The crest was covered in dust and spiderwebs. While the other crests were gleaming and well-cared for, the door of the Stavros family had been forgotten. A wave of sympathy washed over me as I raised the cloth and gently wiped the crest clean.

Underneath the thick layer of dust, it was coated with gold. It still looked like it belonged in the Underworld, but overall, I was satisfied. I turned to face him.

“Open it.”

I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to. I reached for the door handle, which was shaped like a dog with three heads. Why did they have to put all the creepy stuff in one place? Careful not to touch any of the heads, I grabbed the handle. A sudden jolt shot straight to my hand and pulsed through my body. The door clicked and opened wide. “Did Zeus lend you his lightning bolt?” I hissed under my breath, trying to regain my balance.

Pitch blackness laid inside. Filled with dread of what might lay in that darkness, I reached to steady myself against the door frame.

“I don’t think I should be here.”

Adrian’s expression was blank, as if he were a puppet and someone was pulling the strings. Adrian pushed me inside and slammed the door before I had the chance to get back on my feet.

The last thing I heard was, “It has to be done,” before the darkness engulfed me in its waiting arms.

I was in my own bed when I regained consciousness. Using both of my hands to push myself up, sweat running in rivulets down my forehead and dripping off my nose, I pushed the covers off. It had been a dream. But it felt so real. The last thing I remembered was staring into Vlad’s worried eyes.

Staggering to the bathroom, I retched violently. Holding on to the sink for support, I breathed in and out several times to calm my angry stomach. After washing my hands, I grabbed the smudgy bathroom mirror and angled it toward my face. Staring back at me was a pair of swollen, bloodshot eyes, pores so enlarged my face could have been mistaken for a colander, and a complexion paler than death.

Splashing some water on my face to cool off, I reached for a drinking glass and filled it with water. I had not realized how thirsty I was until the water touched my lips. Through my foggy mind, images from the dream flashed across my mind.