A chill crawled down Amelia's spine as she turned toward the back of the tavern. The dim light barely reached the farthest table, where a shadow moved—slow, deliberate, like it knew it had been seen.
Samuel cursed under his breath. "We need to go. Now."
But Amelia didn't move. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice steadier than she felt.
Silence.
Then, a whisper—soft, almost playful.
"You don't want to know."
A figure stepped forward, emerging from the darkness. Amelia's breath caught. It was a woman, tall and slender, with porcelain-pale skin and jet-black hair. Her eyes were unsettling—too dark, too hollow.
Samuel tensed beside her. "What do you want, Evelyn?"
Evelyn. The name sent an eerie shiver through Amelia's bones, as if her body recognized it before her mind did.
Evelyn smiled. "Oh, Samuel. You already know." Her gaze flicked to Amelia. "She doesn't belong here."
Amelia clenched her fists. "This is my town. I grew up here."
Evelyn tilted her head. "Did you?"
A cold weight settled in Amelia's chest. What does she mean?
Samuel grabbed Amelia's wrist. "We have to go."
But Amelia couldn't look away from Evelyn's smile—so calm, so knowing.
Then, Evelyn took a step forward, her voice a whisper.
"Do you want to know what really happened a year ago?"
The world seemed to tilt beneath Amelia's feet.
Yes. She did.
She needed to.
But before she could answer, Samuel yanked her toward the back door. "We're leaving. Now."
Evelyn didn't stop them. She simply stood there, watching, her expression unreadable.
As the door slammed shut behind them and they stumbled into the cold night, Amelia turned to Samuel. "Tell me the truth. Who am I really?"
Samuel didn't answer right away. He just looked at her, something pained in his expression.
Then, finally, he said, "That's the problem, Amelia. You're not supposed to exist."
The ground seemed to vanish beneath her.
To be continued…