Chapter 4 Shadows in the Night

As sleep finally crept over her, Lila's mind lingered on fragments of words she'd overheard earlier that night. Ethan and Maria had been whispering down the hallway, their voices low, the tension almost palpable through the thin walls. "We can't let her find out, not yet, it's too soon"-that sentence echoed in her mind, raising questions she couldn't quite grasp. What are they keeping from me?

The question lingered in her mind, a nagging presence as her consciousness drifted. Slowly, her unease gave way to sleep, but the shadows in her thoughts seemed to pull her back to a place she hadn't wanted to go realm where memories and fears merged.

In her dream, Lila found herself standing alone in a vast, dimly lit hall. The room stretched on endlessly, its thick stone walls looming, arching so high above that the ceiling was lost in darkness. The air felt heavy, suffused with an ancient energy that pulsed with a strange, silent warning. It was as though the stones themselves held secrets, hidden memories whispering from every corner, reaching toward her with cold, unseen fingers.

A low, distant growl vibrated through the walls, pulling her attention. She spun around, her breath catching as the iron doors at the far end of the room burst open with a resounding clang. Shadows poured in, taking the shape of menacing figures moving toward her with swift, predatory strides. Rogues-dark creatures with gleaming eyes that seemed to hunger for her fear. Lila stumbled back, her heart hammering in her chest.

Suddenly, two figures stepped forward, placing themselves between her and the advancing rogues. A man, tall and broad-shouldered, shielded her with one protective arm, while a woman beside him stood defiant, her stance fierce and unyielding as she faced the attackers. Lila tried to see their faces, but they were blurred, shadows hiding their features. Yet, something about them felt achingly familiar, as though they were people from memory she couldn't quite reach, a memory from a life she'd somehow forgotten.

The rogues circled closer, growls filling the air, vibrating through her bones. The woman turned toward her, urgency blazing in her voice. "Run, Lila! You have to run!"

The words jolted her, and her heart screamed for her to move, to escape, but her feet were like lead, rooted to the cold, unforgiving floor. She reached out to the pair, her mouth opening in a silent plea, but fear gripped her throat, rendering her voiceless. Her entire body felt frozen, held captive by an invisible force that kept her from running, kept her from speaking, even as terror flooded her veins.

Just then, one of the rogues lunged, teeth bared, eyes glinting with a feral hunger. Lila's scream tore through the silence, filling the room as the darkness closed in

She jolted awake, gasping, her chest heaving as she clutched the blanket, her hands trembling. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her, shadows lingering in her mind like imprints of something she couldn't shake. The images of the castle, the rogues, and the protective figures loomed in her thoughts, refusing to fade.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, rapid and urgent. The door burst open, and Maria and Ethan appeared, their expressions mirroring the concern that tightened her chest. They crossed the room quickly, Maria sinking onto the bed beside her, reaching out with gentle hands. "Lila, honey, are you alright?"

Lila took a shaky breath, the words almost stuck in her throat. "I... I had a nightmare," she whispered, her mind struggling to separate dream from reality. The memory of the castle, the figures shielding her, and the terror of the rogues still clung to her like cobwebs, as if they were more than just fragments of a dream.

Ethan knelt beside the bed, his hand steady on the blanket, his voice soft yet solid. "You're safe here, Lila. It was only a dream."

But was it? The question gnawed at her, an unsettling sense that the dream wasn't just her imagination. Yet Ethan's voice, calm and familiar, pulled her back to the present, anchoring her to the reality of the small, safe room and the warmth of Maria's gentle hand on her shoulder.

Lila leaned into Maria's comforting embrace, the tension slowly unwinding in her chest. The word slipped from her lips almost unconsciously, a whisper filled with a yearning she hadn't realized was there. "Mom..."

She froze, suddenly uncertain, fearing she'd crossed an invisible line. But Maria's arms only tightened around her, her voice warm and soft. "I'm right here, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

Emotion swelled in Lila's chest, a fragile hope she allowed herself to feel. She leaned further into Maria's embrace, feeling a sense of safety that began to chip away at the dark tendrils of her nightmare. Ethan stayed close, his steady presence a silent reassurance, grounding her in the moment.

They sat with her, their voices soft as they talked about little things, comforting her with the gentle rhythm of their words. They spoke about the weekend plans, Lucy and Nate's laughter, and the life that filled the house with warmth. Their voices were like a lullaby, weaving a comforting cocoon that made her feel that she didn't have to face the shadows alone.

As her heartbeat settled, her eyelids grew heavy once more. She finally let her eyes close, allowing their words to lull her back into a tentative sleep. The lingering memories of the castle, the figures, and the rogues faded, replaced by the warmth of their presence. For the first time, she began to believe that perhaps she didn't have to face the nightmares alone.

But just as sleep took her again, a low, menacing growl echoed from somewhere outside her window, slicing through the quiet of the night. The sound sent her heart into a wild, panicked rhythm, cold dread pooling in her stomach. It was the same growl she'd heard in her dream, raw and feral, reverberating through the walls, intertwining with her lingering fears.

Her eyes snapped open, and she glanced at Maria and Ethan, but they hadn't heard it; they continued talking softly, oblivious to the sound that had shaken her to her core. Silence fell again, heavy and ominous, and Lila strained to listen, her breath hitching in her throat as she waited for the noise to return.