The shadows around her shifted, moving like smoke, creeping toward me. “I know your fears, Kimberly. I know the darkness inside you, the part of you that questions everything. That doubts your place in this world.”
I could feel the weight of her words pressing down on me, trying to worm their way into my mind. But I clenched my fists, fighting against it.
“I won’t let you control me,” I said, my voice trembling but defiant. “I’ve fought too hard to be here.”
The witch’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing. “You’ve already lost control. You just don’t see it yet.”
Suddenly, the shadows surged forward, engulfing me. I gasped as icy tendrils wrapped around my body, squeezing, pulling me down deeper into the darkness. I tried to fight, but the cold was overwhelming, draining my strengt
