Chapter 43 "A Moment of Normalcy"
EMBER
A knock on the door pulled her from the nightmare.
Ember's eyes flew open. She was in her dorm room at Sterling Hall, in her own bed, wrapped in her familiar blankets. The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting warm light across the floor.
She was safe. She was home. She was
Another knock, softer this time.
"Maya?" Ember called out, her voice still rough with sleep. She'd been sleeping a lot since they'd gotten back days ago. Her body felt like it had been through a war exhausted, aching, heavy in ways that had nothing to do with physical injury.
The door opened slowly, and Adrian poked his head in.
"Not Maya," he said, a gentle smile on his face. "But I come bearing good intentions and possibly bad ideas. Can I come in?"
Ember's heart did that complicated flip it always did when she saw him. Even after Everything.
"Adrian." She sat up slowly, pushing her sleep mask up onto her forehead. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking on you." He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Kelly said you've been sleeping since we got back. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine. Just tired."
"You're more than tired, Em. You've been through" Adrian moved closer to the bed, his expression concerned. "We all have. But you especially."
He was right. She'd been the one possessed. The one whose body had been used as a weapon. The one who'd experienced Rosanna's entire horrific story from the inside.
Since the ice bath ritual, since they'd witnessed the truth about what happened in 1906, something had changed. The possession had... quieted. Rosanna's spirit was still there Ember could feel her, a presence in the back of her mind but she wasn't fighting for control anymore. Wasn't trying to take over.
It was like seeing the truth had satisfied something in Rosanna. Or maybe exhausted her. Either way, Ember was herself again. Fully herself. For now.
"I'm okay," Ember said, and this time she meant it. "Really. The rest is helping."
"Good. Because I have a proposition." Adrian moved to sit on the edge of her bed, careful not to jostle her. "What if we went for a walk? Just around campus. Fresh air. Sunlight. Normal college student things."
"A walk?" Ember looked at the window, at the golden afternoon light. It did look nice out there. Peaceful. Normal.
"Nothing strenuous. Just out. Away from this room. Away from thinking about curses and possession and all of it." Adrian's hand found hers, fingers threading together. "What do you say?"
Ember wanted to say yes. Wanted to feel normal again, even for an hour. But the exhaustion was so heavy, and her bed was so comfortable, and the idea of getting dressed and functioning like a regular person felt overwhelming.
"I don't know," she started. "I just need more rest, baby."
The endearment slipped out without thinking, and Ember felt her cheeks warm. They'd been calling each other that since well, since Adrian had woken up from his surgery and the first thing he'd said was "Is my girl okay?"
They hadn't talked about what they were to each other now. Hadn't defined it. But it felt like something had shifted, solidified, become real in a way it hadn't been before.
Adrian's expression softened at the word. He leaned down and kissed her gentle, sweet, his lips warm against hers.
"No way," he said when he pulled back. "You haven't left this dorm since we got back Em.
days of you sleeping and hiding in here."
"I'm not hiding"
"You're definitely hiding." But his tone was teasing, not accusatory. "And I get it. I really do. But you need sunlight. Fresh air. To remember that you're alive and the world is still here."
"I feel fine now," Ember protested, though even as she said it, she knew it wasn't entirely true. She felt better than she had. But fine? Not really.
"But you still need to step out and take a deep breath," Adrian insisted. He stood and held out his hand. "Come on. Enjoy it while it lasts."
The last words landed with more weight than he probably intended. While it lasts. Because they all knew this peace was temporary. Rosanna was quiet now, but she was still there. The curse was still active. They'd seen the truth, but they hadn't broken it.
Which meant this moment right now, with Ember being herself, with the possession dormant might not last. Might end at any moment.
And suddenly, Ember understood. Adrian wasn't just suggesting a walk. He was asking her to be present. To be alive. To take advantage of this window of normalcy before everything went to hell again.
"Okay," Ember said, taking his hand. "Let's go for a walk."