_Hours Earlier_
Elizabeth should have trusted her instincts all along. She had harbored suspicions that something was amiss in the household, and everything changed when she witnessed Madeline's hair transform to a stark white. There was no way Madeline could have dyed it - it was as if her very essence had been altered.
Josiah, being a child, remained oblivious to the strange occurrences. Madeline's parents, still recovering from the recent incident, were too distracted to notice the subtle changes.
As Elizabeth stood there, lost in thought, a thunderclap rumbled outside, and a gust of wind swept through the room, rustling the curtains and sending a chill down her spine.
Elizabeth flinched at the sudden thunderclap. What was happening?
