*~~Chapter Seventy-Three~~*

{~~Avery Sterling~~}

This was the first nightmare where I was standing in front of a crowd speaking my words of truth. Words I hadn't written, but I listened to them as my physical body narrated them.

“In the shadow of your light, I stand,

A figure dimmed by your grand command.

You walk in brilliance, proud and free,

While darkness wraps itself 'round me. Each step I take is less my own,

Bound by a fate I've never known.

Your laughter echoes, bright and clear,

As I reside in constant fear. The world sees you, a blazing star,

While I remain a distant spar.

Your achievements, loud and grand,

Leave my efforts lost in sand. My voice is but a whispered plea,

Drowned by your symphony.

My dreams, they pale, they fade, they fall,

Overshadowed by your thrall. I trace your steps, a weary path,

Haunted by a silent wrath.

For every glance that turns your way,

Is a reminder of my dismay. You shine so bright, you blind my eyes,

And in your light, my spirit dies.

I am the shadow, ever near,

Invisibl