Zoya’s P.O.V
I took a deep breath, my fingers tracing the rim of my teacup absentmindedly. "Yes, Cam. It's strange, but as I approached the house, it felt like I was being guided there, almost like an entity was leading me. Like I was aware of what I was doing but I had no control over my own body. All I knew was that I must go back to the place where Lily lived with Ezra and where she was.. killed."
Cam's eyes widened with curiosity. "An entity? Like a spirit?"
"It sounds crazy, I know. But there's something about that house... I can't explain it. I couldn’t see who or what it was, but it felt like… a shadow."
The memory sent a shiver down my spine as I recounted it to Cam, the vivid images flashing before my mind's eye like a haunting nightmare.
"It sounds terrifying, Zoya," Cam whispered, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and disbelief.
I nodded, my gaze distant as I relived those moments. "It was… surreal. I couldn't see a face or a distinct form, just this darkness that seemed to envelop everything."
Cam leaned in closer, her brow furrowed in thought. "And when you passed out?"
I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling slightly. "It…it was like a malevolent force whispering in my ear, coaxing me to harm myself and the baby. The intensity of that feeling was suffocating. Just before I closed my eyes, I saw that same shadow looming over me. And before I lost consciousness, I felt like ripping my heart out of my chest with a dagger. And take my baby with me as well."
Cam's hand found mine, offering comfort as she listened to my harrowing account. She looked horrified, but it was clear that she was trying not to let too much of her emotions show, for my sake. And I was grateful for the gesture. "Zoya, that's not something to take lightly,” she said, her voice giving me comfort despite my problems. “It sounds like there might be something more sinister at play."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion. "That's what scares me, Cam. I can't shake off this feeling that Lily's death might not have been as straightforward as it seemed. And… I don’t know. Maybe it’s got something to do with me as well, somehow."
"Zoya, you can't keep something like this from Ezra. They deserve to know, especially if you're in danger, and carrying his child as well."
“You saw how they reacted when I tried, didn’t you?” I shook my head, my gaze resolute in my refusal. "Cam, I know it sounds strange, but something about telling Ezra, and even Silas, just doesn't sit right with me. I can't explain it."
Cam's brows furrowed in concern, her voice tinged with urgency. "Look, I get that you might have your reasons, but keeping this from them could put you in even more danger."
I bit my lip, torn between my instinct to protect them and the reality of the situation. "I know, Cam, but I feel like I need to approach this from a different angle. Anika might have some knowledge about these shadows, and she might be able to shed some light on what's happening."
Cam looked skeptical, clearly struggling to understand my reasoning. "But, if you don’t want to tell Ezra and Silas, why would you trust Anika of all people? She could be manipulating you, using your fears against you. If you can’t bring yourself to let Ezra in on this, why do you think that involving Anika is the right thing to do?"
Suddenly, the quiet of the empty examination room seemed more oppressive than comforting. There was a ringing in my ears that I knew was just a side effect of my anxiety rather than something that I was actually hearing.
The air felt heavy, leaden, like a weighted comforter that was more weighted than comforting. I pressed my lips together, mustering the heart to speak.
I knew that the privacy of the this lonesome room was important since my meeting with Anika was supposed to be a secret, but I suddenly wanted to talk about this outside the emptiness of this place, back into the hustle and bustle of the clinic, where I would have other things to focus on other than the loud beating of my heart and the fear prickling the back of my mind.
I took a deep breath, my voice steady as I tried to explain. I remembered Anika leaning down to get close to my ear, her breath brushing against my skin.
"Last night,” I told Cam, “when Anika was saying goodbye, she said something to me…something that led me to believe that she is the solution I am looking for."
“I want to talk to you," I could still remember Anika’s voice in my ears as she bid goodbye to me last night. "Alone. Soon. I want to talk about the shadows.”
And that’s how I knew…I knew she was the only one.
Because she saw it too…she saw the shadow that no one had been able to see so far.