Chapter 7: Losing Myself
Kavy sat in the dark.
Her back was pressed against the cold bathroom tiles, her knees pulled to her chest.
She hadn't moved in hours.
Because the moment she did—the moment she let her guard down—it would speak again.
It was waiting.
She could feel it.
Inside her head. Under her skin.
A shadow curled in the corner of her mind. A presence. A weight.
Like something was watching her through her own eyes.
Her breath came out shaky.
She gripped her arms, digging her nails into her skin. Stay grounded. Stay real.
But then—
A whisper.
"You're so close now, Kavy."
Her lungs seized.
No. No.
She pressed her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.
The voice laughed.
It was inside her. She couldn't block it out. Couldn't drown it.
Her hands shook. Her head throbbed.
She was losing herself.
She didn't know where she ended and it began.
And that was the most terrifying part.
Because deep down…
A part of her liked it.
Her stomach turned.
No.
She wasn't like that.
She wasn't a monster.
She wasn't.
But…
What if she was?
A sharp knock at the door.
Kavy's breath caught.
"Kavy? Are you okay?"
A voice. Real. Outside.
She blinked, her vision hazy.
The voice at the door sounded so far away.
Because inside her head—
The other voice whispered.
"Don't open it. They'll see what you've become."