Page 33 of Possession

The urgency of his response takes me aback. I-I don’t know, I rush to say.

I try to see where we are, what’s happening, and it’s like I’m deep underwater. The surface is in sight, but it takes an effort to get to. I swim forward, following a dim light, and break through with a quiet gasp.

Aris is sitting on the floor in our new bedroom, and around him is absolute destruction, like a hurricane came through and blew everything apart. The canopy frames are splintered, pillows are torn open to coat the room in a light dusting of feathers, and just about every piece of furniture has been overturned and kicked halfway to hell.

Take control! Aris says in sudden panic. Take it!

Before I can fully comprehend the command, I feel him push me out and to the front. I blink in confusion for a few seconds before I realize that I’m the one blinking. I take a breath to center myself at the sudden, disorienting shift.

What happened? How long was I gone?

Two days.

What? I push off of the floor to get to my feet and immediately begin to pace. My legs feel unsteady, but panic pushes the feeling aside. Two days? It felt like a second. What happened?

I don’t know.

What?

You left. I couldn’t feel you anymore. To juxtapose his former panic, he is now nothing but numb, dead relief.

I try to calm my shaky breathing and decide, abruptly, that moving isn’t helping. I take a seat back on the floor, where Aris had our body just moments ago. What happened after I disappeared?

He pauses. I… reacted.

I take another look around, and I think I see what he means by that. Did anyone come in here?

No one would dare. They have been leaving food outside, but I won’t eat it. That’s what you do; you eat for us.

We sit in silence as I try to come to grips with what just happened. Did Aris overtake me? Did I willfully leave? Where did I go?

“Do you think it has to do with the amulet?” I whisper aloud.

Maybe.

We go over the scene together, rehashing everything that happened before I disappeared. We were having a fight, but we’ve had those before. He’s scared me before, too. Is it different because I wasn’t in control this time?

I remember retreating somewhere, but where did I go?

“What do we do?” I murmur, after it’s clear that neither of us have a clear answer.

It happened when I had the body, so you stay in control for now.

“They’re not going to like that.” I’m honestly surprised that he even suggested it.

Aris doesn’t respond.

I lean my head against the wall. “The gala is in five days, we—”

Three days.

“Oh. Right. Well, we have to think of something. They’ll want you there, not me.”

Again, Aris doesn’t respond, and I can’t feel anything from his end.

“We’ll think of something,” I murmur. “It’ll be all right.”

It’s a lie and not even a good one, considering Aris can feel my heart sinking in my chest. Because now, it seems the change to the amulet didn’t just free Aris; it’s starting to trap me instead.

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