Zara needed to act fast. She printed everything, the news clippings, the fake identity, the eerie similarities between Tiana and Nia. This wasn’t paranoia. This was fact.

She called Ethan. No answer. She texted Vanessa. Read at 8:42 PM. No response.

No one was listening.

Then a knock at her door.

Zara’s breath hitched. She crept toward the door and looked through the peephole.

Nia.

Standing outside her apartment, calm as could be, holding a glass of wine.

“Zara,” Nia called softly, almost teasing. “You forgot we had plans.”

Zara backed away. No. No. She had never invited her here.

“I have something for you,” Nia said. “Let me in.”

Zara shook her head, her heart pounding.

“Go away.”

Silence. Then the sound of metal sliding against metal.

Zara froze. Her door was unlocking. She had a high-end electronic security system, a code only she knew.

Except Nia knew it too.

The door cracked open an inch. Zara moved before she could think. She grabbed the heavy glass vase from her entry table and swung.

The impact cracked through the silence.

Nia staggered back, stunned, blood blooming along her forehead.

Zara didn’t wait. She grabbed her purse, her keys, and ran.

~ ~ ~

#BecomingZara #MindWonders