Their Prophecy

New

Ana Wells was the new name the girl had been given to memorize.

She was never to speak of her parents, of the Rosario estate, or leave the premises of the gym without the woman named Eve who was tasked with making sure the girl dressed properly and made it to her tutoring sessions. They'd tried to dye her hair black, to conceal her blonde curls, but it always washed out during her baths, leaving her hair just as vibrant as it had been the night before.

It was a bit confusing at first for Ana, if only because she was confined in a sleek building, away from any decent-sized forest.

No faerie.

No Augur.

Or at least, nobody seemed to realize the Augur was nearby. Nobody else heard the call of the elder tree or felt the pull of the mushrooms. And nobody was aware of the girls' rapidly building hunger.

Nearly a week had passed since her separation with Zechariah and she'd tugged at Eve's pant leg. "I need my link."

The woman had been shocked by the statement. "You have a link?"

A knock at the door had sounded then and, as if she'd summoned him, the brute stood in the doorway, eyes flashing a telling green. Eve had been frightened of the sudden arrival of another fully grown male Pureblood but when Analise had thrown herself at him, her teeth ripping into his extended wrist, Eve had understood what was happening.

It would be nearly impossible to completely separate linked Purebloods.

It was a wonder that the man stayed away at all.

After Ana fed from him, he'd held the girl for a while and Eve had watched as he hummed her into a deep sleep, tucking her neatly into her bed before offering her a small nod and exiting without a single word.

When Ana had eventually roused from her stupor, looking much more refreshed than before, she asked, "Are there any books?" Eve had taken her to the library one level below them where she'd picked out a few books she was interested in, then to the pool another level below that where they both swam for a bit to get some energy out. There was an entire hotel hidden beneath the gym, housing hundreds of refugees seeking sanctuary, with all the amenities necessary to keep them underground.

Each resident had their assigned tasks and duties within the premises and if they had a shift to cover within the gym, they would move to the top floor prior to opening, and only come back down after the gym was closed to the public.

As she happily kicked about in the water, Ana asked many pertinent questions, questions one wouldn't expect from a toddler. Like why this place was built. What kind of security system it had. Whether or not there were any other Purebloods within these walls.

The answer to that had been no.

Most of the creatures in this sanctuary were humans or shifters.

Elves usually chose to be sent back to their original tribe. The few that did stay were here because they'd been born into s*****y with no memory of where they had originated or, in some cases, they were wanted and it was safer to stay hidden.

Typically, Purebloods were the oppressors the rest of the group were hiding from. Generally, they weren't welcome here.

"Will they try to kill me?" the girl asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Eve had been alarmed by the question. "Why would you think that?" The girl, unable to explain her prior living situation, just gave a slight shrug. Shaking her head vehemently, the woman said, "If you're here, it means Cliff took you in and everybody here trusts his judgment. This is a safe space. Free of violence." Cliff would never condone of violence within the sanctuary.

"Will you take me on a walk?" the girl wondered, still kicking about.

Eve gave a small smile. "Sure."

. . .

After a quick bath, Ana had been brought to a track where there was a group of children that seemed to be racing each other.

"We can walk here," Eve offered.

Ana frowned down at her shoes, at the track, and up at toward the ceiling. "I meant outside."

"We must stay inside for now," Eve insisted. "It's not safe to leave the premesis."

And so they'd walked.

Ana noticed the curious gaze of the kids and made no move to approach them. The last time she'd approached a group of children, they'd scattered about like cockroaches, their parents grabbing them up like she was some kind of elf-eating monster.

"Hello!" Eve waved to the children.

To Ana's surprise, a few waved back. "Hi Eve!" one called out.

"Whose the new kid?!" another called out.

Ana glanced in their direction, c*****g her head in surprise. They were all humans and making their way toward them, running in their direction now, all smiles. When three of them halted directly in front of Ana, she was surprised by the curiosity in their expressions. It was two older boys who appeared to be complete opposites of each other, one short, brunette, with a darker complexion, the other a string bean and light enough to blind oncoming traffic in the sun, his hair an almost white blonde. The girl, positioned between them, looked a tad younger, and she didn't hesitate to make an astute observation. "You're so cute!" Turning to the boys, the girl said, "Right? Isn't she adorable?"

Ana was confused by the observation.

"How old are you?" the white boy asked.

The other one promptly pinched Ana's cheek.

Stunned, the girl just stared up at them, at a loss of words with how direct they were. Completely unafraid. "What did I tell you about keeping your hands to yourself, Garrison?" Eve said, putting her hands on her hips.

The boy dropped his hand, giving a sheepish grin. "You look like a chipmunk."

A chipmunk?! Ana glanced to Eve for confirmation, to see if what the boy said was true.

"She does not," Eve said, shaking her head. Glancing down at the girl, she added, "Don't listen to him."

"I'll call you Cheeks," Garrison laughed, puffing his cheeks at her.

"Aw, stop it! You're embarrassing her!" the girl said, shoving at the boy.

"It was a compliment," he chuckled.

"In what world?" the other boy snorted.

"Just ignore them," the girl said, crouching down to have a better look at Ana. "My name is Rem. You know, like REM sleep." She gave a cheesy grin and the white boy cackled.

"She's like four years old, she doesn't know what REM sleep is, Rem." Then glancing at Ana, he quirked a brow. "Do you?"

Ana gave a slight nod. She'd read about the REM cycle before. While it was a nightly necessity for humans, Purebloods rarely needed to reach that cycle of sleep. They could go without if necessary, but after a few months they might suffer from delusions and occasional breaks from reality. It was best to take the time to rest to avoid that.

"Impressive," the boy said, giving a gap-toothed smile. "I'm Bert."

"Like Bert and Ernie," Rem giggled.

That reference, Ana didn't understand at all.

"You know," the girl pressed. "From Sesame Street?"

"Which street?" Ana wondered aloud, glancing curiously up at Eve.

Garrison snorted loudly at the question and Rem looked horrified. "Oh, Eve, you've gotta show her Sesame Street! It's a right of passage, you know?!"

"So dramatic," Bert rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright," Eve said, motioning for the kids to calm down. "We were just about to go for a walk."

"Outside," Ana pressed, frowning up at the woman who took her hand, giving a firm head shake no. Ana frowned, scuffing her feet. "Can I take my shoes off at least?"

"The floor is dirty," Eve insisted, shaking her head no once more.

Ana frowned deeply now.

When Garrison used his fingers to push at the edge of Ana's lips upward into a smile, she didn't hesitate to bite him.

With a tsk, the boy took his finger back, looking struck as the little girl licked her lips. Rem and Bert laughed loudly at Harrison's shocked expression. "Damn," he muttered, sounding breathless.

"Language," Eve warned sternly, tugging at Ana's hand, to start the most boring walk the little girl had ever had the misfortune of enduring. No trees, no grass, no animals, and all while wearing these horrible, toe-suffocating shoes.

Glaring up at yet another light fixture hanging overhead, the little girl heaved an unhappy sigh.

There may be no assassins trying to snuff the girl out within this building, but there wasn't any sunlight either.