Cynthia Dion: "What the heck?" I panicked, moving away from the blood, but it was everywhere. I didn't even realize I had hit my head somewhere and passed out--was this really happening? "You shouldn’t have met him," I heard a weak whisper from the top of the staircase. "He's really angry with you--" she squeaked again, struggling to breathe. "Who's there?" I asked fearfully, staring at the top of the staircase but stepping back until my back touched the wall. I was holding onto the broom tightly. I saw a shadow moving towards the staircase before the noise grew louder, and the shadow tumbled down with a lot of noise and screams. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screams scared me, making me scream too and cover my ears. With each step she tumbled down, I heard a loud thud. Soon, a body hitting the floor filled the hallway until everything became silent again. I was breathing heavily now, looking around and waiting for things to calm down before I decided to make a run for the door. Forget about the punishment. I'd had enough. Just as I thought it was safe to leave, I heard someone screaming and reaching out to me. "YOU WILL PAY!" The loud noise seemed to be directed at me. I threw the broom and started sprinting as if my life depended on it. I kept running, but the door seemed to keep moving away. I was starting to feel dizzy too. The temperature had dropped dramatically as well. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I screamed, still running even though I couldn’t reach the exit. "You will paaaaaayyyyy!" The voice sounded even angrier this time. My progress stopped when I noticed a bucket full of soapy water on the ground. "What's going on?" I slowed down and eventually came to a stop because it felt like I kept getting back to the bucket. "No! No! Please, let me out," I shouted repeatedly as the lights flickered and the crying voices turned into loud cackles. The demonic laughs made me try to escape, but I only managed to trip on the wet floor and hit my head hard. I heard footsteps getting closer, and even though I was scared, I couldn't move at all. The wet feeling under my head was gone. The floor had dried up; there was no blood there anymore. I had hurt myself when I fell, but it wasn’t too bad. However, due to being hungry and stressed, I seemed to faint. Through my blurry vision, I saw someone kneeling beside me. I was scared for a moment until the person slid their hands under my body and lifted me into their arms. I heard a few guards whispering, but the person carrying me hurriedly took me out of the hallway."Atticus! Put her down. Let the guards handle her," Rosalie's angry voice was clear even though I was in a dazed state. I recognized it from the scent: the person carrying me was someone my wolf had trusted before. However, I didn't feel any strong connection to him at that moment. "Atticus!" Rosalie grumbled, but he managed to get me out of the school. Finally, he placed my body in the backseat of a car. "I don’t have time for arguments. Can't you see the state she's in?" Atticus didn't even close the car door completely before he started shouting at Rosalie, who I think had followed us to the car. I could barely hold onto my consciousness, so it wasn't easy to open my eyes. "The guards can take her to the hospital. Or call the older guy who she likes fuc-----," I didn’t hear Rosalie finish her sentence. "Don't ever mention them together in one sentence, Rosalie!" Atticus’ voice was filled with anger and authority, causing her to fall silent. "Now let her rest," Atticus murmured and closed the door firmly. After just a few seconds, I felt both the driver's side and passenger side doors opening and then closing. "Don't think I'll ever leave you alone with her," Rosalie said quietly, indicating that she had joined him. Atticus drove the car for a few minutes before it stopped once again. "Our order must be ready. Go get it," he told Rosalie, who didn’t respond to him for a minute before sighing and getting out of the car. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since she left that Atticus also got out of the car, but only to open the door and crawl into the backseat. "I know you're awake," he whispered, gently sliding his arm under my body and pulling me against his chest. "I'm tired," I whispered, no longer pretending to be unconscious. I was actually pretending earlier, but I was too weak to sit up. I didn’t understand why he was holding me, but I allowed him to bring me closer and even wrap his arms around me in a hug. "I saw something---," I raised my head and whispered, looking into his eyes. I was once again paralyzed by what I had seen in his gaze. "The lack of oxygen in that area can cause hallucinations. Just stay calm and forget about it," he said, cupping my face in his strong hands and speaking gently. His hands were so large that my face felt small in comparison. I could have moved away, but I didn't. I needed comfort, and a mate is the only one who can provide that. Everything in my life has always been a mess, and now my whole life seems like a mess. Turning eighteen didn't bring me any relief. Things only got dirtier after I reached the legal age. "I'm feeling very light and empty!" I said, confused. I didn't understand, but it seemed like I had lost something--maybe a part of myself. He was gazing at my face as if he'd never seen me before. And then I noticed his eyes moving down to my lips. I swallowed when he did. He leaned in towards my lips and brushed his against mine, giving me goosebumps. He pressed his hands gently against my cheeks, deepening the kiss and then released my face, pulling me closer.