I stood frozen in place, the words of the woman and the man ringing in my ears. "A war." "Marked." "Time is ticking." The air felt thick with tension, the weight of their cryptic messages bearing down on me. I tried to wrap my mind around it, but nothing made sense. I wasn't part of any war. I was just a girl who wanted to live her life, who had no idea how deep this rabbit hole went.

But the truth was undeniable. Whatever was happening, I was tangled up in it now. And I wasn't getting out unscathed.

I turned around and walked back into the building, each step echoing in the hallway, too loud in the silence that surrounded me. I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't stay on the rooftop. It felt like I was being suffocated by the very air, like it was laced with something dangerous.

I needed to think. I needed to find answers.

As I walked, I heard a voice. A soft, familiar one.

"Ava?"

I froze. My pulse quickened. I knew that voice. I turned around to find a woman standing in the hallway. Her features were familiar, but something was off. There was a glint in her eyes-too sharp, too knowing. She was standing there, almost waiting for me.

"Ava, we don't have much time," she said softly.

I didn't speak. I couldn't. My heart was still racing, my mind spinning from everything I had just heard. The pieces were all there, but none of them seemed to fit together. Who was she? And why did it feel like she knew me?

"Ava, you need to listen to me," she said again, her voice almost pleading now. "There are things you don't understand. Things that go beyond the man and the woman you saw."

"Who are you?" I finally managed to ask, my voice trembling. "What is all of this? Why are they doing this to me?"

She looked around, as though making sure no one was watching us, and then stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You're not the only one. There are others. They've been watching all of you. Waiting for you to realize your role in this. You're not just some random girl, Ava. You're special. And what they want to do with you... you have no idea how dangerous it is."

I took a step back, my stomach churning. "Special? What does that even mean?"

She shook her head, her eyes darkening. "I wish I could explain it all, but they'll find out I'm here. I can't stay much longer. Just know this: there's a way out. But it's not going to be easy. You're not going to be able to walk away from this, not once you start to understand what's really happening."

My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, anger, and fear. How could I get out? How could I escape from whatever twisted thing they were dragging me into?

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The woman looked at me for a long moment before answering. "Because I know what they're planning. And I know what you could be. If you choose to fight."

The words hung in the air like a promise and a threat at the same time.

She took a deep breath. "I have to go. But there's one thing you need to understand. Don't trust them. Not the man. Not the woman. No one. They may have control now, but you can take it back. But only if you're ready."

Before I could ask more, she turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving me standing there, my mind in chaos.

I couldn't even begin to understand what she meant. Control? Fight? What was I supposed to do with that information? I didn't have the answers, but one thing was clear: I was involved in something I couldn't escape. And the longer I waited, the more danger I was in.

I couldn't do this alone.

I needed help. But who could I trust? The woman who had just warned me? Or the people who had already marked me?

I looked around, as though expecting someone to jump out at me from the shadows. The walls felt like they were closing in. There was no clear way out, no easy solution. But I couldn't let fear control me. I had to move, had to find answers before they found me again.

I knew one thing for sure now: this wasn't just about me. It was about something bigger-something far more dangerous than I could have ever imagined.

And if I didn't figure it out soon, I might lose myself to it forever.