C15 ADALINE POV

Adaline Point of View

"Oh my God, Aurora, you'll be the death of me," Zoe says, moving closer to me, and I see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine. It was, apparently, an ulcer attack," I say, smiling.

"What?" she says, her expression mirroring mine.

"That's what I said too," I snort, smiling, but it falls off when I see Cyp leaning on the door, staring at me with a look I can't decipher.

"Hi, I’m Ashley, and this is my husband, Daniel," Ash says.

Zoe looks at her for a while before smiling and hugging her.

"Thank you for taking care of her. I’m Zoe, and the brooding man is Cyp."

"Come on, let’s get her prescription," Daniel says to them, and they smile at me before walking out, leaving me alone with Cyp.

"Addie," he says, and I flinch, not because I don’t like him right now, but because he called me that. No one calls me that.

"Aurora," he corrects softly, walking closer to me. He sits on the bed, then pulls me into a hug.

"My baby girl," he says, kissing my cheek, and I break into a grin.

"How are you? Does your stomach hurt? Do you need anything?" he rushes out, and my grin widens.

"Why are you smiling like that? Did you hit your head?" he teases, and I giggle, taking his hands in mine.

"Let’s not fight again, Aurora," he says quietly, and there’s a plea in his voice.

"Deal," I smile, nodding.

"I love you, baby girl," he says, kissing me. And I lose myself in that kiss, my hands finding their way to his hair, his to my waist.

"I love you, Cyprus," I smile.

"Don’t do that again. Don’t scare me like that. I need to feed you to the brim now," he smiles, and I laugh.

"Join the queue," I say, referring to Ashley, Zoe, and Daniel.

"I like your new friends," he says, and I bask in his approval.

"What would you like to eat?" he says, fingers in my hair. "Scratch that, I'll get you everything."

I watch him walk away, and I smile, grateful to every god there is for my friends, who are slowly becoming my family.

I bring out my phone and see over a hundred messages.

Most are from my students, the rest from colleagues and friends.

I feel loved, which is all I’ve ever wanted. To be loved. To belong to someone. To love. And now, I have everything I’ve always wanted.

__

"Knock knock," I hear, and look up, expecting to see Zoe or Ashley, but I frown when I see a red-haired woman leaning on the door.

"Can I help you?" I say, placing my phone on the bed.

"I’ll help you," she says in a sing-song voice as she walks in.

"Darling," she says, and I sit straighter as she approaches.

"I’m not here to hurt you, Adaline," she says, and I freeze.

"Careful, child, everything is not as it seems,

Lies on your shoulder, the fate of a world unseen,

Around you, they gather, to feast,

And slowly, ye become weak, pathetic."

I get down from the bed, heart pounding. "Who are you?"

She smiles, walks closer, and I see her eyes.

"A new danger is coming,

A breed we've never seen,

Ye must unite, together, or we'll fall, all of us.

Go to where the moon is full and blue,

There ye shall find the one thing you need.

Running in circles, Adaline, you will be empty,

And the world shall end because of you, both of you."

I take a step back. "What do you want? I don’t understand your riddles."

"Strange pain for an ulcer attack, don’t you think, darling?" she smiles.

"What do you know? Who is coming?" I demand.

"Go to where the moon is full and blue,

Go to where you always long to leave,

Go to where you'll feel complete.

You linger, and it grows stronger,

Feeding off you, your weakness,

Constant need to be loved, your sickness."

She tilts my chin with her finger.

"A new danger is coming,

A breed we’ve never seen.

It will have the power of the day and night,

The strength of the moon and sun.

Alone, we all die, never to be reborn,

Go to the grounds where the blood of your ancestors run,

The ground where he’ll be, together you’ll win,

But alone, you’ll die. Everyone will die."

She steps back, and I’m rooted to the ground in fear and confusion.

"You are insane."

"So are you, darling." She laughs, then glances at me.

"It has begun. Could be the end of the world, or a new dawn for us all. Be careful who you let inside your home. Open your eyes to the reality of the world. Wake up from the dream you’ve concocted to keep you safe. Wake up and be true to yourself. Embrace the darkness in you, wield it, Adaline Vulkov, or they will kill you."

She stares deep into me.

"Everything is not as it seems,

And in your hands lies the fate of a world unseen.

A very odd prickle on your finger, don’t you think?"

I glance at my finger, remember the prick from last week, the chant I thought I heard.

"What do you want?" I whisper, staring at her red hair, her blue eyes, the strange dress she wears.

"For you to wake up," she smiles.

And then, she’s gone.

I suck in a harsh breath, trying to steady my pulse.

"What the fuck. What the fuck," I mutter over and over, trying to grasp what just happened.

__

"Who’s ready for some avocado and egg sandwich?" Zoe says, walking in with the others on her trail.

Her eyes widen when she sees me.

"What are you doing out of bed, Aurora?" Ashley says, alarmed.

But all I can think is -

What the fuck.

"Did you see a woman with red hair on your way here?" I ask no one in particular.

"No... the hallway was deserted. Are you okay, Rory?" Zoe says, and I nod, sitting back on the bed.

...a fate of the unseen.