I stood there, frozen, staring at the old man. “Have you gotten what you’ve longed for in the form of your friends?” he asked, his eyes locked on me. I nodded slowly, still in disbelief.
How could everything happen so fast? Just a moment ago, I was thinking of them, and now here they were. Louis and Hannah stood before me, smiling, but something felt off. I couldn’t shake the unease creeping up my spine.
“Are you really here?” I whispered, reaching out to touch them. But as soon as my hand moved forward, they vanished into thin air, like smoke being blown away. I gasped, stumbling back in shock.
“They… they were just here!” My voice trembled as I looked around, hoping they’d return. But there was nothing. Just empty space where they had been.
The old man stood quietly, watching me with a knowing look. “What you saw were illusions,” he said calmly.
I blinked, confused. “Illusions? Like… like my father?” The realization hit me like a wave. I remembered how my father had appeared earlier, and how real it had felt. But now I wasn’t so sure.
“Yes,” he confirmed, nodding. “Your father, Louis, Hannah… they were all created from your mind. Your desires brought them into existence.”
I was stunned. “But why? Why would I create them? They seemed so real!”
“Because your heart longs for them. When you’re in pain, you wish for the people you love most to be with you. It’s natural. But you must learn to control this power, or it will control you.”
“Control?” I repeated, shaking my head. “I don’t understand. What are you saying? What power?”
The old man chuckled softly. “You have a power within you, Kimberly. A power you haven’t even begun to understand. But before you can control it, you must learn to see things as they truly are. Not as you wish them to be.”
His words echoed in my mind, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. “This doesn’t make any sense,” I muttered. “None of this does.”
“You’re focusing too much on the obvious enemies,” the old man continued. “You see Catherine and Mona as the root of all evil in your life. But there are greater dangers, more subtle ones, that you haven’t even noticed.”
I frowned, still not fully comprehending what he was trying to say. “Catherine and Mona *are* evil. They’ve tormented me, made my life hell. How can there be anything worse than them?”
He shook his head, smiling sadly. “Yes, they’ve hurt you. But true evil often comes from those who pretend to care for you, who smile while they plot against you. Those are the ones you need to watch for.”
I felt a chill run down my spine as his words sunk in. “Are you saying there’s someone worse than Catherine and Mona?” I asked hesitantly.
The old man didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked at me with pity. “There are always deeper layers to the truth, Kimberly. And some truths are more painful than others.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. “What… what do you mean?” My voice shook with fear.
“Do you want to hear a story? A story about your true father?” he asked suddenly, catching me off guard.
“My true father?” I echoed, stunned. “What are you talking about? Alpha Darwin is my father.”
The old man chuckled again, as if I’d said something amusing. “No, child. Alpha Darwin is not your real father.”
I stared at him, shocked. “What… what do you mean? He’s raised me, he’s-”
“He is not your blood,” the old man interrupted firmly. “Your true father is someone else. Someone your mother loved long before Darwin ever came into her life.”
I shook my head, disbelief washing over me. “That… that can’t be true,” I whispered. “I would have known. Someone would have told me.”
“No one told you because they didn’t want you to know,” the old man replied, his voice low. “Your mother had an affair with a man she met while traveling. You were born from that union, not from Darwin.”
I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. “But… why? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because the truth is dangerous,” the old man said gravely. “If people knew who your real father was, it would put you in great danger.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My whole life had been a lie. Everything I thought I knew about my family, about myself… it was all wrong.
“Who was he?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Who was my real father?”
The old man hesitated, his expression growing serious. “Your father was a powerful man. But he wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes, and your mother paid the price.”
I frowned, trying to piece it all together. “What kind of mistakes? What did he do?”
“He loved your mother deeply, but his ambitions clouded his judgment,” the old man explained. “He was involved in dangerous things… things that cost him his life.”
I felt my heart sink. “He’s dead?”
“Yes,” the old man confirmed. “But his legacy lives on in you.”
I couldn’t process everything fast enough. “What… what do you mean?”
“Your father’s power is inside you,” the old man said softly. “It’s what makes you special, Kimberly. But it’s also what makes you a target.”
I took a step back, shaking my head. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of it.”
The old man smiled sadly. “I know. But you don’t have a choice. The power is yours, whether you like it or not.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as the weight of his words settled on me. “Why me? Why does it have to be me?”
“Because you are your father’s daughter,” the old man said simply. “And you are destined for great things. You are the moon—”
I wanted to scream, to run away from everything he was telling me. But deep down, I knew there was no escaping it. This was my life now.
Suddenly, I gasped and opened my eyes. I was back in my room, the old man’s voice fading away.