Aurelian Vale;
The Vale Manor has not changed. Not after all these years, not after all its sin, and certainly not since the last time I was here.
The gates still open too slowly, like they have a duty to remind you that entry alone is a privilege. Gravel still crunches beneath the tyres, sounding like bony horses trotting your carriage to hell.
Even the air smells the same: a maintained garden, old money, and something faintly rotten underneath.
Ethan remains silent beside me, and I steal a glance at him.
He has been quiet since the drive curved away from the main road.
He's nervous and struggling to control it. His eyes keep darting around as if he were a creature dropped into unfamiliar territory.
I notice the way his knee starts bouncing when the house comes into view, and suddenly, I want to turn around and get him out of here.
He is right to be scared. This is no home. And I fear he'd grow to realise that soon.
The driver pulls to a stop, and I let out a breath.
