He'd shown her the picture before. The one of — of Grey, she reminded herself, having blocked him as well as she could from her mind. It wasn't that she felt a sense of ownership or possessiveness over those features or that smile. Far from it.

But seeing either always had a tendency of bringing those voices back, forcing Effy to pay attention to every passing sound no matter how small or subtle, down to the shifting of the wind.

She wasn't sure what they said now, as Effy had a glimpse of the image in Rat's stone, but they festered in the curve of her ear, whispering. Hissing. Something was amiss. She watched as the crystal sphere rolled towards her, settling by her feet.

"Why let something that isn't real upset you?" she asked, leaning down to pick up the object. "You know it's shit."