The voice came to interrupt the others, and Eidola's ears twitched. Slowly, almost cautiously she lifted her head. Aunt Euphemia; the sight of family should have brought relief but instead uncertainty settled like a stone in her stomach. She had seen familiar faces before, answered voices that weren't there. How was she supposed to know the difference? Purple gaze lingered on Euphemia for a heartbeat too long before drifting to the trees beyond her. There was nothing there initially, just the trees, but once she blinked a dark figure slipped between them only to vanish.

Her ears flicked forward again at the call of her name, swallowing thickly at the question. Think. Respond normally. I'm... her voice caught before she steadied it. ...I'm alright, a lie. One she had practiced so many times. A smile tugged weakly at the corner of her mouth, never reaching her eyes, Just tired... the words were distant, rehearsed and she hated how easily they came.

Another bout of whispers brushed against the inside of her skull. She knows, she can tell. You're crazy. and the girls jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Don't give it away. Her gaze settled on the ground instead, studying blades of grass as though they were infinitely interesting as she counted her breaths in her head while the whispering continued anyway.

...Sorry she laughed softly, though there wasn't an ounce of humor in it. I've been a little distracted. shadows shifting again at the edge of her vision, but she refused to acknowledge them.

Maybe if she ignored them...

Maybe they would disappear.

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