I find myself back in at the table the night Sabia told me my parents were "dead." No matter how hard I try to get up from my seat, I'm glued there and I'm forced to listen to every single gory detail. I can't cry, or speak, or even look away. It's my own form of a phobia. One that sucks the breath out of me until I can barely manage to catch my breath. 

My eyes force themselves open. I need air, but it's not there - it's gone or lacking the supplement that makes it function necessary. Where is it? Where the hell is it? I suck in the bear atmosphere with an open mouth and emit a scream. 

It tears through my chest and ricochets off the glass ceiling. My eyes squeeze shut as it comes out yet once again. Fear, desperation ... need. I can't even control it. I'm already on the ground, bundled up in a coat of fur. From what I hear, the glass that makes up my cubicle is impenetrable, but my head has no problem breaking the door down. 

Millions of shards splatter across the linoleum. I stand there for a moment and draw in my breath as I take in what happened. The hallways light up in a bright red color. The shrill sirens go off, and my legs take off into the hallways without any moment of contemplation. My legs carry me as fast as possible. I haven't even made it to the main door when I feel iron nails dig into my ribcage and hold me down onto the floor.

It's no use. The vampire's grip is too tight. They hold me down long enough to insert a syringe into my flesh. My becomes woozy and it causes me to transport back into my human form. My instincts are to find the exit door, but all my muscles seem to relax before I can jump back onto my feet. 

Then a voice builds into the void. A loud, booming one. One that can conquer the seven realms, as some might say. 

"Let her go boys." 

Athan. Suddenly, my wooziness disappears when I see his face. With him here, there's no doubt that everything will turn out fine. 

The vampires scatter and Athan approaches me. He offers me his hand and helps me up to my feet. I hold him to my body as my fingernails dig into his shoulders. He's quick enough to close his palms on my shoulder blade. It's rather funny - the person who I've never been so repelled towards in my life, yet he's the only chance of survival in this strange universe. 

"Beatrice," his voice whispers down my spine. I'm too focused in this embrace and the only sound that escapes my lips is a soft hum from the curl of my lips. "I cannot make it possible for you to leave the premises, but is there anything I can do to make this better?" 

My humming stops for a moment and my mouth opens. "Keanna." My arms drop to my side as inhale sharply, staring Athan in those feral red eyes of his - those eyes. No matter how hard I try, those eyes have become ingrained in the front of my brain. I can't daydream about saying goodbye to Athan without enduring the pain of bidding farewell to his eyes. 

Athan stands there, speechless for some odd reason. I just repeat myself. "I wanna see Keanna." 

He shakes his head with a laugh as he breaks away from our long gaze. His voice cuts out like ice. His laugh is the mouth peculiar sight I have come upon. Although, I do not recall any sarcasm or jokes leaving my mouth ... "I'm sorry. I just need to rid this euphoria out of my system." 

I put on a smug smile as I steeple my fingers. I then ask, "Will a slap make this speed up?"

His laughter fades out within a second. His smile fades into a look of fear. Something I tend to enjoy preying off of. His voice even wavers. "OK. To Keanna we go." He turns his back to me and starts off down the hallway, just slow enough for me to keep up with him. A few moments here and there he picks up the pace like he's trying to get away from me. 

Keanna's cubicle is at the end of the hallway. It resembles no less than my cubicle, although I will admit, she has a bigger and nicer bed than me. She lays sprawled across her bed, one arm draped around the fame. The covers are kicked onto the foot and her hair is spread out in big blob of frizz. 

Athan scans his retina and the doors opens with a loud chime. Keanna rises to the sound a loud and exaggerated yawn emitting from her mouth. She doesn't notice that we're in the doorway until she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. "It's one in the morning." She sounds miserable when she's just awakening from her sleep. "Why am I being disturbed?"  

I try to make it sound like I'm sugarcoating the situation, hence I hold the for syllable for a few beats. "Well ... I phased into my wolf form, set off an alarm, all in the panic of a nightmare and craving for fresh air."

"You poor thing." Keanna ceases to sound miserable as hell, but her eyes seem to widen when she hears me. She moves up against the wall in her bed and makes room for me. The covers are now neatly pressed over the mattress. Her gaze rises. "Wellings, your presence is no longer welcome. I can handle this from here." Her dark tone is directed specifically towards Athan with a glare sharp as a dagger and cold as ice. 

I feel a slight arm touch my shoulder and then vanish as Athan exits to go about the rest of his night. Once his footsteps have faded into the darkness, Keanna replaces her frown with a warm smile. The one that says she'll be here if anything is to happen. 

I stumble forward as I crawl into bed next to her. The warmth of the thick covers soothe me. Cold fingers reach for my shoulders. They massage me, and then the warmth of Keanna's breath fills the air. "Try to get some sleep, please, B." 

"Okay."

~

It's Monday morning, and President Lowell has requested to speak with me personally. I already know what for. The outlash that occurred last night. That's why I'm at the other end of the large wood table, forced to meet this woman's unforgiving eyes of red. 

"Has our hospitality really been that atrocious?" Her voice sounds like a hammer pounding upon an iron nail. It's just disturbing, and it sends chill down my spine. "Have we really not succeeded to meet the needs of our refugees that you try to break out in the middle of the night?"  

"No, ma'am." I keep my head hung low so I can avoid having to face her. If I get another glimpse at her eyes, I swear I'm going to be sick. "It was just a night terror - they're quite frequent to be honest. I needed air. It was just, when I emerged from my sleep, it felt as if the air had completely disappeared."  

"Well having guests depart from here is quite seldom," I hear Lowell's voice. It's poised and firm ... fit for the jealousy of a luna. "Although, on the contrary, it's seldom to have werewolves seeking refuge here." Her breath draws as she pauses for a moment. "Miss Wilson, do you have any clue why I have called you into my office?" 

I look raise my head above the table to meet her eyes. I have to suck in my breath to refrain from gagging. "To reprimand me for craving some fresh air?" Her eyes show no sign of amusement from my rhetorical remark. Apparently there is no rhetoricism in my answer. "O -" 

"No," Lowell cuts me off in curtly syllables. "I wanted to see you because I can't risk my facility going under thorough investigation by the Bureau of Paranormal and Supernatural Existence." Her head barely moves as she shakes it. "It took me long enough to convince them that this project is safe. They're tracking you. 

"The way we handle situations in these commons." She bites down on her dried up lips that display various cracks. "How we go about our lives here, it could potentially end up closing us down. So, from the inmost parts of my soul, I ask, how can I make your stay any easier here?" 

I let a grin creep up to my dimples. "I demand access to the outside whenever I please." 

"Is that all?" she presses. 

"Yes," I say. I rise from the seat, casting a glare down at her before making my way to the door. "That will be all." I turn around but then whirl back around when I hear her voice again. 

"On one condition." I cross my arms. I've seen the cliches. Those three words can never mean anything good. It always ends up causing the main conflict. "You must be accompanied by a full member of the associations at all time when outside of this building. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." My reply, it seems so monotonous. There's no meaning behind what I'm saying. I only utter it to see this woman's satisfaction who I could really care less about. I'm just saying. 

"Very well." Her tone is dismissive. I take it as a sign that I'm free to go and I leave the office.

Outside, the hustle of members heading to the mess hall for the midday meal is like a stampede of buffalo. They scan out in a herd and walk in perfect unison. No foot makes a sound out of place. One of my theories is that they're a robotic vampire army, but Athan will disagree once I tell him that. 

I whirl around to see Keanna coming at me full speed. I haven't seen her full of this much jubilance since she graduated with a flawless record. I have enclose her in my arms to calm her down. She's shaking. I look into her eyes, that are wheeling. Maybe there's a hypnotist here. "Kee, tell me what's going on." 

A smile brightens up on her face. She's still laughing like a maniac, but words manage to leave her mouth. "Just follow me." I don't have a choice. She's already hauling me down before I can ask why. The vampires don't need rationale. They clear a path for Keanna without hesitation. Why?

At the end of the hallway, Keanna stops at the foot of my cubicle, that now displays a bear opening - no retina scanning required. Upon my bed there lays a gown fit for the luna's coronation. It's made from silk fabrics of deep teal - my favorite color. I propel forward as I pick the gown off the bed and throw it over my head. Its satin skirt tightens around my knees. 

Back when I was in Pre-Transform School, all of the girls wanted to grow up to be our clan's future luna. The girls would gather twigs from the forest and bend them into a crown. I always watched them afar dreaming of my own fairytale - staying in reality. Only one of those girls have gotten their happily ever after, but they can suck in all their joys of happiness - I'm luna for a day. 

"We're not supposed to be out of uniform," I remind her as I look up from tying up my combat boots. "So what warrants such elegance?" 

"You'll find out," Keanna replies. Her voice is in singsong - the signal that means she will accept no further questions. She scans down my figure and gives a nod of approval. "Okay, let's go." I follow her dainty footsteps down the hallway yet once again. 

Vampires stare and gawk at the two of us. I guess they haven't gotten to know Keanna that well, because if they did, they should know by now, surprises are her special quality. She's unpredictable. 

I find myself back in the main commons, but Keanna doesn't stop there. She pulls me along to the door hidden below a neon red "exit" sign. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?  She forces the door open, an unearthly quantity of sunlight prevailing over me. I'm almost blinded. When my eyesight adjusts, I can feel the sun's rays beating down on my skin. 

The remaining acres of the property are made into an overly vast parking lot that yet possess very few vehicles. I hear murmurs of excitement, but I can't tell why with the wall of tuxedo-ridden vampires blocking my view. 

I breathe in heavily as dozens of blood-stained roses are placed at my feet. I can only manage to breathe the words "What is going on?" before I notice a shadow emerging from above. 

A melodious strumming enters the atmosphere, playing the intro into my favorite song - This Town. Then his voice comes in and becomes the center of attention. It can't be him. His voice comes with swells of emotion, and I can almost feel Keanna swooning. 

The shadow enters the crowd, and I finally get a good look at the male's face. It is him. Athan. My jaw drops to the concrete. By the bridge of the song, him and I are face to face - close enough to kiss. Tears sting in my eyes. By the end of the song, I'm choking in my tears so he won't know. 

"Wh - " Athan clasps a hand over my mouth before I can even attempt to finish my sentence, rather more start my sentence. His eyes evoke so much softness at the moment we lock into each other's gazes, it's impossible. 

"All will be answered." He tries to utter those words in an assuring way, but he knows I'm not easily convinced. He should know by now that I have always said, answers wait for no. It's on him. 

"No," I shoot back. My voice is stubborn as ever. "I will get the answers myself and now." I break eye contact with him as whirl around to face the wall of red-eye mannequins. My eyes let out in a roll for the sake of amusement. 

This is way too easy. The wall has made is quite clear that they're hiding something behind them. The only question is: what is it? 

Neither Keanna nor Athan attempt to hold me back as I'm pushing through the still mannequins who become no longer still once I'm past them. My whole body freezes as the sight in front of me becomes clear. What I realize is what they were concealing. 

I'm too in shock to notice my jaw has dropped wide to the concrete. I can't pry my eyes off the car. The sedan's windshield is completely taken over with blue paint that resemble words. 

The shapes of the letter are remarkably neat, given that it has been sprayed on with paint. The slants are in perfect proportion, the curves are delicate - even great artists would need a stencil to make curves like those. Each letter matches each other to the exact calculation of height and width. There's an even space between each letter and each word. 

And when I read what's written, my heart tightens in a clench. My breath gathers in a knot in the back of my throat. I'm silent except for the sound of my bones quaking. I'm still in shock to stop reading the words over and over again. 

WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME BETRYS? 

~

Hey guys. This was such an exciting chapter. The drama has begun. 

What do you think Betrys's answer is gonna be? 

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

X Shay X