The Page That Turned

Aria stayed in the library long after the candles burned low.

Elin had gone hours ago, leaving her with a set of instructions, a feather duster, and a small oil lamp that flickered with every breath of air. She didn’t mind the silence. It felt safer than noise. But the silence in the Ivory Library wasn’t empty.

It was watching.

She wandered the aisles slowly, unsure what she was even supposed to be doing. Most books were untouched, lined in neat rows. Some had strange marks, dots, tiny faded letters in languages she didn’t recognize.

And sometimes, a page would turn.

Not loudly. Not like in movies. Just a soft flutter, like someone had exhaled too close to the paper.

She told herself it was wind. Just wind.

But deep down, she knew better.

Around midnight, she found herself standing in front of her book again.

...It hadn’t moved since she last saw it. Still resting halfway out of the shelf, like it was waiting for her. The ivory cover was smoother than the others, the edges sharp and new. Her name still sat in small, dark letters on the front:...

...ARIA VARIN...

She touched the spine again.

Nothing happened.

Then \= flip.

A single page turned inside the book.

Her breath caught. She hadn’t moved. Hadn’t even opened it. But somehow, it had opened itself.

Her eyes drifted down to the page, just for a second.

And then she froze.

...“She looked over her shoulder, heart pounding, but the hallway behind her was empty. Or it should have been.”...

Aria took a step back. That sentence… it hadn’t happened. Not yet.

But she had the strange, horrible feeling that it would.

And then:

A soft creak behind her.

She turned quickly. The hallway outside the library was dim, lit only by wall lanterns that flickered like they were being blown by an unseen wind.

No one was there.

She stared for a long moment.

Then slowly, she stepped into the corridor.

The hallway stretched into darkness. She took a few careful steps, half-expecting to see someone or anyone at the end.

But it was empty.

Until she passed the first arch.

A shadow darted across the wall. Quick. Wrong.

Aria stopped breathing.

It didn’t feel like a student. It didn’t even feel human.

She turned and ran back to the library, heart racing.

The door closed behind her on its own.

Inside, the air was even colder than before. The book still lay open on the shelf, the same sentence staring back at her. She slammed it shut.

Whatever this place was, it wasn’t just a school.

The books didn’t just tell stories.

They warned.

And now, it felt like something had seen her.

.

.

.

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