The Girl Who Wasn't Supposed To Survive

The first thing Elena Vale heard that night was the sound of glass breaking. She had been sitting cross-legged on her bed with a book open in her lap, although she hadn't turned a page in nearly ten minutes. The storm outside had been growing steadily worse, and every few seconds lightning illuminated the bedroom through the thin curtains, turning the familiar walls white before plunging them back into darkness. Her father hated thunderstorms. He had never admitted it, but Elena had noticed it when she was younger. The way he would stop whatever he was doing whenever thunder rolled across the mountains, the way his eyes would drift toward the windows as though he expected something to appear beyond them. Tonight, however, he had seemed particularly uneasy. He had disappeared into his study almost two hours earlier, telling Elena that he needed to work and that she should stay upstairs until he called her. It wasn't unusual for him to be secretive, but something about the way he had said it had bothered her. Then the glass broke. Elena's head snapped toward the bedroom door. For a moment, she didn't move. The house was silent except for the rain beating against the roof and the wind pushing violently against the old wooden windows. She waited for her father to call out, perhaps angry because one of the windows had shattered. Instead, she heard nothing. Then came a voice. “Run.” Her father's voice. Elena's stomach tightened. “Dad?” No answer. She pushed herself off the bed and opened the door. “Dad?” Still nothing. She stepped into the hallway. Then his voice came again, louder this time. “ELENA!” She ran. Her bare feet struck the wooden floor as she rushed toward the staircase. She nearly slipped on the final step and grabbed the railing to steady herself before continuing toward the study. The door was open. Papers were scattered across the floor, books had been pulled from their shelves, and one of the desk drawers hung open as though someone had searched through it in a hurry. Her father was nowhere to be seen. “Dad?” Her voice trembled. She walked farther into the room, her eyes moving rapidly from one corner to another. The window behind the desk was shattered, and rain was pouring across the wooden floor. A cold breeze swept through the room. Then she saw the blood. It wasn't much. Just a thin line of red disappearing toward the broken window. Elena stopped breathing. “No.” She rushed toward the desk. Her father's phone lay beside an overturned lamp. The screen was still lit. There was a message. Her hands shook as she picked it up. DON'T TRUST ANYONE. Elena stared at the words. “What happened?” Another message appeared. Her heart hammered against her ribs. ESPECIALLY THE MAN WITH THE SILVER RING. She looked around the room. “What man?” The phone suddenly went black. At the same moment, every light in the house went out. Elena froze. Darkness swallowed the room. She could hear the rain. Her own breathing. And then— footsteps. Behind her. Slow. Measured. One step. Then another. Elena turned around. A man stood in the doorway. He was tall, dressed in black, with rainwater dripping from his dark hair onto his coat. His face was partially hidden by the darkness, but Elena could see enough to know that he wasn't someone she had ever seen before. Then lightning flashed. And she saw the ring. Silver. On his right hand. Elena's blood ran cold. The stranger looked at her for several seconds before saying her name. “Elena Vale.” She backed away. “How do you know my name?” He took one step forward. “Your father told me you'd ask that.” “My father?” “He also told me exactly what you'd do next.” Elena's fingers tightened around the phone. “What?” The stranger looked toward the hallway. Then back at her. “You'll run.” A gunshot exploded somewhere downstairs. Elena screamed. The stranger moved instantly. He crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her wrist. “Let me go!” “Listen to me.” “Who are you?” “You don't have time.” Another gunshot thundered through the house. Closer this time. The stranger's grip tightened. “If you stay here, you will die.” Elena stared into his eyes. There was something strange about him. He wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for her. She pulled against his hand. “Why should I believe you?” “You shouldn't.” The answer caught her off guard. He released her. For half a second, neither of them moved. Then the hallway filled with footsteps. The stranger looked toward the door. “They found you.” “Who?” He looked back at her. “Everyone.” The bedroom door at the end of the hallway burst open. Elena didn't wait to see who had entered. She ran. The stranger followed. They reached the window at the end of the corridor, and Elena stopped abruptly.