“Nova, are you alright in there?” Mother’s voice drifted through the bathroom door, shattering the heavy silence. “You’ve been in the shower for twenty minutes.” 

I froze, my heart leaping straight into my throat. My gaze flew back to the steamed-up mirror, but the shadow I thought I saw in the bedroom glass was gone. 

Had I imagined it? Was it just a trick of the thick steam, or had one of them actually been standing out there in the dark, watching me ruin myself with the thought of them? 

“I’m fine, Mom!” I called back, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. My voice trembled, still humming with...