When I opened my eyes, a harsh, bright white light filled the room. It was unfamiliar—a space with pale, almost green-tinged walls. The nearest wall was draped with long vertical blinds; behind them, a window must have been letting in the winter sun. I was lying on a hard bed framed with cold metal rails, and beside it stood a rack of strange, blinking equipment. The top display pulsed in neon green, the line jagged but steady.
A knot of fear tightened in my throat as Galina's story came back to me. But then I saw my father asleep in a chair at the foot of the bed, leaning forward, hands carefully folded in the far corner as if he were guarding me with his very presence. Relief began to wash over me. Tentatively, I reached to wake him—but a transparent tube restrained my movement. Something pressed against my face, and I instinctively tried to brush it away, only to hear a firm voice:
"Asya, don't," cold fingers caught my hand.
"Eduard?" I whispered, turning my head slightly to see my classmate's familiar face. "How did you…"
I stopped mid-word as Edik pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to be silent so as not to wake Kostya. I could hardly believe the last person I expected to see here was Smirnov. Heat rose to my cheeks, though there were no mirrors in the room, as I realized just how terrible I must have looked.
"Quiet," Eduard said softly, patting my hand. "We don't want to wake Konstantin."
"How did I end up here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Edik leaned back, scrutinizing my face. "Don't have any idea?"
"No," I quickly lied, even though the memory of the forest and everything that had happened there was crystal clear.
"Kostya and I were late. Karimov led everyone out," I added, trying to sound casual, though the words felt strange coming from me. I was alive—obviously—and the pulsating line on the machine beside the bed confirmed it.
"In what sense do you mean 'passed out'? I'm alive, breathing, and my heart is beating," I said, frustration rising.
"Yes, it's beating," he replied thoughtfully, glancing away. "Maybe we should wake your father. It's not my place to give such news."
"What news?" Alarm laced my voice, and in the instant my tone rose, Kostya stirred awake.
He snapped to life, every trace of calm vanishing as his protective instincts flared. He jumped from the chair as if ready to face any threat, only relaxing when he saw me conscious.
"Asya," he said softly, reaching toward me. "You're awake!"
Unable to contain myself, I leaned forward as he gently embraced my shoulders. I tried to move closer, but a sharp pain flared across my back. A quiet "ouch" escaped my lips.
"You've been through a lot," Kostya murmured sympathetically. "Don't worry—you'll rest soon and regain your strength."
He brushed a stray lock of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear with such tender care that tears pricked at my eyes. Seeing him alive, whole, and well after everything felt like a miracle.
"If you want to cry, cry," Smirnov said quietly. "I swear, no one at school will ever know."
I shot him a reproachful glance, but his expression remained serious. I couldn't help but feel grateful in my own way.
"How did I get here?" I asked, shifting my gaze back to Eduard.
Kostya sighed, returning to his chair. His body looked tense, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
"Asya," he began, hands folded in front of him, "what is the last thing you remember?"
I hesitated, unsure how to answer without delving into the unreal horrors of the city's underbelly. My mouth opened and closed; no simple words could describe what had happened.
Seeing my confusion, Eduard stepped closer and spoke softly, "Asya… your father knows."
The words hung in the air, insufficient and incomplete. I stared at Edik, wide-eyed, trying to understand: knew about what? Vampires? The serial killer stalking the city? Which version of the recent events did Kostya believe?
The silence grew uncomfortable. Smirnov finally broke it.
"He knows about me, Asya. And about my family."
I held my breath as the word I feared most hung in the air, altering reality:
"About vampires."
"But…" I faltered. "If you knew all along, why? Why let me come here? To lock me up, to keep me safe? Nothing would have happened if I had just stayed in Rostov."
The realization struck me like fire. He had known everything—the danger, the predators, the threats—but had allowed vampires near, had even welcomed them into our home, behaving casually as if nothing were at stake. Rage surged through me, so hot it made the room seem suffocating. I wanted to open the window, tear Smirnov's smug smile from his face, and destroy it.
"It seems it's starting again," Edik said softly, nodding to his father. Both rose. That's when I noticed the wide leather straps threaded through the metal bedframe on either side.
Before I could react, Kostya gently lifted my hand, guiding it through a strap and tightening it to immobilize me. Eduard did the same with my other hand.
"What? What are you doing?" I jerked, fear making my voice rise. "Dad?!"
Hurt and anger collided in a chaotic swirl, yet my father's eyes held only regret. He bent closer, stroking my hair as if to soothe me, and whispered:
"Quiet, wolf. Quiet."
The end of the first book.