Valmet sat on her bed she barely having slept, staring at her hands, which felt foreign to her. They looked the same, but something was missing—the warmth, the pulse, the sense of life. Her breath caught in her throat, shallow and fast, as the walls around her seemed to close in.

She could hear Hue's voice echoing in her mind, reminding her of what she had become—undead, bound to him by a twisted deal. A wave of nausea hit her, and her chest tightened as if someone was squeezing her heart.

Except she didn’t even have a heartbeat anymore.

In a sudden rush, Valmet bolted from the bed and dove into her closet, slamming the door behind her. The small, dark space offered some comfort, a place where she could hide from everything—herself, the truth, and the world outside. She wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth, her breath ragged as panic consumed her.

This isn’t real. I’m still me. I’m still human...

But the coldness that radiated from her body said otherwise.

A soft knock interrupted the rising storm inside her. "Valmet? Sweetheart, are you in there?" It was her father, Juniper, his voice gentle and full of concern.

She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip to stifle the sobs threatening to escape. How could she face him like this? How could she explain the impossible?

"Val?" His voice was closer now, more insistent, and then the door creaked open. Juniper crouched down beside her, his kind eyes filled with worry. "What's going on, honey? Talk to me."

Valmet shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze. "I... I’m fine, Dad. I just needed a moment."

But Juniper wasn’t easily fooled. He reached out and gently touched her arm. "You don’t have to pretend. I’m here, okay?"

For a moment, Valmet wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to collapse into his arms and let him fix it all, like he used to when she was younger. But she couldn’t—not this time. If he knew, it would destroy him.

She forced a smile, hiding her trembling hands behind her back. "I just had a bad dream. That’s all."

Juniper studied her face for a long moment, his eyes searching for the truth. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. But if something’s wrong, you’ll tell me, right?"

Valmet nodded, even though the lie weighed heavy on her chest. "Yeah, Dad. I promise."

As he stood up, Valmet’s heart ached with the knowledge that she had to hide the truth from the one person she loved the most. She didn’t want to lose him, but the more she pretended, the more she felt herself slipping away—becoming something else entirely.

---

The morning was still dim as Juniper stood in Valmet’s doorway, his heart aching as he looked at his daughter curled up on her bed not wanting to go to school. He could see her shivering, eyes red and distant, like a ghost of the girl he’d raised these wernt from her usual drug binge he would find her in, it was something more and he knew valmet would hide it so he thought it best to leave her be for the time being. She was cold to the touch, colder than usual, and her frightened expression made him want to stay, to be here for her like he used to when she was young. But duty called, and he had a job to do.

Reluctantly, he bent down, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. cold “I’ll be back soon, sweetheart. Try to rest.”

Valmet nodded, barely meeting his gaze, and Juniper felt a pang of guilt twist in his chest. He wanted to hold her, to reassure her that he was always here, but he knew he couldn’t give in to that. Not today. Not with what lay ahead.

As he stepped out of the house, Juniper felt the transformation take hold, like slipping into a second skin. His warm, fatherly expression faded, replaced by the cold gaze of a man who’d done things far darker than most could even imagine.