wasn’t you.”
Maddie flinched at his brutal description of her sister.
Jarred rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry. I know she’s your twin, and you still care about her no matter what’s happened. But Sarah’s dreaming all this up and forcing it on you.” He rocked, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was saying. “All these months, when you’ve been…losing yourself in her dreams, has any of it been anything but your sister’s deranged fantasies?”
Maddie blinked. She let herself really hear what he was saying. Process what had just happened. See what was real.
“It’s not just a fantasy,” she said. “Someone…someone’s designing Sarah’s nightmares…Only they’re real, somehow. It feels like someone’s forcing her to do what she’s doing. To kill. And tonight, she…” In the back of Maddie’s mind, she sensed her twin still running for real…Hating for real…Shooting a real weapon at real people…Drawing on Maddie’s control, the way Maddie had balanced Sarah’s gifts when they were kids. Which meant a part of Maddie was trying to hurt people, too.
“Get away from me!” she begged, but she couldn’t let go of Jarred’s arm. “You have to…”
Run! the Raven hissed through her mind.
And Sarah was running. Fighting to be free. Running into the darkness and the rain. The thunder and gunshots…while her mind whispered that she had to kill the Raven.
“Wake up, Temple! Stay with me.” Jarred’s voice brought Maddie back to his side. She was in his arms still, on the carpeted floor of the reception area. “You have to fight this, damn it. Whatever it is…have to…with me…”
Maddie felt herself shaking. Her body, out of control. Her mind. Because Sarah was still there, deep inside. But she was leaving, too. Leaving Maddie to a world filled with fear and chaos, the way Maddie had abandoned her.
“Maddie?” Jarred eased her flailing body to the floor. “Maddie, stay with…Dammit…with me…! God, you’re…”
Seizing.
She was having seizures.
Like Sarah’s, when they were teenagers. When the emotions had raged. When there’d been nothing left ofSarah’s mind for the feelings to feed on, so they’d ravaged her body instead. No one had been able to help her. Now, no one could help Maddie.
Sarah’s darkness was coming for her…
The nightmare…
The Raven…
“…the hell away from her!” Jarred’s touch was yanked away. “Maddie!”
Footsteps pounded around them, while Maddie fought for consciousness. There were uniforms. Guns. Anger. Fear. She was feeling it all. She couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t escape. Cold hands locked onto her trembling body. The relentless waves of emotion filling her became a blinding search for release. Because a part of her was outside the center now…
…stumbling and running, with the Raven’s blood dripping from her fingers.
She was looking back. She was Sarah, and she was free. Maddie was the one who was trapped. And that made Sarah smile and wave as she slowly shut her mind away and left Maddie to face the center alone.
“No!” Maddie’s world spiraled back in focus. She was staring up from the reception floor, into the unforgiving eyes of a uniformed guard.
“Get the hell away from her,” Jarred bellowed, still fighting to protect her. Two other men had him pinned to the wall. “Don’t you fucking touch her. I’m her doctor, and—”
A gut punch doubled him over.
“Leave him alone!” Maddie demanded in her twin’s nightmare voice.
She couldn’t move, but she didn’t have to. In the nightmares, Sarah had controlled people with her mind. And somehow Maddie could now, too. The receptionist. Jarred that morning. Maddie’s patient. She’d been able todo things to all of them—through all of them—with her thoughts alone.
Jarred’s guards dropped to their knees in agony the second Maddie thought of choking them. Then the man holding her began clawing at his throat. She rose to
Maddie flinched at his brutal description of her sister.
Jarred rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry. I know she’s your twin, and you still care about her no matter what’s happened. But Sarah’s dreaming all this up and forcing it on you.” He rocked, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was saying. “All these months, when you’ve been…losing yourself in her dreams, has any of it been anything but your sister’s deranged fantasies?”
Maddie blinked. She let herself really hear what he was saying. Process what had just happened. See what was real.
“It’s not just a fantasy,” she said. “Someone…someone’s designing Sarah’s nightmares…Only they’re real, somehow. It feels like someone’s forcing her to do what she’s doing. To kill. And tonight, she…” In the back of Maddie’s mind, she sensed her twin still running for real…Hating for real…Shooting a real weapon at real people…Drawing on Maddie’s control, the way Maddie had balanced Sarah’s gifts when they were kids. Which meant a part of Maddie was trying to hurt people, too.
“Get away from me!” she begged, but she couldn’t let go of Jarred’s arm. “You have to…”
Run! the Raven hissed through her mind.
And Sarah was running. Fighting to be free. Running into the darkness and the rain. The thunder and gunshots…while her mind whispered that she had to kill the Raven.
“Wake up, Temple! Stay with me.” Jarred’s voice brought Maddie back to his side. She was in his arms still, on the carpeted floor of the reception area. “You have to fight this, damn it. Whatever it is…have to…with me…”
Maddie felt herself shaking. Her body, out of control. Her mind. Because Sarah was still there, deep inside. But she was leaving, too. Leaving Maddie to a world filled with fear and chaos, the way Maddie had abandoned her.
“Maddie?” Jarred eased her flailing body to the floor. “Maddie, stay with…Dammit…with me…! God, you’re…”
Seizing.
She was having seizures.
Like Sarah’s, when they were teenagers. When the emotions had raged. When there’d been nothing left ofSarah’s mind for the feelings to feed on, so they’d ravaged her body instead. No one had been able to help her. Now, no one could help Maddie.
Sarah’s darkness was coming for her…
The nightmare…
The Raven…
“…the hell away from her!” Jarred’s touch was yanked away. “Maddie!”
Footsteps pounded around them, while Maddie fought for consciousness. There were uniforms. Guns. Anger. Fear. She was feeling it all. She couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t escape. Cold hands locked onto her trembling body. The relentless waves of emotion filling her became a blinding search for release. Because a part of her was outside the center now…
…stumbling and running, with the Raven’s blood dripping from her fingers.
She was looking back. She was Sarah, and she was free. Maddie was the one who was trapped. And that made Sarah smile and wave as she slowly shut her mind away and left Maddie to face the center alone.
“No!” Maddie’s world spiraled back in focus. She was staring up from the reception floor, into the unforgiving eyes of a uniformed guard.
“Get the hell away from her,” Jarred bellowed, still fighting to protect her. Two other men had him pinned to the wall. “Don’t you fucking touch her. I’m her doctor, and—”
A gut punch doubled him over.
“Leave him alone!” Maddie demanded in her twin’s nightmare voice.
She couldn’t move, but she didn’t have to. In the nightmares, Sarah had controlled people with her mind. And somehow Maddie could now, too. The receptionist. Jarred that morning. Maddie’s patient. She’d been able todo things to all of them—through all of them—with her thoughts alone.
Jarred’s guards dropped to their knees in agony the second Maddie thought of choking them. Then the man holding her began clawing at his throat. She rose to
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