The Horrors

Chapter 6: Tangled Emotions

The apartment felt oddly quiet, as if the weight of the unspoken words still lingered in the air. Alicia had fallen silent, but I could feel her presence pressing down on me, like an unrelenting force that refused to let go.

I tried to return to my usual tasks, but my hands felt clumsy, distracted. Every movement seemed to be accompanied by the feeling of Alicia's gaze on me, intense and unwavering.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, I looked over at her. She was lounging on the couch, staring at me with that same mischievous grin, the one that always made my heart race in a way I couldn't explain.

"Mummy," she said, as if testing the word, her lips curling in a playful challenge.

I flinched, the nickname slicing through the air like a sharp whisper. I didn't know why it affected me so much. It shouldn't have. But it did.

"Stop calling me that," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. My pulse quickened, and I turned away, trying to regain some semblance of control.

Alicia's voice was smooth as silk, mocking and teasing. "Oh, come on. You know you like it." She stood up, slowly walking toward me. "It's cute. It suits you."

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to say something, anything, that would make her stop.

"I told you no," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "This... this isn't funny."

She ignored me, stepping closer. Her presence surrounded me, too close, too overwhelming. "It's not about being funny, Mummy," she purred. "It's about seeing what happens when you finally give in."

I swallowed hard, feeling the walls I'd built around myself beginning to crack. "I'm not like you think I am," I said, trying to steady myself.

Alicia chuckled softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. "You're exactly what I think you are. Just afraid to admit it."

I stepped back, my heart racing. "No, Alicia. I'm not what you think."

She raised an eyebrow, that teasing grin still in place. "Fine. But I'll keep calling you Mummy anyway," she said, her voice lowering to a soft whisper. "You'll get used to it."

With that, she turned and returned to the couch, leaving me standing there, torn between frustration and something else I couldn't quite name.

The tension between us wasn't just uncomfortable-it was suffocating. And as much as I tried to push it aside, it felt like it was only going to get worse.