That’s insane. Literally uncanny valley.
Sebastian
This has to be a sick joke.
Augustus could practically hear the disbelief and disgust in Sebastian’s tone, even through the text. He kept glancing back at Amelia, his expression twisting with confusion. How was this happening? How could anyone think this was normal?
He snuck another look across the room at Lilia, hoping she might give him some kind of clue, some shared understandingof the madness unfolding around them. But Lilia wasn’t texting. She wasn’t looking at her phone at all. She was still staring at Amelia, her eyes locked on her like she was trying to decipher a code that didn’t make sense. Augustus could see it in the way her brows furrowed slightly, the way her lips pressed together in that tense, quiet way she had when she was deep in thought.
And then there was the mayor. He was all smiles, introducing Amelia to important guests and fellow donors, his hand lightly resting on her shoulder as though she were his shining star. And the worst part—Amelia seemed to be reveling in it. She had always been shy, always so quiet and reserved, but now? She was stepping into Willow’s shoes with alarming ease, letting herself be molded into whatever the mayor needed her to be. She had ditched the glasses, was sporting Willow’s old clothes, and—most disturbingly of all—she seemed to be enjoying it.
Lilia’s fingers finally moved over her phone, quick and precise, the familiar notification of their group chat buzzing in Augustus’ lap. He flicked his eyes down to read the message.
Lilia
Update the suspect list
Delilah
Who?
There was a pause. Augustus looked back up at Lilia, waiting.
Another buzz.
Lilia
Amelia Montgomery.
Sebastian groaned across the room, his expression turning dark as he shot Augustus a look that said everything—this was too much. Too damn much.
Augustus wanted to respond, to add something to the conversation, but his mind was a blur. He couldn’t stop staring at Amelia, couldn’t shake the deep sense of unease that gnawed at his stomach. He knew it wasn’t fair to judge someone for their grief, but this? This was more than grief. This was...off. Wrong in every possible way.
His father gave him a nudge, forcing Augustus back into the moment. “Smile,” Damien muttered under his breath, eyes scanning the room to see if anyone had noticed their distraction. “You’re on display here.”
But Augustus couldn’t smile. All he could do was watch as Amelia continued to play her part, sliding into the role that had once belonged to Willow. And the longer he watched, the more the bile rose in his throat. Something wasn’t right.
No one could replace Willow. Not like this.
And yet, here they were, watching it unfold like some twisted play.
And he couldn’t stop it.
The room was dimly lit, the distant glow of the streetlamp outside casting long shadows against Lilia’s walls. It was quiet, almost too quiet compared to the commotion at the fundraiser. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn, and the old, dark wood furniture added to the suffocating ambiance. Augustus sat on the floor near the foot of Lilia’s bed, his back resting against the wall, still reeling from the bizarre spectacle they’d witnessed. His suit jacket had been discarded on the chair, his shirt sleeves rolled up as if he needed the freedom to think.
Delilah paced back and forth near the window, her heels tapping rhythmically against the floor. She’d been the first to bolt from the event, her head swimming with disbelief. Now, standing in Lilia’s room, she looked like she might explode with all the pent-up energy she was struggling to keep in.
“What the hell was that?” Delilah finally said, breaking the silence.
No one answered immediately. Eleanor was perched on the edge of Lilia’s bed, staring at her phone as though it held some kind of answer. Sebastian leaned against the dresser, arms crossed over his chest, his expression a mixture of disbelief and lingering shock. Lilia sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, her back pressed into the pillows. She hadn’t said much since they arrived, but Augustus could feel the tension radiating from her.
“I don’t know,” Lilia said quietly, her voice sounding distant, almost detached. Her fingers idly toyed with the edge of the comforter, her brow furrowed as if she were trying to make sense of something incomprehensible. “But it’s weird. Really, really weird.”
“Weird doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Sebastian scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s dressing like her dead sister, for God’s sake. And her dad—he’s . . . it’s like he’s pretending nothing ever happened. Like Willow never existed.”
“I knew there was something off about Amelia,” Eleanor muttered. “But this . . . this is next-level insane. It’s like she’s trying to be Willow.”
“She’s gone full-on Single White Female,” Delilah said, throwing her hands up. “I mean, she’s literally stepping into her sister’s life. The clothes, the hair, the makeup—it’s like she’s transforming into her.”
