Chapter 4: Proper Etiquette
Fluffy nodded, its eyes serious for once. "It’s something she kept hidden. It might help you understand what happened before... you woke up here."
Evelisse swallowed hard, bracing herself. ’Am I really prepared for this? What if I find out something terrible? No... I have to know. If something happened to her, it could happen to me too.’
Her heart pounding as she flipped to the first page. The handwriting was neat at first, the ink a soft, faded blue.
Diary of Evelisse Ashthorne
For my thoughts, fears, and secrets—never to be shared.
Her hands trembled as she flipped through the pages, her eyes widening as she read the hastily scrawled notes, some barely legible through smudges and blots of ink.
"Someone’s watching me. I hear footsteps at night when everyone’s asleep. I asked the maids, but they say it’s just my imagination. I feel like someone’s always behind me, but when I look, no one’s there..."
A chill crept down Evelisse’s spine as she scanned more entries, each one darker than the last.
"Yesterday, I found a ribbon in my room that wasn’t mine. I asked Mother, but she looked confused. None of my dresses have that color. I hid it under my bed. I don’t want anyone to know I’m scared."
"The garden felt safe once. Now I feel watched even there. I saw shadows moving between the trees, but the guards said it was just the wind. Am I going crazy?"
As she neared the last few pages, the handwriting grew messier, almost frantic.