Call Me Temptress

Chapter 4

Chicago, Illinois, USA

April 2019

I gasp. I stare up at the ceiling as my heart rediscovers a steady rhythm. My hair is plastered to my neck, and the sweat dripping down my back is almost painful. I scan the room, spread my hands across the huge bed.

For a moment, I forget why I bolted awake, and then I remember the dream and Camila's words. Do you like it?

Do I?

No. No, of course not. All I have to do is remember that girl's thoughts. No, I don't like it.

Except... last night Will was in this room and I did like it - at least some of it. The way he touched me. His cool breath on my skin.

But it didn't feel real. It felt forced. Not by him. He seemed clueless.

Like I was swimming through a dream. Kind of how I remember Cami and that girl. Nina. I could see it playing out, and I was definitely taking part, but I wasn't actually in control of my movements like... like...

God, I wish my brain would just work! If I could remember the word. Those dolls that are held up by... yarn? No, string? They move. They talk. But they don't have any power. Puppies? No, pop, pop...

Lilith.

I blink. Just as quickly as the word appears, it vanishes. I squeeze my eyes shut to focus. Lilith. There it is! But what does it mean?

God, I'm going crazy.

Okay, okay. Breathe. Just breathe. Think.

Focus on the positive. What I know. Those dreams about my past. I can't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure those were memories. Camila is my sister and that little girl is me. Which means, I remember my name.

Nina.

I stretch my neck, my shoulders. Relax. Relax. I close my eyes and say the name out loud.

"Nina." It doesn't sound entirely unfamiliar. "Nina."

Something flashes. I see... I remember something.

That bed again. The screaming woman. Except she's not screaming anymore. She's lying still, sleeping. She looks peaceful. There's a man. I think he's crying. His hands cover his face, so I can't see. His shoulders are shaking. "Vale, Vale," he weeps.

I shudder, try to relax my tensing shoulders.

I breathe again.

I see a woman. She walks slowly, cradling something close to her chest. She is old, and I can't tell if she's walking slowly due to age or because of the weight or value of what she is holding. She stops when she meets another woman. She is taller and younger. The old woman tells her something I can't hear. The other woman nods and nods. Shakes her head, her eyes downcast. She nods again. The bundle is passed from the one woman to the other.

That's it.

I think. I focus. Try to make the memory continue, but it just loops back to the beginning and the woman lying in the bed.

I give up. I press my palms to my eyes, enjoy the warmth and security of the blankets covering me for a moment longer, and then sit up. I'm instantly cold. I hurry over to the dresser and sift through the items before picking out a few things. I dress quickly into shorts and a tank top, only afterwards registering that I'm wearing all black. Huh.

The bedside clock reads 7:42, but I realize that I don't know what that means.

I get the sense though that I'm late for something. I concentrate on the numbers and remember something. Me, rushing out of a room. It's a small room, and I'm with a girl. My age, maybe. Not Cami. This girl is a lot taller than I am. Has light brown hair that falls to her shoulders. I know I've seen her somewhere.