Semua Bab Through The Dreamscape: Bab 71 - Bab 76

Scarlett locked the front door after Lucien left, sliding the deadbolt into place with a solid click that echoed in the quiet foyer. She stood there for a moment, her palm flat against the cool wood, remembering the intensity in Lucien's eyes when he'd told her to secure everything. "Lock your doors tonight, Scarlett. All of them. And your windows." His words replayed in her mind as she moved through the house, methodically checking each window and ensuring each latch was firmly secured. The house was silent except for the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hallway, its pendulum swinging with hypnotic regularity. Her mother had already retired upstairs, exhaustion finally claiming her after her hospital shift and the unexpected dinner guest. In the living room, Scarlett's fingers hovered over the light switch. The darkness beyond the windows seemed to press against the glass, watching, waiting. She hesitated, glancing toward the window that faced the old oak tree—the

Morning light filtered through the kitchen curtains, casting long golden rectangles across the worn wooden table. Scarlett sat with her bowl of cereal untouched before her, the flakes slowly turning to mush as she stared absently at them. Dark circles shadowed her eyes—evidence of her sleepless night after the nightmare that had felt too real to dismiss. Across the table, her mother nursed a cup of coffee, her third since waking. Usually, the morning routine was filled with her mother's chatter about hospital gossip or gentle reminders about Scarlett's schedule. Today, there was only silence, broken occasionally by the soft ticking of the wall clock and the distant sound of birds outside. Scarlett watched her mother with growing concern. She seemed... off. Present physically but mentally elsewhere, staring into her coffee mug as if it contained mysteries she couldn't quite decipher. Every few minutes, she would lift the mug to her lips, then pause, looking momentarily confused abou

Night had fallen by the time Scarlett made it home, the house dark and empty. Her mother's night shift had already begun, leaving Scarlett alone with her thoughts and fears. She checked every lock twice, drew every curtain, and still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. After a meager dinner of cold cereal—the only thing her churning stomach could handle—she retreated to her bedroom, pulling out her notebook of lucid dreaming research. The pages blurred before her eyes as exhaustion tugged at her consciousness. No matter how much she tried to focus, her mind kept drifting back to the day's events: her mother's strange behavior that morning, Claire's fear, Liam's memories, and Lucien's absence. Where was he when she needed him most? Her phone remained stubbornly silent, her texts unanswered. The clock on her desk ticked past midnight as she flipped through her notes, desperate for something—anything—that might explain what was happening. "I should just go to sleep," s