Bathed in her own sweat and screaming, Thana woke up. Her hair was a mess, and her heart was racing too fast. Panting, she tried to bring herself back to reality. Disoriented, she looked around her own room, trying to recall everything that had happened. She was home, and she was safe. Thana didn't know what to do and noticed her duvet on the floor beside her. She must have kicked it off in her sleep. Was this all a dream? It certainly seemed like it, Thana realized. She sat up cautiously and placed her hand on her heart. It was still beating. She was alive, and she was just at home. Carefully, she crawled to the edge of her bed and placed both of her feet on the floor.

The door to her bedroom was slightly ajar, although she was sure she had closed it as usual the evening before. Her window was wide open, and her curtain fluttered inward. The wind rushed through her room, causing her to shiver. It was cold. She shook her head gently as she struggled to wake up. Thana pushed herself up to close the window. Out of habit, she reached for her phone lying next to her bed, but it wasn't there. She had left it there the previous evening to charge. The only thing on her nightstand was the necklace her aunt had given her.

Yet it wasn't the necklace that made her heart skip a beat; the dagger lay beside it. It glowed softly in the moonlight streaming through the open window. It was identical to the dagger she had received from Delilah. Thana's mouth fell open as she approached the window. How could the dagger from her dream now be on her nightstand? She was sure she didn't have it when she went to sleep that evening. Lost in thought, she realized too late that she nearly tripped over an object lying on the floor in her room. Carefully kneeling down, Thana picked up the book. It was the book her aunt had given her and that she had thrown at the monster. She had started reading it then, but now it lay open on the floor. When Thana picked it up to examine it better, she noticed it no longer looked as new as it had earlier that evening.

The book was old and yellowed. It looked like it could fall apart at the first gust of wind. As if the book had been around for many years, not brand new like when she received it. As if the book had lived. Too stunned to do anything, Thana placed the book on her nightstand next to the necklace and the dagger. As silently as possible, she closed the window and turned back to her bed. The three objects seemed to be smiling at her, but Thana turned away and hurried downstairs. Barefoot, she slipped down the stairs to the living room.

Her phone was still charging in the living room, exactly where she had left it. She grabbed it and unlocked it quickly. Without hesitation, she went to her contacts and clicked on Izara's name. Thana held her breath as the phone rang. Each ring seemed too much before it went to voicemail. Izara's cheerful voice echoed through the space as she said she had no time and that you could leave a message after the beep. When the beep sounded, Thana remained silent for a long time. Only the static remained audible. "Izzie?" she croaked into her phone. "I need to talk to you about something, please call me back as soon as possible?"

Her hand rested on her lips as she fell silent again. After a brief pause, Thana finally turned off the phone and stared ahead. The only sound audible in the living room was the buzzing of some insect.