Chapter 2

I barely slept.

The next morning, I was a wreck, standing outside Veronica’s door with her breakfast tray.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," she called.

I pushed the door open and saw her sitting at her vanity, powdering her face.

"Put the breakfast on the nightstand," she said, not looking at me.

I walked over carefully, trying not to make a sound. Just as I was about to set the tray down, the door opened again.

Chloe walked in.

I froze. The tray in my hands began to shake violently. The memories from last night flooded back: Chloe pinned to the ground, the black fungus, those empty eyes...

"Miss, I've come to do your hair," Chloe said, her voice as flat as ever.

She started toward the vanity, pulling a silver-backed brush from a drawer. But as she passed me, she stopped and turned to look at me. Her eyes held an unsettling glint, like a predator sizing up its prey.

"You seem nervous, Ava," she said, her voice laced with a strange, hollow concern. "Are you not feeling well?"

I tried to answer, but my throat was stuffed with cotton. The mutism was back, my voice stolen by sheer terror.

Chloe took a step closer. "You look pale. Let me feel your forehead..."

She reached a hand toward me.

"Don't!" I finally found my voice, sharp and high-pitched.

I stumbled back, but my heel hit the leg of the bed and I lost my balance. The silver tray flew from my hands. The teapot hit the floor and shattered, sending scalding hot tea everywhere. The pain of it splashing onto my arm made me cry out.

"What are you doing?!" Mrs. Carson’s voice boomed from the doorway, her face red with anger. "You clumsy fool!"

She stormed into the room, her expression growing darker as she took in the mess. "Look what you've done! This tea set was imported from London! It’s worth three months of your wages!"

"I'm sorry..." I knelt, fumbling to pick up the broken pieces. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Enough!" Veronica shot to her feet, hands on her hips. "You're all giving me a headache!"

She glared down at me. "Leave the idiot to clean up her own mess. No one helps her until it's spotless."

"Yes, Miss." Mrs. Carson nodded respectfully, then shot me a venomous look. "You heard her. You'd better make this floor cleaner than it was before, or you're out of this manor for good!"

She turned and marched out, Chloe following close behind. As terrifying as Miss Veronica could be, I was relieved to see them go.

After the door clicked shut, Veronica knelt in front of me. Her expression had completely changed. The anger was gone, replaced by an urgent tension.

She leaned in, her voice a low whisper. "You've seen it too, haven't you? They're not themselves anymore."

My eyes widened. My heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of my chest.

She knew. She knew all of it.

"Listen," she whispered, her voice tight. "Someone could be listening through the walls. Play along. Act like I'm still yelling at you."

Then, her voice rose to a shout. "And when you're done, you will brew me a fresh pot of tea! If you screw that up, I'll have my father throw you out on the street!"

She dropped her voice again. "If you really saw something last night, nod."

I hesitated for a second, then gave a slight nod.

A flicker of relief crossed Veronica's eyes. "Good. I was starting to think I was the only one."

"What did you see last night?"

I pulled a small notepad and pencil from my pocket and quickly scribbled: The greenhouse. Mrs. Carson and the others… what they did to Chloe. Black stuff… from her mouth to Chloe's.

Veronica read the note, then quickly tore it into tiny pieces and tossed them into the fireplace.

"It's a parasitic fungus," she whispered. "It controls the brain through those black mycelial threads. The host looks normal, but their consciousness is gone, completely replaced."

My hands stopped moving. I was shaking all over.

"So... the thing in your room..."

"A sample I managed to kill with a special chemical agent," she explained. "I've been trying to find a way to fight them. But this is worse than I thought."

She paused, her voice dropping even lower. "Chloe is infected. So is Mrs. Carson. I don't know how many others are. We can't let them know we know, not until we figure out what we're dealing with."

She stood and walked to the window, pretending to adjust the curtains. "From now on, we're allies. But remember, in front of anyone else, we act normal. If they find out, we're dead."

I nodded, feeling a sliver of hope for the first time.

I wasn't alone in this.

But a new, terrifying thought crept in. We knew about Mrs. Carson and Chloe. But who else?

A wave of despair washed over me. In this manor, anyone could be the enemy. How could we possibly figure out who was still human and who was now a puppet for those horrifying parasites?