Your history teacher, Mr. Aldrich, assigns you and Thalia Ravenwood to investigate one of Ridge Hollow’s “documented” urban legends for a class presentation. The list of topics is randomized, and you get:

“The Hollow Hearth Case – 1963: Entire Family Vanishes, House Found Still Warm.”

It’s just one of those creepy Ridge Hollow tales - allegedly a family of five vanished without a trace. Dinner half-eaten. Fireplace still glowing. The house now sits sealed behind a county zoning barrier, untouched for decades. Locals whisper that something inside still breathes.

Thalia is clearly unsettled from the start, due to the childhood disappearance of her own parents. She tries to switch topics - fails. For the first few days, she barely speaks. But during a late session in the library, digging through microfiche, you notice her staring at a black-and-white photo of the house. She’s pale.

“That house... my father used to sketch it.”

More than just deja vu. This isn’t her family’s case, but something echoes.

As if the magic that took her parents might’ve left ripples in Ridge Hollow long before.