Perhaps it was instinct or fear protecting me again. Either way, I brushed it off, telling myself not to think too deeply about anything yet. Thinking had never helped me before; it only made everything heavier.
Mrs. Eleanor khian led me into a quiet side room, far from the clamor of the station and the chaos that had become my life. The room smelled faintly of old wood and sage something earthy and strong, as if it had been steeped in power. She motioned to a chair. "Please, sit," she said softly. "Prepare yourself. What I'm about to say... you can't bear hearing it while standing." Her voice remained calm, carefully controlled like someone accustomed to delivering truths that shattered lives.
"There is a story you need to hear," Mrs. Eleanor said.
I folded my arms, feeling defensive and tired all at once. "First of all," she continued, "I want to apologize. I am so sorry."
My eyebrows shot up. "Sorry for what?" I snapped before I could stop myself. "Are you already regretting bailing me out of that cell, or is this where you tell me it was all a mistake?"
Before Mrs. Eleanor could answer, Laura shot me a dagger stare that silenced me instantly. There was something dangerous in her eyes ,a silent warning that made me clamp my mouth shut immediately.
Mrs. Eleanor continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "This is a story about two people: Rebecca and Leonardo," she began. "Rebecca married Leonardo even though his mother was strongly against it. They went ahead and married anyway love made them reckless."
"When Leonardo's mother discovered that Rebecca was pregnant, she assumed the child would be a son. But it was a girl," Mes. Eleanor said quietly.
I frowned in confusion.
"She was against their union because Rebecca was a Sentinel and Leonardo was a werewolf , an Alpha," Mrs. Eleanor explained.
I couldn't hold it in any longer. "So where exactly is this going?" I demanded sharply. "Did you bail me out just to tell me some fairy tale?"
No one answered. Laura didn't even blink; she just watched me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. Mrs. Eleanor took a slow breath and continued her narrative.
"Leonardo's mother wanted a son to continue their bloodline. When Rebecca gave birth to a girl, the child was taken away. Abandoned. Dropped at an orphanage St. Louis Orphanage," Mrs. Eleanor continued.
My breath hitched at the mention of that name.
"And Rebecca," she said, voice almost trembling, "did not survive long after that. Leonardo's mother told him that Rebecca and their child, had both died. Since Sentinels do not heal like werewolves, Leonardo believed her story. He mourned them for months."
Mrs. Eleanor paused, lifting a glass of water as if she needed strength to go on. "When Leonardo's mother eventually stepped down, he became the Alpha. He remarried."
Silence swallowed the room.
Finally, I found my voice. "So," I asked, voice hollow, "what does any of this have to do with me now?"
Mrs. Eleanor looked straight at me, truly meeting my eyes for the first time. She rubbed her forehead slowly, as if wrestling with how to say the words. "That child," she said softly, "is you, Hannah. And the mother-in-law... is me."
For a moment, the words hit me like a bombshell. My mind went completely blank. No thoughts, no reactions, only the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. I stared at Mrs. Eleanor, then at Laura, and back again. Neither of them was smiling or laughing. This was not a prank.
"W-what?" I stammered, my voice rising with disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"You think that because you bailed me out, you can just tell me some made-up story and expect me to believe it?" I spat as I sprang to my feet. "This is complete nonsense!"
I began to pace the small room, tugging at my hair. "You expect me to believe I'm the granddaughter of some powerful Alpha woman?" I scoffed bitterly. "Look at you and look at me, we're not even from the same world."
My voice shook with a mix of anger and fear. "If this were true, why now?" I demanded. "You abandoned the child because you never wanted her. And now suddenly you're searching for her? How does that make any sense? If you truly wanted me, you would have found me long ago."
"You have the wrong person," I croaked, voice breaking. "Please... just let me go. I've been through enough already. Don't make this any worse."
I stopped pacing and forced a humorless laugh. "And look at you," I continued, gesturing at Mrs. Eleanor's face. "You look younger than me, more like my boss than my grandmother. Who would ever believe you could be my grandmother? Have you even looked at yourself?"
My head spun. This was insane. Then it happened again: a voice. Not mine, but clear, calm, and certain.
She is telling the truth, a voice said in my head.
I froze. My heart skipped a beat. What was that? Who said that? Who... are you?
I am Arkin, the voice replied inside my head. Your Sentinel.the same one that belonged to your mother.
My knees went weak.
You need to believe her, the voice urged. She hasn't told you everything, but what she's said is true. The rest is for you to uncover.
My hands trembled. What was happening to me? They couldn't hear this voice, this voice was only for me.
"I don't care about your story!" I shouted aloud, voice cracking as fear crept in. "But you will explain to me what the hell is wrong with me! I hear voices... I heal too fast... You twisted my fingers and the pain just vanished."
Tears blurred my vision. "Then explain bloodlines to me," I whispered, nearly begging. "I've been bullied all my life for being different. I just want to understand what's happening to me. Why now? Why all of this, right now?"
Laura gently handed me a glass of water. "Calm down, Hannah," she said softly. "We will answer all your questions." She hesitated a moment, then added, "If you still don't believe us, there's something else you should know."
"There's the necklace you've worn since childhood," Laura continued. "Your name, Hannah is engraved on it. And there's something else: a birthmark on your back, shaped like a large letter 'H' inside a heart."
"It was passed from your mother to you," Laura said quietly. "No matter where you went, it would always lead us back to you."
The room spun as that realization slowly, painfully began to sink in.