Secrets

Chapter 16 - New Life

When Mia woke, she was back in the apartment. The soft glow of a single lamp lit the space, casting warm light on the worn furniture and muted colors of the walls. The familiar setting should have comforted her, but it felt strange, alien, as though she didn't fully belong here anymore.

"I drank blood," she whispered, her voice hoarse and disbelieving. The words tasted strange in her mouth, foreign and wrong, like they didn't belong to her.

Her gaze darted between Alex, Matt, and Eliza, who stood nearby, their expressions cautious but watchful. She searched their faces for reassurance, something to anchor her to reality.

"You didn't have a choice," Eliza said gently, her voice soft yet firm. "It saved your life."

Mia's eyes dropped to her hands, still trembling in her lap. The sensation of wrongness lingered, but so did something else—something quieter. The oppressive presence she'd felt since the attack, the shadows that had stalked the edges of her vision, seemed to have receded. They were still there, but distant now, muted. It was as if Gabriel's blood had pushed them back, forcing them into the corners of the room.

"It feels... different," she murmured, her brow furrowing as she tried to put the sensation into words.

She hesitated, then glanced at the dimly lit corners of the apartment, the familiar shapes and objects no longer warped by the lingering shadows.

"The shadows—they're still there, but they're quieter."

The moment the words left her lips, she froze. Realization struck hard and fast—she had slipped. Her eyes darted back to Matt, Alex, and Eliza, their expressions sharpening instantly, curiosity sparking to life.

"What shadows?" Matt asked, his voice low and steady, but his eyes narrowing. His arms uncrossed, his entire posture shifting, coiled with tension.

Mia swallowed hard, her pulse quickening.

"I—" she started, but the weight of their stares made her falter. She dropped her gaze to her hands, her fingers twisting together nervously. "It's nothing. Just... my imagination, probably."

Alex and Eliza exchanged a look, one that made Mia's stomach twist. It wasn't disbelief in their eyes—it was worry. Eliza stepped closer, her brows knitting together, her voice gentle but probing.

"Mia," she said softly, "what have you been seeing?"

Mia hesitated again, her heart pounding in her chest. The air in the room felt heavy, their concern pressing down on her like a physical weight. For a fleeting moment, she considered lying, brushing it off as a symptom of stress or trauma. But she knew better. They would see right through her.

"I've been seeing... shapes," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"They're dark, like shadows, but they move. Sometimes they're just in the corners of my vision. Other times... they're closer. And..." Her throat tightened as she forced the words out. "They feel like they're watching me."

The room fell into a heavy silence. The faint hum of the apartment's heater filled the void, but it wasn't enough to dispel the tension. Alex's jaw tightened, and Eliza's face paled slightly. Her eyes flickered toward Matt, who stood rigid, his fists clenching at his sides.

"How long?" Matt asked, his voice steady but carrying an unmistakable urgency.

"Since the attack," Mia replied, her voice wavering. "At first, I thought it was just stress or my mind playing tricks on me. But it hasn't stopped. If anything, it got worse... until now."

The words hung in the air like a storm cloud, unspoken implications weighing down on the group. Alex crossed his arms, his brows furrowed deeply, while Eliza's wings twitched subtly, a sign of her unease. Matt's gaze bore into Mia, his intensity almost suffocating.