#Chapter 202: The Music Box

Ava “Your mother lied to you, Ava; spirits are real. And it’s okay to be afraid.” My eyes widened at the mention of my mother. “How do you know about that?” I hissed, wrenching my arm away. Zara released her grip on my wrist, her expression inscrutable. “I saw it in my scrying glass,” she said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I know what happened to you all those years ago, when you were a scared little girl. The things you saw in the dark, the way your mother held you and promised that it was all in your head… It’s made you the skeptic you are today, hasn’t it?” I shuddered, not even wanting to respond to that; and it seemed that Zara didn’t expect a response, either, because she turned and began busying herself with sprinkling more salt in the entryways. Quickly slipping away from her, I shook my head as if to dispel the thoughts. The memory of that night threatened to surface, but I pushed it down, not ready to confront it. No