𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬

|39|NOT A DREAM|

Hey, y'all! Been a while, huh? Sorry, ndo, pele. This chapter should have been out two weeks ago but I randomly decided to change some things, and it took longer than I expected.

But it's here now, right!?
So, enjoy 🍷✨ .

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Song of the chapter: Bad Luck by Brent Faiyaz.

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Dedicated to just_jummy ❤️❤️❤️

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My chest felt hollow, empty, almost like a blackhole, one that I was eventually going to get lost in.

❦︎

~[TRACY]~

I resembled a beast.

I looked into my eyes and I saw evil. A bloodthirsty animal, that's what I looked like. No, it wasn't just about my appearance; I felt soulless, like something born from the pit of darkness: cold, angry, empty.

I was a beast.

But I didn't even have the strength of one. My bones and muscles felt sore, and it even hurt just to blink.

I just wanted to close my, sleep, and perhaps, never wake up.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Chris must have materialized out of thin air, because I didn't even hear the door open.

Lazily, I looked over my shoulder, his image was a blur from my periphery.

"You made your brother bring me here." I reminded him, turned to face my reflection again. And for a second, my hollow eyes scared me.

"No, I didn't." He was beside me now, scrutinizing me closely, and I was reminded of the heat that his gaze carried. One look in his eyes and I may have burned to ashes.

So I moved to the bed and perched on the corner.

"I called you and you made your brother come find me," I told him again, still not meeting his eyes.

"And I said that I didn't." He persisted. "You didn't call me either, Tee, are you beginning to hallucinate?"

Now, he had bent to my eye level, but I still refused to hold his gaze. Instead, I chose to observe his hair; it had grown quite noticeably from the last time I had seen him.

"Your hair's longer," I said to him. "You need a retwist."

Was that a ridiculous attempt at changing the topic? Maybe. But I refused to reason that there was a possibility that I was going insane.

Just like her.

He sighed, I saw his shoulders slack. "I don't like seeing you like this, Tee."

I was still actively avoiding his gaze because, somehow, I knew his eyes would hold me captive and suck the truth out of me, even the ones I had not yet admitted to myself.

Then a new presence joined the room; I did not see him, no, I felt him. Just like always.

Now, I had two pairs of eyes to avoid.

I found myself fondling with my fingers, my eyes fixed on them. The silence in the room was so heavy I could feel the weight on my head.

"This is stupid." Chris's words lifted the silence and sent it floating out the window. "Do you both realize how much suffering you're causing each-"