Dim moonlight shines weakly through the fabric of the curtains, barely illuminating the carpeted floor below. There is a woman standing at the end of the bed, her face hidden in darkness, her silhouette lean and shadowy.

Sofie lies immobile, stiff as a board, her eyes bugging out of her skull. Goosebumps cover her skin despite the sudden chill in the room. Beside her, Emelia is sleeping, blissfully unaware of the ominous spectre standing motionless in the same room as them.

This isn't the first time Sofie has lain awake at night, too terrified to move, worried that it would provoke whatever entity had chosen to visit her. They usually went away if she ignored them for long enough. This one, however, seems adamant about not going anywhere unless she acknowledges it.

Sitting up slowly, Sofie addresses the dark, willowy entity in a hushed and even voice.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

She had learned early on that straightforward yes and no questions were the ones which were most likely to incite a response.

The woman nods sluggardly before slowly raising her arm to point at the door with a long, thin index finger.

"You want me to follow you," Sofie deduces quietly. To answer her, the woman moves. Her motions are as smooth as a passing shadow as she disappears straight through the wall.

Sofie licks her lips nervously, tasting sweat. She throws a precautious glance over at Emelia before slipping out of bed and tiptoeing to the door. Cracking it open, she peers into the dark, empty hallway and sees the spectre waiting for her at the end of the landing.

Leaving the room, she pads quietly down the hall, following the woman as she descends the stairs, her feet gliding over without touching a single one of them.

It is dark and there isn't a single soul in sight but somewhere there is the distant, Sofie can hear the melodious sound of a piano being played which fades as she travels further away from the main parts of the house.

Eventually, she finds herself back at a familiar destination.

"The library?" she says in confusion, wondering why the spectre has led her here.

The woman passes through the wood of the door without offering a reply, leaving Sofie no choice but to discover the answer for herself this time.

Like the rest of the house, the library is unlit. Sofie feels along the wall until she finds the light switch, exhaling a sigh of relief when she can finally see.

The spectre flits to the least illuminated side of the room, keeping her countenance hidden by the shadows.

"Why did you bring me here?" Sofie probes.

The woman wordlessly gestures to one of the bookshelves, encouraging Sofie to move towards it.

"Which one?" she queries, her eyes automatically scanning a few of the titles. Amongst the many generic classics are books on history, art, and the native flowers of France. Amongst those books are others hinting at more curious content with titles such as Vampireology and Occult Encyclopedia.

Unsure what she's meant to be looking for, Sofie turns around to voice another question only to discover that the spectre has all but vanished, leaving her alone with barely a clue of what to do next. Sighing, she returns her attention to the bookshelf and runs her fingers leisurely along the spines of a dozen books.

When her skin brushes against a black leather-bound book nestled at the very far end of the shelf, a sharp and hot sensation similar to electricity zaps through her fingers and up her arm. Gasping loudly, Sofie stumbles back and trips over a footstool, toppling backwards. There is no carpet to cushion her fall and she lands hard on the wood floor.

"Ow," she whines, wincing.

After taking a few seconds to recollect herself, Sofie clumsily gets to her feet, rubbing her sore butt after shaking the pins and needles out from her hand. That's never happened before.

Nervously and with new apprehension, she pinches the book's scarred spine with her thumb and middle finger and pulls it from its place on the shelf.

The book is as thick as a thesaurus and as heavy as a brick, its anatomy old and wrinkled like an elephant's skin. There is no discernible title on the front cover but there is an embellishment of a raven, a rose, and a skull expertly engraved into the leather.

When she opens it, Sofie discovers three bold calligraphed words on the first age-stained page:

A strange feeling travels through her body when reading this, almost as if they have stirred an emotion deep inside her which she can't name.

"What is this?" she mutters softly to herself.

"Ah, I see that I'm not the only one who enjoys a little nighttime reading."

An unintelligible sound escapes Sofie's mouth and she whirls around to find that she is no longer alone. An awfully disfigured individual stands a few feet behind her.