The following morning, I woke up more tired than usual. I also feel very cold. Ekaterina made the cave warm last night with her fire, so I shouldn’t be feeling cold. I try to stand up but find it challenging. Water drips from my forehead and lands on my hand. I look up to see if the cave has a hole and water is leaking through, but it doesn’t. Bringing my eyes back down, I notice my hands are wet and not only my hands my neck and face. Why am I sweating? I’m not hot. I’m cold. I try to lift myself off the ground, but I can’t. “Anastasia , what’s wrong?” Theo asks, rushing to my side. He must have noticed me struggling to get up. “I don’t know,” I whisper. My throat feels sore, and it hurts to speak. What’s going on? I look Theo in the eyes, pleading with him to help me. I’m scared. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. “Do you feel pain?” he asks, worried. I nod my head, saying yes. “Where do you feel the pain” I use my hands to gesture all over my body. “Do you know why you’re

“Theo, how do you know him?” I ask after Walden walks out. “This isn’t my first time running into hunters.” “Are you the one who gave him the scar on his face?” I ask to confirm my earlier suspicion. “Yes. I should’ve ripped his whole face off,” Theo snarls. “Do you know what he’s talking about when he says 'for what is about to come’?” “No. But knowing Walden, it isn’t something good for werewolves.” “I hope it's something we’ll be able to face, even in your condition.” “Once the silver is out of my system, we’ll have less to worry about. I’ll be able to get us out of here, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine,” Theo says, easing my worries away. “Okay, if you say so,” I say, leaning my back against the wall close to him. Theo wraps his arms around my waist and tries to pull me close to him, but I stop him. “Theo , you’re injured, you don't need my weight on you right now.” “Did I tell say that?” he asks, pulling me close to him. “You don't have to, it’s logica

When I wake up I’m back in the cell. I quickly check my body to see if I’m clothed, and I am. “Anastasia , are you awake?” Theo asks, sounding exhausted. “Yes, I am. Theo are you okay?” I ask, walking toward him at the back of the cell. “Theo !” I scream when I see the state he’s in. He’s worse than before. His shoulder has an open wound where the rogue was trying to bite it off. His face has claw marks all over. His neck has a vampire bite wound, and he seems to be sweating. I place my hand on his forehead to check his temperature and it's high. The silver in his body is taking time to come out, so it's making him sick. The wounds he has aren’t helping to speed things up. I quickly tear a piece of my shirt and tie his shoulder to try and stop the bleeding as much as I can. “Theo , you’re not looking good. We can't wait for you to recover before we try and escape. You’re badly injured and getting sick. It's going to take a lot to heal you. We need to come up with a new plan.” “

Two weeks have passed since we escaped the human fight ring. We finally entered vampire territory a few days ago. We waited a week after we escaped because Ekaterina fell sick. The silver protecting spell took an enormous toll on her body. Luckily for us, she recovered well and was able to cast a strong spell to help us enter vampire territory without raising suspicion. Things between Theo and I are the same. He treats me with respect, but other than that, nothing has changed. I wish it would because with him treating me with care, I find it hard not to have feelings for him. Sometimes I think about initiating something between us but don't ever follow through with it. I’m too shy, and I don't want to face rejection if I’m misreading his signs. Theo , Ekaterina, and I are on the streets in vampire territory, asking around for my Mom. I’ve asked more than a hundred people today, and none of them have seen her or know her whereabouts. I’m starting to worry that I’m too late in finding

The following morning, Mason and I go outside for his vampire test. I don't know if I want to be a vampire or not. It’ll explain why I can mask my scent and what happened that day with Lucas. He said he smelled a vampire when I hid my scent. “Mask your scent,” Mason says as we stand at the entrance of a cave. We came to the cave at dawn just before the sun rose. “Done,” I say after I do it. “Put your finger out.” I do as he says, and I wait for the burn to come, but it doesn’t. I close my eyes to numb any pain if it comes. I slowly open my eyes to see why I didn't burn. My finger is glittering. I’m blown away. “I’m like Edward right now,” I say, grinning, thinking about the Twilight books. The author did an excellent job in a lot of things regarding the supernatural. I walk out of the cave, still masking my scent, and bathe my body under the sun. “You look magnificent,” Mason says, smiling. “I know. Did your daughter also glitter under the sun?” “Yes, she did. I didn't want to