Chapter 12 · Don't Use Her Voice

The crack hung in the air like a wound that wouldn't close.

I couldn't stop staring at it. The thing pulsed—slow, steady, like a heartbeat—and every time it did, the edges bled more of that sick purple light across the desert floor. Kira stood between me and the tear, her blade still out, still glowing that cold silver that made my eyes water if I looked too long.

"Move," I said.

She didn't.

"Layla." Her voice was low. Careful. Like she was talking to someone holding a gun. "You need to listen—"

"I said move."

I stepped forward. She mirrored me, boots scraping sand, and the blade angled just slightly to the side. Not threatening. Just there. A wall I couldn't see around.

"She's not real," Kira said.

My hands curled into fists. "You don't know that."

"I do."

"Then prove it." My voice cracked. I hated that. Hated how my throat felt like it was closing, how my eyes were already burning. "Prove she's not in there. Prove it's just some—some thing wearing her face."

Kira's jaw tightened. For a second she didn't say anything.