THE MONSTER INSIDE ME (#ONC2024)

CHAPTER TWENTY: MYSTERIES

"Years ago, Mia and I were lovers," my uncle Ryan says, his voice low as he addresses Father Lewis and me. "She is the mother of my daughter, Scarlett. Mia possessed extraordinary powers, among them the ability to manipulate time. What we shared was intense, passionate... and deeply toxic."

Father Lewis observes him.

"You speak of her in the past tense."

Ryan swallows. "She took her own life. She jumped from a cliff—right in front of me."

The words hang in the air, heavy and suffocating.

"Is she a ghost?" I ask quietly. "Can a ghost do what she did tonight?"

Ryan shakes his head. "No. She was resurrected through a forbidden ritual in another dimension. She's... something else now. More powerful. More dangerous."

Father Lewis closes his eyes and begins to pray aloud, his voice trembling with sincerity.

"Lord, grant me understanding. I am only a servant, unworthy of Your mysteries. Give me light, so I do not lose myself in what I have witnessed."

Ryan exhales slowly. "She reversed time to heal my injuries. What we experienced down there—it was real."

I hesitate. "Is she... your guardian angel?"

A faint, bitter smile touches his lips. "More like my guardian demon."

Father Lewis clears his throat, choosing not to comment.

"She's evil now," Ryan continues. "She wasn't always. But whatever she is today, she's not someone we can trust." He looks at me firmly. "We need to leave. You have to return to the hospital."

Suddenly, panic strikes me. "Viera. She's waiting in the car."

"The nurse?" Ryan asks sharply.

"She helped me. Please don't report her," I beg. "She was just trying to protect me."

He nods. "I won't. She's only been waiting a short time. Remember—we moved an hour backward."

Outside, the night feels lighter. Zamon is gone. Yet something far worse has taken his place.

Days pass.

Georgiana is pleased with my progress. I'm calmer, more focused. She encourages me to paint.

On the canvas, I recreate the battle—Zamon's destruction, the blinding light, and at the center of it all: Mia. Dark. Radiant. Terrifying. My therapist believes the painting helps me externalize my fear. I think it helps me name it.

Alexander visits every afternoon. His presence grounds me.

"I'm glad Zamon is gone," he says gently.

"It was Mia," I reply. "Did you know her?"

"Yes," he says after a pause. "I analyzed her DNA years ago—after she and Ryan returned from the Eternal Dimension."

"The Eternal Dimension?"

"A place where time doesn't move. It's complicated."

I study him. "Tell me about Mia."

He looks at me carefully. "Are you jealous of her?"

"No," I answer honestly. "Not anymore. I'm just... curious."

"Mia Richardson was an enigma," he says. "Forestvale Manor was her family's home—and her curse. That place shaped everything she became."

That night, calm settles over me like a fragile promise.

Then the light comes.

A dimensional tear opens before my bed, flooding the room with cold brilliance. Mia steps through it—beautiful, lethal, hypnotic. Like a predator that knows its prey cannot run.

"I came to tell you one thing," she says calmly. "Ryan is mine."

"He's married," I reply, forcing steadiness into my voice. "He loves Theolinda."

Her smile is sharp. "Does that hurt?"

"No," I say. "You're nothing to him now."

She laughs softly. "Saints bore him. He's drawn to sinners."

I meet her gaze. "You're obsessed."

Her fingers close around my wrist, burning. "I could kill you. Erase you."

"Then do it," I whisper.

She releases me with contempt. "You're not worth the effort."

Anger steadies me. "I am valuable."

She scoffs. "I am the Queen of Darkness. Your worth is irrelevant."

The door slams open. Viera screams.

Mia turns and hurls her across the room as if she weighs nothing. Then she vanishes.

I rush to Viera's side. Blood. The scent nearly overwhelms me.

Focus, I tell myself. You are not her.

I breathe. I help.

Viera groans, alive.

"I'll say I fell," she whispers. "I won't mention you."

I nod, grateful—and shaken.

Mia is gone.

But she is not finished.