Another knock came, harder this time.

Lenore and Victor stood frozen, staring at the front door through the hallway that led from the kitchen to the foyer. The old door was original to the house, thick and solid, but it had no windows or even a peephole to sneak a glance at whoever was standing on the doorstep. Lenore debated going to the living room and peeking out the big picture window that overlooked the front yard, but that wasn't exactly stealthy; there was a good chance whoever was at the door would see her, too.

Yet another knock rattled at the door.

"Is... Is it your mom?" Victor asked, his voice low and shaking.

"Why would my mom knock on her own door?" Lenore asked back.

"Who else could it be?"

Lenore didn't have an answer for that. Her mother may have taken a risk to set out in this weather, but she at least had a good reason. Who else would be foolish enough to be wandering around in the storm?

Did they have a good reason, too?

The knocking started again, louder than ever.

Whoever was out there was determined.

"Are you going to get that?" Victor said though he winced at the idea.

Lenore swallowed hard. "I... I don't know."

"Maybe it's someone who needs help," Victor said before his voice shifted into something more hopeful. "Or someone who could help us."

Lenore just looked at Victor, her face tense with apprehension. Could it be someone stranded in the storm and looking for help? Only her house wasn't exactly close to any main roads. If someone was that close, they had to be coming here for a purpose.

Then maybe it was someone official—like the police. That sent a different kind of twisting through Lenore's guts. Though she had promised Victor she'd get him help, she couldn't fight the feeling that the police would be anything but. Victor's sudden reappearance might prove her innocence, but his strange new look would only raise more questions... and suspicions.

"Maybe," Lenore said at last. Even she could hear the doubt that coloured her voice. Something deep in her gut told her that whoever was at the door would be no help at all...

Another pounding knock shook the house.

Either way, it didn't seem like they were going to let up.

She had to answer.

Lenore squared her shoulders and shoved at Victor, pushing him towards the bench that was built into the bay window, out of view of the door.

"Stay here," Lenore said, her voice firm, "and stay out of sight."

"Why?" Victor asked.

"Trust me," Lenore said. "It's just until I see who it is. I'll call for you once I figure out... once I figure out if it's safe."

Victor looked taken aback. "Safe?"

Lenore just shook her head and gave him a sharp look. That same deep feeling that gripped her insides felt like a warning... There was some kind of danger, even if she couldn't articulate what it was.

Victor frowned at her, as though he was ready to argue, but her severe expression was enough to keep his arguments at bay. He did as she told him, plonking himself down into a seat. The old wood groaned loudly beneath him.

Lenore held up a finger, one last silent warning before she slipped from the kitchen and headed out into the foyer. Whoever was outside was still there, their every knock reverberating through the whole house.

With every step closer to the door, Lenore's insides twisted a little more. Growing up, her grandmother had been adamant for her to 'trust her gut,' but she'd never really understood what that meant. The idea of instinct and intuition had seemed like distant concepts reserved for their ancestors who'd had to rely on them to survive. Such things had no place in a modern world, and Lenore had never felt their pull.

Until now.

Now, she knew exactly what her grandmother had been talking about. It was as though her every nerve was alight, screaming at her to turn back and leave the door shut. Even the wind seemed to be howling a warning as it swept around the house, rattling all of the windows in their frames.

But whoever was there didn't seem like they were going to leave until she told them to, so she pressed on. The knocking had finally stopped, but Lenore could almost feel their weighty presence on the other side of the door. Whoever was there could probably hear her every creaking footstep as she approached, and knew she was finally coming to answer their call.

Lenore paused as she reached the door. The other person was still there, she was sure. She took a deep breath, made sure the chain was on and opened the door...

The breath tumbled out of her in a shocked laugh. "Oh, it's just you!"

It was Terra, her mother's friend. Quiet, harmless Terra. She was bundled against the cold, with only her warm, dark eyes and hooked nose visible between the rim of her hat and the edge of her scarf. The idea of Terra being the danger made her want to laugh again.

Terra's scarf shifted, and her eyes crinkled as an invisible smile formed beneath her scarf. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"No," Lenore said, shaking her head, trying to clear away her anxious thoughts and reason with her rebelling body. Though the worst of her worries had been disproven, Lenore's stomach was tense with anxiety. She quickly scanned the yard, as though she might spot the lingering danger in the distance, but there was nothing but snowdrifts and Terra's oversized truck in the driveway. Its immense tires were crisscrossed with chains, which explained how she'd been able to make it through the storm. "I just didn't think anyone would be out in this weather..."

"Well, not without reason," Terra said with a chuckle. "I'm looking for your mom. Can you grab her for me?"

"No, she's out doing an errand."

Terra's sparse brows raised as she clucked her tongue against her teeth. "An errand? In this weather?"

"Not without reason," Lenore echoed. "We needed fuses. Power went out again."

Terra clucked her tongue. "Damn it all, I was hoping to have a chat with her... Do you know how long she'll be?"

"No, I don't. She said it'd be quick, but with the turn the weather took..."

Terra snapped her tongue again. "Dammit."

Lenore frowned. "Is it important? Why don't you call her?"

"I tried, but she's not answering." Terra scoffed and rolled her eyes like her mother's absence was a personal affront. "I guess the storm is messing with reception."

"It is," Lenore agreed. The winds were swirling around the house, worse than ever, whipping at the porch and lashing at Lenore through the gap in the door. Her hands were starting to go numb. "When she gets back, I'll let her know you were looking for her."

Terra gave a sigh like she wasn't satisfied with that option, but didn't have much choice. "If you could—"

Behind Lenore, from somewhere in the house, a creak echoed out. It was loud enough that it couldn't be dismissed as the house merely settling, and to anyone familiar with the house's quirks, it was a clear sign that someone else was there.

Lenore's skin prickled with worry.

Didn't I tell Victor to stay where he was?

Terra perked up, suddenly curious. She had heard it.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure she's not here?"

"Positive," Lenore replied, a little too quick to sound convincing. "But like I said, I'll tell her you came by. She'll be back soon—"

"Well, if it'll be soon," Terra began, her eyes crinkling again as she smiled beneath her scarf. "Well, why don't I just come in and wait for her? I mean, if she'll be back soon."

Her expression was the picture of warmth and kindness, but it sent something stirring again in Lenore's gut. "I... I don't think that's wise. Even if she does get back soon, the weather is getting worse and it's getting dark. I don't want you to get stuck here for the night. Remember, the power's out." She forced a laugh.

"Of course not," Terra said, shaking her head like it was a silly idea even to mention it. Her eyes darkened just for a second. "I wouldn't want to be an imposition. I'll be going then."

Terra turned, inching back to the porch stairs. A sigh of relief rose in Lenore's chest, but she stifled it.

"See you later," Lenore said and began to close the door.

Terra whipped back and caught the edge of it. To Lenore's surprise, the woman's grip was strong, holding the door in place with ease. Lenore was glad she had kept the chain on; otherwise, she was sure Terra would push her way in.

"Do let your mother know I was here," Terra said, her voice as soft as ever, though there was something beneath it that sent Lenore's stomach twisting. "I need to speak with her as soon as possible. It's urgent."

Lenore gulped and forced a smile. "I... I will."

She wanted to slam the door in Terra's face, but Terra was still holding the door firm. Lenore couldn't close it if she wanted to, not unless she threw her whole strength against it.

And even then...

Terra gave her one last smile, wide enough that her teeth poked out over the edge of her scarf. "Good girl."

She finally let go, making Lenore stumble, and marched down the porch steps, out into the snow.

By now, Lenore was freezing, but she kept the door ajar to make sure Terra left as she said she would. She watched as Terra got into her truck and drove off before she finally closed the door. She locked it in every way she could, and made a note to lock the back door too—

"Is it safe to come out?"

Lenore jolted and whipped around. Victor was peering around the corner of the kitchen. Seeing him there was like seeing him for the first time... Everything about him being here, really here, was incomprehensible.

"I thought I told you to stay put!" she snapped.

"You said stay out of sight, and I did," he said, a hint of mischievousness in his smile. His strange fog lapped at the edges of the door frame.

Whatever had happened to his appearance, he was still the same Victor underneath it all. That fact brought Lenore a little comfort. She finally let out the sigh she had been holding.

"Who was that?"

"One of my mom's friends," Lenore said, waving it off.

Victor frowned in confusion. "Then why didn't you ask her for help?"

Lenore pressed her lips together, once again at a loss of how to explain what she was feeling. "Something told me it was a better idea to wait until my mom gets back."