Not Safe

Chapter 7

The journey to the safe house felt longer than Elara imagined.

She spent most of it staring through the car window, watching the familiar streets slowly disappear behind them.

The farther they travelled, the more disconnected she felt from the life she had known.

Her school.

Her room.

Her friends.

Her mother.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She still couldn't stop thinking about the woman they had left behind.

She hoped she was okay.

She had to be okay.

Elara wasn't ready to accept anything else.

The car eventually turned onto a narrow road surrounded by trees. There were no signs, no nearby houses, and barely any indication that anyone lived there at all.

Then the trees opened.

Elara stared.

A massive mansion stood in the middle of the property.

It was beautiful, but there was something strange about it.

It didn't look abandoned or hidden.

It looked lived in.

The house was enormous, with wide windows, several balconies, and enough space around it for children to run around and play.

Elara frowned.

Children?

Had children actually lived here?

She looked at the large garden.

For some reason, she imagined herself running through it as a little girl.

The thought made her chest ache.

Maybe this was where she would have grown up if the people hunting her had simply left her and her mother alone.

Maybe she would have known who she was.

Maybe her entire life wouldn't have been built on lies.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the present.

Whatever this place was, they were here now.

Elara stepped out of the car.

Her eyes wandered toward the mansion.

She noticed several framed photographs through the glass doors as they entered.

One of them caught her attention.

It was a photograph of Amelia.

Elara stepped closer.

She stared at it for several seconds.

Amelia looked exactly the same.

Not younger.

Not older.

The same face.

The same dark hair.

And those silver-grey eyes that looked almost metallic in the photograph.

Elara's eyes.

The resemblance was impossible to miss now.

She looked from the photograph to Amelia, then back again.

There wasn't even a small difference in her face.

Amelia hadn't changed a bit.

Elara frowned.

She didn't understand it.

Before she could think about it any further, she noticed the person standing beside Amelia.

Or what was left of them.

Half of the photograph had been torn away.

Only a shoulder and part of a dark shirt remained.

"Who was that?"

Amelia turned.

Her eyes immediately landed on the photograph.

For a moment, something changed in her expression.

Then it disappeared.

"Someone from a long time ago."

"Who?"

Amelia didn't answer.

Elara let out a quiet breath.

Of course.

Another secret.

She was beginning to hate that word.

Her entire life seemed to be made of them.

Secrets about her parents.

Secrets about her birth.

Secrets about Hunters.

Secrets about whatever was happening inside her.

And now there was apparently a person in a photograph that Amelia didn't want to talk about.

Elara looked away.

This woman definitely knew more than she was telling her.

And Elara was tired.

Tired of the secrets.

Especially when every single one seemed to be about her.

She deserved to know who she was.

Or at least what she was.

"Elara."

Amelia's soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Elara turned.

For one brief second, she wanted to walk over and hug her.

She was exhausted.

Her entire world had fallen apart in less than a day, and all she really wanted was to feel safe in someone's arms.

But she stopped herself.

She wasn't ready.

And she didn't want Amelia to mistake her need for comfort as acceptance.

"I'm sorry we had to meet that way," Amelia said gently. "I'd like to introduce myself properly this time."

Elara said nothing.

Something about Amelia's eyes made it difficult to remain completely guarded.

They were the same silver-grey eyes as Elara's, almost metallic beneath the light.

Beautiful.

But tired.

There was a sadness in them that Elara couldn't explain.

"My name is Amelia," she continued. "And I am your biological mother."

Elara simply stared at her.

She tried to look unfazed.

She wasn't sure she succeeded.

Her father was still moving around the house, inspecting everything.

He checked doors.

Windows.

Hallways.

Even the rooms they probably wouldn't use.

He seemed determined to make sure this so-called safe house was actually safe.

Amelia seemed to understand that Elara needed time.

She didn't push her.

Instead, she picked up one of the bags.

"I'll show you your room."

Elara followed her.

They climbed a wide staircase and walked down a quiet hallway.

When Amelia opened the door, Elara stopped.

The bedroom was huge.

The walls were painted a soft pink.

There was a large bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a window overlooking the garden.

Elara stepped inside slowly.

"Who did this room belong to?"

Amelia paused.

"It was prepared a long time ago."

Elara looked at her.

"For me?"

Amelia didn't answer immediately.

That was answer enough.

Elara looked around the room again.

Was this prepared for her before she was even born?

The thought made her uncomfortable.

She moved toward the window.

Then...

A strange warmth spread through her arm.

Elara froze.

At first, it was only a tingling sensation.

She looked down.

The same golden light from the house began to appear beneath her skin.

"Amelia..."she called as if asking for help, her eyes conveying the fear she felt not knowing what was next.

Amelia turned.

Her expression changed immediately.

"Elara?"

The tingling became burning.

Elara grabbed her arm.

Pain shot through her body.

Her knees buckled.

"Elara!"

Amelia moved toward her, but before she could reach her, the golden light spread beneath Elara's skin.

Her entire body shook violently.

The room seemed to tremble with her.

Elara screamed.

Her father came running.

He entered the room and immediately looked between Elara and Amelia.

"What's happening?"

Amelia didn't answer.

"Amelia!"

Her father dropped beside Elara.

"Is she okay? What can we do?"

He reached for her.

The moment his hand touched Elara's arm

He jerked back.

A sharp cry escaped him.

"Dammit."

He stared at his hand.

The skin was already turning red, and he knew it would probably leave a scar.

He hissed under his breath, not because he was angry with Elara, but because he already knew what would happen when she woke up and saw what she'd done.

She would blame herself.

He didn't want that.

His eyes returned to his daughter.

"Amelia," he said, his voice tighter now. "Is she okay? What can we do?"

Amelia remained completely still.

Her eyes were fixed on Elara.

Not shocked.

Not confused.

Almost as if she had been expecting this.

Her father noticed.

His expression hardened.

"What are you doing?"

Amelia finally spoke.

"We have to let her."

"Let her what?"

"Go through it."

Elara's scream filled the room.

Her body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside.

Every bone hurt.

Every muscle tightened.

It felt as though something beneath her skin was moving through her body, rearranging everything in its path.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't think.

She could only feel.

The golden light flashed brighter.

Then disappeared.

Elara collapsed onto the floor.

Silence filled the room.

Her father immediately moved toward her again, stopping himself just before touching her.

"Elara?"

No response.

He looked at Amelia.

"Is she alive?"

Amelia slowly walked toward her daughter.

She knelt beside Elara without touching her.

Her face had gone pale.

"Yes."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"She's alive."

She looked down at Elara's unconscious body.

And for the first time, something close to fear appeared in her eyes.

Because whatever had just happened wasn't supposed to happen this soon.