Back
inside, Ruby locked herself in her room, her thoughts a tangled web of fear and
confusion. She wanted to destroy the doll, to get rid of it once and for all,
but a part of her was terrified of what might happen if she did. The journal
had been clear—Munin had tried to hide the doll, and it hadn’t saved her.
There was
something about the doll, something that tied it to Ruby’s family, and she
needed to understand what it was before it was too late. The whispers were
growing louder, more desperate, and the nightmares were getting worse. She
couldn’t keep running from it.
She had
to face the truth, whatever it was.
That
night, as she lay in bed with the journal under her pillow, the whispers
returned, clearer than ever. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, but they didn’t stop.
They grew louder, filling the room, until they were all she could hear.
Suddenly,
she felt a cold, icy touch on her cheek—a caress so gentle that it almost felt
loving. Her eyes snapped open, and there, standing at the foot of her bed, was
the girl from her dreams. She was as pale as the moonlight streaming through
the window, her dark hair hanging limp around her face. Her eyes were empty,
hollow, and filled with a sorrow that seemed to stretch back through centuries.
Ruby
opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
“Help
me,” the girl whispered, her voice broken and pleading. “Find the truth…
before it’s too late.”
Then, she
vanished, leaving Ruby alone in the darkness.
