Angelina sat on her bed, holding the diary tight.
Her heart was racing so fast she thought it might explode.
She had spoken.
Even if it was only a quiet apology, she had spoken.
And now Mara was closer.
The whimper echoed in her head.
Not loud…
but close.
Like someone was standing right beside her.
Angelina tried to stay calm.
She tried to breathe slowly.
But the fear was too strong.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't think.
She just sat there.
Then, the whimper began again.
This time it came from the hallway.
Not from the door.
From the wall.
Angelina stared at the wall.
Her eyes widened.
The whimper sounded like it was inside the plaster.
Like the girl was trapped behind the wall.
She stood up slowly.
Her feet felt heavy.
She walked to the wall near the staircase.
The whimper grew louder.
Angelina pressed her hand against the wall.
It felt cold.
Too cold for the afternoon.
She moved her hand slowly across the wall.
Her fingers found something strange.
A small indentation.
A seam.
A door hidden inside the wall.
Angelina's eyes widened.
There was a door hidden inside the wall.
She had never noticed it before.
She looked closer.
The door was old, with a rusty handle.
The whimper was now so loud it felt like the girl was right there.
Angelina stared at the door.
Her body trembled.
She knew she shouldn't open it.
She knew she should leave it alone.
But she also knew she had to know the truth.
She had to know what was inside.
Her grandmother's diary had said Mara was trapped between worlds.
Maybe this door was the place where she was trapped.
Angelina reached for the handle.
Her hand shook.
She grabbed it and pulled.
The door creaked open slowly.
Inside was darkness.
A narrow passage.
It was cold, like the air inside a freezer.
The whimper came from inside the passage.
Angelina took a deep breath.
She stepped inside.
The passage was narrow and tight.
She had to bend down to move.
The air felt heavy.
The walls were old stone.
There was no light.
She reached out and touched the wall.
Her fingers found something else.
A small, broken flashlight.
She picked it up.
She turned it on.
The light flickered.
But it worked.
The passage was dark, but the flashlight showed the way.
Angelina walked deeper.
The whimper got louder.
It sounded like it was coming from the end of the passage.
Then, she saw a small room.
Inside the room was a small bed.
Old and dusty.
And a small girl's toy.
A doll with one eye missing.
Angelina's eyes filled with tears.
The room looked like it had been abandoned for years.
And yet…
it felt like someone had been there recently.
The whimper grew louder.
Angelina walked closer.
She saw something on the wall.
A drawing.
A child's drawing.
It was a picture of the house.
And at the center of the drawing was a small door.
The same door she had just opened.
Under the drawing were words written in small letters.
Like someone had scratched them into the wall.
The words read:
"I'm trapped.
I can't get out.
Please don't answer me."
Angelina's breath caught.
She stared at the writing.
Then she realized something.
The words were written in her grandmother's handwriting.
The same handwriting as the diary.
Angelina felt a chill.
Her grandmother had known about this door.
Her grandmother had known about Mara.
Her grandmother had tried to warn her.
But why?
Why did her grandmother keep this secret?
Angelina turned around.
She wanted to leave the room.
She wanted to close the door and never come back.
But she felt something behind her.
A cold breath.
Like someone standing close.
She turned slowly.
The silhouette of a girl was standing in the corner.
Her hair long and messy.
Her face hidden.
She stared at Angelina.
And then she whispered:
"You found me."
Angelina's heart stopped.
The girl moved closer.
Her shadow stretched across the room like darkness spreading.
Angelina tried to step back.
But her feet felt stuck.
The girl whispered again:
"You answered."
Angelina's voice shook as she tried to speak, but nothing came out.
The girl smiled.
A small smile that was not happy.
It was a warning.
The girl whispered:
"Now you must follow the rule."
Angelina's eyes widened.
She understood.
She wasn't the only one who had broken the rule.
Her grandmother had too.
And now, the girl was not only trapped…
She was waiting.
Waiting for someone else to free her.
But at what cost?