His smile deepened and he stepped closer. He moved as if he didn’t want to rush the moment, spinning the knife between his fingers with a casual flick.
“My pleasure,” he hissed.
His blade met my throat. Cold and sharp. It was fast and slow all at once. Burning and stabbing and tearing. I felt the blood spill before I knew I’d been cut. It soaked my dress. My chest.
Warm. Heavy.
My knees gave out and the ground welcomed me. I landed beside my mother, her hand so close to mine, but I couldn’t reach it.
Everything faded and then finally it was quiet.
----- ?⋅?⋅? -----
My eyes flew open.
For a second, I thought I was still dreaming, but the weight in my chest told me I wasn’t.
The grief. The terror. The guilt. All of it was still here. My body remembered it. Every second of it. Every flicker of fire.
And the worst part?
I remember dying. I remember how itfelt. How cold it got. How quiet. I remember knowing it was over.
Thedreamwas over, but something was wrong. I was awake, but only in my head, my body didn’t move. Not even a twitch.
I could blink, but that was it.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t feel my body.
I wasn’t in it anymore.
I had been locked out of myself, my body becoming my coffin.
I was stuck. The panic hit so fast it felt like drowning.
My heart beat faster.
I was buried alive inside myself, screaming in my head, begging anyone, anything, to wake me up. But there was nothing.
Because I wasn’t dreaming, and I wasn’t dead.
I don’t know how long I lay there before I heard Will’s voice.
“Good morning, Kera.” he chimed.
Hearing him say my name twisted something deep inside me. I wanted to reply. Gods, I wanted to reply. But I couldn’t.
He moved closer. I could feel the bed dip as he sat.
“Kera?” he said again. His voice floated somewhere above me, too soft, too far. He touched my shoulder gently and shook it. Then again, a little firmer.
I heard him. I heard everything. The rustle of his coat. His breath catching. The way his voice cracked a little when he repeated my name.
I justcouldn’tmove.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice now panicked. “Kera?”
I wanted to scream.I’m here. I hear you. Please, don’t leave.
