Page 144 of Their Little Ghost

“Lex did what?” Aiden asks. His eyes glaze, and his jaw hardens. “When?”

“A few days ago,” I say, waving my hand dismissively. “Why do the details matter? He creeped into this cell, pinned me against the wall, and fucked me right here. Did you all have a good laugh about it after?”

“We made a deal that none of us would do that,” he whispers. “Not until you knew the truth.”

“Well, Lex broke your little pact.” I narrow my eyes. “But that’s not a surprise, because that’s all you seem to do.”

“You have to believe me,” Aiden pleads. “We thought you were dead. Erin was… she wasn’t you… but she was the closest we were going to get. She could help us get you justice!”

“By stalking her and taking over her life? Fuck you, Aiden!” I scream. My inner rage fully takes over now. “You’re as bad asmy father. Your lies, your twisted games. You’re sick—all three of you! I always thought Dad was wrong about you, but he wasn’t. You belong here. In Sunnycrest.”

His head jerks as if I slapped him. “Little Ghost…”

“Don’t!” I snarl, jabbing my finger into his chest. “That’s your nickname for her, not me! Did you like her more? Perfect Erin, the better twin, the one who can do no wrong. See? You’re just like him!”

“No… Sarah… I…”

“Stop, Aiden.” I turn away, unable to listen to any more lame excuses. “Leave. Now.”

“But—”

“Go!” I yell.

He sighs deeply, realizing there’s no point in arguing. He pauses at the door. “Before I go…” He throws my diary onto the floor. “This belongs to you.”

“Just fucking go,” I whisper, using all my willpower to hold back tears. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. “And don’t come back.”

He doesn’t argue. He clicks the door closed quietly behind him. As soon as he’s gone, I sink to my knees.

What now? Erin’s dead, my brain’s fucked, and the three people I thought I could trust have shown me their true colors. I thought I loved them, and this is how they treat me? Like I meant nothing to them? Like I’m replaceable! They told Erin they were monsters, and they were right.

If I had the energy to move, I’d smash my fist through the wall. Instead, I scream as loud as I can. It’s freeing. My bloodcurdling screech bounces off the bricks as I release all my pent-up emotions, fury, bitterness, sadness, guilt…

I scream until my throat burns and goes hoarse, until I’m unable to make another sound.

How couldhedo this?

How couldtheydo this?

How is anyone supposed to come to terms with the fact they’ve returned from the dead alongside the revelation that their twin sister is gone forever? It’s fucked up. Beyond fucked up. This kind of thing wouldn’t be out of place in a B-rated sci-fi movie, but it’s real life. My life. And I don’t know how I’m going to move forward.

“It’s okay, Sarah.” Erin’s voice comes out of my mouth. Her words. Her intonations. It’s her. “You’re not alone.”

This is more than a figment of my imagination. It’s like she’s really here.

“Erin?” I ask, my voice shaking. “Is it really you?”

I can hear her in my head while my mouth moves.

“I’m still here,” she says. “And I’m not going anywhere. I’m part of you now. A part of you that’ll always be here.”

I feel myself slipping away as she comes to the surface. If she bursts out, I feel like I’ll disappear again, so I cling to my sense of self, stopping her from overpowering me. It’s a delicate balance and a battle for control. She needs to speak and be heard—and I want to hear her—but I can’t lose myself again…

“What did he do to us?” I ask.

“He merged our minds,” she says. “He wanted to bring me back to life by transferring my consciousness to your body.”

“This can’t be happening,” I say. “I must really be going crazy after everything that’s happened…” I go to hit myself in the head, then my arm suddenly stops, as if someone else has taken over.