Setting: Modern Times, 2025, McIntire District, Salem, Massachusetts USA. Gothic Revival Mansion, Spell House, built 1789.

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The gates of Spell House opened with the slow groan of old iron, and the visitor from the Salem Preservation Trust stepped into the mist-shrouded garden. The mansion rose out of the fog like a piece of night given shape—sharp roofs, pointed arches, and windows that seemed to hold their own faint light. This was meant to be a simple survey: photographs, notes, and a formal report for the historical registry. Nothing more.

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Inside, the air smelled faintly of jasmine and something darker, like crushed cherry beneath oak smoke. The interior was a study in shadow and gleam: black walnut paneling, carved banisters, and deep red rugs that caught the glow of the sconces. Every surface whispered of wealth and a distinct taste for control.

Jasmine Godwin descended the main staircase to greet her guest. Barefoot despite the chill, she moved with an easy confidence, a long satin gown trailing behind her like spilled ink. The first thing one noticed wasn't her beauty but her composure—how still she stood, how her attention seemed to hold the whole room in place.

Mei appeared a few steps behind her, smaller, dressed in black leather softened by the light. She carried a tablet for notes but rarely looked at it, her focus entirely on Jasmine, as if listening for unspoken instructions.