Chapter 37 Nothing But a Pawn

• Annie
• I could vaguely hear the sound of birds chirping outside the window behind me, but I could feel the light warmth of the sun as it brushed against my skin. Every square inch of my body erupts in gooseflesh as a chill is sent down my spine. At that moment, I was colder than I had ever been. Eve lays in her spot on the floor, laying on her stomach as her coughs and writhes in pain. Hot tears stream down her face, but I don't look at her. Instead, I'm shooting daggers at the gilded masked man before me--a man whom I once believed to be nothing but a mysterious and cruel stranger--a man I now know I once saw as a legitimate shoulder to cry on. A mix of hatred, disgust, and fear bubble up in my throat until it expels from my body with an audible gasp. I bring my hands up to cover my mouth in shock.
• "No, no, no, no..." I repeat over and over, my words coming out disturbingly numb and alien to my own ears. It sounds like I'm far away from myself, drowning, or falling deep and slow into a large pool, reaching out for the light with outstretched arms, only to fall deeper and deeper under the murky water.