Wow Calluna! You said that you didn't have the heart for something adventurous or scary but instead I've been dragged in and tasted every single word of what I see as an awesome beginning of a novel. You can't always go all the way in 500 words and, sometimes, perhaphs you shouldn't. I enjoyed it and found it soaking with suspence and many untold mysteries. I also loved those many touches of elegance like "the fallen scraps of soaring dreams" or "those dark eyes held steady with a resolve that had hoped to never be tested". This made me enthusiast and willing to elaborate the concept, keeping the mood that you created.