The Missing Key
Chapter 1: The Note Behind the Mirror
Lena had never been a fan of the dark. The way shadows seemed to stretch and move when you weren't looking, like they were waiting for you to blink. So when her aunt's old house greeted her with that chilling silence, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her.
The house, tucked away in a corner of a small, quiet town, had been her aunt's home for years before she passed. It was a place Lena barely remembered, though she'd visited a few times as a kid. But now, at 14, she was here to stay. Her parents had disappeared on a trip to Europe nothing suspicious, at least that's what they told her but Lena wasn't convinced. Something about their disappearance felt off, and this house, with its creaking floors and dusty corners, seemed to be hiding more than just old furniture.
The first night was the hardest. The shadows seemed thicker in the corners, and every floorboard that creaked underfoot made Lena's heart race. She hadn't realized how empty the house felt until she was the only one in it.
She didn't sleep that night, lying awake in her aunt's old bedroom, listening to the wind howl outside. In the morning, she decided to explore, needing something to distract her from the heavy, suffocating silence. Her aunt's house was full of odditiesold paintings on the walls, a bookshelf crammed with dusty novels, and a collection of trinkets that seemed out of place in the modern world. But it was the mirror that caught her attention.
It was an antique piece, framed in dark wood, standing tall in the corner of the room. As Lena stepped closer, she noticed something strange an odd gap behind it, like the mirror was hiding something. Her heart thudded in her chest as she gently pulled it away from the wall, revealing a small, folded note.
Don't trust anyone. The key is safe. Find it before they do.
Her breath caught in her throat. Who had left this note? And what key was it talking about? She scanned the room again, feeling a sudden, intense need to figure out what this message meant.