The necklace shouldn't have broken.
It wasn't supposed to break.
My mother had told me that years ago.
"The Hollow can damage them," she'd said. "It can corrupt them. It can make them useless."
But they didn't break.
Not like that.
Not because someone chose to.
I stared at the broken chain lying in the dirt.
Athena stared too.
"What just happened?"
"I don't know."
That was a lie.
I had a pretty good idea.
The Hollow wasn't testing whether Athena loved me.
It was testing whether she would choose me knowing what I was.
And she'd just done it.
The wrong answer.
At least, according to every vampire rule I'd ever been taught.
I picked up the broken necklace.
The symbol had split down the middle.
Exactly along the same line as the circle.
Athena watched me.
"Is that bad?"
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"Probably."
"That's reassuring."
"I'm trying."
"I know."
I looked at her.
She smiled faintly.
How was she still able to smile?
After everything she'd learned?
After everything she'd seen?
I didn't understand humans.
I barely understood myself.
"We need to go to my mother."
Athena's expression immediately flattened.
"Oh, good."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your mother scares me."
"She scares everyone."
"That's not helping."
We started walking.
I kept looking over my shoulder.
Nothing followed us.
That somehow made it worse.
The Hollow didn't need to follow.
It already knew where we were going.
When we reached the house, my mother was standing on the porch.
Waiting.
Her eyes immediately went to Athena.
Then to the broken necklace in my hand.
Her expression changed.
"What happened?"
"The Hollow."
She went still.
Athena stepped forward.
"It broke the necklace."
My mother looked at me.
"How?"
"I don't know."
She studied me for several seconds.
Then she looked at Athena.
"Did you choose them?"
Athena frowned.
"What?"
"Did it ask you to choose?"
Athena glanced at me.
Then back at my mother.
"Yes."
My mother's face went pale.
She stepped aside.
"Come inside."
We entered.
The house felt different.
Not haunted.
Not exactly.
Just too quiet.
My mother locked the door.
Then the windows.
Then she drew the curtains.
Athena watched her.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
My mother looked at her.
"Because it knows your name now."
Athena swallowed.
"I thought it already knew me."
"It knew your voice."
My mother placed the broken necklace on the table.
"That's different."
"How?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she looked at me.
"Axel."
I knew that tone.
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Yes, I do."
"You need to leave."
Athena's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Not Athena."
My mother looked at me.
"You."
My stomach dropped.
"Why?"
"Because the Hollow has stopped testing her."
She pointed toward the necklace.
"It's testing you."
Silence.
Then—
Three knocks sounded from upstairs.
My mother froze.
Athena looked up.
"Someone's here."
"No."
My mother whispered the word.
Another three knocks.
This time, from inside my bedroom.
I stared at the ceiling.
Athena grabbed my hand.
My mother closed her eyes.
"Whatever you hear," she said, "do not answer it."
A voice came from upstairs.
My voice.
"Mom?"
Her face drained of color.
The voice called again.
"Mom, it's me."
I felt Athena's fingers tighten around mine.
My mother whispered,
"That's not my son."
The voice laughed.
Then it said something that made my blood run cold.
Not my name.
Not Athena's.
Something else.
A name I hadn't heard in years.
"Elara."