Author's Note

Hello everyone! So here it is! The latest chapter. This is probably one of the chapters with the most reveals so I hope you spot them! And yes this chapter does include the very very start of this book.....the prolepsis!

It is full of reveals and details which I hope you can pick up on! Again there may be some graphic scenes at the start so please read at your own risk.

Thank you for getting this far, enjoy! ❤

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Carly

I shot up in bed, sweat dripping down my back and face as I clutched my chest. The covers were thrown off the bed causing a cold gust of air to skim over my sweat-drenched body. I took a deep breath and rolled out of bed, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart. Yet again I've woken up from a bad dream, dizzy and confused from the roller coaster of emotions I was feeling.

With a shaky breath and trembling legs, I got up and my robe on, walking towards my bedroom door that led straight into the kitchen. The intensity of the night felt all too real and K shuddered at the dark memories that plagued my mind. I reached up to the door when all of a sudden a vice-like a grip engulfed my hand then clamped onto my wrist. A scream escaped my lips causing me to scream and stumble backwards. The hand was Ivy cold, nails digging into my skin as it tightened and tiny trickles of blood fell to the floor.

The lights flickered, windows bursting open bringing with it the cold chilling air that slathered into the room, turning every object in its path black like rotting wood. I reached out with my free hand to steady myself, my body trembling and shaking as every object disintegrated into ash, leaving me with nothing but the tall long mirror standing in my room.

I tugged and screamed, trying to escape the dark mysterious figure, but its grip only tightened even more and I hissed in pain. My wrist was sore and bloody, my arm aching from the constant tugging and pulling like the game of tug of war.

'Carly stop!'

I froze at the sound of the voice, my eyes landing on Megan's frightened face staring back at me. Her once beautiful blonde hair was dishevelled, dull and lifeless her eyes that once shone with excitement were wide and full of fear. She let go of my wrist and I took a frightened step back, putting some distance between us.

'This isn't real, you're not real' I whispered, backing away even further. I shook my head slightly, my eyes not once leaving hers. 'You're not real, this isn't happening!' I pinched my hand, trying to wake myself up from this horrible dream, but nothing happened.

Megan moved closer and I tried again, but still, nothing. I checked back a sob, staring at Megan. I just wanted all of this to stop and be in the comfort of my own room wrapped up nice and safe under my duvet. 'Please, what do you want? Why are you here? Can't you see what this is doing to me?! I don't want any of this, I just want all of this to stop and go away!'

'Carly, listen to me' she whispered? 'I'm here to warn you, don't believe or trust anything Ivy tells you, don't. I don't have much time to explain, but please trust me okay? Whatever you do, you must not trust Ivy!'

I frowned and shook my head, confused by her words. What did she mean? Was she trying to tell me that Ivy was dangerous? But how? Megan has never met Ivy, how would she know? Have they met before? The questions swirled in my mind like an unsolved puzzle, the confusion becoming evident on my face as the full force of Megan's words hit me. I didn't want to believe that Ivy could be capable of doing anything dangerous or harmful to anyone. But the doubts began to trickle my mind, clouding the innocence of Ivy's image. What if she was dangerous?

'What do you mean don't trust Ivy?'
'I don't have much time left, just trust me! Don't believe anything she says. Look if you want to know more you've got to find Sheila's notepad, find it and you will get all the answer.'

Her expression from frightened to serious to seconds as I took a cautious step forward, wanting to know more, but it was too late. Her body began to melt, her skin and flesh being dissolved before my eyes, her skeleton cracking and breaking too many pieces as they turned to ash.

A sinister laugh echoed the whitewashed room filled with ash and an instant feeling of dread overcame my body. There in the mirror, I saw Ivy, looking sexually alluring in a tight black dress that left little to my imagination, a female Fatale in all her glory. Her wavy long black hair cascaded in waves over her shoulders framing her oval face and stopping just below her breasts. But it was her deceptively innocent primal green eyes that pulled me in like an unstable magnetic force. Instinctively, my eyes zeroed in on her plump disable lips, a dark crimson red that was dangerously sexy. I was entranced by her beauty, and it reminded me of that day on the train when I first laid eyes on her profile.

'Like what you see?' her voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I blushed a bright red at having been caught ogling her curvaceous body like a horny teenage boy. Even her voice was sexy, rich and velvety smooth. I gulped and shook my head, reminding myself that this was all a dream, that this wasn't real, but yet here she was, and she looked very very real. Megan's words echoed in my head and I frowned, taking a step back from the mirror and away from the distraction of her roaming eyes.

'Megan said I shouldn't trust you, why would she say that? Have you two met?'

She giggled and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers? Her teeth biting her bottom lip. 'You could say that I didn't know at first of course, but you could say that we met under very unfortunate circumstances, but.....you know Megan.'

'But why would Megan say that? And what do you mean by unfortunate, what aren't you telling me, Ivy! I want to know! And why did you set me up that day?! You said we would meet, I waited for you and you never showed up!'

She laughed again, shaking her head at me. 'You're so adorable when you're angry or frustrated, but that's not true, I was there, I just didn't......reveal myself to you.'

'Reveal yourself? What do you mean? Stop playing games with me Ivy! Tell me what Megan was talking about!'

'My my so impatient, but okay, as you wish, I could never resist you. If you must know, I don't know shy Megan told you not to trust me. I didn't show myself to you that day because I was testing you, I was testing to see if you would come! You've been ignoring ever since Sheila told you to stay away from me.'

My eyes shot up to her smirking face, glaring at her. How did she know about Sheila? Has she been following me? Stalking me?! 'Ivy, how the hell did you know about Sheila?' Have you been following me!?'

'Oops, I said way too much, sill me!' she giggled again and I rolled my eyes, tired of her games .'

'Megan mentioned Sheila's notepad what did she mean? What answers will I find in there?'

'Oh, you mean this notepad? She magically pulled out the notepad behind her back, flicking through the pages in front of me teasingly. 'This is nothing, I've told you everything you need to know, trust me.'

The mirror cracked, pieces of glass colliding with the floor as Ivy's menacing laugh echoed and vibrates throughout the room. I covered my ears, falling to my knees as the excruciating sound of Ivy's laughter got louder and louder like an annoying song stuck on repeat.

'Ivy!'

I rolled off the bed with a loud thud, my body sore from the impact. My eyes scanned the room and a smile graced my lips as a wave of relief washed over me. Finally, I was back in the comfort of my room, away from that horrible dream. It didn't mean anything right? Deep down I knew it wasn't true, that the dream had to mean something. Megan came to me with a warning, that had to mean something right? I got up and sat back on my bed, my eyes spotting something lying on the floor. A notepad, just like in my dream. With hesitant hands, I bent down to pick it up and my fingers trembled as I slowly scanned the pages.

I gasped in shock, throwing the notepad across the room as if it burned my delicate fingers. No, it's not true. None of it is true! It can't be? I would have known right? Right?! I ran out of the room and into my bathroom, turning on the tap to splash cold water on my face. 'It's not true' I whispered, my voice shaking.

'But it is true.'

Even before she said it I knew she was here, I could feel it. I rubbed my temple with both hands, staring at her reflection in the mirror. It's real Carly. I'm very real. And I think deep down some part of you Haha always known.'

I turned my head slightly to the side, my heart pounding in my chest, afraid of what I was going to see. 'Don't. Don't turn around, you will only hurt yourself. You know I'm real, that this is all real, just, believe me, don't turn around. I'm real Carly. And I've always been here watching over you since you were a child, we all were. But I was the one that protected you, I kept you safe then and I've kept you safe now. I stopped all those people from hurting you, all those that got in our way, Peter Johnson, Megan, Sheila, Daniel, I stopped them all, and I would do it all again if I have to!'

'No, shut up, shut up shut up!' I punched the mirror, hissing as my knuckles made contact with the glass digging into my skin. Blood dripped into the sink, mixing with the glass and I sobbed, my heart-wrenching in pain.

I dashed out the bathroom and out the front door, not caring about my bleeding hand or the fact that I was undressed. I just had to get out, to be free from the suffocating thoughts and the agonizing pain that was tearing my insides open from the guilt. How did I not know, how did I not realise, and all those people that Ivy hurt? I should have known!

'Carly stop, you can't run away from this, Carly stop!'

I ignored her words and kept on running, running until I reached the wooded area at the far end of the road. I just wanted to run and never look back, to leave everything behind, to leave Ivy behind. I cried, my eyes stinging from the endless tears as I ran for my life, ignoring Ivy's words screaming at me, begging me to stop and talk things through, but things could never be the same again, they can't. I have to get away from her. She was toxic, a poison that I want out my system and out off my life, so I ran, never looking back.

She followed, her steps getting louder as the frustration and anger became evident in her voice. She's around the corner somewhere, waiting, listening, thinking. My back is pressed up against a tree, with both my hands at my sides, pressed roughly against the rough surface. I stood, frozen to the spot, afraid to move, afraid to draw attention to my location where I know she could find me. Time passed, I don't know how long I've been waiting here, but all I could hear was the sound of my breathing.

I could hear the cars in the distance, as I near a road, a motorway perhaps? I don't know. But I do know it's now or never, I had to get away from Ivy. Once I leave this spot, theirs no turning back, I have to keep going.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..... GO!

I ran as fast as I can, my heart was beating uncontrollably my hands bleeding even more from pressing so hard against the tree, but I kept going, I had to keep going. My head was pounding, and I could feel the tears sliding down both my cheeks as I kept on running, the intense and suffocating memories flashing through my mind. There was only one word in my mind. Escape. She's coming. She's coming for me.

RUN! KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING, KEEP RUNNING! RUN!

My legs began to ache and burn. All I could see around me were trees, tall, thick trees with branches so long and wide that they looked like giant claws ready to tear me to pieces. I was scared, tired, hungry and my mind was a jumbled mess, screaming at me to keep going, to keep on running. I knew I had to. I had no choice, it was either that or being dragged down a dark black hole, forever drowning in the wake of her lies and destruction.

How did it get to this point? I thought it was all going to be okay, I thought she would stop. But I was wrong, it was far from over and she won't stop until she has that one thing that she's always wanted. Me. I wish I could turn back time. Turn back time and just ignore that message. Maybe things would be different, maybe I wouldn't find myself in this situation. But of course, that's impossible. Now my life has changed and for the first time in my life, I find myself truly afraid of what my future holds.

As I got closer to the motorway, I thought back to that one afternoon when I was sat on the train. If only. If only I never said hello, never looked at my phone, never clicked on her message. If only.

YOU CAN DO THIS! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.......

A shot blasted through the trees and a hard body collided with mine, sending me sprawling to the ground face first. I cried out in pain from the impact, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

'Carly Sinclaire, I am arresting you for the murder of Peter Johnson, Sheila Watson, Megan Myers and Daniel Foster. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.'

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And there you have it, everyone! I really really want to know what you all think of this chapter has it does have a lot of revelations. If you've picked up on them please comment and give me your thoughts! Did you like the chapter? Was it what you expected or was it completely unexpected?! 😁