I think I spoke too soon, much too soon.The day was slowly becoming disastrous, Lizzy and I were preparing lunch when I remembered that we had a new maid, and she was supposed to be helping out. Three hours had gone by since I sent her upstairs. “Lizzy, please keep an eye on things here while I check on the newbie upstairs.”I would rather not tell her that Mandy knew absolutely nothing about housework, I still had to find out what she was doing here to begin with.I hung up my apron and rushed upstairs, and to say I was horrified would be an understatement. Mandy hadn't done a thing, the rooms in the west wing were still not cleaned, and she was not even there. I searched every single room until I found her in Samu's room in the east wing.“Mandy, what the hell are you doing?” I shrieked the moment my eyes fell on her.She was wearing Samu's clothes and was busy applying makeup at the vanity mirror. “What does it look like I'm doing?” She dared to ask, glancing

“Are you sure don't want me to walk you in?” Lincoln asked when he pulled up outside my house where Alex was standing at the gate while my mother was sitting at our front door.I'm afraid, I was not as confident as I was when I grappled him into another round earlier.I shook my head as I reached for the door handle. “No, you will only make matters worse,” I said tentatively.Lincoln did not even feel the slightest of regret, me on the other hand? My stomach was as hard as clay, and I was literally shaking in my boots. It did not help that Lincoln had done me to the point of semi paralysis, I couldn't move or walk without making it obvious what exactly I'd been up to.“Hey.” He gently took my hand, and he met me with a tender kiss as soon as I turned in his direction. “You will be fine.”Thank goodness his windows were tinted, otherwise my mother would have buried us both alive. I climbed out of the car and sucked

“Azania!” I woke up to a strange voice calling my name. The room was dark, with a tiny flare of light peeking through a door above the staircase. Where am I? I wondered as I rose to my feet. Something didn't feel quite right, but I couldn't place my finger on it. I moved towards the door, feeling hollow, as if I were fleeting through time and space. It was so quiet, way too quiet; I couldn't even hear my footsteps against what, I assumed, was hardboard. I reached for the door, blinding light flooding in as soon as I opened it. I don't know what I was expecting to see when I opened my eyes, but I definitely did not expect to find myself in the forest. The leaves of the trees were whistling and their branches swaying with ease. Birds of different kinds, some exotic, were chirping joyfully and flying around. It was so lively and warm, like the first day of spring, there was no way this could be home. It was so strange.

Exhaustion was the new order of the day, I was dosing off but kept resisting sleep in fear that I would never wake up again. Laying in this bed was not going to help anyone, I still had to find answers, and on top of that, I needed to see what was happening out there. I hadn't attempted getting out of bed since I regained consciousness, the moment my feet touched down, all the blood rushed to my head, and I sat back down for a minute before my second attempt. I made my way to the bathroom and showered. Thankfully, my mother had brought me a toiletry bag and some clothes when I was admitted. I changed into pitch joggers and matching sweater, paired with sneakers. I wasn't sure whether to leave the bag behind or take it with me, but it was not as though I planned on coming back here. My mother would probably take it with her when she returned later, but still, I wasn't comfortable with leaving my things behind, unattended. I managed to sneak out of the hospital without running into

My legs could barely hold my weight, I sank to my knees, litter on the ground digging into my bare skin. I was trembling like a wimp as tears obscured my eyes, giving me a blurry and yet horrifying view of Alex's limp body on the ground. "He... help me." I almost thought I was starting to hear things again, but he made another weak attempt at speaking, "Help... me." That was like a morning alarm reminding me that I was late after countless snoozing. I quickly straightened up like a gear finally put in its place and I smeared my tears away with the back of my hands before I crawled to where he was at the speed of baby that has finally mastered the skill of racing on their knees. Alex could barely move a muscle, his scrubs were covered in blood, he was literally bleeding to his death. He could not even speak, and tears were rolling down the sides of his face. "He...he-help me," he forced out, taking a huge gulp as if to buy himself more time. How was I supposed to help him? He was