The message to Ava sat unanswered for hours. I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over it as the dots blinked in response to whatever she was typing. Why aren't you responding? I thought, my patience wearing thin.

The unease that had taken root in my chest continued to gnaw at me. But I couldn't bring myself to delete the message. The silence was suffocating, but I couldn't erase the lingering hope that somehow, some way, she would explain what was happening.

I barely slept that night, the shadows in my apartment seeming to shift with each passing moment. Every creak of the floorboards, every gust of wind against the windows, sent my heart racing.

Just as I was about to check my phone again, I heard it-the unmistakable vibration of a message coming through. My breath caught in my throat. I glanced down at my screen.

It was Ava.

Ava: "You don't understand, do you? I'm the only one who can protect you."

The words sent a chill through my spine. What did that mean? Protect me from what?

Me: "What are you talking about?"

The response was almost immediate.

Ava: "You've been marked. I've been waiting for you to figure it out."

I didn't know what she meant by marked, but something in my gut twisted. I'd already felt like I was in a trap, like everything around me was a carefully constructed illusion, but now-marked?

Me: "Marked by who?"

The dots blinked for what felt like an eternity. When the message finally came through, my pulse quickened.

Ava: "I'll explain everything soon. But right now, you need to be careful. You don't know who's watching you."

I sat there, staring at the screen. Who's watching me?

I leaned back against the couch, trying to steady my breathing. My hands were trembling as I held the phone. I knew I should have turned it off. I knew I should have stopped, but something in those messages had ignited a fire inside me. I needed to know what this was. What had I gotten myself into?

I had a sudden urge to go to the café, the one where I had seen that woman, the one with the dark eyes that hadn't been Ava's. My instincts screamed at me to stay home, to lock all the doors and forget everything. But a part of me-the part I couldn't ignore-wanted to face whatever it was head-on.

I grabbed my jacket and rushed out, trying to ignore the nagging voice in my head telling me I was making a mistake.

When I arrived at the café, it was empty except for a few late-night patrons. I scanned the room quickly, feeling the weight of every set of eyes on me. There was no sign of her-no sign of anyone who looked like the woman from before.

But as I turned to leave, I felt it. The air around me felt thick, like I was being surrounded. I looked up and froze.

There, in the far corner, sat a figure. A woman. The same dark hair, the same piercing eyes that seemed to cut through me. She was watching me with a look that made my skin crawl.

I took a deep breath and walked toward her, my mind racing. My footsteps felt heavier with each step I took. As I approached, she didn't move. She didn't even acknowledge me.

I stood in front of her, my hands shaking.

"What do you want?" I finally managed to ask.

The woman's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. She didn't speak for a long moment, just studied me like I was some kind of puzzle she was trying to solve.

"You're in too deep," she said quietly, her voice cold. "You shouldn't have come here."

I felt a chill run down my spine as the weight of her words hit me. "What do you mean?"

Before she could respond, I felt something sharp prick my wrist. I looked down, startled, to see a needle sticking out from the sleeve of her jacket. My vision blurred almost instantly, and before I could react, everything went black.