Dinner Date

It had been a few weeks but Lily finally felt like she'd gotten her life back in order. The apartment was finally clean, her body no longer felt so awful, and she'd managed to catch up on her work despite the unexpected "vacation". But she was still on edge, her nerves frayed and her trust in those around her shattered. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Every time she saw a stranger, she wondered if it was Zach, lurking, waiting for his next opportunity. She'd done her research making sure to know how to tell when a person was mounted by a bodyhopper. Unfortunately, there was not much to go off of. There was not really a way to determine if someone was hopped besides the strange phenomena where the hopper's true face would show up in photos and reflections. Most of what Lily found online was simply just conspiracy theories and urban legends. And even most of that was simply taken for fantasy. No one actually believed these sociopathic creatures actually existed. But Lily knew all too well they were real. Her stress had gone through the roof trying to find a way to make sense of everything. She knew she needed a distraction.

As if on cue, her phone chimed with an incoming message. She snatched it up, her heart pounding in her chest. It was Emilia.

*Hey sis, want to grab dinner at my place tonight? I've been dying to catch up with you. Miss your face :) *

Lily sighed, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. She missed her sister too. More than she could admit. But the thought of seeing her...of looking into her eyes and knowing what she'd been **** to do...it made her stomach churn.

*Sure, sounds great! Is Ethan going to be there?* she tyrped, hoping to god the answer was no.

*Ummm, no he said he's going to be working late tonight. You know how he is.* Emilia's message read.

Lily let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging slightly. At last, some sister sister time she missed so much.

*Okay, what time should I be over?* she typed, already feeling better knowing she'd get to see Emilia soon.

*Around 7? I'm planning on making Mom's spaghetti. It should be done by then,* Emilia replied.

*Sounds perfect,* Lily responded, a small smile playing on her lips at her sister's silly reference.

***********

Lily knocked on the door to Emilia's house, her heart pounding in her chest. She hadn't seen her sister since before learning her body had been Ethan's plaything.

The door swung open, revealing Emilia with a wide smile. "Hey, hey, hey! Come on in, sis," she said, pulling Lily into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much."

Lily returned the hug, trying her best to act normal. "Yeah, I've missed you too, Em." Lily couldn't help but notice Emilia's outfit seemed off. She wore a low cut blouse that showed off her cleavage and a short skirt that barely covered her ass. It looked like she was trying to play dress up as a school girl. Emilia was usually more conservative in her clothing choices. It was a little concerning but Lily kept it to herself.

"Em, you look... different," Lily said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Emilia smiled, smoothing her hands down her skirt. "Yeah, I've been trying out some new styles. Ethan loves it," she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Lily felt a pang disgust at the mention of Ethan's name. "But don't stay outside, come in come in."

As Lily stepped inside she took in the familiar surroundings, her eyes scanning the warm and inviting space. The soft blue walls are adorned with family photographs and vibrant artwork, reflecting Emilia's love for color and diversity. Lily always loved her sister's eclectic taste. It was one of the many things she admired about Emilia.

"Here, let me take your coat. Meet me in the dining room. I'm almost finished with dinner," Emilia said, taking Lily's coat and hanging it up in the closet.

Lily nodded, walking into the dining room. The table was set with well-loved dinnerware, a bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle. The room was bathed in the soft glow of the nearby lamp, casting everything in a warm, inviting light.

"Smells amazing, Em," Lily said, taking a seat at the table. "I'm starving."

Emilia beamed, walking into the dining room with a steaming pot of spaghetti and a bottle of wine. "I'm glad. I feel like we haven't had dinner together in forever. It's been kind of crazy with work and stuff," Emilia said, setting the pot down on the trivet in the center of the table. She began to dish out the steaming pasta onto two plates, the tantalizing scent filling the room.

Lily nodded, trying to keep her voice light and casual. "Yeah, it has been a while. I'm actually glad you invited me over. I've been feeling a bit...lonely lately."

Emilia cast a concerned glance at her sister, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "What's going on, Lil? You do seem a little...off," Emilia said, her brow furrowing with concern as she placed a plate of steaming spaghetti in front of Lily. She sat down across from her, her eyes searching Lily's face as she passed her a glass of wine.

Lily **** a smile, trying to hide the turmoil inside. "I guess I'm just tired. My work has been pretty busy too," Lily said, ignoring the want to tell her sister exactly what was driving her mad.

Emilia watched her sister closely, her brows still furrowed. "You sure that's all it is Because you look like you've been through the wringer," Emilia persisted.

"I'm fine. I'm just glad to be here with you," Lily said, taking a bite of the spaghetti in front of her. "But you're one to talk about looks, I still don't understand why you're wearing that," Lily said, teasing Emilia about her outfit and trying to change topic.

Emilia laughed slightly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "What you don't like it?," she said pushing her elbows togther pronouncing her cleveage. "It's just a little something to keep things spicy. You know, keep things interesting in the bedroom."

Lily only nodded, hiding her true feeling behind a smile. She hadn't seen this side of her sister before. Yes she was just as beautiful as Lily but Emilia had always been the modest one, the one who kept her head down and focused on her work rather than worrying about physical appearance. But now she was talking about keeping things "spicy" in the bedroom? Something was definitely different. Maybe Emilia could sense Ethan was growing distant. That he might be cheating on her? Lily's stomach dropped at the thought. Her sister worrying that Ethan might be cheating on her but having no idea that the other woman was her own flesh and blood. Even if the other woman was quite literally an unwilling participant. It still made Lily feel sick to her stomach just thinking about it.

"I'm just giving it a try. Ethan loves it, and I figured why not?" Emilia said, her eyes still sparkling with that mischievous glint. "You should try it sometime, Lil. But I guess that would mean you'd have to settle down with a man first."

Lily chuckled, taking another bite of her spaghetti. "Yeah, maybe someday. Right now, I'm just focusing on my career and enjoying my freedom," she said, trying to keep the conversation light.

As they ate, the conversation flowed easily, touching on their jobs, their friends, and the latest gossip. But no matter how hard Lily tried to ignore it, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Emilia was acting differently, and Lily couldn't put her finger on why.

It was the little things that kept throwing Lily off. Like Emilia putting parmesan cheese on her spaghetti. Lily knew she hated parmesan cheese. She said it left a weird, dusty taste in her mouth. So why was she putting it on her food now? She was also shifting in her seat every now and then. Not all the time but enough for Lily to notice. It was like she was sitting on something uncomfortable. When Lily asked what was up Emilia simply just said she wasn't used to the skirt she had on. And then there was the random moments where Emilia would grab at her chest. Not like she was adjusting her bra or anything but more like she was felling herself up. Accompanied by a pleasurable moan that escaped her lips. It was all quite out of character for the usually demure Emilia.

Lily took a sip of her wine, her eyes narrowing as she watched her sister. "Em, are you okay? You seem...different," she said, her voice laced with concern.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Emilia asked, her hand pausing mid-way to her mouth as she held a forkful of spaghetti. She quickly shoved the food into her mouth, chewing with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Lily eyed her sister skeptically. "I don't know, you just seem...different."

Emilia laughed, a sound that rang a little too ****. "Oh, Lily, always so dramatic. I'm just trying out some new things, that's all."

It was then Lily noticed Emilia's reflection in her wine glass. A wave of shock hit her as she saw Emilia's face wasn't her own.

Zach's reflection smiled back at her, the same mischievous grin Emilia had been wearing all night. Lily's mouth dropped open, her eyes going wide. She knew then that something was seriously wrong. Emilia was not herself. Sure enough, she was possessed. And Lily had no idea how long this had been going on.

"Lily, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Zach-as-Emilia said, concern flashing across his face. But Lily saw the smirk underneath it all. He was enjoying this.

"I...I think I'm just really tired," Lily stammered, her mind racing. She needed to get a grip, to figure out what to do. She couldn't let Zach know that she'd seen through his ruse. But she wasn't able to hide her surprise, her eyes widening as she quickly looked away from the wine glass, her heart pounding.

"Shit....Ethan. She figured it out," Zach called out, dropping the facade of Emilia's voice. "You can come in now."