“There is true life somewhere inside this body,
claw your way through until you find me.”
—Maya Luna
It’s the strangest thing, looking at your reflection and seeing someone you don’t recognize. My hair is wet from my shower, and a shiver runs down my bare body despite the warm steam clouding the bathroom. I lean over the sink, pressing a hand to the glass. I can’t stop staring.
I’ve thought before that my soul was split in half.
Now I finally know why.
I wish I could talk to her. Sofia. I would tell her she’s right. Life isn’t a fairytale, and for some of us, nightmares are real. If we’re really unlucky, they make a home inside us, wrapping their claws around our souls.
But then I would tell her she’s stronger than she knows. And sometimes, that’s enough.
My fingers curl against the mirror, and tears prick my eyes.
It has to be enough.
I jerk when Frankie’s voice hits my ears. “Mind if I hop in the shower before you take me home?”
Wiping a tear before it falls, I grab a towel and curl it around my body, then open the door. I force a smile. “Yup. I might have used all the hot water, though.”
Frankie pulls her towel back, steps around me, and snaps it against my ass.
“Ouch!”
She grins and closes the door before shouting, “Now we’re even.”
I shake my head and walk to the little black dress draped over the bed. Aubrey washed it for me this morning, but it’s still going to be weird putting it on now that I’m back in the real world. I drop the towel and slip it on, getting it over with. First thing I’m going to do when I drop Frankie off is borrow some of her clothes. If Mama hadn’t burned my belongings, I’d pack a bag of my own. Not that I know where I’m headed, but I kind of like that.
There’s something freeing about being able to create my own future. One that doesn’t chain me to my past. I’ve spent enough time confined, I think. It’s time to see what happens when I fly.
A soft knock raps against the door, and my chest tightens.
I still haven’t seen or spoken to him yet. Adam. I don’t know how to when the ache in my heart is still so tender. That night he left me may have happened fifteen years ago, but to my mind, it may as well have been yesterday.
“Hey, Emmy?” Felix’s voice filters through the closed door.
I clear my throat and walk toward him, turning the handle. He’s still in his suit—suspenders, bowtie, and all. “Hey.”
He glances down, rubs his neck. “I’m heading out with Aubrey for a minute to grab us some food. Any requests?”
A form shifts behind him, and my heart lurches when I spot Adam. He’s standing not even ten feet away, leaning a shoulder against the wall with one hand in his pocket. His chin is dipped, but a muscle twitches in his jaw and his eyes are honed in on me.
I swallow, still watching him when I answer Felix. “Whatever you guys want is fine. Thank you.”
He nods and walks toward the exit, where Aubrey is already waiting for him. “Be right back,” he calls as he leaves.
Then we’re alone.
Adam pushes off the wall and steps toward me. For a second I’m frozen. Every bone in my body is determined to stay where he can reach me, where he can touch, hold, taste me. But my heart knows better.
I move to slam the door shut, but he stops it with his shoe.
With my hand still on the knob, I look away. “Adam, don’t.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” His words are strong, smooth, but when I face him there’s desperation in his eyes.
