Page 75 of Call It What You Want
To be honest, I don’t really believe in hypnotism anyway. I’ve watched videos online where people are supposedly hypnotized, and it always looks fake. Like they’re playing along because everyone’s watching.
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Wyn says.
Eve pulls her phone out and scrolls for a minute before tapping on a video. She watches, nodding occasionally like she’s taking mental notes. After about thirty seconds, she looks up with a smile and way too much confidence. “Alright, I think I got it,” she says.
I glance at Ember and Wyn, who both look as skeptical as I feel.
“Okay, Ava.” Eve sets her phone aside and sits beside me on the bed, eyes intent. “Lie down, get comfortable, and focus on my voice. Can you do that?”
I nod, trying not to laugh.
“Good. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath… hold it. Now let it out slowly.”
I follow along, already feeling my body soften against the bed.
“Now, imagine a staircase in front of you. Ten steps. With each step, you’ll go deeper into relaxation. Ten… nine… eight…”
I picture it, though my thoughts wander to Jackson.
“Three… two… one. You’re now deeply relaxed. Ava, go back to that morning, three years ago. Can you do that?”
My chest tightens. The words are ice in my veins.
“You’re safe,” Eve says, going off my reaction. “Just observe, like a movie. Can you see the kitchen?”
“Yes.” White cabinets, marble counters, early morning light spilling across the sink.
“What’s happening?”
“I’m...at the sink. Washing dishes.” My own voice sounds distant. “I have my earbuds in. I’m listening to—” I pause, listening. “—a podcast about true crime.”
“Okay,” she says soothingly. “Tell me what happens next.”
“He comes up behind me. The senator. I don’t hear him until—” My stomach twists. “Until I feel his hands on my hips, pulling me back against him.”
“You’re safe, Ava. We’re right here with you,” Eve reminds me. “Keep going.”
“I try to push him away, but he’s strong. He pins me from behind. The counter digs into my stomach, and I can’t breathe.”My hand drifts to my throat. “There’s a knife by the sink. I reach for it, and…”
The image floods in, sharp and merciless. “I just want him to stop. I turn, and I feel the knife slide in. Now there’s blood. Everywhere.”
Tears blur my vision.
“He makes this sound, like a gurgle. He stumbles back, and I’m still holding the knife. Blood runs down the handle onto my hand, and…” A sob is torn from my throat. “...he collapses. I can’t move. I can’t think. I can’t do anything but stare at him bleeding out on the white tile.”
Eve’s hand is on my shoulder. “Ava?—”
“Then Jackson is there. I don’t know how long I was standing there. Seconds? Minutes? But suddenly he’s there, taking the knife from my hand.”
“He’s saying something, but I can’t hear him. He pulls me against him, and I rest my head on his chest. Then he’s calling someone. I don’t know who, but I can feel the vibration of his voice against my cheek. When he gets off the phone, he tells me—” I choke on the words. “He tells me I’m going to be okay. That he’ll fix it. That I need to go upstairs and shower, and he’ll take care of everything.”
I open my eyes.
Eve, Ember, and Wyn are staring at me, faces pale.
“I killed him,” I whisper. “I killed the Senator. Jackson didn’t do it. I did. But he took the blame. He let everyone think it was him.”
The room spins. Three years. For three years, I’ve been living with a lie. Three years Jackson has been carrying this secret, letting me believe he was the monster, when all along…
