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ONE

There was someone in my room

I sensed thehtirl had at so to oing to ht the corner of my eye

Hairs on the back of my neck stood up A chill went down my spine

A split second Not even That’s how long I had to corabbed my arm Another slammed over my mouth

“Shh!”

Heme into the wall He was tall, a couple inches onThat chill just doubled, and he bent his head lohispering into my ear, “In two e”

My lungs stopped working

This didn’t happen to people like ether true The only special thing about ot in eleo I was Bailey Hayes, twenty-two and going to start graduate school in threedoubles at the local hospital We had a thousand-square-foot house, three bedrooms, a basement, and a sad backyard with a half-built tree house Midwest born and raised Myour heads above water She was a nurse I was a brainiac That was it, for real That was the only “special” thing aboutelse

A whimper came out

He only pressed harder “Shh!”

I was going to die Not him Me!

“Stop!” He pushed ainst the wall even harder My eyes shifted to er in his eyeballs, but as if readingback, he had both my hands in one of his and he pinned ht back

“Listen toall at the saet out of this alive, stop fighting and pay attention I will not let them hurt you Got it? But if you squeal on me, we’re both dead Nod your head Let ”

I nodded, just briefly

His voice went quiet again “I was sent to detain you Arcane is waiting foryou out When I don’t, they will break in here They’ll ask what took ain, and he ripped the front of my shirt open

His eyes never leftto think I raped you, and you’ll cry”

I nodded again

“You’ll whimper”

Not a problem I let another one loose, but it was muffled by his hand

“And you will go lioing to becoo with them You’ll be on their territory then Keep them here Force them to make their stand here Got it? Your house Your territory Your only shot of living”

My only shot

Words that shouldn’t be in my head, but were

I nodded again “Go limp Body is my weapon” It was stamped there forever

Then—he was gone

I stepped back from the wall The room was empty