rising, the dread I’d felt earlier taking over until that was all I could feel, all I could focus on.
“What do I do?” I whispered. “Oh my God, what do I do?”
I couldn’t summon Corri, so what other chance of getting out of here did I have? Mila. My cousin must have known where I was, so maybe all I had to do was wait. Just sit tight and wait, because my Grim Reaper cousin would never leave me like this, locked and confused, not even knowing how I got here in the first place, who’s call it had been to abandon me in a white, cold room with only a barred window for sunlight and air.
I stayed like that, in the middle of my scattered clothes and bedsheets for what felt like forever. If I moved, I was afraid I would lose my mind and do something I’d regret later. All kinds of thoughts went through my head. I wanted to break down the door, I wanted to scream profanities at whoever was beyond it, I wanted to smash the furniture and make a weapon out of a chair leg, just in case I might need it later. I had no idea what I was dealing with here, and I had to remain calm. So, I didn’t move.
If I didn’t have my pixie, if I couldn’t teleport, if I didn’t have my scythe, and I couldn’t dream jump either, then who was I? What was left of me? Could I even say I was still Yolanda Aleksiev, student at Grim Reaper Academy, belonging to the Merciful Death Cabal?
I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.
I eyed the bathroom. Was there anything in there that I could use to get out of here? No. I didn’t even have a mirror. Maybe I should have gone through the things in the room one more time. In my frenzy, I might’ve missed something.
All these things were going through my head, and yet I didn’t move. My knees shook and my hands trembled as I kept them folded over my heart. Was I having a mental breakdown? Couldn’t anyone just get in here and tell me what was going on? Was I going insane? Maybe that was why they’d locked me in here. Because I was already insane. As I analyzed each and every thought that popped up, I had to admit that I wasn’t making much sense.
Footsteps down the corridor. They got closer and closer, and the next thing I knew, a key turned in the lock. My first thought was: Mila. Mila had come to save me. She’d come to shed light on everything and get me out of here. The door opened, and my smile fell when I realized it wasn’t Mila. A middle-aged woman dressed in blue scrubs walked in, followed by a man. He had fiery red hair, striking green eyes, and a splatter of freckles on his pale cheeks. He was tall and handsome, with wide shoulders and strong, defined muscles subtly showing through the black shirt he was wearing. He was dressed in what looked like a school uniform. Pinned on the chest of his uniform jacket was a badge that said “VDC”.
At first, he was taken aback by the state he found me in. The woman, who was clearly a nurse, tsked and started picking up my clothes off the floor.
“This is the third time you’re making a mess this week,” she mumbled.
“Could you please leave us alone?” the man asked.
I recognized his voice. I’d heard him before, seen him before. I knew his name, I just had to… dig it out of my brain.
“I’m sorry,” the nurse shook her head.
“I’ll make it worth your while.” His hand disappeared in one of his pockets, and he pulled out some cash.
The woman eyed the money, biting the inside of her cheek. Eventually, she gave in.
“Alright, but she has to take her medication first.”
The man sighed. “No, please. No medication. Not yet. Just let me have a normal conversation with her for once.” He pulled out more cash.
The nurse placed the clothes she’d just folded on a shelf in the wardrobe, took the money, and left. Before she closed the door behind her, she threw over her shoulder:
“Be careful, Mr. Krause. She’s dangerous.”
The door clicked shut.
Mr. Krause.
My eyes met his deep green eyes. He gave me a warm smile, and that was when it all came back to me. He was Davien Krause. The incubus, student