I was awake.
I swear I was.
The room was dark. The sheets cold.
The air? Wrong.
Not like before.
And when I opened my mouth to scream...
I didn't say my name.
> "Amelia!"
---
I clutched my chest.
The heartbeat — her heartbeat — thumped louder than it ever had.
Like it was trying to escape me. Or speak.
I stumbled to the mirror.
My reflection blinked.
But my mouth didn't move.
And then...
It whispered without me:
> "You were never the first. You won't be the last."
---
I ran.
Down the hallway.
Into the library.
The fireplace was on — but no one had lit it.
On the floor, a box I hadn't seen before.
Inside:
A marriage certificate
A newspaper clipping
A key
A USB drive labeled "Reset 5"
And the article headline?
> "Billionaire's Wife Found Dead in Fire — Heart Missing"
The name?
Arianne Calloway.
My name.
---
I screamed.
But this time, it wasn't me screaming.
It was the house.
The lights blinked.
The walls pulsed.
The sound system cracked on by itself:
> "She was the experiment. You are the evolution."
Then everything cut.
---
Behind me, a hand touched my shoulder.
Not his.
Not warm.
Not human.
I turned.
Nothing.
But my chest?
The scar was bleeding.
Not from the outside.
From within.
---
I collapsed.
As my vision blurred, I saw someone standing at the top of the stairs.
A woman.
Wearing the red dress.
And smiling.
> "Welcome home, number six."