I walked across the room and through the bathroom door. I flicked on the light as I entered and looked around the room. The bathroom was a tiny, tiled box, with hardly any room to move. I sighed, glad I wasn’t claustrophobic. On one wall was the shower, with the toilet next to it. The opposite side had a small porcelain sink basin, with a plain mirror that hung above. I placed my pile of clothes on the basin. Miriam had given me a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that looked like they’d fit, along with clean underwear.
I rested my palms, on either side of the sink and peered across the basin, looking at myself in the mirror. To say I hardly recognised the girl who stared back at me would be an understatement. Her skin was paler than mine had ever been, making the dark purple circles underneath her eyes that much more noticeable. They stood out. My hair was matted and streaked in ash, making the colour appear darker. One of my cheeks had a huge smear across it and I rubbed at it with my thumb, trying to get rid of it. It barley changed. As I took in my appearance, I caught my own gaze and I couldn’t tare my eyes away. The eyes that looked back at me weren’t mine. Or at least they never used to be, I thought painfully. The expression they held was one of sadness and loss. They say the eyes are the window to the soul and if that’s true, then my soul was a defiantly dreary one at that moment. Overall, I looked broken.
With much effort I tore my gaze away from the mirror, unable to look anymore. At that moment I was as so angry. At myself. I just couldn’t understand how I had let myself sink this low. No matter what was going on, I was stronger than what I’d let myself become. How could I allow myself to wallow in my pain? Sitting back and letting the torment get me had never been my style, so why was it now? How could I have let it become my style? I’d always been a person of action, no matter what was the issue. I’d faced things other people couldn’t imagine, not even in their nightmares, and I’d still come through.
Although, this was different. I’d always had that support, known that the covenant was there to back me up. And now they weren’t. I wasn’t sure if I did have the strength to do this alone. Not that I was completely alone. There was Logan and the other hunters, even though I didn’t trust the other hunters as far as I could throw them. Who was I supposed to trust? Myself? I laughed without humour, and then sobered. Yes. I knew I had to, perhaps now more than ever. The only problem was I wasn’t sure I wanted to be who I’d always been, wasn’t sure I could be anymore.

I sighed. I’d just have to see in time. I risked another glance in the mirror and my stomach turned. I thought about what Claudia would be telling me if she could see me like this. I could almost see her standing with her hands on her hips, shaking her head at me. She’d be telling me to get a grip and to pull myself together if she was here. But she wasn’t here, was she, I thought bitterly? And she’d never be again. The sooner I came to terms with that, the better.
I moved away from the basin, and undressed. I stepped into the shower, turning on the water as I did. I stood completely still, letting the warm water run over my body, hoping it would miraculously wash the hurt away. It didn’t. But knowing I was clean was almost as good. I scrubbed and scrubbed, thanking my lucky stars when I found a mini bottle of complementary shampoo. It’s amazing what clean hair and clean skin can do for a girl’s mood. I hopped out of the shower and dried off, combing my fingers through my hair afterwards.
Putting on the clothes felt strange; I wasn’t used to borrowing other people’s clothing. Once I was dressed I regarded the room, wondering what I should do now. I didn’t feel like being around people, but I dreaded the thought of staying inside the room for any longer than absolutely necessary. In the end my desire not to be inside won out and I found myself walking out the door. I made sure I had my cell phone, and along with the room key, after carefully locking the door, slid both into my pocket. The room Logan and I were sharing was almost at the end of the hallway so that made only one direction to go; back towards the main entrance foyer.
I could hear voices as I walked, inside the other rooms and I vaguely wondered how many people, who weren’t hunters, were staying here. The thought didn’t last long in my mind. I tried unsuccessfully to sneak past Miriam’s desk, but she caught a glimpse of me at the last moment.
“Well, hello there,” she smiled. “You look much better, clean. I see the clothes fit, I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure they would. How are you feeling?”
I paused, just near the front of her desk, gazing wistfully at the door before turning back to her. I allowed myself a small smile for her; I was wearing her clothes after all. The least I could do was fake a smile for her. “Much better, the shower helped,” I told her honestly.
“I’m glad to hear that.” She looked at me for a fraction more of a second before her smile dropped and a frown set into her lips. “I’m not sure what happened to you my dear, and it’s very much not my place, but a girl like you should be home with your family. Surely you’d be better off there than here.... unless,” she paused, and looked embarrassed. “Unless you lost your family.”

I thought for a minute. In many ways I had lost my family, and I didn’t want to make something up for her so answered as vaguely as I could. “Something along those lines,” I mumbled.
She nodded, and then brightened. “Whatever is going on, it is awfully nice of your friends you take care of you like they are. Mr. Morgan has been staying with us for a while, and he’s a very quiet man. A bit uptight and cold, though,” she seemed lost in her thoughts, only to realise I was still there. Her cheeks flushed, “Oh, I’m sorry; I was lost in my own world. I didn’t mean to speak badly of your friend.”
I grinned this time meaning it. “It’s alright. Frank’s no friend of mine,” I told her; glad I didn’t have to pretend to like him. There was only so much I could fake. “I don’t have anywhere else to go right now; I wouldn’t be anywhere near Frank if I had a choice.”
Her brown eyes looked back at me, studying me, but she let what I’d said slide. I could understand what Logan had meant. People around here didn’t push things. Two men walked past her desk, their gazes sweeping me, eyes narrowing. They were hunters.
“Of course he keeps very nice company,” she said, her eyes trailing them as they walked out the front door. She waited until they were out of view, before turning her attention back to me. She sighed. “But I’m sure you already know that,” she told me, raising her eyebrows.
Now it was my turn to turn red. I don’t know why exactly, but the way she said it, very suggestively, sent me flushing. I recalled the way she’d been staring at Logan when we’d arrived yesterday. It wasn’t as though I couldn’t understand; I could, very much. There was something about Logan that I didn’t doubt sent women’s minds spinning and their hearts racing. And I was no different. Still as she continued to gaze at me, a knowing, yet subdued smile on her face, I felt myself growing unsure. Extremely unsure. What Logan and I felt, what we hoped we could be, couldn’t be known by anyone. It wouldn’t be a good thing if it got back to the hunters.
I looked into her eyes and shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t,” I mumbled, through my teeth.
Her grin widened. “Of course you don’t, dear,” she smiled, coyly. “Of course you don’t.” Miriam deliberately looked at the door the hunters had gone through then back at me. She winked and I laughed, surprising myself, and leaving her looking very satisfied.

“I’m going to get some fresh air,” I told her, shaking my head, a tiny smile still on my lips. “You don’t mind if I look around, do you?” I wanted to get the lay of the land, and find out where I actually was. I hated not knowing, and this curiosity was one I could satisfy very easily. Even if she told me I couldn’t look around, I was sure I’d be able to find a way to do so regardless, without getting caught.
“Not, at all. The entire property is yours to explore.” The phone rang behind her desk and I left her to answer it, giving her a tiny wave as I went.
Walking out the door and down the creaking steps, I didn’t know what to do with myself. The Lodge wasn’t set on a massive block of land, quite the opposite. It was actually wasn’t that large although it did resemble a small farm. I could smell hay and dirt and I looked down as I stumbled across the courtyard, my boots crunching on the gravel. What should I do, asked myself? For the tiniest moment I considered going over to the Manor site and seeing what was happening. My heart tightened and I banished that thought. Aside from the fact that I couldn’t see a car insight, which meant I had no way of getting there, the thought of being there was too much for me. I was together now, but I knew that chances were if I went there now I’d fall a part. I was finally starting to get a hold of myself; I didn’t wanna watch all my self control go down the drain.
I stepped across the yard and perched on the edge of the water fountain. I ran my fingers through the water; it splashed and went on the jeans. I heard movement behind me and looked up to see a couple of hunters standing across from me. I’d never seen them before. They looked like they were both in their twenties and were staring at me with identical, unsure expressions. They exchanged glances, seeming to decide something between them, and started to make their way towards me. As they neared I noticed their clothes and faces. Smudged and covered in dirt and ash.
I took a breath and fought to stay where I was as they stopped in front of me. I rose from where I’d been sitting and nodded at them. They mirrored my greeting and I gazed back at them. Both had brown hair and brown eyes. They looked like every day, regular people. People you’d pass on the street and not think twice about. It was hard to believe that they were hunters and could be as trained and dangerous as they no doubt were.
One of them, the slightly taller of the two, stepped closer than his comrade and spoke. “We need you to identify the first body from the Manor.”