I jolted upright, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of where I was. Sunlight streamed into the room, casting a warm glow across everything. For a brief moment, I felt its comforting warmth on my skin, but then the crushing reality hit me like a wave. A strangled sob escaped my throat as I clutched my head, the tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.I was trapped here, with no idea how to get out, and the one person I thought I could trust was the reason I was stuck. I glanced over at William. He stood there, looking torn, guilt written all over his face, his clothes stained with blood. A shiver of fear ran down my spine. He tried to speak, but no words came out. His gaze was fixed on me, pained and desperate, but I couldn't see him the way I did before—not anymore.As he turned and left the room, I quickly wiped my tears and scrambled to my feet, my mind racing with the need to escape. I darted toward the door, pulling at the handle, only to realize it wouldn't budge. Panic surged through me, my breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps as I tugged harder, hoping it would somehow open.A moment later, I heard his footsteps approaching. I pressed myself against the door, my back flat against the wood, feeling trapped like a caged animal. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to steady my breathing, knowing he would be back any second. I had to think of something—anything—to get out of here.He stood there in front of me, his presence filling the room, and I could barely breathe. "Hi," he said softly, his tone almost gentle, as if he thought it could calm the storm raging inside me."Please, let me go!" I cried, my voice breaking with desperation. I yanked at the door handle again, but it wouldn't budge. Panic clawed at my chest, and I felt a wave of hopelessness wash over me. I finally turned to face him, my eyes wild with fear and confusion. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, and it seemed like he could hear it too—like he could sense every bit of fear coursing through me.He just stood there, watching me quietly, giving me space but not saying a word. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything. "So, it's not a dream," I mumbled to myself, feeling a wave of dread settle in the pit of my stomach."Tell me why I'm here!" I shouted, my voice raw and filled with emotion. I needed answers, needed to understand why my life had been torn apart like this."You're here because of the prophecy," he began, his voice heavy. "And you're mine."I felt a chill run down my spine at his words. Mine? My mind latched onto the first part, trying to make sense of it. "What do you mean by prophecy?" I asked, my voice sharp, deliberately ignoring the part where he claimed I was his. His gaze was intense, almost pleading, but I didn't care. I felt a knot tighten in my chest. I couldn't believe this was happening—I didn't want to believe it.He looked like he believed I would eventually understand, maybe even forgive him. But all I could feel was anger, confusion, and a growing hatred for everything he had put me through."Your car accident wasn't just an accident," he said, his voice steady but serious. "It was a planned attack."My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a chill run through my body. "What do you mean?" I whispered, my voice trembling with fear.He continued, "The other supernatural races are after you. They believe you are the key to fulfilling a prophecy, and they will stop at nothing to find you."My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. "Other supernatural beings?" I asked."The waitress..." I mumbled, the memory of her leading me through the woods flooding back. My chest tightened as I tried to make sense of it all. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.I turned to him, my voice trembling. "She's a witch, isn't she?"I hoped, almost begged, for him to deny it. But instead, he nodded. My breath hitched."Why are they after me?"My whole body felt numb. I didn't understand why any of this was happening or how I could possibly be important to anyone, let alone some kind of prophecy. I could barely wrap my head around vampires existing, and now there were werewolves and witches, too? And they all wanted something from me?William hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. "I don't know," he admitted, a frown deepening on his face. "My father only instructed me to bring you back to the castle without any harm. He believes that you are part of the prophecy.""What prophecy?" I asked, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep calm.William sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking as lost as I felt. "I don't know the details," he said. "But I do know that you're in danger, and I need to get you back to the castle where you'll be safe."My heart clenched painfully in my chest, my mind racing with fear and confusion. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at him, feeling utterly helpless. "I don't understand," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Why is this happening to me?"William stepped forward, his expression softening as he reached for my hand. His touch was gentle, and I could feel the warmth of his skin against mine. "I'll protect you," he said firmly. "I promise."I wanted to pull away, to scream at him for bringing me into this mess, but something in his eyes made me pause. There was a vulnerability there, a hint of fear that mirrored my own. He was scared too, maybe just as much as I was.My heart clenched, each beat heavy with fear and confusion. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at him, feeling more lost than ever. "I don't understand," I whispered, my voice barely holding steady. "You're saying I'm part of some prophecy you know nothing about? So, you just took me... without even knowing why?"William moved closer, his face softened with a look I hadn't seen before. He reached for my hand, his touch gentle and warm against my cold skin. "I'll protect you," he said, his voice firm. "I promise."I wanted to pull away, to shout at him for dragging me into this nightmare. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw something that made me stop. There was a vulnerability there, a flicker of fear that mirrored my own. He was scared, too — maybe just as much as I was."Your parents, they're not your real parents," William continued. "You were adopted by them."I stared at him, my head spinning, and my stomach knotted with a sickening feeling. "What are you saying?" I snapped, my voice trembling with anger. "This sounds like some twisted fantasy. You're a vampire, and there are other supernatural creatures who wants to kill me? And now I'm not human? I spat.My life was perfectly normal before you barged in! You're the only danger here!" William sighed. "You're powerful, Kristen," he said. "Somehow, you've been living among the humans, but I'm still trying to figure out who you are and which race you belong to."My breath became shallow, and I felt like the room was closing in on me. "How do you know all this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.William's eyes softened. "You broke the mental compulsion made by the witch," he paused."A normal human cannot do that. Which proves you are not just a human.""Kristen, I know this is a lot to take in," William said softly, his voice filled with concern. "But you have to trust me." If you stayed with your aunt, she would be in danger too. That's why we had to take you. "Please try to understand."Tears streamed down my face as I looked at him, anger and hurt mixing with my fear. "This isn't right! You can't just take me like this without giving me a choice! You could have approached me, explained everything in a way that I could understand, and then I could have said goodbye to my family and come with you willingly. But you took that choice away from me!" I yelled at him and moved to the opposite corner of the room."I am sorry."I stood still and looked at him, tears streaming down her face."Why me?" I whispered. He stared at me for a long time."Only my father has the answers you seek. But we must leave as soon as possible.""Is there any way I can go home and meet my family one last time?""Kristen, please don't make this difficult for me. I promise you will see your family again, but for now, we must go.""Will you trust me, just this once?" He stepped towards me taking my hand in his. I flinched but stood still in fear.Panic set in as I blurted out my next question. "Do you all drink human blood?" My voice shook with fear, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest.William sighed and took my hands in his, trying to calm me. "Kristen, we drink human blood for survival, but we don't kill." Have you heard of blood bags? We can compel people to offer their blood in emergencies, but we don't do that all the time. Our council member has a huge network of hospitals that supply us with blood. We do live among humans, but they can't see or enter our world. When humans cross our borders, all they'll see is a forest. "It's a kind of magic, and the other supernatural beings have their own protections for their lands." He explained, his voice steady and patient.His words did little to ease my worries."I have told you all that you need to know." William whispered, his voice low and serious."My father believes that you are the key to stopping the war that threatens to erase us." He looked down at his hands, his expression painful.I took a step back, my mind racing. "So, was all of this just a plan?" "Was your sole purpose in befriending me, saving me from the accident, and having John watch over me just so that you could deliver me to your father?" He looked down, not sure what to say.The thought of William using me for his own purposes was too much to bear. Part of me was pained to know that he didn't have any real feelings for me, but another part of me longed for him to say that he did care, that he would protect me because he liked me."Do you truly believe that I would do that to you?" He looked disappointed."Look at me," he said, gently lifting my chin to meet his gaze."I would never hurt you, Kristen. I will always protect you.'' His voice was firm."Thank you for trying to protect me, but I lived just fine before you entered my life," I said, my voice edged with sarcasm. "I don't understand what I need protection from, especially from people like you."William's face darkened, his expression tightening as he gripped my shoulders firmly, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Kristen, don't do this," he urged, his voice low and intense. "If delivering you to my father was all I cared about, I would have just kidnapped you outright. But I wanted you to know the truth, to understand the situation before you meet him."There was a desperation in his tone, like he needed me to believe him, to trust him. But I was too tired, too overwhelmed to care. His hands felt heavy and cold against my skin, and I pulled away, the contact feeling suffocating. Without another word, I turned and walked away. I needed space, needed to think, to be anywhere but near him.I found the small room they'd given me, pushed the door shut, and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. My chest heaved as I tried to make sense of everything. William's words kept echoing in my mind, his insistence that he was trying to protect me, but all I felt was the sting of betrayal, the ache of being caught between something I didn't understand.Tears welled up in my eyes, and I tried to blink them away, but it was useless. Maybe his intentions were not to harm me, but he had still hurt me deeply. I shifted my weight, and a sharp pain shot through my leg, a reminder of the wound from last night. I winced, feeling the raw sting flare again.Slowly, I lifted my pant leg to examine the injury, the jagged cut stark against my skin. The sight of it brought fresh tears to my eyes. I stared at my leg in disbelief as the wounds on my leg started to close up and heal before my very eyes. I felt my heart racing, my mind unable to process what was happening. I felt like she was going crazy.Could it be that I was not human after all? The thought was terrifying.I tried to remember any strange things that have happened in my life that could indicate I was not human, but my mind was blank and I couldn't think of any similar incidents.My thoughts drifted back to Stanley. He tried to save me, but I failed. I started to miss him and his voice. The thought of him calms me down. I closed my eyes and wished for him to appear again and save me from these monsters before exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.