ISEE Upper Level Reading Comprehension Flashcards: Mood And Language Choices

The hallway of the abandoned house smelled of damp plaster and something faintly smoky, like a candle that had burned out long ago. Tessa’s phone light cut a narrow path ahead, but the darkness on either side stayed thick and stubborn.

A floorboard squealed under her shoe. She stopped. Listened. The sound did not fade; it seemed to settle into the walls. Farther in, a door swung slightly on its hinges, nudged by a draft she couldn’t feel.

Tessa told herself to keep moving. Still, her steps became careful, almost polite. The silence felt crowded. When she passed a mirror, her own reflection startled her—pale face, wide eyes—like a stranger caught trespassing.

She reached the end of the hall and found a staircase leading down. The air rising from below was colder. Tessa’s stomach dipped, and she held the railing as if it might steady more than her balance.