Zara turned back to the wall. The frame was gone. Her father’s face, older, the one she swore she saw a second ago,, vanished. The shelf was nothing but empty space now. Her chest jolted. She stepped closer, blinked hard, even reached out. Nothing. Clean surface. Like her eyes had lied to her. The silence was heavier now. No footsteps. No voices. Not even Liam’s restless breathing. The whole house was still dead. Her skin crawled. She shut the door fast and backed into her room.

She ...