Rain fell mercilessly on the stone rooftops of Campbell Manor.
A silent storm, as if the sky itself had lost something that night.
The wind howled between the trees like an ancient lament.
As if it already knew… what was about to come.
Sara Campbell Jhonson slept in her room, curled up with Persi, her gray-furred cat with eyes as green as emeralds.
She was only fourteen.
Young, yes — but she had a sensitivity far beyond her years.
She always felt things before they happened.
And that night…
Something was wrong.
A loud crash jolted her awake.
It wasn't thunder.
It was something worse.
Something that slammed violently into the earth.
Sara jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and looked down the main path of the manor.
She saw nothing.
Only darkness.
But she heard screams.
Desperate screams.
Broken ones.
"Miss Sara! Please, wake up!"
It was Melinda.
Her voice was choked, broken.
Sara opened the door, and there she was — still in her black-and-white uniform, hair dishevelled, eyes swollen.
"What's happening? What's going on?"
Melinda couldn't answer right away.
She was breathing in short gasps, as if she'd run miles just to reach her.
Finally, she managed to say:
"Your parents… they were in an accident. The car went off the road."
"No one survived."
The words crashed over Sara like a cold storm.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't breathe.
"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "That's not true. They're in London. They were coming back tomorrow…"
Melinda tried to hug her, but Sara stepped back.
She ran downstairs barefoot, her nightgown fluttering behind her.
Yuri Nagran, the house's butler, stood by the front entrance, his coat soaked and his expression serious.
"Miss Sara… you shouldn't go outside now."
"Tell me the truth!" she screamed at him, tears streaming down her face. "Tell me they're alive!"
Yuri didn't answer.
That was enough.
[The Nameless Days] A World You No Longer Recognize
The days that followed were a blur.
A private funeral, held under constant rain.
No flowers. No long speeches.
In times of war, even death was discreet.
But for Campbell Manor, life changed forever.
Sara, alone.
An heir of fourteen, owner of a fortune, surrounded by servants and shadows.
But empty inside.
Only three remained:
Melinda — loyal and protective.
Yuri — silent and observant.
And Persi, her cat, who seemed to understand every tear she shed.
One night, after weeks of silence, Sara sat by the fireplace.
Persi meowed softly, as if trying to tell her something.
Sara stroked her fur and murmured:
"I'm sorry, Persi. I don't know what to do any more."
[Unexpected Visitors] Smiles That Don't Reach the Eyes
But just then, she heard noise from the garden.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Then, three figures appeared beneath the lamplight.
Her aunts.
Agatha, in her black dress, with cold eyes.
Clara, nervous, her gaze full of unspoken apologies.
Evelyn, the youngest, smiling as if she'd come to save her.
"Dear Sara," Agatha said, arms outstretched. "Now you're our responsibility."
But Sara didn't move.
She didn't greet them with joy.
Because at that moment, something deep inside her told her they hadn't come to take care of her…
They had come for the money.