I turn in my bed, blinking my eyes as I try to make out the time on the clock in my dark room. Apparently, it was night, noticing there was no light outside my window. I scoot over the edge to grab my phone and my eyes widen as I notice the time. It was 8 p.m.
Oh my god... the nightmare didn't haunt me this time! I guess I was too exhausted, or the sleeping pills Ethan gave me did the work. I get out of my bed, trying not to bump into the things dropped over my bedroom carpet as I go outside into the living room.
I open Ethan's bedroom door to see his bed already made and cleaned.
"Ethan?" I call out into the empty-looking apartment and head to the kitchen, where I notice the sticky note on the fridge. As expected, he had gone on his night shift and left without telling me because he didn't want to wake me from my sleep—for which I was grateful.
I open the fridge to see most of the food had run out, and no one had the time to go grocery shopping, which was somehow a mistake on my part. Ethan had given me the responsibility of getting the kitchen restocked and even gave me a card to spend on groceries and utilities. We can take care of those tomorrow, but for now, I needed to get something to eat for tonight and tomorrow morning, then we can go together.
I quickly change into decent clothing: black trousers, a white t-shirt, and a cardigan over it. I grab my wallet and phone before heading out of the house.
I reach the compound and notice the security guard watching me with a fixed stare.
What is he staring at? Is there a problem?
As I near the gate, he moves his eyes away, realizing I caught him staring. I give a subtle nod before heading the opposite way to the nearest grocery store down the street. I could still feel his gaze lingering on my back as I move further from the compound.
"He isn't going to kidnap me, is he?" I whisper to myself, half-hoping he isn't a stalker coming after me.
I thankfully reach the store and quickly fill my basket with the food I'll need for dinner and breakfast, as Ethan will be eating at the hospital. I don't know when he'll be back until he calls me. Once my basket is filled with the desired items, I give it to the cashier, who quickly scans everything. Soon I'm out of his hair.
As I exit the store, my eyes immediately catch sight of two drunken men coming from the road I had just came from. I shouldn't get involved, just like Ethan said. But they were heading this way. Dread creeps over me, and I quickly make the decision to take the other path which connects to the same road. Before they can spot me, I rush behind the store and take the side road. Luckily, no one is here and the streetlights are enough to walk safely.
I take the left and start walking toward the complex from the road I came from, but as I near it, I notice the guard is nowhere to be seen.
Panic grips me.
He was looking at me strangely when I left—what if he really is stalking me? I quickly turn around, my heart pounding in my chest, which soon settles as I see no one behind me.
I turn my head and am about to take another step when I hear something hit the trashcan behind me, and I freeze.
Oh my god. He is definitely stalking me.
He must know I'm alone at the apartment. What if he knows the password to our house!? I can't go there if there's no security!
I quickly run to the second street on the corner, trying to keep my footsteps—and the bottles in the bag—from making too much noise and attracting him. I hide in the first alley I come across, but there's too much adrenaline in my system to realize where I even am. The sound of the kicked can in the dark alley makes me jerk my head back.
"Who...who's there!?" I say, trying to conceal my voice, but it cracks.
If it's the guard, I swear to God I'll call the police.
Wait... Ethan is on my speed dial!
I quickly grab my phone, trying to unlock it. As I successfully get to the call log, there's a feral sound from the darkness that makes me freeze in place. It doesn't sound human...
Is there a wild animal here?
"Hello?" Ethan's voice comes from the other side of the phone, and I see that I've already called him.
"Ethan... when will you come back?" I ask, trying not to sound scared—but I fail.
"Lay, what's wrong? Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asks, worry thick in his voice.
"Please come home quickly...." I whisper, holding back tears as more growls come from the shadows.
It's not a small animal.
"Layla, lock the doors from inside, sweetie. I'm coming. I just stepped outside the hospital."
"I'm not at home. I... I'm outside..... on the street behind the back of the society," I say, and hear him curse.
"Shit, Layla, didn't you listen to what the neighbors were yapping about to not go into the back streets?" His voice is full of panic, and I hear some thuds. He must have gotten into his car.
But it was too late.
The streetlight illuminates part of the alley, and my heart jumps to my throat when I finally see the creature.
It's a fucking tiger...What the hell?
No—it's a dead tiger, with no skin. It's just bones. But its eyes are red, and it has fangs the size of my arm.
Is it a zombie...?
It snarls at me, and my breathing speeds up.
"Layla, what was that noise?" Ethan asks, but the tiger growls again and I'm pretty sure Ethan hears it too.
Its gaze locks onto me. It bends its front legs, crouching...
It's going to pounce.
But I can't move.
Just like last time. I can clearly see death knocking on my door. I can't run. And now, I'm alone.
Not even Ethan is here to save me.
"Get out of the way!" someone yells.
I look behind me, and a huge ball of—something—energy?—comes hurtling toward me. My body instinctively ducks, and the blast hits the tiger, smashing it into the wall with a crash.
What the hell is happening!?
W...was that magic?
It can't be...
My breath catches in my throat as, in the next second, someone grabs my arm and jerks me upright. I find myself staring at the security guard—only now, he's dressed in...what? A cloak?
"Layla, what's happening!?" Ethan yells through the phone, but my attention is on the man in front of me. His eyes are glowing.
"Listen to me, you need to run back and lock yourself in the apartment. Don't come out until morning," he says. But then, his eyes widen at something behind me.
"GET AWAY!" he yells and throws himself over me, shielding me with his body just as the tiger leaps. We both crash to the ground.
"RUN!" he shouts, panic in his eyes, and I do—I run without thinking.
As I sprint out of the alley, I don't even realize I dropped my phone. But then, a horrifying scream echoes behind me. I glance back.
The tiger had ripped him in half.
His head is separated from his body.
My stomach lurches.
I'm going to vomit.
The tiger looks at me. Its white fangs are now red with blood. I try to swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
It's coming for me.....
It runs—and I'm too slow, too weak. It catches up.
I cover my body with my arms and close my eyes.
My end has come....
Then—another blast. Heat rushes over me. I open my eyes.
The tiger has been flung back again, slammed against the wall. Stunned I glance behind me, and now I know I'm hallucinating.
There's a huge black hole in the middle of the street, and standing in front of it is a living centaur. His palm faces the tiger.
He threw that blast?
Was that... a portal?
I feel dizzy. This must be a dream, it has to be a dream..
Another person steps out of the portal. I can't believe it.
This is NOT POSSIBLE.
The centaur nods at the cloaked figure, who suddenly draws a sword and strides past me, calm, fearless and slays the tiger in one blow.
I hear its final whines before it goes still.
I flinch as the centaur walks toward me.
"Wh...who are you?" I ask before my vision blurs. My legs give out.
"Kaya, calm yourself, my child. You will soon know about us—and especially about yourself."
That's the last thing I hear before everything goes black and someone lifts me into their arms.
--
Thick rays of sun hit my eyelids directly, making them twitch. I slowly open them—but immediately cover my eyes with my hand, cursing as the sunlight burns into my eyeballs.
Then I hear someone chuckle.
It must be Ethan.
Did I sleep so long that it's already morning?
"Don't laugh. I haven't had this much amazing sleep in ages. I had a such a weird and scary nightmare," I say as I sit up in bed, stretching my muscles.
"Did you? Strange..." Ethan said—no, not Ethan.
It wasn't his voice.
I snap my head toward the man—and scream when I see a stranger near my bed.
And… wait!
This isn't my bed.
These aren't even my clothes!
I quickly jump off the bed and back into the wall, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He's covering his huge ears with his hands to block out my screaming.
"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" I yell and rip the IV from my arm. The sharp pain is quick, but manageable.
"Hey! I put that in with effort. And how is it that you human girls scream so loudly?" he groans.
My brain stalls on one word.
Human.
"You're saying that like you're not human yourself!" I snap. He looked human. Except...
Those ears—they look... familiar.
"It's because I'm not! Don't you see these big-ass ears and realize I'm a Fae?" he says with a tone of frustration.
My eyes widen even more. I scream again, and he covers his ears again.
"You... you're lying, aren't you!? Please don't tell me those are real ears!" I say, my voice trembling.
He looks at me like he's had enough.
"Did you lose your memory or something? Don't you remember what happened last night?"
"What's with all the ruckus, Garran? Why am I hearing students talking about someone screaming in the healing chambers?" another voice calls, and I recognize it.
It's the same centaur from my dreams—or... it wasn't a dream, was it?
Another man stands beside him. But I can't look at him properly because all the memories from last night slam into me at once.
My knees buckle. I hit the wall and clutch my head as a blinding headache overtakes me.
Two people rush to my side. Garran—the Fae—asks, "What happened?"
"My head... is aching... badly," I grit out, closing my eyes.
"Help me get her to bed, Silas. She didn't even let the IV finish." Garran says, reaching for the needle again.
I push his hand away.
"How do I know you haven't poisoned it, considering you've kidnapped me!?" I snap at the trio standing in front of me.
"Leave it, Garran. Just heal her using your powers. We need her to trust us," the centaur says.
Garran places his hand on my forehead, and I can feel the pain slowly vanish. A strange sense of calm spreads through me.
Now I can finally take in my surroundings. It looks like some sort of infirmary—or healing chamber, as the centaur called it.
"How are you feeling?" he asks gently.
"Just get to the point. Who are you? Are you even real? And where the hell am I!?" I raise my voice in frustration, my head still dizzy as if I was dosed with a strong medicine at once.
Silas, the other man, immediately snaps at me.
"Speak with respect to our Headmaster, mortal. Don't raise your voice in front of him."
I freeze, surprised. Then I meet his eyes.
He looks no older than 26 or 27, but his face practically glows. He has human-like features, yet something about him is... otherworldly. His dark hair, piercing brown eyes, sharp jawline, and confident posture make him look like someone with power.
His outfit only adds to the image, a crisp white shirt, tight sleeves showing off muscular arms, a brown vest with gold detailing laced at the chest, brown trousers with black belts and dangling daggers, and heeled boots with accents. He even wears black fingerless gloves. piercing on his brow.
"It's fine, Silas. She has the right to know," the centaur says.
Silas clenches his jaw and then looks away.
"This is not your world, I'm afraid," the centaur begins, turning to me. "I brought you through that black portal to our realm. And thank heavens I reached in time to save you from that creature before it could kill you, Kaya."
I furrow my brows. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Layla."
He shakes his head.
"No, I haven't gotten you wrong, my child. There are many truths hidden from you. But first, you must eat and get cleaned up. The semester has not started yet, so there is still time to get you enrolled. Leave the admission process to me."
This old man is seriously making everything more confusing—and it's starting to make me angry.
"Listen, Mr.—or Headmaster—whatever you are. I do thank you for saving me last night. But I'm leaving. I want to go back to my world, where my family is waiting for me. So make someone else a fool, but not me," I say as I get off the bed and walk toward the door.
I'm surprised no one tries to stop me.
"You don't have a family there, Kaya. They were killed in the fire 11 years ago," the centaur says suddenly.
My blood freezes.
How does he know about my past?
"I know everything about you, Kaya. And let me tell you—if you go back to your world, you won't be safe anymore. He knows about you now."
He...?
Who is he?
My head throbs again. I ball my fists and speak without turning back.
"I do have a family. And he must be worried sick about where I am. So let me go."
"Are you sure you're his family?" the centaur says cryptically.
What does that mean?
I exit the door and walk through a corridor, trying to find any way out of this building. Ethan must be so worried.
As I enter another hallway, I stop in my tracks. Students are roaming the corridors.
But to my surprise, they look completely normal—aside from their dress codes and strange hair colors. Not like the mythical creatures I encountered earlier.
Maybe I can ask one of them where the exit is.
I approach a student who looks less intimidating. They stare at me with an unreadable expression—as if they didn't want a low-class-looking girl in a gown talking to them.
"Hi... um, can I ask where the exit is?" I ask nervously.
The person looks confused.
Can't they understand basic English?
"Oh, sorry, it's that way," another girl replies, smiling.
"Thank you so much," I say gratefully and start walking toward the exit.
But then I hear someone yelling, "Get away!"
Before I can react, a solid body crashes into me—knocking us both to the ground.