I think everyone is a little bit crazy and delusional. Just in different measures. Every day, we go to bed and somehow expect to wake up the next day, despite knowing we are completely helpless about it.
I also believe that we all need a little bit of delusion to remain alive. Everyone does.
For me, my delusion began the moment I found Daisy on that cold winter night. From the moment I held her, I told myself that all the hard days were behind me.
I had just turned 18, but when her large blue eyes met mine, my entire world stood still for a moment and then became a million times better.
Daisy was my best gift from the moon goddess.
Because of Daisy, I was able to recover from losing my spot at Shifter Academy. Taking care of her had given me a purpose and a reason to keep living and fighting for a better life.
For as long as Daisy is around, happy and well, my world is perfect.
But right now, I could feel Vanessa's mocking glare on me as I frantically looked at the phone I just yanked from her hand. There are a hundred recordings on a website that I don't recognize.
"That's an AI cloning platform; it has all the calls between the two of you and has been used to maintain communication with you."
I swear that a part of me probably understood, but the other part of me blurted, "What are you saying, Vanessa?"
Vanessa bent forward, grabbed the phone, and played another recording. I know that conversation. That was when I talked to Daisy yesterday.
"I'm saying that you have spent the last few weeks talking to an AI."
I shook my head hurriedly. That can't be true. Even if anything happened to Daisy, they had no reason to hide it from me. I was one of the best healers around.
"Serena, you should know that we were on a tight timeline. Besides, everything happened so quickly. Even if you were here, there was no way you would have been able to save her."
I can't tell what's more unbelievable. The thought that they hid the death of my daughter from me, or the casual way that Vanessa was saying this.
No, Vanessa is pranking me. She just wanted to see me become a sobbing mess like this in front of her.
The moon goddess surely knew how important Daisy was to me. She won't take her away from me.
I wiped my tears and walked up to Vanessa. "Unless you show me where she's buried, I won't let this go, and best believe that I would use every legal and council power available to get my daughter back from wherever you are hiding her."
Vanessa must have known that I would want to leave with Daisy. That's why she has come up with this ridiculous lie and even uploaded my calls with Daisy on some silly website.
Vanessa threw her head back in laughter and muttered something that sounded like "how adorable."
"I would let you see where she is buried once you have signed this."
It was only now that I realized that she had been holding a folder underneath her arm the whole time.
She flung a paper on the bed and walked away. "Make sure it's signed by tonight, darling. Things would get nasty if you don't."
My legs gave out the moment she shut the door, and then I stared into space for some minutes, trying to understand what just happened.
Even if Vanessa was telling the truth, it still didn't make any sense. Why would they hide it from me? Why create an AI to keep talking like her and creating videos to make me believe she was alive?
There were a lot of questions dancing in my mind, and when everything suddenly felt too loud, I screamed just as hard and then cried my lungs out.
Maybe if the moon goddess saw how hard I was crying, she would pity me and find a way to resolve this.
A solution that involved Daisy being back in my arms.
I don't know how much time has passed, but I stiffened when I heard the sound of the door opening.
I stared as Kevin made his way inside and then took in the room quietly.
"Are you here to take back the signed papers?" I had looked through them earlier and saw that it was a contract declaring that I would always be a property of Iron Ridge Pack and all my work and belongings would belong to them after my death.
Vanessa must think so lowly of me if she thought that I would be stupid enough to sign such a death trap. But in hindsight, I could also understand her perspective. I had been quite silly in the past.
Kevin shook his head, walked to the bed, took the document, looked through it, then ripped it apart until it was in shreds.
"I came to make sure that you don't bury yourself any further."
I wondered what expression I have because I cannot understand what is happening here.
Is there some challenge in determining who could play the biggest prank on me?
Maybe the Luna coronation was Jason's prank, and Kevin was here to try his luck.
To my surprise, Kevin went down on his knees and grabbed my shoulders.
"Rena, I know you might not trust me. That's fine, you can't trust anyone from here. You must leave immediately."
I shook my head. Leaving? "Like leaving without Daisy?"
Kevin's grip on my shoulders tightened.
"Rena, Daisy is not here. I have asked around, and people say they haven't seen her in a month."
I think my heart just stopped, and even though I can still see Kevin's lips moving, I can't hear anything again.
Kevin and I barely talked, even though he was always around me, but I didn't see him as the type of person to lie.
Something about his tone made me feel intense pressure. Something is happening here. If Daisy is not here, then where is she?
"Kevin, my daughter is not dead. You know Daisy. She hardly even falls sick."
Kevin's hands moved from my shoulders to my cheeks, and then he started wiping at the tears I hadn't even realized were pouring.
"I promise we will find out what happened to Daisy, but she's not here, so you have no reason to stay."
"Besides, do you really think that Vanessa is not currently making plans to keep you hostage. If you are held here, how can you find Daisy?"
I hadn't thought about it that way, but Kevin's words suddenly made me realize that even without the contract, if anything happened to me, then Jason would own all rights to the research.
I took a deep breath and then used my hand to pull Kevin's hands away from my face. "What should I do? Just leave?"
Kevin nodded, and then his voice reduced to a whisper. "My job is watching you, and I know very well that the project can't continue without you. Leave for a while, and when they get desperate, strike a deal with them."
I nodded. Another idea formed in my head. The only thing I wasn't sure about was if I could trust Kevin yet, so I didn't tell him.
Kevin stood up and pulled me up, too.
"I can't leave with you because that would make it too obvious, but I have arranged for someone to take you to the nearest human city," Kevin said.
My eyes teared again because I used to be mad at him for always being around me, so I ignored him, but now, when it felt like my entire life was crumbling around me, he was the only one who reached out to hold the last piece of me.
"Thank you," I managed to say, and noticed how cracked my voice had become.
"Rena, you are one of the strongest people I have met, so I hope you get through this and come back stronger."
I wasn't sure if strong or gullible was the best word to describe me, but my mind was made up.
First, I was going to find my daughter using whatever means possible, and once Daisy was safe in my arms, I was going to make Vanessa and Jason pay for everything.