LOGINAlina POVThe kitchen smelled like syrup and warm bread.But I couldnât feel hungry.âYou should take your sleeping medicine,â Dad said again, placing a plate of pancakes in front of me like it was just another morning.It wasnât.Nothing had felt normal in a long time.I stared at the plate for a moment before letting out a small sigh.âI canât be on sleeping pills my whole life,â I whispered.Dad didnât answer immediately.He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. For a few seconds, he just looked at meâcareful, quiet, like he was trying to understand something I wasnât saying out loud.âItâs a six-month course,â he said finally. âYouâre supposed to complete it. Itâs only been three months and you already stopped.ââI didnât stop,â I said softly, still avoiding his eyes. âI just⊠didnât like how they made me feel.ââTheyâre supposed to help you sleep,â his voice tightened slightly. âNot make things worse.âI pushed the plate a little away.My appetite disappeared complete
Alina POVThe night never really ends for me anymore.It just repeats.Soft darkness. Silent room. The same suffocating stillness that always feels heavier at this hour.And then it comes.âYouâre so tightâŠâThe voice slips into my sleep like it was waiting there all along.Low. Close. Wrong in a way I canât explain.My body reacts before my mind doesâlike it already knows whatâs coming.I try to move.I canât.It feels like Iâm trapped inside something heavy, something that presses down on my chest and steals every bit of control I have over myself.âNo⊠pleaseâŠâMy voice doesnât sound like mine.Itâs smaller. Fragile. Broken at the edges.Then everything begins to fracture.Musicâtoo loud, too close.Lights flashing in patterns I canât follow.Laughter somewhere behind me.Footsteps.My name being called.Again.And again.Each time further away.Each time more desperate.I try to answer.I really do.But nothing comes out properly.It feels like Iâm underwater, watching everything
**Harrison POV**âSorry.âHer voice is so quiet I almost miss it.I look at her, frowning slightly. Sheâs curled into herself on the bed, arms wrapped tightly around her body like sheâs trying to hide from the entire world. Her eyes flick up to me for a second, confused and vulnerable, before dropping again.Something about that look twists uncomfortably in my chest.I shouldnât be here like this.I swallow slowly, forcing my gaze away from her for a moment. My jaw tightens as I drag a breath through my nose.The medicine is already working.I can feel it.A slow heat starts spreading through my body, subtle at first but impossible to ignore once I notice it. My muscles feel tighter, restless under my skin, like something inside me has been switched on.Damn it.Right on time.Every three months.The same damn cycle.My fingers curl slightly at my sides as I try to steady myself. I knew this would happen the moment I checked my watch. Thatâs why I took the pill. Itâs supposed to keep
Alina POVEverything feels wrong.Like the world has been wrapped in thick fog and Iâm trapped somewhere inside it. My thoughts wonât stay still long enough to make sense of them. They slip away the moment I try to grab them.My body doesnât feel like mine anymore.Itâs trembling, stiff, restless all at once. I canât understand whatâs happening to me. Every small sound feels too loud. The scrape of a chair, someone shifting their weight, even the quiet hum of the roomâit all makes my heart slam harder against my ribs.I keep waiting for something bad to happen.Like danger is already here⊠just hiding in the corners.My breathing comes out uneven, shaky. I pull my arms around myself and squeeze as tight as I can, like Iâm trying to hold my own body together before it falls apart. The pressure helps a little. Not much, but enough to keep me from completely losing control.The only clothes on my body was my panty that was cling to my skin. Damp. Cold.I hate the feeling.âAlina⊠relax.â
Harrison Pov The hotel room was silent, the hum of the air conditioner filling the emptiness. Alina lay on the bed, completely still, as if she had vanished from the world. Hours had passed. Hours of nothing but waiting. I sat beside her, my phone trembling in my hand as I scrolled through her preliminary report. Each word was a blow. Each line made my chest tighten. The substance in her blood didnât exist. No name, no classification, no logic. Not medicine. Not anything meant to heal. It was experimentation. Pure, deliberate manipulation. She had been drugged. No one could tell with what. Some of the terms triggered memories that werenât mineâfragments, flashes of knowledge I couldnât fully grasp. I searched online, desperate, but it was useless. I deal in law. Evidence, facts, argument. Science like this⊠it was a foreign language, and it made me feel helpless. Past midnight. Dr. Marshall. He would be asleep, probably, tucked away in his quiet house. My thumb hovered over t
We reached the hotel. I didnât even wait for Arc to stop the carâI jumped out, sprinting toward the reception desk.âHow may I help you, sir?â the lady behind the counter asked, her voice calm and professional.âIâm Harrison Hayes,â I said, my breathing coming fast, heart pounding in my chest.âYes, Mr. Hayes,â she replied quickly, signaling to another staff member. âThe security room is this way.ââWhereâs the school prom party happening?â I asked, eyes darting around the lobby.âItâs in the main hall,â the security guard answered. âGo straight, then take a left.â He paused, studying my expression. âYou want to check the cameras to find her, donât you?ââArc will go with you,â I said, glancing back just as Arc caught up, slightly out of breath.âStay connected with me on call,â I told him, already turning toward the hallway. My pulse hammered in my ears as I rushed toward the hall, praying she was safeâsomewhere inside, surrounded by her friends.The strong smell of alcohol and smoke






