Seraphina
I was still confined in the psychiatric ward, and the only person I ever saw was Magnus.
I couldn’t go outside or even catch a glimpse of the world beyond these walls.
I had forgotten everything about Mountaindusk College. Occasionally, fragments would surface in my memory, but they were always blurry and incomplete.
Magnus told me this was a good thing.
“This means your illness is improving,” he said. “Your imaginary memories are starting to fade because you’re getting better.”
Now, all I knew was that I liked Magnus, and he liked me too.
He told me that once my treatment was over and I was discharged, we could finally be together.
“Seraphina, remember to take your medication. I think one more course, and your illness will be completely cured.” Today, Magnus brought my pills to me again.
He smiled as he handed me the small red pill. I stared at it in his hand as he gently placed it into my mouth.
I held the pill there, unmoving. For some reason, a sudden thought struck me: I must not swallow this pill.
The thought was so abrupt, so insistent, that I instinctively obeyed.
I didn’t swallow.
“Did you take it?” Magnus smiled, watching me closely.
I nodded.
Satisfied, he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.
I looked up at him.
“Good girl. That’s your reward.”
He handed me a strawberry-flavored candy, and I took it with a small smile. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Seraphina. I want you to get better as much as you do. You love me, and I love you. Once you’re well, you can introduce me to your parents, and I’ll take you to meet mine.”
His words stirred a faint sense of gratitude in me.
In that moment, I let myself imagine it. Meeting his family. Introducing him to mine. Even getting engaged. Married.
The thought made me laugh quietly to myself. Why am I thinking so far ahead? I chastised myself.
After Magnus left, I immediately spat the pill out.
I didn’t know why I had done this-perhaps it was just instinct.
Even though I liked Magnus, something deep inside me resisted his insistence that I take the medication.
My subconscious whispered that continuing to take those pills would destroy me.
So, I hid the pill in a small corner of the room where Magnus wouldn’t find it. He would assume I had swallowed it.
But even as I went through these motions, I couldn’t explain why I was doing them.
It confused me.
If Magnus loved me, why would he ever hurt me?
Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind:
“Seraphina, wake up. Don’t let that man deceive you. He doesn’t love you. Everything he’s doing is hurting you!”
The voice was a woman’s-soft, melodic, and unlike the mechanical voice I’d heard before. This one felt alive, as if it belonged to someone real, someone with a soul.
I froze, startled.
“Who are you? Why should I believe you?” I asked aloud, though my voice trembled.
“You must believe me. My name is Lyra. I am your wolf.”
“My… wolf? What does that mean?”
Before I could fully process her words, a vivid image burst into my mind.
I saw myself in a dark forest, being attacked by a massive wolf with glowing red eyes.
But then, another wolf appeared-larger, stronger. This one had a patch of white fur on its forehead and golden eyes that burned with intensity. It subdued the red-eyed wolf effortlessly.
A wolf…
No, a werewolf.
“Seraphina,” Lyra said, her voice urgent, “I have awakened inside you. But I’m still too weak to take control and get you out of here. For your safety, don’t trust Magnus. And stop taking the pills he gives you.”
“Why should I trust you?” I demanded, my voice rising. “How do I know you’re not here to hurt me?”
“Believe me or not,” Lyra said, her voice fading, “I am the only one you can trust here…”
Then, silence.
Lyra was gone.
I sat there, bewildered and unsure of what to believe.
But as the hours passed and the medication remained in its hiding spot, memories began to surface-memories of college, of Kael, and of Evelyn.
Evelyn was my roommate, and we used to attend classes together. Later, I dated someone.
Who was he? The memory was hazy.
I remembered breaking up with him and, out of spite, pursuing Kael instead.
But the details were fragmented, and trying to recall them sent sharp pain through my head. I clutched my temples, overwhelmed.
Looking around my narrow, windowless room, I felt suffocated. There was only a single door, locked with a keypad. Without the code, escape was impossible.
Could Lyra be telling the truth?
If Magnus truly loved me, why would he keep me locked up like this?
Why imprison me in a place where I couldn’t tell day from night?
I wanted to escape.
The thought filled me with a desperate resolve.
Some time later, Magnus returned, carrying a tray of food.
The meal was lavish-macaroni and cheese, a steak, and a small salad of fruits and vegetables.
“After you eat, take your medication,” Magnus said, setting the tray down.
I nodded, obediently eating the food in front of me.
Even without looking up, I could feel Magnus’s gaze fixed on me.
Between bites, I said, “Magnus, it’s so boring here. After I finish eating, can you take me out for a walk?”
He paused, surprised by my request, then shook his head.
“No, Seraphina. You need to stay here for a few more days. Once you’re better, we’ll go out together.”
“You’re lying,” I said, pouting. “I’ve been here for years, and I’m still not better. How can a few more days make any difference?”
My appetite vanished, and I pushed the tray aside, frustration bubbling within me.
If I was going to escape, I needed to see the outside world first-to learn the layout, to find a way out.
I had to make him take me outside.