CHAPTER 5

Alisha POV

Before I woke up, it seemed to be years. My heart pounded furiously, ready to burst at any moment. I retrieved the glass from my nightstand and drank the water down my dry throat. Even when it was completely calm in my room, my own cries from the dream kept ringing in my ears.

"Alisha?" From afar, Mom shouted. I felt some comfort when I heard her voice. I wasn't ensnared in the dream; I was still living.

I sprang up from the bed and hurriedly changed out of my clothing since I had no clue what was on them—blood, fire, or sweat. Before my mother entered my room, I sprinted into the restroom. She must have at least overheard me yelling.

I let out another scream, and when I saw that the mirror was once again covered in blood, I stumbled backward onto the tiled floor. This time, since blood was trickling down, the lettering was unique and new.

Hell is expecting you, they say.

My hands shook. Mom quickly entered the bathroom and immediately saw everything. She stepped back, and the color left her face.

I said, "Oh, my God." She took a smell as she leaned in closer. I saw blood. Alisha, whose blood is this? She asked me the pertinent questions right away.

I got up from the floor and massaged my behind. I grabbed a robe and put it on before saying, "I don't know and I can't take this joke any longer." The last time, I attempted to erase the writing, but this time, I was going to succeed.

As I should have done earlier, I made a direct call to the police. I was now certain that it wasn't Hannah or my buddies. If Dad was the one performing these tricks on me, the police would be informed.

I was still trembling in dread of going through what I had just experienced when the Hilford PD sent two officers to my house. Whoever was making this horrible prank was undoubtedly mad.

Yet why?

Why me?

Mom, who had just returned home, expressed her own fear. While wearing her job attire, she muttered.

Did you notice anybody? While the police attempted to clean the blood off my bathroom mirror, I hushed her and asked.

I didn't see anybody, so no. When did this start happening? She tightly gripped my elbow. Her face started to grimace.

Since last night, I shivered and felt my skin's hair stand up. Even still, the writing was the same. There was something else written.

"Alisha, is everything all right?"

I shook my head and continued to be frustrated while gazing at a blank wall. The answer is, "I don't know, Mom."

The nightmare I had seen was one of the most horrifying ones imaginable. I had never experienced a feeling that was both so genuine and so unreal. I trembled once more and hurried out of my room to get some fresh air when I saw the wailing baby, the mother, the blank guy, the tree, and the woman.

The cops wiped the blood and the door locks before leaving my room. The doors don't show any signs of entry, and this," he lifted his hand and showed me the blood they had traded, one of them came closer. "We can tell it's new blood from a renegade by the fragrance of it. In order to determine precisely whose blood it is, we will conduct a few tests on this and that.

The sight of blood made my stomach turn inside out and boil. I just wanted to throw up my whole body.

"Who would do this? Why?" I exhaled deeply.

We can determine that someone is seeking revenge since you informed us that this has occurred before. We can provide this to the Beta if you're okay with it.

"No, no!" I began by putting my arms over my chest. Don't tell him, please. I was aware of what would happen if my father found out.

"Okay, Miss. This sample will be tested together with the others that we have collected. I'm hoping we can figure this out fast. But we'll need to approach higher authorities if you want police protection. The policeman went on.

The Beta was intended by higher authorities.

"No, it's all right now. Thank you for being here.

They both stepped out the door when the officer nodded. I took a deep breath and leaned my back against the door, tightly closing my eyes. Mom came over and consoled me; she had troubled eyes that were looking for solutions.

I ought not to have phoned them. I pressed into her chest and said to myself. My racing thoughts were pleased by her body's warmth.

"No, darling, you did well."

Simply said, "I just hope they won't tell Dad." My eyelids drooped, and then it vanished.

Surely they won't, I think.

Not in a good manner, Dad had an obsession with Mom. For most of their marriage, he mistreated her physically, manipulated her, and called her names. When they split up, he repeatedly harassed her and threatened to murder her if she didn't follow him. Dad didn't want to divorce her, so after several disagreements and conflicts, they decided to live apart.

Mom was finding the separation to be beneficial, but sometimes he would storm in and rage at her, sometimes even at me. Though not as often as when he was with another woman, he would soon return and resume manipulating Mom.

"Let me prepare a quick breakfast. You should prepare for school and leave right away. After all the loud noises, I could still hear her sweet voice.

I gently got back to my feet and crossed to the chamber I had started to fear. My senses were heightened as I splashed a little warm water on my face. I stared at my face for many long minutes, seeing how my eyes were becoming heavier after the restless night and the busy day.

What have I done, oh God?

Before leaving for school, I gave myself a tiny grin of optimism. The sky was made lighter when the sun emerged from the town's corner. Today's weather included thick clouds and high winds. Strange. I really loved the cold and braced myself against it for as long as I could after all the heat from the previous night.

Compared to being burnt, that was much better.

When Hannah discovered me, she approached me from the gates. "Hello!" She huffed. I just received your message. Is everything okay?

"Yeah. Right now. I laughed.

"Really?" She asked incredulously. I want to know who is having sex with you so that we may jointly beat that person up. She gave me a little jolt, which made me worry about how she was acting so early in the day.

"No, no problem. I informed the police that I hoped they would be able to apprehend the perpetrator. I chuckled at my pal as I said.

I stopped at the door of the room where the morning assemblies were typically held and inhaled shakily. We had designated spots in the front as we were in the sixth form and our graduation was just a term away.

"Who are you here for?" Hannah questioned while seated.

I sank to the seat next to her while keeping my gaze fixed across the hallway in an effort to identify the person she was pointing to.

"Lucas?" I saw him and my heart sank. He was speaking to a teacher while she was nearby about anything. Was he ever seen again? Why was he in this place? Might he be—?

"No. I was referring to the Alpha. I was pushed to the seat by Hannah when she grasped my wrist. "Wait. Is Lucas present? She turned her head towards my direction of vision.

Wait.

What?

When Hannah's statement had time to sink in, I changed the directions and turned to face the other direction of the hallway, where the Alpha's appearance caused my mouth to open wide.

Shit.

Fuck