Layla’s POVAt first I didn’t even realise that I was in the middle of a memory. That was how immersed in it I was; how vivid everything felt: The colours and sensations, the feeling of my legs hovering in the air as I played around with my food on the Formica tabletop.It was as if the act of seali
In fact, and as the memory unfurled in front of me, I tried to remind myself that everything had already happened. It was only news to ME, and as I convinced myself of this, I got so deep in my head that I didn’t notice the change as it fell over my mother until it was too late. My six-year-old he
Layla’s POVReno didn’t answer. Not immediately, at least. Instead she sat motionlessly on her side of the booth, staring silently at my mother, who seemed to loom worse with each passing second.Mom’s skin was pasty, and the beads of sweat rolling down her face gave it a clammy, almost corpse-like
A split-second passed, and then I watched her shoulders tense as her head whipped back in a double take. As I came to stand beside my mother, I saw the blood drain out of Reno’s face as she took in the full extent of my features—because I may have been clearly Elaine’s, but in plenty of ways especi
Layla’s POVGetting pulled out of the memory was almost like dying all over again, because I didn’t immediately snap back into the present. Instead, I found myself stuck in some nameless timeless place in my subconscious for what seemed to be an eternity. I knew I could access every single one of m
I saw red.“You.”The word was a guttural announcement as it trembled out of my lips this time, and I saw dad flinch away from me in my periphery. He seemed to realise what he was doing, because he recovered immediately and started to speak.“Layla, what—”I shrugged off the hand he’d rested gingerl
Layla’s POVThis realisation had hardly registered before the next surge of power swept through me, and I threw my head back, groaning as the warmth pumped through my entire body. Moments ago, I had marvelled at how easily Body Working came to me now that my memories were no longer a problem and th
I fell over immediately, him with me, and my head slammed into the floor hard.The pain stunned me, and seeing the opportunity, Dad cried out to Reno, who was already gathering Lu up into her arms.“GET OUT OF HERE! TAKE LU AND GET OUT! I’LL HOLD HER OFF FOR AS LONG AS I CAN!”The pain was already w