𝕸𝖘. 𝕴𝖓𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖚𝖘 (𝕻𝖆𝖑𝖆𝖞𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖞𝖆𝖑𝖊 - 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 1)

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖝𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓 (16) - Revised

My eyes blink open suddenly, a bright light obscuring my vision. The white eventually dies down, the circular light on the ceiling coming into view. Confusion sweeps through me. Where... am I?

I move to stand, my limbs numb and shaking, barely holding my weight as I force myself to stand slowly. My gaze catches on the mirror in my dazed state, and at first the only thing I notice is my own reflection. Dirty blonde hair was unkempt and falling out of it's simple braid that Remington had done for me, strands sticking to my sweaty forehead. Shirt rumpled, mismatched eyes were blown wide with fear and uncertainty and-

A gasp tears itself from my throat, echoing around the bathroom. I stumble back, my eyes widening as I slam against the bathroom wall, back burning with the pain of the impact.

I can't look away.

Does this mean... they've found me? No, please. Please tell me I'm wrong. Not here. They can't know I'm here. They'll take me back. They'll hurt them. Kill them. Kill me.

Carved into the broken shards of the bathroom mirror are crudely etched words- blood oh gosh thats blood leaking from the cracks- and my number. Please, no, please.

NUMBER THIRTEEN, WE FOUND YOU

The words echo in my head, over and over and over and over. My brain stumbles over every single one, tears gathered in clumps on my eyelashes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Everything shrinks down to those words, that number. Its all I can see, all I can hear echoing in my head in my own terrified voice. I go silent, body trembling, gasping quietly for air as terror fills every inch of me. They can't know I'm here. Not here, not here with my vampires. They've never done anything here at the house, how did they know I was here? How did they know?!

"Elizabeth?!"

I hear the door to our room slam open, Remington suddenly appearing next to me. I didn't even feel him coming closer. Sebastian and Emerson arrive mere milliseconds later, both immediately noticing the walls.

I didn't see the walls before. There's blood on the mirror, the walls, the floor. It's everywhere. Looking down to my hands, only now noticing their wetness, a shaky exhale falls from my parted lips. Crimson coats my fingers, too, but there is no pain. It's... It's not mine, is it? Whose blood is that? Did I do that? I had to've. I don't feel anything but the adrenaline tearing through my system could be numbing out the pain. Turning my hands over reveals blood seeping from sliced wounds that fester with my shadows. Did my shadows do this? Did I do this?

Remington wraps his arms around me in concerned confusion as I break down in quiet, near silent sobs, hands held firmly to my ears as if to block out the world around me and eyes clenched shut so tightly it hurts. The room darkens, shadows swelling in the corners as the dark tendrils race up my body, writhing anxiously in tune to my emotions. "Hey, hey, calm down, my love! Sebastian, help her!" Remington's voice grows pained, and I can feel his heartrate beginning to speed up as well.

The world dulls, sounds becoming fainter and more wobbly. The noises fade in and out as I gasp in breath after breath, the tears leaking down my face at a rapid pace. My ankle burns with a fierce fire as the comforting tingles from Remington disappear entirely and another sob forces me to curl up into a tighter ball. No, come back, come back. Please. Panic swells within me as someone grabs my face. There's no comfort. Safe... not safe- not safe. Its not Remington, I'm not safe.

'Honey, it's okay. We're here, nothings gonna hurt you.-' Andy begins, but I don't hear him, the static of the repeating words of no safety blocking anything else out, 'Remington, she's having a severe panic attack. She's hyperventilating!'