Chapter 3 : The Mansion

The old woman stood at the entrance of the mansion with a gentle smile.

"Welcome, Lyra."

Lyra hesitated.

She had only meant to take a closer look at the strange mansion she had somehow stumbled upon. She never expected someone to actually be waiting for her.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" the old woman asked. "Coffee, perhaps? Or anything else?"

Lyra quickly shook her head.

"No, I'm good. Sorry. I think I just got lost."

The old woman smiled.

"Perhaps you did."

She paused.

"Or perhaps you came here for a reason."

Lyra frowned.

There was something strange about the way she said it.

"Wait..."

She looked at the woman carefully.

"What do you mean?"

The old woman simply smiled.

"Come inside."

Lyra glanced toward the road behind her.

It was already getting darker.

She should have gone home.

Then she remembered the woman's earlier words.

I was waiting for you.

Lyra looked back at her.

"Why did you say you were waiting for me?"

The old woman didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she opened the door wider.

"It's getting dark. You should at least come inside for a while."

Lyra hesitated.

"I should probably go home. I promised my guardians I'd be back early."

"Then simply let your guardian know that you're somewhere safe."

The old woman's voice remained calm.

Lyra pulled out her phone.

After sending a quick message, she looked toward the enormous interior of the mansion.

She didn't know why, but something inside her told her that leaving immediately might mean missing an answer to all the strange things that had been happening lately.

She took a breath.

"Okay."

The old woman smiled.

"Good."

She turned toward the hallway.

"I'll have someone show you to a guestroom."

A few moments later, a maid appeared.

"This way, Miss."

Lyra followed her inside.

The moment she stepped through the entrance, she felt the temperature change.

The mansion was enormous.

The ceiling stretched high above her, supported by elegant columns. A grand staircase stood at the center of the hall, dividing into two curved staircases that led toward opposite sides of the upper floor.

Everything looked old, but perfectly maintained.

Dark wooden floors reflected the warm glow of the chandeliers.

Large paintings hung along the walls.

The mansion felt like it had been standing there for generations.

And yet, there was something strangely peaceful about it.

The cat followed Lyra the entire way.

She glanced down.

"You again?"

The cat simply walked beside her.

The maid led Lyra to a large guestroom.

When the maid opened the door, Lyra stopped for a moment.

The room was far larger than she expected.

A large bed stood against one wall, covered with clean white sheets. Tall windows overlooked the gardens outside, while thick curtains framed them. A small sitting area occupied one corner of the room, with a large sofa and a low table in front of it.

Lyra stepped inside.

The cat followed her.

It walked past her without hesitation and jumped onto a chair positioned to the right of the sofa.

It settled down comfortably and began grooming itself.

Lyra stared at it.

The cat looked completely at home.

Almost as if it owned the entire house.

"You really act like you own this place, huh?"

The cat paused.

It looked at Lyra.

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

The cat blinked once before calmly returning to its grooming.

Lyra shook her head.

"Okay..."

Before she could say anything else, the door opened.

The old woman entered with the maid, who was carrying a large tray.

"Here we are," the old woman said warmly.

She gestured toward the sofa.

"Please, have a seat."

Lyra sat down.

The old woman took the seat across from her.

The maid placed the tray on the low table between them. A pot of tea, a glass of juice, and a plate of cookies were neatly arranged on top.

The maid poured tea for the old woman and placed the juice and cookies within Lyra's reach.

"Thank you," Lyra said.

The maid smiled politely before leaving the room.

Lyra glanced toward the cat.

It was still sitting in the chair beside her.

Still grooming itself.

She looked away.

Then, a few seconds later, she glanced at it again.

The cat had stopped grooming.

It was watching her.

Lyra looked back at the old woman.

"By the way..."

The old woman lifted her teacup.

"Hmm?"

"Is that cat yours?"

The old woman paused for a moment.

Her eyes briefly moved toward the cat.

The cat continued staring at Lyra.

Then the old woman smiled.

"That one?"

She took a small sip of tea.

"It's been here longer than any of us."

Lyra blinked.

"Really?"

The old woman nodded.

"Very long."

She didn't explain further.

Lyra looked toward the cat again.

It had already returned to grooming itself.

She watched it for a few seconds.

Doesn't it ever get tired of cleaning itself?

The old woman noticed Lyra staring.

"You seem quite interested in it."

Lyra smiled awkwardly.

"Maybe a little. It's just... strange."

"Strange?"

"It acts like it owns the place."

For the first time, the old woman's smile became slightly mysterious.

"Perhaps it does."

Lyra looked at her.

The old woman simply took another sip of tea.

She offered no further explanation.

Beside Lyra, the cat continued grooming itself as though it hadn't heard a word.

But its eyes briefly shifted toward the old woman.

Then back to Lyra.

For a moment, the cat seemed completely absorbed in cleaning its fur.

Then one black eye shifted toward her.

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

The cat immediately continued grooming itself as if nothing had happened.

She shook her head and looked back at the old woman.

There was something about that cat.

It always seemed to be watching her.

Lyra picked up the glass of juice but didn't drink yet.

There was still something she wanted to ask.

"What did you mean earlier when you said you were waiting for me?"

The old woman gently lifted her teacup.

She took a slow sip before looking at Lyra.

A faint, knowing smile appeared on her face.

"That," she said softly, "is quite a story."

The old woman smiled.

"Tell me, Lyra. How did you end up here?"

Lyra hesitated.

She didn't know where to begin.

Eventually, she told her.

She explained how she had encountered the cat before.

How it always seemed to appear whenever something strange happened.

She told her about the strange light.

And the strange feeling that had remained ever since.

She even mentioned what happened at school.

How someone much bigger and stronger than her had tried to hit her...

and somehow, she had caught his fist.

The old woman listened quietly.

She didn't interrupt.

She only took another sip of tea.

"Hmm..."

She placed the cup down.

"So you've noticed it too."

Lyra looked at her.

"Noticed what?"

The old woman smiled faintly.

"Nothing you need to worry about yet."

"Yet?"

The old woman didn't answer.

Instead, she pushed the plate of cookies slightly closer to Lyra.

"Have one."

Lyra picked up a cookie.

The cat looked at her.

Again.

That strange feeling returned.

As if the cat understood every word.

After some time, the old woman finally began telling Lyra about the mansion.

Her family had lived there for a very long time.

Most of the family members were still connected to the house, although the married members were often busy with work and rarely stayed for long.

"There is also a boy," the old woman said. "My grandson."

Lyra looked up.

"He's currently somewhere else, but he'll be coming home soon."

"Oh."

"He has been away for some time."

The old woman looked around the room.

"This house used to be much livelier."

She smiled.

"Now, I'm often left here with that cat."

The cat looked up.

"Don't give me that look," the old woman said.

Lyra smiled.

The old woman sighed dramatically.

"Honestly, I'm lonely."

Lyra laughed softly.

The old woman leaned closer.

"You're around the same age as my grandson, you know."

Lyra blinked.

"So..."

The old woman smiled.

"Would you visit me sometimes?"

Lyra looked surprised.

"You're welcome here anytime."

She gestured toward the mansion.

"And if you ever have worries you don't know where to put..."

Her expression softened.

"You can tell me."

Lyra didn't know why those words affected her.

Maybe because she had spent so long keeping everything to herself.

She lowered her gaze.

"I'll think about it."

The old woman smiled.

"That's enough."

"I'll visit when I have time."

"I'll be waiting."

The cat suddenly looked toward Lyra.

Its tail moved once.

Lyra smiled.

"Thank you for everything."

By the time Lyra left the mansion, the sky had become dark.

She walked down the road toward home.

The cat watched from the mansion's steps.

Lyra glanced back once.

It was still there.

Watching.

She waved.

"Bye."

The cat simply sat there.

The following days passed quietly.

Something strange happened at school.

The bullying stopped.

Lenora had found another target.

Lyra noticed that Lenora rarely looked at her anymore.

Whenever their eyes accidentally met, Lenora quickly looked away.

It was almost as though she was afraid.

Lyra didn't understand why.

But she wasn't going to complain.

For the first time in a while, school felt peaceful.

Outside school, Lyra began visiting the mansion whenever she had free time.

The old woman always welcomed her.

They talked about simple things.

School.

Books.

Life.

Sometimes Lyra would talk about her worries.

Sometimes she simply sat quietly and drank tea.

And the cat was always there.

It would sit nearby, pretending to be busy grooming itself.

But every few moments, its eyes would drift toward Lyra.

Whenever Lyra went home, the cat would sometimes follow her part of the way.

It never crossed the same point.

It would simply stop and watch until she disappeared down the road.

Lyra found it strange.

But somehow...

she had grown used to it.

There was something comforting about having the cat nearby.

She also stopped riding her bicycle as often.

Lately, she preferred walking.

Strangely, she never seemed tired.

She could walk for hours and still feel as though she had only taken a short stroll.

Even after an entire day at school, she didn't feel exhausted.

That was strange.

Very strange.

But she tried not to think about it.

A few days later, exam week arrived.

The classroom was unusually quiet.

Everyone was focused.

Lyra sat at her desk, reading through her answers one final time before handing in her paper.

When the teacher collected the exams, everyone immediately started discussing their answers.

"I think I got number twenty wrong."

"I don't think that's the answer."

"Don't tell me that!"

Lyra smiled quietly.

She wasn't worried.

She had studied hard.

Several days later, the results were posted.

Students crowded around the board.

Lyra stood near the front.

She found her name.

1st Place: Lyra

She sighed.

"Again?"

Mira stood beside her.

She looked at the list.

"Second."

Lyra smiled.

"Congratulations."

Mira shrugged.

"Same to you."

Elodia pushed her way through the crowd.

"Wait, wait! Where am I?"

She scanned the list.

Her face fell.

"One hundred and something?"

Rowan laughed.

"That's still better than me."

Elodia turned toward him.

"What's your rank?"

Rowan checked.

"One hundred fifty."

She stared at him.

Then burst out laughing.

"You lost to me!"

"I didn't say I was smart."

"You literally said that last week!"

"I said I was academically capable."

"That's the same thing!"

Lyra and Mira laughed.

For a few minutes, everything felt normal.

Just four friends laughing together.

No bullying.

No strange incidents.

No supernatural mysteries.

Just school.

At least, for now.

The next morning, the school was unusually crowded.

Students filled the hallways.

Whispers traveled from one group to another.

Lyra noticed several students gathered near the faculty office.

"What are they looking at?"

Mira glanced over.

"Apparently, there are new transfer students."

"Transfer students?"

"Two of them."

Lyra looked interested.

"Two?"

Mira nodded.

"One is going to be in our class. The other is assigned to the class next door."

"How do you know?"

Mira smiled.

"I've got connections."

Lyra stared at her.

Then laughed.

"You?"

"Don't underestimate me."

They laughed together as they entered the classroom.

A few minutes later, the teacher arrived.

"Everyone, settle down."

The students returned to their seats.

The teacher placed some papers on the desk.

"Before we begin, I'd like to introduce a new student."

The classroom immediately became noisy again.

The teacher turned toward the door.

"Come in."

A boy stepped inside.

The room became noticeably quieter.

He looked confident, well-dressed, and composed.

"This is Adrian."

Adrian gave a polite smile.

"Hi. Nice to meet you all."

Several girls immediately whispered among themselves.

Lyra barely paid attention.

She simply nodded.

The teacher continued with the lesson.

During break, Lyra left the classroom with Mira.

They were heading toward Elodia and Rowan when they noticed someone standing in the hallway.

Another transfer student.

He was alone.

He wore a black face mask that covered most of his face.

Dark hair framed his forehead.

But what caught Lyra's attention were his eyes.

They were deep black.

Cold.

Unusually intense.

For one strange moment...

everything seemed to slow down.

The voices around Lyra faded.

The students walking through the hallway seemed distant.

Her eyes met his.

Lyra couldn't move.

It felt as though he were staring straight through her.

As if he could see something inside her that even she didn't understand.

Then his voice broke the silence.

"Get out of my way."

Lyra blinked.

Before she could say anything, Mira stepped forward.

"You're the one standing in the middle of the hallway."

The boy looked at Mira.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he simply shrugged.

He stepped past them and continued walking.

Lyra turned to watch him.

She couldn't explain it.

Something about him felt...

wrong.

Not dangerous.

Not exactly.

Just familiar.

Somehow.

"Lyra?"

Mira waved a hand in front of her face.

"You coming?"

Lyra finally looked away.

"Yeah."

They continued toward the cafeteria.

At lunch, the four friends sat together.

Elodia was talking about the exam results.

Rowan was complaining about his rank.

Mira occasionally added a comment.

Lyra listened.

But her thoughts kept returning to the hallway.

To those black eyes.

To the strange feeling she had when their eyes met.

She looked toward the cafeteria entrance.

He wasn't there.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling.

Who was he?

And why did looking into his eyes feel like remembering something she had never experienced?

Lyra lowered her gaze toward her food.

For the first time since the strange events began...

she found herself curious about someone else.

The mysterious transfer student.