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Natalia’s room was quiet, the only sound being that of her pencil scratching against paper and the slight slurping noise she made when sipping her medicinal tea made from fresh herbs. 

[i]Mom,[/i]

[i]Things are[/i]...she stopped writing, tapping her pencil on the desk as she brainstormed for the right words to use...[i]the same as they've always been here. We’ve recently lost some friends, but we’ve also gained new members. It's hard, nonetheless, especially when you consider most of them family.[/i]

[i]I hope you're doing okay[/i]

Natalia suddenly turned around, her heart rate skyrocketing after she was sure she'd heard some noise from within her closet. The young woman only stared for what seemed like an eternity before she put her pencil down and got up to slowly walk towards the closet door. 

[color=maroon]"There's nothing there, there's nothing there, there's nothing there...[/color] she repeatedly told herself, hoping that there was some truth to her words. She paused in front of the door to take a deep breath, then slowly clutched the doorknob and turned it.

Natalia's own instinctive reaction made her stagger back as she saw her step father emerge from within the closet with a belt in hand. The figure that stood before her was hazy and not really very clear, but its presence was very chilling nonetheless. The dark features on the man's face toyed with Natalia's childhood fears, and she couldn't help but stand still as her entire body shook. Part of her realized that she was hallucinating, but another part of her was also scared as to what the figure may do, and that always made the experience so frightening. 

Her step father then took another step towards her, and as Natalia stepped back, she tripped and fell. The woman saw her chance to fight back when she looked up and saw her wand sticking out the edge of her desk. She quickly grabbed it and aimed at the figure of her step father, but it was in those very seconds that the figure disappeared without a trace. And just like that, Natalia lay there alone, her breathing a bit ragged from the experience as a wave of relief started to slowly wash over her.