Page 56 of Presence

“Calm down, Clarity. We just want to help here. We don’t really know what you’ve been through. It’s just that there are so many possibilities here... The shadows could be part of the same thing he’s controlling. In possession cases, it’s not unusual for the so-called ‘protector’ to actually be causing the very evil they’re claiming to protect you from. It’s all manipulation, a trick to get to you.”

Possession? I’m not possessed. I’m targeted.

“Did he ask you to do something for him?” Raven asks again, her voice raised, nostrils flaring. “It’s important. Please, think.”

Desperation tugs at my chest. I try to recollect my thoughts, discern whether anything happened in the dreamscape that could indicate Echo was just a manipulator in disguise. It hurts to think like this. It hurts even more when my gut is already wrenching under that potion this woman gave me. But for Camilla’s sake, I try. Only for her.

“He, um… He needed my help,” I say after gathering the sweat on my forehead with the back of my palm. “He didn’t ask me for anything. I gave it to him on my own.”

“Gave what?”

“My energy,” I reply. When the two of them suck a breath in and one of them even curses under their breath, my heartbeat quickens rapidly. “I know how it sounds, but I swear he’s not bad. Ech…”

“Don’t say his name!” Raven shouts, grabbing my palm, her eyes wide. “Don’t do it.”

The command to stay silent hovers in the air, amplifying my racing pulse and strangling the words in my throat. I hold my breath, my thoughts in chaos.

“But why?” I whisper, my voice trembling.

“Names hold power,” she says, her grip tightening. “Especially when it comes to spirits. Saying his name could strengthen his hold on you, give him more access. And he already seems to have plenty of that…”

She doesn’t want you saying his name. She’s scared.

What is she so scared of? Echo’s a friend. He’s on my side. The only thing that could fear him is the presence.

Oh no. What if all this is not real? What if my reality is bleeding with a nightmare at this very moment?What if Camilla and Raven are just like the puppet people with creepy smiles?

I look between the two of them, my mind scrambling. That must be it. They want to lure me into their trap. But why…? Why do this?

“What do you… what do you want from me?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

“We need to sever his influence,” Raven replies. “If he really cares for you, he’ll release you willingly, and we’ll know he’s genuine. But if he resists...”

She wants you powerless. Then you’ll be on your own. Alone in the darkness. Abandoned.

“What if I can’t handle it?” I mutter. My voice breaks. I’ll shatter into tiny pieces if Echo’s gone.I’ll become nothing. Just ashes on the floor. A torn blade of grass on the field. A crumbly grain of sand in a sandstorm. I’ll die.

I need him.

Another loud clang sounds from the shop area. It’s closer this time. And angrier. Somehow, I know it’s filled with ill intent, making my teeth ache.

Camilla lets go of me and bends down to pick up the book at her feet. She flips through the pages quickly, like she knows exactly what she’s looking for, then slides the book under Raven’s nose.

“This,” she says. “I’m pretty sure this is the thing that targeted Claire.”

“Sleep demon…” the shop owner reads aloud. “Beings that dwell in the realm between sleep and wakefulness. Beings that prey on the vulnerable, the unsuspecting.”

My breath catches in my throat.

“They come to you under the guise of trust, of desire,” Camilla continues, her fingers tracing the faded text. “The signs are subtle at first. Trouble sleeping, a sense of unease that gnaws at your soul.”

No, no, no. Don’t listen. Don’t believe it. You can’t believe it.

But my heart is already sinking.

“And then... then what happens?” I ask, the question leaving me on its own. My voice trembles with dread.

“If you fall deeper into their grasp,” she whispers, her voice a haunting echo, “they offer you paradise, a realm of dreams beyond imagining. But it’s all a lie, a trap to ensnare your very soul.”

---