Everyone had been calling me selfish lately - and maybe I was - but Vivian had little room to talk. Nonetheless, I made no move to yell. She was my only hope of getting out of here.

"Maybe I did it because of how guilty I felt about what happened to you. I couldn't sleep, Vivian... I should never have let you touch that necklace. But I did, even though I knew it would probably hurt me... and for the first time, it made me suffer in a way that didn't fade. So I decided to die. It may have been selfish, but it was no more so than your decision to use the necklace to kill so many people."

My eyes locked on to hers. "I understand if you hate me. But you need to put that necklace back in the safe, or at least have Amanda do it, not for my sake, but for yours. My body will wake up either way - the only question is whether it will be controlled by me or by the demon from inside the necklace. However crazy I might be, at least I cared enough about you to feel so guilty I felt I needed to die. The demon would not be so benevolent."