ELARA
In the morning, a loud thud jolted me awake. I was still half-asleep, trying to figure out what the noise was.
"What was that?" William asked.
I cracked one eye open and looked at him, realizing he'd heard it too. Then I turned toward the door—and froze. Dr. T was standing in the doorway, staring at me with a dark, intense gaze. He looked like he was ready to go on a killing spree. I shot out of bed so fast it probably looked like my ass caught fire.
"What are you doing here this early?" I asked.
Only then did I realize I was standing. I glanced at William, who was staring at me with a confused expression.
Great. Who knows what he's thinking? Should I go back to bed? But if I do… what will Dr. T think?
Wait…
Why does his opinion matter?
"I came to fix your door," Dr. T said coldly.
Neither of us spoke after that. I quietly went back to bed while he started working.
"Why did you jump out of bed?" William asked.
"I was just startled," I lied.
"Liar," Dr. T said mentally.
"It's not a lie," I shot back.
Do I even believe that myself?
Of course not.
"You sure?" he pressed.
I gave him a side-eye—and I swear I saw him smirk.
Thankfully, William didn't push further.
"Let's go back to sleep," William said.
"What?"
"We can still rest a bit."
"It's rude to go back to sleep when we have a guest in the house," I said.
I mean… Who goes to someone's house and finds them sleeping? Then again, my parents and grandma were here to keep him company…
Wait. Fuck.
After what I heard yesterday, I definitely shouldn't leave them alone with him. How did I forget that?
"But—"
"No. He's a guest. Let's just get up for now. We can come back later," I cut William off.
"Okay," he said after a pause.
I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom. When I came back out, Dr. T was still working on the door. William was standing next to him, trying to help. Impatient man. He clearly wanted Dr. T gone as soon as possible. And honestly… I couldn't blame him. But something else was bothering me. Could Dr. T be the person my mom and grandma were trying to run from? William couldn't be—he's human. But Dr. T? He's not human. So what is he? I'll have to find out somehow. But for now, no matter what he is, I need to make sure my mom and grandma don't find out he's not human. Who knows what they'd do.
After they finished, we went downstairs. My parents and grandma were waiting in the living room. My dad stood up immediately, looking genuinely grateful as he thanked Dr. T. Meanwhile, my mom and grandma wore the fakest smiles I had ever seen.
"Be careful," I told Dr. T mentally. "They're suspicious of you."
"I'll be careful," he replied.
I wanted to question him so badly, but this wasn't the time or place.
"Stay for dinner," my grandma said.
Great.
That meant hours of interrogation.
This was going to be… fun.
I hate it when I'm right.
They questioned everything.
Where he was born. How old he was. Whether he had siblings. How many. Past relationships. Even where he would live if he got married. At some point, I was embarrassed for them. But honestly? His answers were hilarious. Ninety-nine percent of them were complete bullshit.
According to him, his parents died in a car accident when he was sixteen. The doctors didn't try hard enough to save them, so he became a doctor to save lives himself. He had no siblings. His extended family blamed him for the accident, so he cut them off.
Seriously? Didn't he think that was a bit much? It practically screamed, "I don't want you meeting my family." Even I could tell that made my grandma more suspicious. Then came relationships. He said he was waiting for "the one". His soulmate. That he had never been in a relationship. That he was a virgin. I choked on my orange juice. When he noticed, he told me mentally that it was true—that he really was a virgin. I didn't know whether to call it romantic… or laugh. Then, mentally, he admitted that was a lie too. I don't even know why I believed him for a second. The strangest part? He lied so effortlessly. No nervous ticks. No hesitation. Nothing in his body language gave him away. But with me… I didn't need any of that. I could feel when he was lying.
How? No idea. It was just… instinct.
Dinner was worse. My mom and grandma went all out. Garlic in the food. Silver cutlery. Wolfsbane in his drink. They were testing him—trying to see if he was supernatural.
Honestly?
If whatever they were afraid of was as powerful as they believed, none of this would matter. He'd be immune. But I guess they just wanted confirmation.
"Your mom and grandma didn't hold back," Dr. T said mentally.
"To be fair, I think they have more planned," I replied.
"Do they?"
"I'm not sure… but I grew up with them. They won't stop at this."
"The dinner was lovely. Thank you," Dr. T said aloud.
"When is he leaving?" William whispered in my ear.
"I don't know," I whispered back.
"I'm glad you liked it," my mom said as she started clearing the table.
"Elara, come help me wash the dishes."
"Since when do I help in the kitchen?" I asked, surprised.
"I don't know what their plan is," I said mentally. "Be careful."
"I will. You be careful too," Dr. T replied.
I followed my mom into the kitchen.
She washed. I dried and put things away.
"What are you planning?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied, startled.
"You never ask me to help. So why now? What is Grandma planning to do with Dr. T?"
"Is it wrong to ask my daughter for help?"
"No. But don't dodge the question."
"I'm not!"
"Okay. Then I'm done here," I said, turning to leave.
"NO!"
She grabbed my arm, stopping me.
"What the hell?"
"Uh… help me—"
"Stop", I cut her off. "Whatever you're planning—stop. It's not working."
I didn't wait another second. I walked straight into the living room—
—and froze. Only my dad and William were there.
"Where's grandma? And Dr. T?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.
I tried to stay calm on the outside, but inside? I was spiralling.
"Your grandma wanted to show him something," my dad said.
"What?"
"At least I don't have to see his face," William muttered.
"Where are you?" I asked mentally.
No answer.
"Hey. Are you there?"
Silence.
My heart dropped.
What did this bitch do?