How had this become my life? I stared at the ropes binding my wrists, rough against my skin. I was supposed to be at the library, not… this.

The bloodstains on the table's edge told me I wasn’t imagining things. This was real.

The soft hum from the other side of the room made me freeze. I looked up, my breath catching as she stepped closer.

Her green eyes gleamed, calm and focused, as if she hadn’t just— Don’t think about it.

“I brought you food,” she said, her voice unnervingly soft.

“I-I’m not hungry,” I stammered, shrinking back.

She crouched in front of me, setting the tray down. “You need to eat.”

Her knife glinted at her waist, a reminder of what she could do.

“Don’t be scared,” she murmured, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

“Don’t be scared?” My voice cracked. “You—you killed people!”

Her expression didn’t change. “I saved you.”

“What?” My pulse roared in my ears.

“They would’ve hurt you,” she said, her tone sharper now. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I don’t need saving! I need to go home!”

She frowned, almost hurt. “I can’t let you go. If I do, they’ll find you, and I won’t be there to stop them.”

“Who are they?”

Her jaw clenched. “You wouldn’t understand.”

No, I didn’t understand anything. Especially her.

“Why me?” I asked weakly.

Her gaze softened, the calm in her eyes almost worse than her anger. “You’re different. I’ve noticed you... for a while now.”

My stomach twisted. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll see.” She reached out, brushing her fingers over the ropes. “I’ll keep you safe. No one will hurt you again.”

Safe? From who? From her?