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The next second, Olivia bolted.
"Olivia!" the boy groaned in frustration, chasing after her again.
She giggled, dashing inside the house with Sawyer on her heels. But the moment she stepped into the hall, her foot caught on something—
She tripped. Fell hard.
And suddenly—she wasn't a little girl anymore.
Instead, she lay trembling on the ground, engulfed in flames, her skin searing as fire burned through her.
"No!" she screamed, her body convulsing. "It hurts!"
The pain was unbearable. Agonizing. Every breath she took felt like knives slicing through her lungs.
"Ellie?"
A voice broke through the flames.
Someone was shaking her.
"Ellie! Wake up!"
Her eyes snapped open, wild and panicked. She was shivering, gasping for breath.
Sawyer sat in front of her, his face etched with concern.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Nightmare?"
Ellie shot upright, her skin ice-cold, her entire body trembling, the pain from the dream still vivid, lingering on her skin as if it had really happened.
"I'm here," Sawyer murmured gently, reaching out to touch her face. "You're okay. You’re alright."
His soft voice grounded her, pulling her out of the nightmare’s grip. Her breath came out shaky as she stared at him, reality settling in.
Then, suddenly, her expression turned urgent.
"Sawyer, the girl right now... she’s not the real Olivia," she blurted out. "You have to believe me. Yesterday, when I went to her house, she attacked me. That girl—she's someone else!"
Sawyer studied her intently, his gaze unreadable.
Then, to her surprise, he smiled.
"Ellie Madden, I'm impressed," he mused, a smirk playing on his lips. "You actually told me about this? I thought you'd be too pissed to warn me and would just let me rot while that fake Olivia took advantage of me." He shook his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Honestly, I’m shocked you told me instead of just keeping it to yourself."
Ellie’s eyes narrowed. Quickly clearing her throat, she crossed her arms and threw him an arrogant look.
"I only told you because I wanted to see the look on your face when you act like a clueless fool defending your so-called goddess!" She huffed. "So when you finally realize I was right, you’ll look even more like an idiot knowing I figured it out first!"
She stuck out her tongue at him, irritated.
Without warning, he reached out, pinching her cheek and pulling her close.
"You’re really annoying, you know that?" he hissed, his breath warm against her face as he leaned in.
Ellie stilled, staring at him up close.
"Do you see me angry right now?" he asked, voice low.