Page 45 of I Am the Night

A girl we all know.

It's Ana.

I place Racul's hand on his chest and walk over to look more closely.

Ana sleeps fitfully, crying out until she wakes herself with her own terrors. When she sees where she is, she screams and cries. "Please let me out, I'm scared."

I kneel to speak to her. "Ana, do you know why you're here?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I'm scared."

"You turned into something else," I say, unsure of how to phrase this. "Do you remember that?"

"No. I don't know what you mean?"

"You attacked us," I say softly. Nothing about this feels right, and I don't know how to process what's happening. My flash is buzzing madly.

Her eyes widen and she begins to cry. "I didn't. I promise. It wasn't me."

She's either the world's best actress or she really doesn't remember doing it.

"What's the last thing you remember?" I ask.

"I was sleeping in Grandmother Matilda's room and I heard someone calling me. I opened my eyes, felt a pain, and then I was here."

"You remember nothing else? Nothing at all?" Sebastian asks, kneeling next to me.

"No. What happened? What do you think I did?"

Shit. How do you tell a small child she's a killer?

I look over at Sebastian, whose jaw is locked. He shrugs, but doesn't take his eyes off Ana.

Ana looks past us, her eyes widening when she sees Racul in the bushes. "Why is he like that?" she asks, breaking into sobs again.

I want to reach through the barrier and hold her. She's so small and scared and I just don't believe she's done this on purpose. But the fact is, she did do it, and I can't risk letting her free to do it again.

"Is he dead?" she asks. "Why is he like that?" She's screaming and shaking, and I can't leave her alone like this.

Against my better judgement, I move through the barrier and into the space with her. Sebastian shouts for me to stop, but I can't let this poor little girl suffer alone.

She clings to me, sobbing into my shoulder, her frail arms wrapped around me. "Tell me what's happening? Why do people keep dying?"

"I don't know what's going on, honey. But we're going to figure it out. Until then, you're going to have to stay in here. For your own safety."

She looks up, eyes wide. "No. You can't leave me in here alone. No! I'm scared."

It's a terrible place to leave a child, but she's not just a child. She's a creation gone wrong. And where has she been all this time? What brought her back if the Fate's were so certain she was killed?

"I'll make it nicer for you," I say. "Watch."

I don't need to be touching the Nights to do this anymore. Instead, I place my hand in the earth and request help from the flowers surrounding us. I telegraph the image of what I want to do, and they agree.

My magic is connected to the brothers through our new bond, and I tap into that to help. As my power flows, a small room forms around me and Ana, made of beautiful flowers and vines and leaves. It's tall enough for her to stand and walk around, and mounds of mossy grass make up a bed and small couch.

She looks around, her fear momentarily forgotten as she watches in awe at the earth reforming itself for her.

When I'm done, I feel exhausted, but she smiles. Then her mouth drops when she realizes she has to stay here. "Please don't leave me," she begs.

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