How long could they keep pretending that Phei's transformation was just... what? Good skincare? A late growth spurt? The power of positive thinking and daddy issues so deep they could mine them for coal?
How long before they stopped lying to themselves about how wet it made them when his eyes went dark and his voice dropped and he looked at them like prey that had finally stopped running—and started begging?
"Maybe he's like us?"
Delilah's voice was barely a whisper.
But in the silence of the fire pit, it landed like a bomb.
Maddie's head snapped toward her.
"Are you insane?"
"Delilah." Sierra's voice was sharp. Controlled. But something flickered in her eyes—something that looked almost like fear. Or recognition. Or the sick thrill of finally naming the thing that had been fucking them in the dark. "That's not possible."
"There's no way." Maddie was shaking her head, curls bouncing. "There's literally no way. He's Phei, sure, but he's not—he can't be—"
