The man in the shadows spoke to the other man standing in front of him.
"The professor has found it," the man in the shadows said. "Agness' DNA has been activated."
The other man looked surprised. "Are you sure? After all these years?"
"Yes," the man in the shadows replied, his voice low but firm. "Jullian doesn't realize the significance of what he's found. He thinks it's just a coincidence, but it's not."
The other man seemed worried. "What do we do now? If she learns the truth…"
The man in the shadows' tone was colder. "We do nothing for now. Jullian will talk to her, but we remain in the background. If things go wrong, then we act. But not yet."
The other man nodded, though he still looked uneasy. "And if someone else finds out?"
"We deal with them," the man in the shadows said, his eyes narrowing. "No one can know what's really happening. Not yet."
The other man left quickly, and the man in the shadows remained, watching and planning his next move.
My class was finally over, and I was heading home on my private plane. But I couldn't stop thinking about my DNA results.
What do the "unknown markers" mean? Are they bad? Or are they something special?
As I walked toward the plane, my mind was racing with questions. Do my parents know about this? If they do, why didn't they ever tell me?
And why did Professor Jullian say we'd discuss it some other time? Why not now? What's so secret about my results that he couldn't explain them in class?
Even after I sat down on the plane, the questions kept circling in my head. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think about anything else. I had to find out the truth. But how?
As I sat in my seat, deep in thought, Mrs. Faith, who has been with my family since I was born, walked over to me. She gave me a gentle smile and said, "Lady Agness, is something on your mind? You look troubled."
I looked up at her and tried to smile. "I'm fine, Mrs. Faith. Just tired, that's all."
She shook her head slightly. "I've known you your whole life, dear. You can't fool me. If something is bothering you, you can talk to me."
I hesitated. Should I tell her about the DNA results? Could she know anything about it? Or would she just think I'm worrying over nothing?
I looked at Mrs. Faith and took a deep breath. She has known me since I was born, so maybe I could tell her.
"Mrs. Faith," I said quietly, "I had a DNA test today. The result said something strange. It said 'unknown markers.'"
She frowned, looking worried. "Unknown markers? What does that mean?"
"I don't know," I replied. "The professor said he would tell me later, but why not now? It makes me scared. Do you think my parents know about this?"
She thought for a moment. "Your parents always want the best for you. If they know something, they probably have a good reason for not telling you yet."
Her words didn't make me feel better. "Do you think it's something bad, Mrs. Faith? Or could it be something else?"
She put her hand on my shoulder. "I don't know, dear, but I believe you'll find the answers. If your parents know, they'll tell you when the time is right. Don't worry too much."
Even after her kind words, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I needed to know the truth.
"Mrs. Faith," I asked, "do you know anything about this? About my DNA or these 'unknown markers'?"
Her face changed for a moment, like she was hiding something, but then she smiled softly. "I've been with your family since you were born. I know many things, but some things are not for me to tell. It's better if your parents explain."
Her words made me more curious. "If you know something, please tell me. I feel scared."
She sighed and looked at me kindly. "Agness, everything will be okay. Just give it time. You are stronger than you think, and you can handle this."
I nodded, but deep down, I knew she wasn't telling me everything. Mrs. Faith knew something about my DNA, and for some reason, she wasn't ready to share it.
In the dark lab, the man in the shadows looked at Agness's father, Jeff Kingsley "Professor Jullian is getting too close to the truth," he said quietly. "He's looking into Agness's DNA. We can't let him find out more."
Agness's father thought for a moment. "I knew this might happen," he said, his voice calm. "Jullian is smart, but he doesn't know everything. He's just curious. He doesn't understand what he's really looking at."
The man in the shadows nodded. "We can't let him keep going. If he keeps looking, he'll find the connection. We need to stop him before that happens."
Agness's father walked around, thinking. "We need to be careful. We can't just threaten him. We need to trick him, give him wrong information."
The man in the shadows asked, "What if that doesn't work? What if Jullian finds out everything?"
"We'll deal with him later," Agness's father said, his voice getting colder. "But right now, we need to stay away from him. If he starts digging too deep, we might have to take more serious action."
The man in the shadows didn't speak again, but nodded and left into the darkness.
Agness's father stood alone, thinking about what to do next. He couldn't let anyone find out the truth—not yet.
Professor Jullian sat in the quiet lab, looking at Agness's DNA results. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He turned around, but the room was empty. Then, from the shadows, a figure appeared. It was tall, and its eyes seemed to glow.
"You saw it, didn't you?" the man said in a deep voice. "The truth about her DNA."
Professor Jullian looked at the paper on his desk and saw the word "vampire" written on it. He couldn't believe it.
The man stepped closer. "You know now. This is bigger than just science."
Professor Jullian tried to stay calm. "Who are you? How do you know about this?"
The man stayed in the shadows, his face hidden. "I've been watching for a long time. Now you have a choice. You can forget what you saw, or you can learn more. But if you choose to learn, everything will change."
The lab felt colder. Professor Jullian didn't know what to do. He only knew that things were about to change.
"Vampires?" Professor Jullian whispered, looking at the paper. His hands shook. "How is this possible?"
The man nodded. "Yes. Vampires are real. And Agness is part of that world."
Professor Jullian stepped back. "But how? This is just DNA, science. Vampires can't be real."
The man's eyes flashed in the dark. "What you know about science is just the beginning. Agness's DNA is something old and powerful."
Professor Jullian's mind was racing. "And you want me to believe this?" he asked, his voice shaking.
The man stepped closer, his voice calm. "You don't have to believe now. But if you keep going, you'll see the truth. Agness's future is already decided."
Professor Jullian felt dizzy. Vampires were real. And Agness was a part of it. All the science he knew seemed wrong. For the first time, he felt confused and lost.
I went to my room, feeling frustrated. I sat on my bed, staring at the wall. I had called my father, wanting to go to his lab and talk about the DNA results. But he told me it was too late and that we could discuss it tomorrow. I couldn't believe it. Everyone was keeping something from me, and I didn't understand why. Why couldn't they just tell me now? The more I thought about it, the angrier I felt. What was so important that I couldn't know?
I decided I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I had to go to my father's lab and get answers. I looked around for my car keys and finally found them on the desk.
The rain kept pouring down, and my car skidded out of control. I tried to steer, but it was no use. The tires slipped, and the car crashed into a tree. My head slammed into the steering wheel, and pain shot through my body. I felt dizzy, my vision blurry. But just before everything went dark, I saw him.
The man from the shadows.
His glowing eyes pierced through the rain, watching me from the side of the road. I wanted to scream, but my body wouldn't move. The last thing I saw before I passed out was his figure standing there, blending into the shadows. Then everything went black.
I slowly opened my eyes. My head hurt, and I felt strange. I looked around and realized I was in my father's lab. It was cold, bright, and full of machines I recognized. I felt confused.
What happened?
Then I remembered. The car crash. The man in the shadows.
I tried to sit up, but my head was spinning. I saw my father standing by the door. He looked worried.
"Agness, you're awake," he said, his voice soft. "You scared me."
I touched my head carefully. "What happened? How did I get here?"
My father looked at me for a moment. "You crashed your car. We found you by the road. We brought you here to make sure you're okay."
"But… the man," I said quietly. "The man in the shadows. Was he real?"
My father's face went serious. He didn't answer right away. Then he stepped closer to me. "We'll talk about that later. You need to rest now."
His voice made me feel like he knew more, but he wasn't telling me everything.
As my father turned to leave, I couldn't stop myself. I had to ask.
"Dad, was he real? The man in the shadows?" I asked quietly.
He stopped for a moment but didn't turn around. I saw his shoulders tense.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Agness, I've told you before, some things are better left alone."
I felt worried. He was hiding something. "Why won't you just tell me?"
My father didn't answer. He walked out of the lab without saying anything else. I sat there, feeling lost and full of questions.
After my dad left the room, I waited for a few minutes, making sure he was really gone. My heart was beating fast. I needed to find out what was going on. My dad wasn't going to tell me, but maybe I could find the answers on my own.
I went to an old computer in the corner of the lab. It looked dusty, like no one used it anymore. I sat down and typed a password. I knew this password because, back in high school, I got curious and sneaked into my dad's lab. I hoped it would still work.
It worked.
The screen came to life, and I quickly opened a few files. I clicked through them, looking for anything that could explain what was happening with my DNA, with the man in the shadows, and why my dad was keeping secrets from me.
Then, I saw a folder with my name on it. I stopped, feeling my heart race. I clicked on it, and more files appeared on the screen. My fingers trembled as I scrolled through them. Most of them were full of scientific terms I didn't understand, but then I saw something that made my stomach drop. There was a picture of me. It looked like a regular photo, but there was something strange about it.
On the image, there was a glowing symbol on my neck. It didn't look like anything I'd ever seen before. It was a circle, with strange lines and shapes inside it, like some kind of ancient language. The symbol seemed to pulse with light, almost as if it was alive.
I stared at it for a moment, feeling a chill run down my spine. It was clear that whatever was happening with my DNA, it was not normal.
But then, just as I was about to click on another file, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. My heart skipped. I quickly closed the window and rushed back to my seat, pretending like I had been doing nothing at all.
I held my breath, hoping my dad wouldn't notice. But I couldn't ignore what I'd just seen. There was something strange happening, and I wasn't going to stop until I figured it out.