ch : 1 Two Sisters

Once upon a time, in a big city full of dreams, lived a beautiful couple—Iris and Macflaro. Iris was a famous model, known for her stunning looks and charming smile. She had thousands of fans who admired her. Macflaro, on the other hand, was a very rich businessman. He owned a powerful company that made over $100 million every year. They lived in a fancy house, wore designer clothes, and had everything they ever wanted—except a child.

One morning, Iris was getting ready for her fashion show. She was putting on makeup when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Macflaro opened it and froze in shock. Iris came running and asked, “What happened?”

Macflaro stammered, “A-A-A baby! Look!”

On the doorstep, they found a tiny baby wrapped in a soft blanket. Her eyes sparkled with innocence. They didn’t know where she came from, but they instantly felt a deep connection.

“We can adopt her,” said Macflaro with a soft smile.

Iris nodded. “Alright, let’s give her a home.”

And just like that, the baby became part of their family. They named her Crystal.

Crystal grew up to be a very smart and kind girl. She loved to read, ask questions, and learn new things. On the first day of her second grade, Iris gave birth to another baby girl named Ruby. She was tiny, cute, and full of energy. The family was complete—or so they thought.

Years passed. Crystal continued to do well in school. She always got top marks and dreamed of becoming a doctor. When she graduated, she got admission into a top medical university in London. She moved there and made her parents very proud. She sent them gifts, letters, and always stayed connected. But Ruby was not like Crystal. She didn’t like studying. She got into trouble, failed in many subjects, and didn’t listen to her teachers. 

She spent money on silly makeup and even tried plastic surgery, hoping to look like a model. But nothing helped. She felt like everyone loved Crystal more and forgot about her. Soon, her parents couldn’t handle her behavior anymore. They moved to London to live with Crystal, leaving Ruby behind. Ruby felt hurt, lonely, and full of regret. She thought her family didn’t love her. She cried at night and felt completely lost. One night, Ruby called her parents. With a trembling voice, she said, “I’m sorry for everything. I miss you. I want to change.”

They forgave her. Ruby then decided to fix her life. She moved to London and started to live a healthy life. She stopped wasting money, started eating better, and focused on herself. Slowly, she became confident and beautiful—not because of makeup, but because of her real smile and hard work.

After two years, Ruby became a rising star in modeling. She stood tall on the runway, proud of her journey. And the best part? Her family was whole again. 

Crystal and Ruby, once full of hate, now shared laughter, memories, and sisterhood. Iris and Macflaro were the happiest parents in the world.

ch :2 Shadows in the Spotlight

Life in London had become a fairytale. The once-broken family was whole again. Ruby was now walking the runway in glowing lights, her name appearing in magazines, and her charm admired by thousands. Crystal, on the other hand, had become one of the youngest doctors in her university. Patients loved her. Professors respected her. And she had even started working on a secret invention to help kids with heart problems.

Iris and Macflaro were living their dream—proud parents of two shining daughters.

While Ruby was enjoying her fame, she started noticing something strange. People were comparing her to Crystal all the time.

“Wow, Crystal is so smart, you must feel lucky to be her sister!”
“Crystal sent her parents gifts every month, what a daughter!”

Ruby’s smile faded. She tried not to let it affect her… but the comments kept coming.

She began to feel like a shadow again. Was she still the “second choice”?

Meanwhile, Crystal was busy at the hospital, but something in her heart felt off. She felt her bond with Ruby wasn’t as strong as it seemed. Ruby hadn’t called her “Akka” in weeks. She missed the closeness they shared during Ruby’s first few months in London.

One day, Crystal received a strange letter.

She was shocked. Who would send something like this? Was it a prank? A jealous classmate?

But then… Ruby got a letter too.

Ruby’s hands trembled. The handwriting looked familiar… almost too familiar.

Both sisters started acting cold. They didn’t argue, but they also didn’t laugh together like before.

Iris noticed it first.

“What happened to my girls?” she asked, holding an old photo of them hugging.

Macflaro tried cheering them up with a surprise trip to Paris. But even the Eiffel Tower couldn’t fix what words hadn’t healed.

That night, Crystal stayed back in the hotel room, looking at the fan letter again. She flipped it over… and saw something hidden in invisible ink.

Her heart raced.

Chapter 3: Shadows from the Past

Everything seemed perfect now. The family lived in a lovely house in London. Crystal was a famous doctor, Ruby was a growing star in modeling, and their parents, Iris and Macflaro, were living their best life. Laughter filled the home. It felt like a dream.

But one rainy night… something changed.

Crystal received an unknown letter. It had no name, no stamp—just a strange message:
"She is not who you think she is. Watch her carefully."

Crystal's heart beat faster. She looked around. Was someone playing a prank? Or was it serious?

She hid the letter in her drawer and decided not to tell anyone.

But that wasn’t the end. Ruby, too, found a strange box outside the house with an old photo—of a baby… but it wasn’t Crystal or Ruby. Behind it was a note:
“The truth is buried. Dig deep.”

Ruby showed the box to Crystal. They looked at each other, confused. Who was this baby? What truth?

Suddenly, a strange memory popped into Crystal’s mind. When she was very young, she remembered hearing their parents talk about someone named Elira. At that time, she thought it was just a random name, maybe a friend of the family. But now, that name felt important… almost like a missing piece of a big puzzle. Who was Elira? She was never mentioned again… and she was definitely not part of their family—or was she?

Crystal and Ruby, who used to fight like enemies, now stood side by side. They didn’t say much, but something deep inside told them that the past was trying to speak to them. It felt like a secret was hiding somewhere… a secret that could change everything. The air felt heavy, and their hearts beat faster. It wasn’t just about forgotten memories anymore. It was about truth, danger, and someone they didn’t know.

Ruby looked around the room nervously and whispered, “I… I don’t think we’re alone anymore.”

And at that very moment, the lights flickered—and then everything went dark.

Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out. Everything became dark and quiet. Crystal quickly turned on the flashlight on her phone. The soft light helped them see a little, but it still felt scary.

Ruby stood next to Crystal and whispered, “Why did the lights go off? That’s strange.”

Crystal nodded slowly. “I feel like someone is here… watching us.”

They both felt nervous.

Then, creakkk—they heard a door upstairs slowly open on its own. They looked at each other, scared but curious.

Step by step, they walked upstairs quietly. The sound of their footsteps was the only thing they could hear.

They reached their parents' old room. The door was half open. Crystal gently pushed it.

Inside, everything was old and dusty. Nothing had been touched in years. On the floor, there was a broken photo frame. Ruby picked it up and looked at it.

It was a picture of their parents, Crystal… and a baby.

“Crystal… who is this baby? It’s not me,” Ruby asked.

Crystal’s eyes grew wide. “It’s Elira… the name I remember from childhood.”

Suddenly, they heard a soft whisper behind them. It felt like someone was speaking very close to their ears.

A cold breeze brushed past their necks, and the flashlight flickered.

The whisper came again, and this time they clearly heard:

“She was never gone… you just forgot her.”

Then the flashlight turned off.

Now, everything was completely dark.

And the sisters were not alone.

Crystal quickly pressed her phone, trying to turn the flashlight back on. After a few seconds, it finally worked.

The room lit up again—but something was different.

A message was written on the wall in red marker:
“You left me behind.”

Ruby gasped. “W-What does that mean? Who left her?”

Crystal’s heart was beating fast. “I think… it’s about Elira. Maybe our parents kept her a secret.”

They looked around the room and noticed a small wooden box under the bed. Crystal pulled it out. It was dusty and locked. But Ruby found a tiny key inside the photo frame.

Click.

The box opened.

Inside, they found a letter. It was old and yellow. Crystal slowly read it aloud:

“To whoever finds this—Elira was our first daughter. But something was wrong. She… she was different. We had no choice but to send her away. She wasn’t safe.”

Ruby looked confused. “Different? What does that mean?”

Before Crystal could answer, the room suddenly got ice cold. The lights blinked on by themselves.

Then—BAM!—the bedroom door slammed shut.

They were trapped.

A soft giggle echoed in the room. Not Ruby’s. Not Crystal’s.

A child’s voice whispered,

“Finally… you remembered me.”

The girls turned around slowly—and saw something written on the mirror:

“I’m back. – Elira”

Crystal and Ruby held each other tightly. They didn’t know if Elira was a ghost… or something even scarier.

But one thing was clear—this was just the beginning.

The room was silent. Crystal and Ruby stared at the mirror, the words slowly fading:
"I’m back. – Elira"

Ruby whispered, “Do you think she’s... angry?”

Crystal nodded. “She was left behind. I think she wants something from us.”

Just then—tick tick tick tick—the old clock on the wall started ticking super fast, like it was about to explode. But then...

It stopped at 3:00 AM.

Under the clock, another message appeared, this time scratched into the wall:

“Find me before the sun rises… or stay with me forever.”

“Whaaat?! Is she playing a game with us?” Ruby asked, totally panicked.

Crystal took a deep breath. “It’s like a puzzle… She’s leading us somewhere. We need to follow the clues.”

They started looking around the room again. Inside the old box, Crystal found a small photo. It was blurry, but it showed three little girls.

Ruby gasped, “Wait… that’s YOU. And ME. But who’s the third girl?”

“Elira,” Crystal whispered. “She was with us… We just don’t remember.”

Suddenly, the lights in the hallway flickered. A shadow moved past the door. Slowly.

Thump…

The door creaked open—nobody was there.

But on the floor, they saw a teddy bear—old, dirty, and missing one eye.

A tag on its neck said:
“Return what was mine.”

Ruby picked it up. “Was this hers?”

Then they heard a soft cry from the hallway. A small voice saying:

' you took my place '

Crystal grabbed Ruby’s hand. “We need to find out what happened. Maybe our parents lied to us.”

Together, they stepped out of the room, into the dark hallway—holding the teddy bear, and walking toward the unknown.

Because this wasn’t just a ghost story.

This was Elira’s game.

And the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Crystal and Ruby walked through the dark hallway, their footsteps soft but fast. They held the old teddy bear tight. The crying sound they heard was now gone… but the silence was worse.

Suddenly, Ruby stopped.
“There’s something weird about this wall.”

Crystal looked closer. The wallpaper was peeling off in one spot. She pulled it—and behind it was a small wooden door, hidden all this time.

“No way,” Ruby said.

Crystal pushed the door. Creeeeaaak…

Inside, they saw a tiny room, filled with dust, broken toys, and drawings.

The drawings were of three girls.
One looked like Crystal.
One looked like Ruby.
And the third one? That must be… Elira.

There was one drawing that made both of them stop and stare.

It showed two happy girls… and one girl standing far away, crying, with a red X over her.

Ruby whispered, “She felt left out…”

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them!

They tried to open it—but it was locked from the outside.

Then, a soft voice filled the room. It came from the walls.

“You took everything. My room… my toys… my family.”

Crystal shouted, “Elira! What do you want from us?!”

The teddy bear’s eye started to glow red.

And then they saw a mirror on the wall begin to glow. It showed a different house… an old version of their home. It was like a memory.

In the mirror, they saw a small girl standing alone, crying as two adults walked away—holding Crystal and Ruby.

Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s mom and dad… they left her behind.”

Crystal said, “No wonder she’s angry. She was forgotten.”

Suddenly, the voice said:

“Find the truth… or stay with me… forever.”

The floor creaked. The room started to shake.

“Ruby! We have to find the next clue!”

Ruby opened a box in the corner. Inside, there was a small silver key… and a piece of paper that said:

“Go back to where it all began.”

Crystal held the silver key tightly.
Ruby read the note again:
“Go back to where it all began.”

“Does it mean… our old house?” Ruby asked.

Crystal nodded. “Yes. The house where we grew up before moving to London. Maybe something happened there... something hidden.”

They packed a small bag, told their parents they were going on a short trip, and took the next train to their childhood town.As they reached the old street, memories rushed back—playing in the yard, birthday parties, fights, laughter… and now, silence.

The house looked abandoned.
Dusty windows. Broken fence.
But something felt strange… like the house was waiting for them.

They stepped inside.
The air was cold. The walls cracked. But everything was exactly the same as it was years ago.

Suddenly, Ruby gasped.

“There!” she pointed to the old family photo on the wall.

It was their parents, holding two babies. One was Crystal. One was Ruby. But behind them… a shadow of another child could be seen. Almost erased.

“Elira,” Crystal whispered.

They explored every room—nothing.

But when they entered the old bedroom they once shared, the teddy bear started to vibrate in Crystal’s hand.

It rolled toward a loose floorboard and stopped.

Ruby got on her knees and pulled up the board.

There was a tiny metal box.

Inside:

Crystal opened the letter.
The handwriting was messy but sad.

“Dear Elira,
I’m sorry we had to leave you.
We were scared. The doctor said you had a ‘condition’…
We thought you were dangerous.
But maybe we were wrong.
We miss you…
– Mom and Dad”

Ruby’s hands trembled. “They abandoned her…”

Crystal looked around. “She wasn’t evil. She was hurt. She needed love. And no one gave it to her.”

Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the room. The teddy bear’s eyes turned blue this time… not red.

A voice filled the room again.

“You found the truth.”

The air felt warmer.
The house wasn’t scary anymore.
The walls didn’t creak.

Then, they saw it—a ghostly figure of a small girl near the window.

She smiled. A soft tear rolled down her cheek.

And then… she vanished into the light.

Ruby whispered,

“We set her free.”

Chapter 9: The Door Beneath the House

Crystal and Ruby stood frozen. The silence was louder than any scream. The flickering lights finally steadied, but the whole house felt strange, like it was holding its breath.

“Did you hear that?” Ruby asked, her voice shaky.

Crystal nodded. A soft creaking sound echoed from downstairs.

They followed the noise, step by step, to the living room. But nothing was there.

Then suddenly—click!

The corner bookshelf slid open slowly by itself.

Behind it was a narrow staircase going down.

“A secret basement?” Crystal whispered. “Why didn’t we ever see this before?”

Ruby grabbed her hand. “We’re not going alone.”

But Crystal had already started walking down, pulling Ruby with her. The steps were dusty, the air cold. At the bottom, they found an old wooden door with a carved name:

Elira.

They both gasped.

“She was real…” Crystal said.

The door creaked open, revealing a small room filled with boxes, letters, and pictures. On the wall was a faded photo—of a baby girl, with their mom and dad smiling beside her.

“But… that

Crystal’s heart pounded. “That’s Elira.”

Suddenly, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Crystal picked it up. It was a letter.

It read:

To whoever finds this,

Elira was our first daughter. We lost her… but not the way everyone thinks.

“She didn’t die?” Ruby said, shocked.

Crystal shook her head. “She was… taken.”

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed upstairs.

They looked at each other in fear.

“She’s back,” Ruby whispered

Chapter 10: Whispers from the Walls

Crystal and Ruby raced up the basement stairs, their hands tightly clutching the old letter about Elira. But as they reached the living room, the door slammed shut behind them—on its own.

They froze.

The air had changed. It felt colder, heavier.

Ruby whispered, “Did you lock it?”

Crystal shook her head, her voice low. “I didn’t even touch it.”

Then they heard it—a whisper.

A soft voice, echoing from the walls.

"Why did you forget me?"

Both girls spun around. “Did you hear that?” Ruby asked, her face pale.

Crystal nodded. “It’s Elira… She’s trying to talk to us.”

They didn’t know whether to run or stay. But something told them they had to listen.

Crystal pulled out the letter again and read more:

''We hid everything… We were scared. She wasn’t like other children. Strange things happened when she got upset. We didn’t know what to do…''

''So we sent her away…''

The words stopped there. Torn.

“Sent her away?” Ruby whispered. “What do they mean?”

Suddenly, the lights blinked again—and this time, the television switched on by itself. Static filled the screen, but slowly a blurry image appeared: a little girl with long black hair, standing in a forest, staring straight ahead.

“That’s Elira,” Crystal said. “She’s… watching us.”

Ruby backed away, panicking. “She’s trying to tell us something. Or maybe… warn us?”

Just then, the photo frame on the table shattered.

And written on the glass, in red, were five chilling words:

"I was never truly gone."

Crystal grabbed Ruby’s hand. “We need to find out where she is. We have to fix this before it gets worse.”

“But what if she doesn’t want to be found?” Ruby asked.

Behind them, the whisper returned:

"I’m already here."

Chapter 11: The Forgotten Room

Ruby and Crystal stood frozen.

The words on the broken photo frame…
"I was never truly gone."

It kept repeating in their minds like an echo that wouldn’t stop. The house felt colder. The shadows felt darker. But Crystal’s hands were warm—they were shaking, but she held on to Ruby tightly.

“We need answers,” she whispered. “Real ones.”

Ruby gulped. “Where do we even start?”

Crystal took a deep breath and looked around. “Every old house has secrets… hidden rooms, passageways… We need to check the blueprints.”

Ruby blinked. “We have house blueprints?”

Crystal nodded and led her upstairs to the attic. Their father, Macflaro, kept all important documents locked in a steel box.

They opened it—and there it was: a blueprint of the house.

At first, everything looked normal. But then Crystal spotted something strange.

“There’s a room… behind the study,” she said slowly. “But it’s not part of the house anymore. It’s sealed.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Do you think…”

“I think Elira was there.”

Without wasting time, they ran down to the study. It was a quiet room filled with books, a desk, and an old bookshelf. Crystal touched the wall where the secret 

room was supposed to be.

Thud. Thud.

She tapped it. It sounded hollow.

They pushed the bookshelf aside—and behind it, a small wooden door appeared, covered in cobwebs. 

Click.

The door creaked open. The air smelled old and dusty.

Inside was a tiny room. A mattress. A doll with missing eyes. Drawings on the wall—childish ones, of a sad girl, a house, a cage… and a name written over and over:

ELIRA 

Suddenly, the candle in the corner lit up—by itself.

Ruby screamed. “She lived here?! Like… locked in here?!”

Crystal stared at the walls. “They hid her… they really did. She wasn’t a memory. She was a prisoner.”

And just as they were about to step in fully, the door behind them slammed shut.

The candle blew out.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

And a soft, broken voice filled the silence.

"Do you know what it feels like… to be forgotten?"

Chapter 12: The Shattered Picture Frame

The house was quiet, almost too quiet. Crystal stared at the hallway where the whisper had come from. Ruby stood beside her, holding the strange, old letter they found inside Elira’s book.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the hallway.

They ran toward the sound and found a broken photo frame lying on the floor. It was an old family picture—but something was wrong. A girl’s face was scratched out in the photo. The rest of the family was smiling… but the missing face gave Crystal chills.

"That... that girl isn't me or Ruby," Crystal said, slowly picking up the frame. "But why was she in our family photo?"

Ruby bent down and noticed something written behind the photo in faded ink.

“She was never meant to be erased. The past always returns.”

Both sisters froze.

“This is getting weird,” Ruby whispered. “What if Elira… was part of this family? What if she was our… sister?”

Crystal’s hands trembled as she placed the photo back. “Or something even scarier. What if she still thinks she is?”

Just then, the wind blew through the window. A small piece of torn paper flew toward them and landed near their feet.

It had one sentence written on it:

I’m home.”

Chapter 13: I’m Home

Crystal slowly picked up the paper that said “I’m home.” Her fingers shook. Ruby looked around the room, her voice low and scared. “Is this some kind of prank?”

“No,” Crystal whispered. “This handwriting… it’s the same as the one in Elira’s book.”

The house felt colder now, like someone was watching. The sisters locked the windows and doors, but somehow, it still didn’t feel safe.

They sat on the couch, thinking. “If Elira was part of our family… why did no one talk about her?” Ruby asked.

Crystal nodded. “And why is she back now?”

Suddenly, the lights flickered again. The TV turned on by itself.

On the screen, an old video played — a birthday party. Their mom, dad, little Crystal and Ruby… and a girl standing in the corner, smiling. Her face was blurry, but she wore a necklace with the name Elira.

“Pause it!” Ruby shouted. Crystal hit the remote. The screen froze — the girl's eyes were glowing faintly.

“She was there all along…” Crystal said, goosebumps covering her arms. “But she was erased from all our memories.”

Then the screen turned black and showed a single message:

"Room 17. Midnight. Don’t be late."

Ruby grabbed Crystal’s hand. “Are we really going to Room 17?”

Crystal didn’t answer. But deep inside, they both knew — they had no choice.

Chapter 14: Room 17

The clock ticked closer to midnight. Crystal and Ruby quietly slipped out of the house with a flashlight and Elira’s old book. They followed the directions written on the last page: “Find the place where memories hide. Room 17.”

They walked through the quiet streets until they reached an old building covered in vines. It used to be their first school, now abandoned and forgotten.

“This place gives me chills,” Ruby whispered.

Crystal pushed open the rusty gate. The door creaked loudly as they entered. Dust filled the air. Their footsteps echoed in the silence.

The hallway was dark, with broken lockers and torn posters. One door had faded numbers—17.

“This is it,” Crystal said.

They opened the door slowly. The room was filled with old desks and faded drawings on the wall. But in the center of the room was something strange — a mirror covered with a black cloth.

Without speaking, Crystal walked toward it and pulled off the cloth.

The mirror didn’t show their reflections.

Instead, it showed a girl sitting alone in the room — Elira. She looked younger, sad, and lonely. She had tears in her eyes.