Chapter 2 - The Mansion of Ghosts
The Cross estate looked less like a home and more like a military fortress.
Ten-foot stone walls surrounded the property, topped with razor wire and security cameras.
Elena stepped out of the black SUV and shivered in the freezing February wind.
Adrian led her into the grand foyer, where four children stood in a perfectly straight line.
Mason, the fourteen-year-old, glared at her with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Claire, eleven, possessed cold, calculating eyes that looked far too old for her face.
Seven-year-old Noah stared at the marble floor, refusing to make any eye contact at all.
Only little Lily, four years old, peeked out from behind her brother with genuine curiosity.
"This is Elena," Adrian announced, his voice echoing in the massive hall.
"She is your new mother, and you will treat her with absolute respect."
Mason scoffed loudly and turned his back on them.
"She isn't our mother," the boy spat as he walked up the grand staircase.
The other children silently followed him into the shadows of the second floor.
Adrian rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
"I will have the guards show you to your room," he said before walking toward his office.
Elena was escorted to a massive, luxurious bedroom at the end of the hall.
She opened her suitcase and began placing her clothes into the antique wooden closet.
As she reached the back of the top shelf, her hand brushed against a loose floorboard.
She pried the wood up and found a folded piece of stationary hidden inside.
The paper was covered in dried brown stains that looked exactly like old blood.
Elena unfolded the note with trembling fingers.
It read, "If you are reading this, I am already dead."
"Do not trust my children, and above all, do not trust my husband."
May you like
"He is a monster, and he is going to kill me."
The note was signed by Caroline Cross.
