CHAPTER ONE: THE STRANGE BOOK
It was midnight, Ember Drew could not sleep she lay in bed listening to the rain the her rooftop. The house was quiet. Her dad was asleep, her stepmother was asleep and her stepsister Hailey was asleep
Ember felt lonely, like she didn't belong anywhere.
She held the necklace around her neck—a small black stone that used to belong to her mother before she died. It was it was the only thing Ember had left of her.
THUD.
Ember sat up fast. That sound came from downstairs.
She slowly got out of bed and picked up her desk lamp, holding it like a weapon. She walked out of her room, down the hall, and to the stairs. Every step made her heartbeat faster.
She reached the living room.
The front door was wide open.
Cold rain blew inside the house. Right in the middle of the floor was a book. A strange, thick, old book.
Ember walked closer, confused and scared. The book looked ancient, covered in black leather with strange symbols on it. She felt it before she even touched it—this belonged to her mother.
Her hand shook as she reached out.
The moment her fingers touched the cover—
the book opened by itself.
Pages flipped fast on their own until they stopped on a blank page.
Black ink began to appear.
Words were writing themselves.
First, a strange language appeared—letters Ember didn't understand. Then, under it, clear English words formed:
THE PROPHECY HAS AWAKENED.
THE SHADOWS KNOW YOUR NAME.
Ember stared at the words. "What did that mean"? A cold feeling spread through the room.She felt something behind her.
Slowly, she turned toward the open door.
A tall dark shape stood outside in the rain. It looked like a person—but made of smoke and shadows. Its body was black and twisted. It had no face. And it was moving toward her.
Ember backed away, shaking. Her breath caught in her throat.
The shadow rushed toward her.Suddenly, someone pulled Ember back.
"Move!" a woman's voice shouted.
Ember stumbled and looked up. A woman stood in front of her—dark hair, sharp eyes, long coat. She held a silver knife glowing with blue light.
She slashed the shadow creature and it screamed like metal tearing apart.
Ember stared in shock. "Who are you?!"
The woman looked at her with serious eyes.
"My name is Lyra. I'm your aunt."
She grabbed Ember's arm. "If you want to stay alive, come with me. Now."
The shadow creature lunged toward them again.
Ember didn't think,She ran.
CHAPTER 2? 🔥