Ari's POV

Slowly, Lucius sat up, with his fears and wonders mingling upon his face. You are not real, you are not real, he said hoarsely. "You're just another trick."

She frowned. "I'm real," she said simply.

My hands shook at my sides. Keep your head still, I said to myself. "Please stay calm."

Lucius made an outreach and drew back his hand, as though he was in fear of her disappearing. "What's your name?"

Harriet was wavering in her glow. I sensed her indecisiveness in the relationship that we had.

"Harriet," she said at last.

The name hit him like a blow.

Lucius clutched himself and gasped. "That name..."...