The night grew deeper.
Sleep refused to visit Amelia. She sat quietly before the fireplace, the only source of warmth in the darkened house. Her parents were already fast asleep.
The electricity had yet to return. Outside, the rain fell harder, its rhythmic patter on the roof like whispered warnings from a restless sky. The candle on her small table flickered uneasily, as if it, too, sensed something amiss.
She hugged her knees to her chest, wrapping herself tighter in the thick blanket to ward off the chill that seeped into her bones.
Griffon Xander. His name spiraled endlessly in her thoughts.
Who was he, really?
Why had his face appeared in that aged sketch?
And why did he live alone in that ominous castle?
"Trust no one. Not even your own family…"
The warning from the letter echoed in her mind, sowing doubt and fear.
Was Griffon one of them—like the vampire she had seen lurking in the forest's shadows?
The way he destroyed the creature, the cold aura that followed him—it couldn't be human.
And her parents… their memory of that night was simply gone, as if erased.
Could Griffon erase memories? Could he hypnotize?
She felt a burning need to return upstairs—to read the ancient book again. Maybe it held more answers about Griffon… and the old castle.
Turning to glance at her slumbering parents, Amelia noted how unbothered they were by the darkness and the cold. It seemed to cradle them, not chill them.
Slowly, carefully, she rose to her feet. The creak of the floor beneath her stopped her mid-step. She turned back, holding her breath.
Still asleep. A sigh of relief.
She continued toward the staircase, picking up the candle from the table. She wouldn't be long.
Tok… Tok… Tok…
A sudden knock at her window froze her in place.
Amelia nearly screamed but clamped a hand over her mouth just in time.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
It came again. Her gaze lifted toward the source. Darkness cloaked everything, but her heart knew—something was out there.
"Amelia…"
A whisper. A voice, familiar, calling her name. It carried longing—maybe even sorrow.
"Amelia…"
Again. Her name, soft and persistent.
She hurried up the stairs, feet moving lightly to avoid waking her parents. They'd be furious if they knew she ignored their warning: stay together, no matter what.
Inside her room, Amelia stood by the window. The candle flame danced wildly though the window remained shut.
Nothing outside… not yet.
She sat at the edge of her bed, setting the candle on her table. Her eyes darted toward the forest—now a black wall in the distance.
Was it all in her head?
Everything had been strange since that night… and Griffon—he haunted her mind.
Amelia...
For the third time, her name was called.
She stood, certain now. Something was there.
Peeking through the window, she felt the world outside grow unfamiliar. Cold. As though hiding something…
A shape.
A silhouette stood beyond the curtain—tall, unmoving.
She froze.
What if it was one of those creatures again?
"Open the window."
A whisper, soft but commanding.
With trembling hands and the courage she wasn't sure she had, Amelia slowly pushed the window open.
The figure became clear.
Griffon.
He stood just beyond the window, his back to her.
She stepped backward, fear and curiosity warring within her. He was still a stranger. Dangerous. Yet… he had saved her. And more than anything, she needed to know who he really was.
"Griffon," she called.
He turned to face her.
"You… why are you here?" she whispered, afraid someone else might hear.
"I wanted to check on you," his voice was deep, steady. "No one's bothering you… are they?"
Concern laced his words—genuine concern.
He was hunting the vampire coven still terrorizing the town. And he feared she might be attacked again.
"N-no," she stammered, pushing the window open a little more. "Come in—it's freezing out there."
Griffon's gaze turned to the forest.
Dark shapes moved swiftly between the trees like smoke caught in a storm.
"What is it?" Amelia asked, her voice tight with worry.
"Don't come out. Stay inside. I only came to make sure you're safe."
"Griffon… who are you, really?"
"No."
His voice turned cold, distant.
"Why not? I want to understand. Who are you? Why does no one go near that castle? And the vampire… was that real?"
"There are things meant to be known, and others that must remain hidden," he replied sharply. He should not have come, but something about this house—about her—drew him in like a magnet.
He couldn't stop thinking about her. Every time he closed his eyes, it was her face he saw.
She had stolen his world. His heart.
"Why? If the secret isn't to be told, then why do people whisper about it? Why is this town full of secrets?"
Griffon sighed. Humans were always curious. Always reaching for what they weren't meant to touch.
"I have to go now. Go back downstairs. And whatever happens—don't open the door for anyone. Danger is always watching."
"What about you?" she asked softly.
"Don't worry about me."
And with that, Griffon vanished into the shadows.
Amelia stood still, unease gnawing at her. Something in the forest didn't feel right.
She quickly shut the window and grabbed the candle. Hurrying downstairs, she curled beside her mother in bed.
She didn't dare look back at the window.
She knew something terrible lurked just beyond the trees.
Hidden among the shadows of the forest, the vampire coven lingered.
They scattered, hiding behind massive tree trunks, avoiding detection.
They watched Amelia's home—where one of their own had perished.
They knew it wasn't the girl who had killed him. It was something else. Something dangerous.
"Should we strike tonight?" one of them hissed impatiently.
"No. That house is protected. There's something ancient guarding it. Something we cannot cross."
"Then we must leave. If we're caught, we'll be destroyed. We attack only when they step outside the protective barrier."
For now, Amelia and her parents were safe within that invisible circle—crafted by Griffon.
But stepping beyond it…
Would mean stepping into darkness.