I opened my eyes, and found myself lying on a small bed, looking up at a flickering light up above. I did not recognize this room that I was in. But it was so tiny. If I were to guess, it was only four feet wide. And the low celiling was only a few inches away from my face. A wave of panic rushed over me. Was this where I was going to be kept? Was there even enough air for me to breathe here? I felt numb and dizzy, as I slid out of the bed and over to the door. Locked, of course. Ross was dead. I had been too late. He had looked as if he had only been dead for a short time. If I had only come here a few minutes earlier I could have saved him. But no, there was nothing I could do to help him now. That man would never breathe another breath. At least not on this earth. There was nothing for me to do now, except curl up into a ball on the floor and cry till my head throbbed and I had used up all of my tears.

  The one good thing about this whole thing was that Tyla wasn’t a part of it. Tyla was safe…for now. I closed my eyes and prayed that she would do as I had told her and leave when I didn’t show up. Yes, as long as she was safe, I had hope. I wanted her to get away. I didn’t want her to charge here to save me like the lovable little fool she was. I wanted her to do the right thing for once and be selfish in the smart way. I wanted her to do just what I had told her to do and run. In my mind she ran and got away well before Alexander could even begin to look for her. I imagined her going home. I imagined a fantasy world where Alexander would be too dumb to think to look for her there. Yes, I wanted her to be where she belonged and where she had wanted to be. I needed her to forget about me and be strong enough to leave me here. Soft footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts and dragged me back to reality. My heart skipped a beat.

  Do not speak, it whispered to me as the door was opened. I wasn’t going to give away a single word. I’m not giving Alexander anything to work with! The door creaked open as I swallowed a scream. Yes, it was Alexander who stood before me. Those tiny blue eyes were unmistakable. But his face was covered with deep red scars. I could even make out some stitching on his neck. He seemed frailer and skinnier than ever. His hands trembled as he closed the door behind him. His eyes drifted around the room slowly as if he were lost before landing on me at last. Were those scars my sister's doing? Goodness. It was a wonder this man was still alive. The scars on his neck looked dangerously deep, and one of the scratches on his face was centimeters away from his left eye.

  “Tiffany.” He smiled at me, or I think that was what he did. His face moved and his mouth sort of twisted upward. It was as if he had forgotten how to move his body parts. My fear melted away and shifted into anger as I remembered Ross’s lifeless body. In an instant I forgot all about my no- talking plan.

  “Why?” I demanded. “Why did you kill Ross?” He hadn’t deserved death.

  “He was refusing to give me the information I needed.” His voice, too, sounded emptier than ever.

  “So, you killed him?”

  “Yes.” I clenched my fists.

  “What about the others? A-are they dead too?”

  “No…” I sighed with relief. “No, they learned their lesson.”

  “Where are they? Can I see them?” He shook his head. What if they were dead? What if he was just lying to me so that he had something to threaten me with?

  “Why should I trust you then?”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Maybe, maybe you can see them after you help me.”

  “Haven’t I done enough for you?” What more did he want from me? What more could he take from me?

  “I thought you wanted answers as much as I did,” he said. Ross could have given me answers.

  “Not anymore, not from you.” There was a pause.

  “It’s good to have you back.” I kept my eyes on the floor. “Where’s your sister, Tiffany?” I could feel the blood in my veins freeze for a moment. Then I realized what a good thing that was. He didn’t know, he hadn’t found her, he couldn’t use her against me; Tyla was safe. That was all that mattered. I hadn’t failed. My friends weren’t safe. My parents weren't safe. But my sister was safe. This was how things should be. I felt an icy cold hand grip my shoulder and I flinched. “It’s only a matter of time, Tiffany. Only a matter of time before I find where she’s hiding,” Alexander hissed in my ear. I ignored him and prayed that my fear didn’t show on my face. His grip on my shoulder grew tighter as his thoughts grew more intense. His mind was a boiling, bubbling mass of blood and pain and behind it all, a dark, looming terror of death.

  “Your sister- she will come for you. You know this. She won't just leave you all alone.” I kept my voice calm and controlled.

  “That hasn’t happened yet. You can’t intimidate me with things that haven’t taken place yet,” I said slowly. Sparks of anger flared up in his mind. But he removed his hand from my shoulder and stood up. But I knew better than to let myself relax.

  “I’m not trying to intimidate you. I’m trying to make things easier, less painful for you."

  “Leave me alone.”

  “Not yet. I have a question for you. How did you hear of Ross and his people?” My lips were sealed tight. He wasn’t going to get that answer out of me. I gritted my teeth and looked away. No matter what, I needed to keep this secret as close as I could. “Tiffany, why so quiet? Answering me now will make things easier.” He was right behind me now. I bit my lips closed, so hard that I tasted blood. “I don’t want to hurt you.” I burst out laughing, I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t help it. I laughed and I laughed till my sides hurt.

  That was by far the worst lie I had ever heard in my whole life, and I had heard a lot of different lies. Hurt me, that was exactly what he wanted. This whole time he had been struggling to get me to react in some way. Now, as I laughed, his mind was filled with fantasies of ripping off my limbs, snapping my neck, and breaking my ribs. But below these violent fantasies was the understanding that that wouldn’t work. Once he realized once and for all that he couldn’t be like me, there would be nothing left in his tiny dark world but the desire to break me and see me hurt. Even he knew it was an awful lie.

  “I’m not talking to you anymore. You should go. It would be useless to stay.” Anger crossed his face, and he raised his hand as if to strike me. But he lowered his hand and thought better of it.

  “You will help me one way or another, Tiffany.” I waited till he was out of the room to let out the breath I was holding. I had made it through that, I had pushed him away. Why had I been so scared? I had all the power now. He didn’t have Tyla, I had no reason to talk. He could harm me in any way that he wanted, but that wouldn’t get answers out of me. My heart was racing again, but not from fear. It was racing from delight. Delight at this power that I never thought I could have. I could control him; I had something he wanted. And I had the power to keep it from him. With that understanding came a new kind of freedom. I wasn’t just his helpless little prisoner with no hope of ever leaving this dark, twisted place. I had power. I could negotiate. I could frighten him. There was still hope, freedom, and power.

  But what could I do now? I was a prisoner again. I buried my face in my hands. I couldn’t let myself keep thinking like this. What would Tyla be doing if she were here? Besides flinging herself against the door. She’d probably be trying to comfort me. She'd be talking about something happy. Giving me some kind of warm, cheerful memory to think about. But when I closed my eyes all I could think about was Ross. He could have given me the answers I needed. He could have taught me what I needed to know about my abilities. But he was gone now. He hadn’t deserved any of this! So no, I couldn’t do that. I opened my eyes and leaned back. It was then that I noticed the camera. Of course. Freedom and privacy, things I couldn’t be permitted to have. Was I being watched now? Was there some unseen face looking into mine right now? I shivered. I got up and climbed into the bed again. I hid myself under the covers. I just wanted my face to be out of sight, so I could cover the pain and despair, all of the fear that I was feeling. The thin, worn cloth would be my fragile veil. It was the only shield I could afford here in this awful place. It wasn’t much, but it was a tiny bit of security. Tyla, where are you now? I wondered. Hopefully far, far away.