Aleah's POV
The power was in the small things—the whispered doubts, the quiet questions planted like seeds in her mind. I watched Yasmin closely, learning the rhythms of her hesitation, the moments when her guard flickered just enough for me to slip inside.
She started second-guessing herself.
One afternoon, I found her alone in the library, eyes darting nervously between the pages of her textbook and the hallway outside. Perfect.
I slid into the seat beside her, voice low, almost casual. "You okay? You look… distracted."
Her fingers trembled as she closed the book. "I don't know. I feel like I'm forgetting things. Little things. Like I'm losing track."
I nodded slowly, sympathy soft on my face. "Stress can do that. Sometimes our minds betray us when we least expect it."
She swallowed hard, eyes searching mine for answers she couldn't find.
Later, I sent a message—simple, harmless: "Remember when we used to talk for hours and nothing else mattered? I miss that."
Her reply was almost immediate, but hesitant. "Me too. It's just… everything's been so confusing."
Perfect.
I leaned into the confusion, whispering half-truths and carefully crafted lies, wrapping her in a fog only I could navigate.
At school, I'd catch her watching me—sometimes with suspicion, other times with a desperate longing I wielded like a weapon. I noticed the way she'd pause before replying to texts, rereading my words until they twisted in her mind.
One evening, she showed up at my door unannounced, eyes red-rimmed, voice barely steady.
"Aleah… I don't know who I am anymore."
I smiled softly, inviting her in like the savior she thought I could be.
"You're still you," I said, tracing her trembling hand with my thumb. "Just… learning what you really want. And I'll be here, every step."
She clung to that. To me.
Her confusion deepened into dependency.
And as she fell deeper, I tightened the threads—careful not to snap them, but enough to keep her tethered, wondering if sanity was just another word for surrender.
She was mine.
And I wasn't letting go.