Chapter 7: The Light Inside Her
680 Words
Carly stared at Jose, unsure if she had heard him correctly.
“Wake up?” she repeated slowly. “What are you talking about?”
Jose didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes were still fixed on the reflection in the glass window behind her, as if he expected something to appear again.
The lights above them stopped flickering, but the strange heaviness in the room remained.
Carly crossed her arms defensively.
“If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny.”
“It’s not a joke,” Jose said quietly.
The seriousness in his voice made her stomach twist.
Carly turned toward the window.
The reflection showed nothing unusual now. Just her standing there in her expensive silk blouse, her hair slightly messy from crying.
Normal.
Completely normal.
“You’re imagining things,” she said firmly, turning back to him. “People don’t just ‘wake up’ into… whatever you’re implying.”
Jose ran a hand through his damp hair, clearly thinking.
“I hoped it wouldn’t happen this soon,” he murmured.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Soon? You’re speaking like you expected something.”
He didn’t deny it.
That alone sent a chill through her chest.
“Jose,” she said slowly, “how much do you actually know about me?”
He looked at her again.
For the first time, the calm expression she had grown used to was gone. In its place was something heavier.
Concern.
“More than you think,” he admitted.
Carly let out a dry laugh.
“That’s impossible. We met two days ago.”
“Yes,” Jose said.
“But I’ve been watching you longer than that.”
The words hung in the air like a sudden storm.
Carly froze.
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t mean it in a creepy way,” he said quickly. “I just—”
“You’ve been watching me?” she cut in sharply.
Her heartbeat sped up.
This was insane.
“You’re a delivery driver,” she continued. “How exactly would you be watching me?”
Jose hesitated.
And that hesitation made everything worse.
“Say something,” she demanded.
Instead of answering, Jose stepped closer to the window.
The rain outside had softened into a mist, blurring the glowing city lights.
He pointed toward the glass.
“Look again,” he said.
“I already did.”
“Not at yourself,” he said quietly.
“At the reflection.”
Reluctantly, Carly turned back toward the window.
At first, she saw nothing unusual.
Just the apartment behind her.
The couch.
The kitchen counter.
The small cup of tea sitting there.
Then suddenly—
Her breath caught.
For a brief second, the reflection shifted.
A faint glow appeared again around her body.
Soft.
Golden.
Like light breathing beneath her skin.
Her heart pounded.
“Did you see that?” she whispered.
Jose nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
The glow vanished almost immediately, leaving the reflection normal again.
Carly stepped back from the glass.
“This… this isn’t possible.”
“That’s what I hoped too,” Jose said quietly.
She turned toward him quickly.
“You sound like you knew this would happen!”
He didn’t answer.
That silence was answer enough.
Her chest tightened.
“What am I?” she asked, the words barely leaving her mouth.
Jose’s gaze softened.
“You’re still Carly.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He looked down for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.
“Something inside you has been asleep for a very long time,” he finally said.
“And tonight… it started waking up.”
Carly shook her head.
“No. This is crazy.”
But deep inside her chest, the same warm pulse from before appeared again.
Soft.
Alive.
Almost like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to her.
The lights flickered once more.
And far outside the apartment building, high above the glowing city—
Something moved in the dark sky.
Watching.
Waiting.
And for the first time in centuries…
It had finally found her.
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