Morning arrived without ceremony, announcing itself only through the small, shifting rhythms of the manor. The patterns of footsteps beyond the door changed, and a quieter flow of movement drifted through the halls. Shawn sat up slowly, rubbing his face once before exhaling. The memory of Eva still lingered, or what he had assumed was a hallucination brought on by the stress of his captivity.
He waited in the quiet room, but no voice or presence pressed against his thoughts.
Shawn narrowed his eyes.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath. "It was all a dream."
He pushed the thought aside and stood up to stretch. His body felt stiff from sleep, but there was no real fatigue, only habit.
As he reached for his clothes, a sudden shift occurred. It wasn't a sound or a sight, but a distinct thought manifesting clearly inside his own mind.
"You're awake."
Shawn froze, his hand stopping halfway through pulling on his shirt. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his face toward the empty room as if the movement would help locate the source.
"…Eva?"
A brief pause followed, and then the voice returned, softer this time.
"Yes."
Shawn exhaled through his nose. It wasn't a dream. That realization should have unsettled him, but it only made him focus.
"Where are you?" he asked quietly.
"Here."
"That's not an answer."
"I am… inside your mind," she responded with uncertainty, as if thinking too hard about a concept she did not fully understand.
Shawn finished dressing while keeping his attention divided. This internal voice was going to be a quiet problem, the worst kind to manage.
A familiar, light knock rattled the wood. Shawn opened the door to find Ness waiting on the threshold.
"Morning," Ness said calmly.
He gave a tight nod. "Morning."
Her eyes lingered on him briefly, checking his expression, before she spoke again.
"The tutor is already in the library. He seemed unhappy."
"That's new," Shawn replied dryly.
Ness smiled faintly. "I can take you there."
He considered refusing out of habit, then nodded.
"Fine. Lead the way then."
As they stepped out into the wide hallway, Eva's voice returned instantly.
"Who is she?"
Shawn nearly missed his footing.
"…Don't do that," he muttered under his breath.
Ness glanced at him. "Hmm?"
"Nothing."
He continued walking, but Eva did not stop.
"She feels warm."
Shawn frowned slightly, keeping his thoughts strictly internal.
'What does that even mean?'
"I don't know," he replied mentally.
'Helpful,' he thought flatly.
Ness tilted her head toward him.
"Did you say something?"
"No."
They continued walking as the manor moved around them in its usual rhythm of passing servants and distant, opening doors. Shawn was beginning to map the corridors automatically through sheer repetition, but today his focus was split.
Every few steps, thoughts that were not his own appeared between his own.
"What is this place?" Eva asked.
A hallway, Shawn replied internally, immediately realizing how absurd the interaction was.
"What is a hallway?"
He exhaled quietly.
It's a place people walk through because rooms are connected.
"Connected? Like you and me?"
Shawn stopped walking for a fraction of a second before recovering his stride.
…No.
But the denial didn't feel entirely correct.
They reached the library, and the heavy scent of old paper, ink, and dust hit his nose. Ness slowed beside him.
"The tutor is inside. Good luck."
He raised an eyebrow.
"It's that bad?"
"You'll see."
Shawn entered the room alone.
The tutor was already standing by the desk with his arms crossed, posture rigid with impatience.
"You're late."
Shawn tilted his head slightly toward the sound.
"But I'm on time."
The tutor did not look amused.
"That is not how it works. You should arrive an hour earlier. Sit."
Shawn sat down immediately without argument, which seemed to irritate the tutor more than resistance would have.
"He is angry," Eva whispered softly.
'I noticed,' Shawn replied mentally.
The tutor placed a heavy, patterned slate on the table, and the lesson resumed. Shawn focused on the raised symbols, using touch to force recognition and repetition, but part of his attention remained fixed on his own mindscape.
Eva remained quiet for a long interval before speaking again.
"Shawn. What is this?"
'Reading.'
"It feels strange."
Everything feels strange to you.
"Yes," she paused, then added unexpectedly, "I like strange."
Shawn didn't respond. The answer didn't fit anything practical, but he didn't question it.
Time passed in fragments of corrections and slow improvements until the tutor finally exhaled sharply and pushed the slate back.
"That's enough for today. You may leave."
Shawn flexed his stiff fingers as he stood.
Eva's voice was still present, hanging quietly at the edge of his awareness.
Outside the library, Ness was waiting for him.
"You survived," she noted. " I thought he would punish you like yesterday."
"That's generous of you," Shawn replied.
As they walked back through the corridors, Eva spoke again.
"I don't understand her."
Good, Shawn said immediately.
"Why?"
'Because you're not supposed to. '
Eva didn't respond for a moment, then murmured, "You are lonely. You are always surrounded, but still lonely."
" Why do you live that way?"
Shawn's jaw tightened, and his stride faltered for a brief second. Ness didn't notice, but Eva did.
'Stop talking, 'he commanded internally.
"That doesn't change it."
He continued walking, increasing his pace. Ness glanced at him in surprise.
"Everything okay?"
"I'm Fine," Shawn said.
Inside his mind, Eva stayed silent for once. It wasn't because she was gone, but because she was waiting, and Shawn disliked how accurate her observation felt. It was like having a camera placed just above him, monitoring his every move.
By the time they reached his bedroom, evening had settled.
Ness gave a small nod at the door.
"I'll come tomorrow."
"Try not to. Yesterday's punishment was because of you." Shawn replied automatically.
She blinked, then laughed lightly.
"You're getting worse. Be nice for a change."
"But at least I'm consistent at it," he muttered.
The door closed, the lock clicked, and stability returned. Shawn sat on the edge of the bed in the silence.
"Shawn," Eva called out after a while. "Are you angry?"
He leaned back against the mattress.
"No."
"That is a lie."
Shawn closed his eyes.
"You're annoying."
"I don't know what that means."
"I might get a headache."
The silence returned, no longer empty, but shared.
Then Eva spoke once more, her voice dropping to a soft whisper.
" What's a headache?"
Shawn didn't answer.
For a moment, the dark room felt heavier than usual.
He exhaled a slow breath.
"Go quiet for a while."
"Okay."
She fell silent, but she didn't leave his thoughts.
Somehow, knowing she was still there felt worse.