Idalia's heart plummeted to the ground.
That was it. They were being kept here as animals on a farm.
But… vampires?
Idalia knew of the existence of many magical creatures. She had studied them and carried out research for more. The only ones she knew that could take the form of humans were werewolves.
Something wasn't adding up here.
The frightful and displeased murmurs continued all around Idalia.
"But do not worry." The woman began to speak again, and the hall fell silent. "We treat our food with respect. We are not wild animals or uncivilised humans. We are far better."
"Can we—" a man stood up, trembling. "Can we please leave?"
"No." The woman on the stage responded. "No one can leave. As I speak, you are being erased from the history of Valmere forever. Missing posters? Suicide letters? Accident reports? It is all being carried out in accordance with the specific lives you've all lived. From this moment on, to the rest of Valmere, you will be forgotten."
Idalia's grip tightened around Arik.
Forgotten?
Did that mean that she and Arik would be forgotten too? That by some magic, Alpha Kalio would forget them till it was time for the prophecy? Or did this only apply to the humans?
The jagged words carved on the wall of Grandpa Alfred's kitchen flashed in Idalia's mind. Dread spilled into her veins as the image of Grandpa Alfred's corpse came next.
Then a loud voice yanked her out of her thoughts.
"My father will never—— Ah!"
Just like that.
Something yanked the woman to the ground; her voice cut off sharply from the hall.
Idalia bit her lips, trying not to give in to her urge to run out of this place. Her legs trembled, and she instinctively counted the doors again.
They were fully guarded.
Even more than they had been before.
"But here in Echelon, you will always have a place." The woman continued with a smile as if she hadn't just been interrupted in the first place. Her next words hit the room hard. "As long as you follow the rules."
The crowd murmured amongst one another. But then they were forced into silence as Madam Fion began to list the options of what they could be in Echelon.
Idalia couldn't find it in herself to listen, not when her heart was racing this fast. Not when all she could remember was that moment in the lab and how she had signed her and her son's fate to a piece of paper.
A monthly injection to conceal her lack of scent; which by extension protected Arik. It seemed like help, but Idalia knew there was no help anywhere.
Only a bargain.
Only that she didn't know what Mr Lythoryn would be getting in return.
But beyond that was a bigger problem.
Her blood had been drawn to run some tests; Idalia knew the results would come anytime soon.
What could be worse for her and her son than being found out as werewolves while in the territory of the Silver Hunter?
So while others murmured amongst one another, discussing the choices that Madam Fion had offered them, Idalia couldn't.
Dread could only spread through her veins, while she hugged tightly and wondered if she and her son would live to see the next day.
"Let the selection begin."
The hall was thrown into controlled chaos immediately. Quickly, they were assembled into queues, as some other vampires, dressed in blue uniforms, stepped in.
The air became tense, and for Idalia, escape felt very narrow. As she drew closer to the vampires at the end of the line, she felt her eyes straight, and her hand firm around Arik. While her other hand snuck into her jeans for the small pocket knife she had kept in it.
But a hand slapped hers, and she flinched, looking up at the brown wavy-haired woman who looked back at her with a wide smile.
"Careful, or they'll kill your baby," she said through her gritted teeth.
It was the same woman who had woken her up this morning.
A gush of air washed over Idalia before she could speak.
"Anything the matter?" A guard asked, and to know that he had moved that quickly sent chills down Idalia's spine.
So they all could move that quickly. Like werewolves. But…
"Nothing. Just nerves. I'm calming her down." The woman responded with a smile.
Idalia's face heated up with fear under the guard's intense gaze of suspicion. From the corner of her eyes, she could see another guard joining him.
How her heart was beginning to beat rapidly.
But then noises emerged from the other end of the hall, and the guards were called away to attend to more important things.
"Keep them in line."
The woman nodded, and the guards left.
It was then that Idalia observed that next to every three people on the queue was someone who was ensuring they stayed in line. Just like the woman was doing to her and two others.
The air felt tight in her lungs. She looked around again. There were too many watchful eyes.
Too much.
The line was moving forward rapidly, and soon enough, she would have to face her selection. They would take her blood, and they would test it.
Yes, whatever they had injected into her had emitted the illusion of a scent. If it hadn't, the vampires in the room would have done something. So that didn't scare her. What she was terrified of was them finding out she was a werewolf.
The air felt too heavy to breathe in, and while the room was starting to blur into the back of her mind, she heard noise emerge from the other end of the hall. Somewhere on the podium.
She didn't look, until she felt it.
An unmoving gaze on her.
Like being controlled by a force she couldn't resist, her head raised to meet this unflinching gaze, and her heart almost stopped when her eyes met his.