Love At First Death

Elysia blinked, her eyes fluttering open as a wave of confusion washed over her. The room was strange– much colder than the morgue, with the faint scent of dust and age lingering in the air. She ran her hand over the soft sheets beneath her, the fabric almost too comfortable for a place she didn't even remember arriving at. "Where in the world am I?"

The last thing she remembered was Damien standing over her in that cold, sterile morgue office. Now, she found herself lying in a grand, old bed, in what looked like a castle. Or at least a very fancy, slightly haunted hotel.

She glanced around the room. Stone walls, ancient furniture covered in dust sheets, and dark curtains blocking any light. It looked like something out of an old Gothic novel– except, instead of creepy whispers or ghosts, there was the deep silence of utter abandonment.

Elysia groaned and rubbed her forehead. "This is not normal. I'm seriously losing it."

She slowly stood up, her legs wobbling slightly under the weight of too many hours of being unconscious. As she stood, she realized her clothes were changed, and the sheet she had been lying on had wrapped itself around her like a very inconvenient cocoon. "Great, just great. Trapped in a creepy castle this time."

Ignoring the growing panic creeping up on her, she decided to take action. "I need answers. And maybe a snack. Preferably one that doesn't come with a side of terror."

She stumbled over to the door, eyeing the hallway outside. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie, but she wasn't about to just wait for a ghost to pop out and scare her. No, no. She was going to find out where the hell she was.

"Damien's not here, and that's good for me," she thought, nodding to herself. "He's probably off doing creepy mortician things anyway. Or yelling at corpses."

She cracked open the door, hoping the hallway wasn't some kind of trap. When it didn't immediately collapse on her or fill with ominous fog, she stepped into the dimly lit corridor.

The stone floor creaked under her feet, and the faintest draft made her shiver. Everything about this place screamed creepy, but what else was new? She'd been almost naked on a morgue table not long ago, so how bad could it get?

Her footsteps echoed through the hallway, amplifying the silence that stretched for what felt like miles. She kept walking, her curiosity overpowering any lingering fear. The castle seemed to go on forever, with door after door leading to dusty rooms and dark corners.

As she rounded a corner, she caught sight of something strange– a large, old tapestry hanging on the wall. It depicted a group of people– royalty, maybe? But they all had this very serious look on their faces. Not the kind of expression that said "Come visit me in the afterlife" but more like "I will haunt you with my disapproving gaze for eternity."

Elysia couldn't help herself. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, buddy," she muttered under her breath.

A sudden creak made her pause. She stiffened, then let out a breath of relief when she realized it was just her own weight shifting on the floor. "I need to stop watching scary movies." Seriously.

She wandered further down the hallway, finding a door that was cracked open. The light inside beckoned to her. With a mix of excitement and hesitation, she pushed the door open.

The room inside was small but cozy– filled with shelves of old books and a large, intricately framed mirror at the center. Elysia's curiosity kicked into high gear as she took in the dusty tomes. She moved towards the mirror first, drawn by something she couldn't explain. It was framed with detailed carvings, depicting swirling vines and ominous faces.

"Ugh. You know it's probably cursed," Elysia thought sarcastically as she reached out to touch the mirror. But it didn't feel cursed. It felt… cold. Oddly cold. Her reflection stared back at her, pale skin, long white hair, and all. But there was something different about her eyes. They looked darker, more… haunted?

She leaned closer, trying to figure it out. "Maybe it's the lighting, or maybe I've just been through some weird stuff lately."

Before she could think any deeper into it, she heard it. Footsteps.

Damien.

Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn't ready for another one of his mysterious lectures. Or worse, another one of his warnings that she needed to stay put.

She darted behind the bookshelf, hoping to hide, and crouched low to the ground. "No way is he catching me snooping around again. Nope, not today, creepy mortician."

As the footsteps grew closer, Elysia held her breath, hoping he wouldn't find her. But then– boom. Her stomach growled so loudly it was like an explosion.

"Oh, come on!" She slapped a hand over her stomach, but it was too late. Damien had already heard.

He appeared in the doorway, his sharp gaze scanning the room until it landed on her. His expression didn't change, but his eyebrows twitched slightly. "You're sneaky," he said, his voice low, but with a hint of amusement.

Elysia blinked, unable to come up with a good excuse. "I was just, uh, admiring the… books," she said, waving at the shelf behind her.

Damien's gaze flickered to the mirror, then back to her. "Admiring? I'd say it looks more like hiding." He crossed his arms, his posture relaxed but guarded.

Elysia bit her lip, trying to look casual. "Maybe a little of both. I wasn't sure if you were going to jump out from behind one of these creepy paintings and scare me."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Do I really look like someone who would jump out and scare you?"

Elysia grinned. "I don't know, I mean, you did kind of drag me here and lock me in a room. The suspense was killing me."

He let out a rare, low chuckle. "You really think I'd lock you in here to scare you?" he said, his voice taking on a softer edge. "You're more capable than I gave you credit for."

Elysia felt the tension in the room shift slightly, her heart picking up its pace. "Well, I figured I might as well go exploring while you're doing… whatever it is you do. Sitting around being all cold and brooding?"

His lips twitched into the faintest of smirks. "Maybe you should stick to being bored. It's safer."

"Yeah," Elysia said, rolling her eyes. "Because being bored is so much better than finding out what's behind all these weird locked doors."

Damien sighed, his smirk turning into a wry smile. "You're trouble, you know that?"

Elysia smiled, feeling a little lighter. "You don't know the half of it."