Chapter Six

When I came to, I was on a sofa in the living room. Voices hummed around me, distant at first, but growing clearer. I felt trapped between sleep and waking, but the pain in my head brought me back.

"You're awake," Brian's voice cut through the fog. I blinked, my vision blurry, but I could make out his smirking face leaning over me. "You were heavy as hell to carry in here with Alex. Thought we'd need a forklift."

I groaned as I pushed myself upright, my limbs sluggish while my head pounded with each pulse. Alex stood by the sofa, his eyes full of concern, while Katie hovered nearby, wringing her hands, nervous energy radiating from her.

"What happened?" Katie asked, her voice soft but edged with worry.

I swallowed, trying to make sense of it all. The scarecrow, the flapping wings, the tongue—God, that cold, wet tongue on my face. "Something... something chased me in the field. I think it was the scarecrow!" I managed to say.

Brian snorted, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "A scarecrow, really? Losing it, aren't you? This is getting sad, Rose," he mocked as his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Did it come to life and try to steal your soul, too?"

"Brian, shut up," Alex snapped, crouching beside me. He gripped my hand tightly, his voice dropping low. "Are you alright now?"

I nodded, still shaky, but before I could say anything, Brian's laugh cut through the room. "Oh, come on. It's a freaking scarecrow. Rose probably tripped over her own feet and passed out. All this stress is getting to you, huh?"

Maya, lounging with a glass of wine in her hand, glanced at me, her lips curling into that same infuriating smirk. "Really, Rose? You're running from scarecrows now?" Her tone was patronizing, like I was some kind of child telling ghost stories.

I clenched my fists, anger boiling inside me. "I'm serious! There was something there, Maya. Something in the field. It... it chased me, I swear!"

Sophie rubbed her temples, then got up and moved toward me. She didn't say a word, but her look said enough. It was the kind of look you give someone when you think they're losing it, like she didn't believe a word I said.

"I'm not crazy," I snapped, my cheeks flush with anger and embarrassment. "I know what I saw. I know what I felt!"

"Of course you did," Brian muttered, exchanging a glance with Maya. He leaned forward, that smug smirk spreading across his face. "Let's be real, Rose. You've got a lot going on—Phoenix, the divorce... It explains a lot. And you're still not over your kid. I mean, you're still... lactating." His eyes flicked to my breasts, and my stomach churned as I noticed the damp spots showing, the scarf no longer hiding them. "Stress can do weird things to people."

"Brian!" Katie snapped, glaring at him, but he just shrugged, still grinning like it was all a big joke.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" I said firmly, but even to my own ears, it sounded weak and shaky. The memory of that tongue on my face, the flapping wings—it made my skin crawl, made me want to scrub every inch of my body until the sensation disappeared. But they didn't believe me.

Not at all.

When Katie reached out, her hand gently resting on my arm, I started to wonder if I really did sound crazy. "Rose," her voice was soft and calm, filled with concern. "Maybe it's just everything piling up. We had a pretty long journey. Maybe you just need to rest."

Her tone was soothing, but I could feel the doubt beneath her words. It was clear she wanted to believe me but couldn't.

I pulled my arm away, frustration bubbling up. "I'm not imagining this," I whispered under my breath, but no one seemed to hear me.

I knew something was wrong, even if they didn't.