Chapter 22 Fallout
ZARA’S POV
For a moment, it felt like the entire world tilted sideways.
Mira’s voice… wasn’t Mira’s.
Her laugh… wasn’t Mira’s.
And the face staring at me, my face, definitely wasn’t hers.
It was Luna.
"No .... No .... This has to be a joke." I thought.
I staggered back, shock and fury flooding my bloodstream so fast I felt dizzy.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I snapped, my voice low and sharp.
“Luna, enough of whatever game you’re playing.”
My reflection, Luna wearing my face had the audacity to smirk back.
“Aw, Zara,” she cooed, mocking my tone perfectly.
“Don’t be so dramatic. I was just testing a theory.”
“What theory?!” I yelled.
"How do you keep pulling this stupid shit?" I wondered aloud.
Her eyes changed color, first gold then silver before Mira's features dissolved like smoke; then finally, Luna stood in her own skin, my skin.
"Relax.... I didn't hurt you." She said.
"You didn't hurt me... Are you for real?" I asked as I pushed her backwards with so much strength in my hands.
So she could shapeshift. Perfect.
What if my skin wasn't actually her skin.
What if she was playing multiple tricks on me? So many what ifs!
“That jealousy of yours…” she tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“It’s louder than you think.”
I clenched my fists.
“Stay out of my head. And stay away from my face.”
“I wasn't in your head." She paused.
"When I take up someone's identity, I hear and see everything in them." She replied gleefully.
Luna blinked, her expression softening for the first time.
“Someone had to shake you awake. You’ve been ignoring the signs.”
“What signs?”
She sighed like she was tired of explaining the obvious.
“The darkness around Mira.
"Something is crawling inside her aura.
"Last night wasn’t a normal shift.”
Every hair on my body stood up.
“What did you do to her?” I demanded.
“What did you do to her?” Luna countered calmly.
“You kept pushing. She cracked.”
I had no patience for her riddles. Not this morning.
“Get out,” I hissed, pointing at the door.
“Get. Out.”
Luna tilted her head, studying me one last time.
“Wake her. But brace yourself.”
And with that… she vanished. Not walked out, oh definitely not faded. Vanished. Like a breeze snatched her existence away.
I let out a shaky breath. I wasn’t in the mood for this stupid games.
I spun around and marched to Mira’s bed.
She was curled up under her blanket, looking annoyingly peaceful. But the moment I touched her arm, I felt it, her skin was warm… too warm. And her breathing? Uneven. Almost like she’d been drugged.
“Mira,” I whispered, gently shaking her.
“Wake up. Come on…”
Her eyelids fluttered before she forced them open halfway.
“Zara?” she murmured, voice groggy.
“Yes. You need to get up. We have class.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t even try.
“Mira,” I insisted, louder this time. “Wake up.”
She groaned and pushed herself up slowly, rubbing her eyes like a child dragged out of bed at 5 a.m.
“My head…” she muttered.
“Feels like someone poured cement into it.”
I stiffened.
Luna said wolfsbane.
And Mira looked like exactly what someone poisoned with wolfsbane would look like, drained, confused, shaky.
But I couldn’t tell her that. Not yet.
“Come on,” I said instead, placing a supporting hand on her shoulder.
“Let’s get ready.”
She nodded weakly and moved toward the closet, but she swayed. I grabbed her elbow before she hit the floor.
She forced a laugh.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
Liar.
But this wasn’t the time to argue.
We both got ready silently. Mira moved robotically, like her mind and her body weren’t agreeing on the same rhythm. She barely remembered how to button her uniform at one point. I stepped in quietly, fixing it for her.
Her eyes flickered with embarrassment.
“Thanks.”
“Always,” I said softly.
For once, she didn’t roll her eyes at me. We stepped into the hallway, and she steadied herself against the wall like she was fighting dizziness.
That was when her phone buzzed.
Her whole body tensed.
I didn’t need to see the screen to know who it was.
Dr. Voss.
“I have to go,” Mira muttered, already turning.
I caught her wrist, not tightly, just enough to make her stop.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She swallowed hard.
“I don’t have a choice, Zara.”
And then she walked away.
Something inside me twisted painfully as I watched her go.
Later that morning, I sat in class tapping my pen, trying to focus on the lecture. But my mind kept drifting to Mira. Minutes dragged by until my heart wouldn’t let me sit still anymore.
I slipped out of class, ignoring the teacher’s annoyed look.
Dr. Voss’ office wasn’t far. I hovered around the corner, listening.
Inside, Mira’s voice sounded small.
“I don’t have anything new to report.”
Dr. Voss sighed dramatically.
“You’re useless today.”
“Sorry,” Mira whispered.
A sound crackled—something electric.
Then.... I heard it. A scream. Sharp. Short.
Choked off.
My body went cold.
“Mira, dear,” Dr. Voss purred.
“Try harder next time. I don’t like disappointments.”
No answer came. Just a soft thud. Like a body collapsing.
I wanted to burst through the door. I wanted to rip Dr. Voss apart. But I ouldn't,not unless I wanted Mira suffer more.
After several agonizing minutes, footsteps approached.
I dashed away from the door just as Mira stepped out.
Her shoulders trembled. Her hands shook.
And her eyes… her eyes were hollow.
But the moment she saw me at the end of the hall, she got pissed.
Her face was straightened into a thin firm line.
“Mira—” I called.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
She dragged me out of the hallway and pushed me into an empty class.
"Why the fuck did you poison with me wolfsbane?" She questioned angrily.
"Was it because you were jealous or what because I can't seem to place a finger around it."
"I could have busted your ass in Dr. Voss's office."
"Speak now Zara. Don't play games with me."
"Uhm... What?" I struggled to form a coherent sentence.
What was going on with me? There had to be some sort of mistake here.
"Don't piss me off more than you've already done." She warned, seething with anger.
I was speechless. I didn't understand what was happening. It was Luna right?
Was it really? Had I really not controlled my jealousy?
What the fuck really happened last night?