Chapter 3: Strawberry Scent

Three days later, the apartment no longer felt like Mara’s.Lila moved through the space like she had always belonged there. She folded laundry the exact way Mara did. She arranged the throw pillows in the same order. She even started making coffee in the morning using Mara’s favorite mug — the one with the tiny pink hearts.Mara tried to ignore the growing discomfort in her chest.That afternoon, while Mara was on a video call for work, Lila sat on the floor playing with Mara’s old collection of porcelain dolls. The ones she’d kept from childhood. Lila brushed their hair with the silver brush, humming a tune Mara didn’t recognize.When the call ended, Mara found Lila in her bedroom.The little girl was standing in front of the open closet, wearing Mara’s favorite white silk slip — the one with the embroidered cherries. It hung off her tiny frame like a dress. In her hands was the blood-pink dress Mara had bought her. Lila was carefully folding it, almost reverently.“Where did you get that?” Mara asked, her voice sharper than she intended.Lila turned, innocent as ever. “It was in the laundry. I wanted to wear something of yours. So we can match.”Mara’s mouth went dry. She hadn’t done laundry yet. The pink dress had been in a bag in the corner, still unworn.That night, Mara ordered pizza. Lila requested strawberry milkshakes to go with it. They ate on the couch while watching cartoons. Lila sat unusually close, her head occasionally resting against Mara’s arm.“You’re the best big sister,” Lila whispered during a quiet moment.Mara forced a smile. “I’m not your sister, Lila.”The girl looked up at her with those ancient eyes. “Not yet.”Later, after Lila had fallen asleep, Mara went into the bathroom to wash her face. When she looked up into the mirror, she froze.Written on the fogged glass in childish handwriting were three words:I SEE YOUThe letters were smeared with something pink and sticky.Mara wiped the mirror frantically with a towel. Her heart hammered in her chest. When she stepped back, she noticed something else.Lila’s pink dress was hanging on the back of the bathroom door.It was damp.And it smelled faintly of strawberries… and copper.