The night stretched long and quiet, the only sounds the occasional creak of the house and the hum of the wind against the window. Elias and I sat on the floor of my room, the map of the town between us, candles flickering to chase away the dark. The air felt heavy with tension—partly from what we were about to face, but also from something else I couldn't quite name.
Elias leaned forward, studying the map, his dark hair falling slightly into his eyes. I watched him quietly, noticing how solid he seemed now—so much more alive than when I'd first found him. His presence was steady, calming, but beneath that calm, I could feel the storm brewing inside him.
"You're staring," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.
My face flushed, and I quickly looked down at the map. "I'm not."
"You are." Elias smirked as he glanced up, the candlelight flickering across his face. "You've been doing it all night."
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Maybe I'm just making sure you don't flicker away again."
His smirk softened into a smile, something warmer, gentler. "I'm not going anywhere, Rose."
For a moment, neither of us said anything. The tension between us shifted, no longer just the weight of everything happening but something deeper, something unspoken. I forced myself to focus on the map, tracing the edge of the park with my finger.
"So… what's the plan?" I asked, trying to clear the air.
Elias's smile faded, and he leaned back on his hands. "We need to draw Thomas out. He's been hiding in the shadows, but if we force his hand, he'll come to us."
"And how do we do that?"
Elias hesitated before answering. "The doll. It's the key to everything. If we take it back to the center of the park, to where it all started, he won't be able to ignore it. He'll have to face us."
I swallowed hard. "And then what?"
He met my gaze, his expression serious. "Then we finish this. Together."
The weight of his words settled over me, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. I nodded slowly, my heart thudding. "Okay. Then we'll do it."
Elias's dark eyes softened as he studied me. "You're brave, Rose."
I smiled faintly, though I could feel my pulse quickening. "I'm just tired of being scared."
"You don't have to be," he said quietly. "Not with me here."
There was something in his voice—something steady and sure—that made my chest tighten. I looked at him, really looked at him, and realized how much had changed since that first night. He wasn't just the ghost in the doll anymore. He was Elias. Solid. Real. Mine.
"Why do you care so much?" I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
Elias's gaze locked onto mine, and the air between us felt electric. "Because I see you, Rose. Even when you don't see yourself. You're strong, stubborn, and you make me want to fight for something again."
My breath caught in my throat. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to process the way his words made me feel. The silence stretched between us, heavy and charged, until Elias leaned forward just slightly, closing the space between us.
"Rose," he murmured, his voice a low hum that sent shivers down my spine.
I looked up at him, my heart pounding. "Yeah?"
His hand brushed my cheek—soft, hesitant—as though he was afraid I might pull away. But I didn't. I leaned into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed for a moment as I soaked in the warmth of it. When I opened them again, Elias was closer, his face only inches from mine.
"You're not alone in this," he whispered. "You'll never be alone."
Before I could respond, his lips brushed mine—soft at first, like he was testing the waters, but then deeper, more certain. It was gentle and fierce all at once, sending sparks through every inch of me. I melted into him, my fingers curling into his shirt as I pulled him closer.
When we finally pulled back, my breath was shaky, and Elias rested his forehead against mine, his eyes searching mine. "Is this okay?" he asked softly.
I smiled, my cheeks burning. "More than okay."
Elias smiled too, his thumb brushing gently over my jaw. "Good."
For a while, we just sat there, close and quiet, like the rest of the world didn't exist. For the first time in days, the fear and the shadows felt far away, and all that mattered was the boy in front of me—the boy who had somehow become my anchor in all of this chaos.
But eventually, reality crept back in, and I sighed, resting my head on Elias's shoulder. "You know this is probably the calm before the storm, right?"
He chuckled softly, his arm slipping around me. "Yeah. But we'll face it together."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
As I closed my eyes, I allowed myself to believe it—that maybe, just maybe, we could make it out of this. And no matter what waited for us in the park, we would face it together.
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End of Chapter