Passage 1 Graystone Manor Alia stood in front of Graystone Manor and took a deep breath. It was a fairly large house, with big windows and a wooden door. The house belonged to Alia's aunt, who had left it to her in her will. Alia had visited the house only once before, when she was five, and so she did not remember much about it. She was back now after 20 years, excited to explore her new home. She unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. The house was dark and dusty because no one had lived there for many months now. There was a layer of dust on all surfaces, and Alia dreaded the fact that she would have to clean the entire place soon. Everything in the house had an old-world look, including the furniture, which was old-fashioned and worn out, and looked like it needed to be reupholstered. There was a huge chest of drawers against a wall, and Alia walked over to take a closer look at the photographs on top of the chest. They were old photographs of her aunt and her family, and Alia smiled when she recognized a photograph of her mother as a young girl. Alia then went up the stairs to explore the rooms on top, holding on to the railing as the stairs creaked and groaned under her feet. There were two rooms on the floor above, and Alia decided to use the bigger of the two as her bedroom. The room had a musty smell, but it looked cozy and comfortable. Alia was already beginning to feel at home in her new house. Passage 2 The Birthday Present Taylor checked her watch and picked up her pace. She was hurrying back home from school because she had to reach her friend Shauna's house in an hour. It was Shauna's birthday, and she had invited all her friends over for a party. Taylor had been busy the whole week, and she had not had time to buy Shauna a birthday present. It was too late to go to the mall now because the party was going to begin in an hour. As she rushed around her room getting dressed, Taylor couldn't help but feel guilty. Shauna was one of her closest friends and she wanted her to
