldn't form words. His hands steadied me, strong and cold on my shoulders. I couldn't look him in the eyes, not yet. I was too afraid.
"What happened?" he asked, voice low and careful.
I tried to speak. Swallowed. Tried again.
"Shadow," I whispered. "Bathroom. In the mirror. I...it… it saw me."
Lucien's expression didn't change at first.
But his eyes did.
He didn't speak right away. Just looked at me, his grip firm on my shoulders.
"I believe you," he said.
I blinked up at him, breath shaky. I wasn't sure what I expected him to say. Maybe disbelief. Maybe laughter. But certainly not that.
"Stay here," he added gently. "I'll go check."
I nodded numbly, arms hugging myself as he turned and disappeared into my room. The bathroom door creaked open. Then silence.
A long silence.
I stared at the floor, the memory of the shadow still clinging to my skin like a cold mist. My heart was only just beginning to slow when he came back out.
His face was unreadable.
"There's nothing there now."
"But—" I looked up quickly. "I *saw* it. I swear I did, Lucien. It was right behind me, and—"
He raised a hand, not to hush me, but to calm me. "Elara," he said softly. "I don't doubt that you saw something. Sometimes… stress, unfamiliar places, even reflections can play tricks on our senses."
I stared at him. There was no mockery in his eyes. Just calm. Patient. Too patient.
I wanted to argue, to insist that it was real, but the fear was still thick in my chest, and I didn't have the strength.
"Come on," he said gently, stepping closer. "You need to rest."
I didn't resist when he placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me away from the door. My knees felt watery, my body heavy.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe I was tired. Maybe it was stress.
But deep down, something whispered that it hadn't been a trick of the mind.
I didn't fight Lucien when he led me away, not back to my room, but down the hall to a guest room I hadn't seen before.
Lucien pulled the covers back without a word, and I sat down, still dazed. My limbs felt heavy, like I was moving through water.
"Lie back," he said softly.
I did. I didn't even think to question him.
The mattress gave beneath me, and Lucien pulled the covers up over my legs with surprising gentleness. He knelt beside the bed, smoothing a strand of hair away from my face, his fingers cool against my skin.
"You're safe," he murmured, "It's gone. Just rest."
I blinked at him. He was too close to me,closer than I would've expected, but I was too drained and full of confusion to think clearly.
"Close your eyes."
And I did.
His words washed over me, lulling me to sleep.
I stirred sometime later to the feeling of something warm pressing against my stomach.
When I looked down, I found Auron fast asleep, curled up beside me, his head resting against my belly.
I smiled despite myself.
His lashes were long, brushing his cheeks, and his mouth slightly open in that unbothered way only children managed. He looked peaceful.
I hadn't even been here two full days, and yet… here he was, sleeping against me like I was someone familiar.
Carefully, I shifted, trying not to wake him. His tiny fingers were curled against the fabric of my shirt. I moved one at a time, gently sliding out from under him.
Once I was free, I sat on the edge of the bed. My heart had settled, but my mind hadn't. Not really.
Lucien.
He had shown up right after I ran out of the bathroom. Right there in the hallway, like he'd been waiting.
But how?
He and Caelum had gone out early for some meeting, one of the maids had said so. And when I went to the bathroom, I'd only been gone for what? Five minutes? Ten, at most. There was no sound of a car pulling up. No creak of doors, no footsteps in the hall. Nothing. It didn't make sense.
I rubbed my hands together slowly. Unless he was already back. But how would he get here so fast? And why so quietly?
Still, I pushed the thought aside. I had more important things to focus on.
Like the shadow.
I'd seen it twice now. First in the mirror on the day I arrived, and then again today. The first time, I blamed it on stress. It made sense then.
But not now.
This time, I had looked it in the eye.
The message on the mirror. The thick, black smear of ink. The figure standing right behind me. It wasn't a trick of the light. It wasn't my imagination. It was real.
I needed to talk to Lucien again. Not just about what happened today, but about the first time too. He needed to know it wasn't just a one time thing. This thing, whatever it was, wasn't a dream. It wss watching me.
And deep down, something told me… this was only the beginning.
I stood slowly, careful not to wake Auron, and stepped toward the door.
I had to find Lucien.
I had to make him understand.
Once I stepped out of the room, I found that this room was on a different wing of the mansion. Completely different from where I and Auron stayed.
I walked slowly, trying to remember the layout of the mansion.
Eventually, I heard something.
A voice. Low and muffled.
The door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar. Just enough to show the flicker of light, or was it firelight? My heart began to pound.
I stepped closer.
And that's when I saw him.
Lucien.
Leaning over someone.
Over Caelum.
And Lucien's mouth, God, his mouth was pressed to Caelum's neck.
I froze.
Caelum wasn't resisting. His head was tilted back, eyes closed, lips slightly parted. Like this was… normal.
Lucien pulled back a moment later, lips stained dark red. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, casually.
I couldn't breathe.
Blood.
He had been drinking blood.
I stepped back, too fast, the floor creaked beneath my foot.
Lucien's head snapped toward the door.
Our eyes met.
And in that instant, his eyes were no longer their usual colour, they had shifted.
Pitch black. Bottomless. Like staring into a void that could swallow light itself.
He's not human.
Not even close.
Monsters.
I'm living with monsters.