It felt like all the air had left my lungs and the world started to spin as I got up from the couch too fast on wobbly legs, letting go of Matei's hand.

"No! No, you're wrong!" I shouted at Jana, "They...they couldn't have been! They died when I was just a baby, I..."

Jana got up and walked over to me, trying to put her hand on my shoulder but I shrugged her off.

"They didn't kill anyone! You're lying, you're lying, you're lying..." I trailed off, mumbling the last words to myself.

I turned to go then. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, like I couldn't breathe. Jana sighed behind me and Matei tried to grab my hand to keep me there. But I ripped my hand from his grasp and ran out of the apartment. I flew down the stairs to the Kafe and ran out the door. The wind tore at my clothes as I ran faster and faster.

I needed to see Miss Carlisle. I needed to know the truth. My feet led me to the orphanage down the road and I opened the door, rushing inside and up the stairs to Miss Carlisle's office. I found her filling out papers, tons of them stacked up beside her in a neat little pile. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I rapped lightly on the open door and her head shot up. She smiled when she saw me and removed her reading glasses that had been perched on her nose.

Lying them down on the desk, she ushered me inside. I sat down in the chair across from her, folding my hands over my lap as I took a deep breath.

"What happened to my parents?" I asked abruptly and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't understand-" she started but I cut her off.

"What happened to them? How did they die?" I persisted, raising my voice slightly.

She sighed, leaning back into her chair. Her chocolate-brown curls framed her face, light wrinkles around her mouth where smile-lines had formed. She was a middle-aged woman but you could still tell she had been beautiful in her youth. And really, she still was. Her hands clasped together across her desk and she glanced up at me, sky-blue eyes connecting to mine.

"Why now? You have a right to know, of course. All of you children do. But why now? After all this time?" she asked me, her voice gentle.

I swallowed, looking down at my own clasped hands. My nails were chipped - black nail-polish rubbing off from too many times spent scraping them against things. The familiar mole on the back of my hand caught my eye and I frowned, running a finger over it. I'd always had so many questions about my parents - who they were, what they looked like...why'd they leave me... But I had never asked. In all the years I'd spent at this orphanage, not once had I asked Miss Carlisle about them.

Part of it was because I was mad that they abandoned me but the other part was even deeper than your typical abandonment issues... I didn't want to live up to what they had been. If they had been lawyers or secretaries, that would be different. It wouldn't bother me. But what if they had been more than that? Scientists? CEO's? Heads of big corporations?

How could I ever possibly live up to something like that? And more so, if they had been - why give me up? Why give up a child when you had the money, had the opportunity to raise me? So I didn't ask. I shoved it to the back of my mind and never thought about it again. But everything was different now. My life was different now.

I knew about Wolfbloods and I had to know...had my parents been hunting them? Killing innocents? Did the blood of murderers run through my veins? My dark gaze met Miss Carlisle's blue orbs and I cleared my throat.

"Things are different now... I'm different now..." I told her softly, "I want to know who they were..."

She watched me for a moment, contemplating my answer before nodding. Leaning over, she reached down into a drawer at the bottom of her desk and dug through it. Her fingers glided across vanilla-colored folders before fishing one out. She held it out to me and gingerly, I took it from her.

"That's everything we knew about you upon your arrival. Every last detail. And Jemma?" she told me and I glanced up from the folder to look at her, "I hope you find what you're looking for, honey."

Sincerity rang out from her voice and I could see the warmth in her eyes. Miss Carlisle always cared about us orphans like we were her own children. Even Brenda although I couldn't understand why. She had a mother's love for us I suppose I'd never be able to fathom. I smiled slightly at her before making my way up to the room I shared with Jackie and Brenda. Thank goodness they were out at the mall today though and I wouldn't be bothered.

I sat down on my bed and leaned back against the headboard, balancing the folder between my stomach and my knees. Opening the file, the first thing that caught my eye was the small baby picture of myself. A smile tugged at my lips but I moved on, scanning down the page to the names of my parents: James K. Hargreaves and Valentina Reyes. I ran a finger across the names and down to the bio of my father:

'James K. Hargreaves was 27 at the time of Jemma's birth. He was of English descent. He liked swimming, football, and reading. He worked as a game-warden and hunted wildlife frequently in his off-hours.'

I sucked in a breath, feeling my heart begin to race. 'Game-warden', 'hunting wildlife'? Could Jana have been right? Quickly, I skipped to the bio of my mother and began to read:

'Valentina Reyes was 25 at the time of Jemma's birth. She was of Mexican descent, immigrating to England from Mexico when she was 11. She liked painting, writing, and horseback-riding. She worked as a librarian, earning a degree beforehand in the field of zoology. She hunted wildlife with her husband frequently in her off-hours.'

All the air left my lungs and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. Jana had been right. My parents were hunters... Suddenly, there was a loud creak and I spun around, the folder falling to the floor. Matei stood in the doorway and finally, the tears broke free. A sob bubbled up from my throat and in an instant, he was by me on the bed, taking my face in his hands gently.

He said nothing, just brushed away the tears from my face as I tried to bite back the rest. And for the first time in my life, I knew the truth about who I was.