Possession: Confession 2 (The Confession Series)

Possession Book 2 of The Confession Series T S Reed Copyright Copyright © 2023 by T S Reed All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permissions of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator.” at the website below. https://tsreed.co.uk Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination. Cover Design by: Emily Wittig Designs Contents . Chapter A Note Playlist . Chapter Prologue 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 31. Chapter 31 32. Chapter 32 33. Chapter 33 34. Chapter 34 35. Chapter 35 36. Chapter 36 37. Chapter 37 38. Chapter 38 39. Chapter 39 40. Chapter 40 41. Chapter 41 42. Chapter 42 43. Chapter 43 44. Chapter 44 45. Chapter 45 46. Chapter 46 Epilogue Diversion Author Note Acknowledgments About the Author Other Works Find Me For those who succumb to the darkness: find your light. It’s waiting for you. x For Lizzie, who has been there from the start and is stronger than she realises. There is no Kat and Xav without you. x A Note This story explores the pain of child loss and its lasting effects, including depression and suicidal ideation. If you choose to read on, please always put your mind first. Sending love and comfort, T. S. Reed x Playlist Scan the QR code below with your device’s camera to access the Possession Playlist, curated by T.S. Reed. x For sale: Baby shoes. Never Worn. - Ernest Hemmingway, perhaps. Prologue Nine Years Ago K aterina Two pink lines. That’s all it takes to completely derail my future at the age of sixteen. Goodbye freedom. Goodbye escape. Goodbye all dreams of Art School and traveling and everything I have ever dreamed of. “Santa mierda,” Inez whispers beside me. I haven’t said a word. It feels like an entire life passes in the depths of my mind before I can even breathe, let alone speak. A new sort of life: a life of diapers and feeding schedules and, holy mother of Jesus, my mother. “Mama is going to kill me.” I speak the words into existence as I blink away any tears prickling behind my eyes. Because it’s true. She will hate me. She will scold me, and ground me, and tear me down until I am dead and bleeding before her. I have broken the sacred rule of our home. I have broken my promise. My mother’s words echo in the recesses of my mind as my heart stutters through each heavy beat. “Your body is a gift, micuța mea” she told me. “Keep it pure.” And suddenly I’m wondering if a heart can break, even as it grows? The pounding thud of angry fists against the door drags our attention away from the test in my hands, mocking me relentlessly, and back to the reality of our location. “Fuck off! We’re in a crisis in here!” Inez shouts, launching the chunky Bio text book in her hands towards the door, and my body sags under the weight of this moment. She’s smiling sympathetically, all wide dark eyes and a full cherry pout, as she turns to face me. “What do we do?” I love Inez. I really do. Here and now, my only real friend doesn’t even flinch when the booming voice of Principle Laketon rattles behind the locked bathroom door, shouting for us to “open up and get out”. She just stares at me with honesty, unity and trust, and I bite back my fear. Her words strike a chord: this is not a me problem. To Inez, this is a we problem. And sitting on the dirty floor of the girls’ bathroom, I somehow feel a little less alone with her beside me. “I think,” my voice rasps, “we go to Bio.” I know Inez would laugh if she wasn’t as terrified as I am, but she just pushes to her feet and holds out her hands for me to take. I shove the stick deep into my bag before facing my newest reality. Together, we unlock the bathroom door to the putrid pink face of our Principle and crowds of pissed off teenage girls, all clutching books to their chests and scowling at us. “My office,” Laketon barks. “Now.” With my head hung low and the test burning a hole in the chaos of my backpack, I follow Laketon while Inez begins her signature tirade. “This is against our rights, you know.” She’s shouting loudly, her arms flailing as she storms ahead and diverts everyone’s gaze. “And I just know if Caroline Howlett was locked in there, you wouldn’t be frog-marching her to the office.” She flips her hair, jet black and silky, over her shoulder as she points at him in accusation. “But no, the two immigrant girls take five minutes and suddenly it’s a formal talk sort of thing.” “Inez.” I try to warn her. She doesn’t even pause. “Xenophobia is everywhere these days. All these hombres blancos telling us where we can go and what we can do,“ she continues. “Seriously, screw that. I should feel safe and protected in school, not targeted.” She shoots