Kevin stood at the doorstep. He looked… wrong. Not just worried. Off. Like something behind his eyes had disconnected, something moving underneath the surface.
"I came the moment I got Kathy's text," he said, voice low. "Is she alright?"
Rachel hesitated. Miss Rosaline, silent and still, didn't blink. "Come in," she said.
As Kevin stepped inside, the air around us thinned, like the house itself was holding its breath.
Something's not right about him, I whispered.
Yeah, Rachel thought. And look at Kathy.
Kathy's hands were locked around her sleeves like they were the only thing tethering her to reality. Kevin went straight to her. When his hand touched her shoulder, she flinched. Then he turned to Miss Rosaline and inclined his head.
"Madame."
Just one word. Off-pitch. Formal in a way that didn't suit him. Miss Rosaline gave no response. Just watched.
They exchanged pleasantries on the outside, but inside Rachel's head, both of us were racing. What's going on?
Kevin cleared his throat, too calm. "She's been having a hard time. Kathy has a history of… self-harm. The bruises are old. Some of them… she applied herself. It's how she copes."
Kathy didn't speak. Didn't look up.
Miss Rosaline tilted her head. "So she pretends to be abused rather than admit she's unwell?"
A broken sound came from Kathy. A nod. Still not lifting her eyes. I almost pitied her. Almost. But she looked more terrified now than when she arrived. And none of this explained that.
"I'd appreciate," Kevin added, "if you didn't press her further. She's coming with me. She doesn't owe anyone an explanation."
Miss Rosaline's voice dropped colder. "If I get involved, things will be different."
Kevin didn't blink. "Understood." He paused. "See you three around."
Silence hit the room like a dropped glass.
Rachel's eyes flicked wide.
Did he say… three?
Does he know? I whispered.
Miss Rosaline didn't react. Kathy didn't either. But Rachel and I both knew what the other was thinking.
Kevin took Kathy's hand. She looked back once—fear and something like sorrow—and then they left. The door clicked shut.
Rachel stood still until her phone buzzed on the table. Mrs. Sandra.
Miss Rosaline's gaze moved lazily to the caller ID. "If it's important," she said softly, "you should attend."
Rachel nodded. "I… I will."
Miss Rosaline turned and walked toward the door. As she passed the mirror near the coat rack, she glanced at her reflection—one second, normal movement. But I felt it. Off-note again. Like she wasn't checking herself.
She was checking us.
Rachel closed the door behind her and sagged like the air had left her body. "God," she muttered. "She scared me."
She stared at the empty street, then turned. "I think I'm going to check on Kathy."
Now?, I asked.
"She lives nearby. I've heard her mention it. I need to know what's going on."
You sure? Weren't you scared to step out just yesterday?
Rachel shrugged, grabbing her hoodie. "A woman's thirst for gossip can overpower any primal fear."
Are you serious!?
"I'm curious. And pissed off. And maybe a little reckless," she said.
She opened the door.
Well… it's good to see you back to your usual self.
That's when we saw him—Mr. Whiskers. Perched on the same brick wall across the street. Watching. Waiting.
Let's follow him, I said.
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "You want me to follow a cat?"
He's the only friend I've made since I died. Don't mock the sacred feline.
"Oh sure. Divine guidance through a neighborhood cat. Got it. Next we'll read tea leaves."
Mock all you want. If you ever die, I'll personally haunt you until you eat your sarcasm.
Rachel grinned. "If I die, I'll float straight into heaven. Pure bliss, baby."
Now I remember why I hated you.
She laughed. "Love you too, sissy."
Mr. Whiskers hopped down and walked ahead. We followed through silent streets and cracked pavement, all the way to the old boardwalk. The beach was near-empty, the sky hanging heavy, bleeding into deep gray.
The cat led us to the edge of the pier. There, a man stood. He didn't turn, but I knew him.
"Gramps," Rachel and I said in unison.
He sighed, the sound of waves burying half his voice. "So… you've merged with the host." He turned slowly, the wind pulling at his coat like it was trying to carry him away. "I didn't want it to be like this."
Then his eyes lifted—not at us, but beyond us.
A car passed behind. Headlights carved shadows. And in that flicker, I saw her. Miss Rosaline. Inside a car. Parked just far enough to blend in. As our eyes met the vehicle, it started moving—driving off without a sound.
Rachel, I whispered. Did you see—
"I saw her."
The car disappeared into the night.
Gramps turned back to us, his face ancient and unreadable. "You've gone too far, child. You've merged with more than her. You're unstable now. Do you even know how many voices linger inside you?"
What do you mean 'more'?
He took a step forward. His eyes darkened. "It doesn't matter. You've broken the balance. You've violated what little was holding you together."
Rachel stepped back. "She's not hurting anyone."
Gramps didn't speak to her. He was speaking to me. "I'm sorry. You can no longer stay."
Then the wind surged.
Rachel shouted something, but it was already too late. Everything collapsed. Darkness fell like a curtain.
There was no sky. No ground. Only cold. Only silence.
I tried to move—and fell. Straight down. Into something that wasn't air. Not water. Just weightless dread.
I tried to swim, tried to breathe, tried to scream—but nothing was answered.
The darkness shifted, and suddenly I wasn't falling. I was floating. On my back. Something thick and silent lapped against my limbs.
I looked up. The sky was black. The water beneath me—black. Gray outlines stretched far into the horizon: unmoving souls, floating belly-up, just like me.
None moved.
Because I realized—
The moment you move, you drown.
I twitched. Just once.
And the water pulled. Like claws.
I gasped, panicked, thrashed—
And sank.
Cold surged over me. No end. No breath. No escape. No bottom.
I fought, choking, limbs flailing in the silent suffocation. But nothing gave. Nothing.
Until something inside me broke.
Until I stopped fighting.
Until I… gave up.
And in that moment—
The world went silent.