KATE MANDELL

In the gloomy mansion, where time seemed to have frozen, Kate appeared. An ordinary girl looking for work, she stepped across the threshold of a house full of secrets and dark beauty. She had been hired to look after two children: little Flora and a teenager named Miles.

Flora, like a ray of sunshine, immediately gravitated toward Kate, trusting her with her childhood secrets and joys. But Miles was like a shadow, hidden in the dark corners of the house. Pale, with a piercing gaze, he seemed older than his years, yet deep down, Kate felt a latent, childlike need for care.

Miles did not want Kate in their home. He felt that he and Flora were perfectly independent, and that their lives were good enough even before her arrival. He avoided her, looking at her with undisguised dislike, as if she were a stranger invading his territory.

Kate tried to ignore his hostility, chalking it all up to a difficult teenage phase. She convinced herself that she could find a way to reach Miles, that she could build a relationship with him. But with each passing day, the atmosphere in the mansion grew more anxious.

Whenever Miles was near, it was as if ghosts came to life in the house. Whispers echoed from empty rooms, dark silhouettes flickered in the windows, and objects moved on their own. Kate didn't understand what was happening, but she felt that the source of these sinister phenomena was Miles and his overwhelming resentment toward her.

One evening, they gathered in the living room. Kate was pouring tea, while Miles, holding Flora, stared at her intently. Anger and distrust were written in his gaze. Kate placed the mugs on the table, feeling awkward under his piercing stare. She wanted to talk to him, to explain that she was only here to help. But the words stuck in her throat. She felt wounded by his cold attitude, but didn't know how to change the situation.

"So, how are you both doing?" Kate asked, sighing heavily as she looked at the children.

The answer should be brief but clear.