I turned around but stilled at the sight of Keisha.

"Keisha?"

Tears formed and dropped to the floor from my eyes as she smiles sadly and ran towards me, entrapping me in a hug and I squeeze back. My eyes are wide, tears falling to my then looking at Chris who came in behind her. Not knowing if I was daydreaming or not.

Nala, who stood outside and then Chris walks past her and went to stand next to us and once was they were in, Nala closed the door.

She exits the hug, and we stare at each other in silence. She thinks her lips at the sight of me, tears threatening to leave her eyes again, but I could see Chris's eyes gloss with disgust, and both pairs of eyes wandering at the handcuffs and the wings shooting out of my back, but I tried to ignore it.

"You look so different,"

I shuffle in my spot and so does Keisha, her head faced to the ground. And I try of think of what to say but my mouth moves before my mind.

"I'm sorry." I apologise and I look up to the pair and they do the same.

"I- I just didn't want to come back to you and mess all of your lives up again, with what happened to me." I explain but she still stays quiet and I'm about to give up speaking until Keisha nods her head slowly, glancing at me once again.

"I guess I just wish that you could've told us sooner" she chuckle unhumorously and I did to.

"Well it's hard when you have trust issues." I shrug causally and she smiles, a real one this time.

There's an awkward amount of quietness and I look around the room more, only to catch Keisha staring at my wings.

I puff them out and step closer to the girl, making her eyes widen but I smile to calm her. "You can touch them if you want." I gesture to my wings and her face lights up with surprise, but she complies and step closer to me.

She strokes them softly, though my smile drops as I look up to see Chris staring at me, a sort of anger or annoyance on his face.

"Chris?" I ask, stepping closer to him but he steps back. I thin my lips and halt, now covering my wings making Keisha stare at my back in surprise.

"You-" he was lost for words and so was I "You became like him" he shudders and my eyes turn to glare, but I look away.

"Well, he didn't really do it with consent, but it wasn't that bad." I say casually but he still looked at me like a was a sort of monster.

"But I'm still Valentina, Chris." He looks at anywhere but me with guilt wracked in his face.

I could feel Keisha stepping up behind me and she stepped between Chris and I. "Chris. We talked about this." she grumbled, and he stared at her seriously.

It was silent and I shifted uncomfortably, and they stared each other as if trying to talk without speaking, and at this point I had had enough of this. "It's ok Keisha, I didn't even except anyone to visit." I sigh as I see her face drop in disappointment. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Because we thought you were dead." she said strongly, and I locked eyes with her once again. There was excitement in her eyes for getting to see me, but she was also worried and so was I. I grumble to myself as she purses her lips as if to not to say something she doesn't want to.

I step forward to her briskly, it makes Chris tense and step in front of Keisha, blocking me from touching her and I look up to him and see him glaring own at me, his hand slightly shielding her too.

I smirk at pat his chest making him look at me surprised, but his eyes grow to saucers, and I push him to the side effortlessly and go towards Keisha again. I cross my arms around her, and she does the same.

"I missed you too." I chuckle softly and her grip on me tightens as I feel the tears of her eyes soaking my clothing.

Looking up from the hug, I could see Chris was still standing to the side, not knowing whether to trust me or not.

I sigh and turn to him, opening one arm away from Keisha and his eye widen but soften as quickly as they widened.

He steps forwarded wearily and I giggle, pulling him in making him stumble into Keisha and I and she laughs. We hug each other and eventually disband.

I still I could see Keshia leaning from foot to foot, questioning bubbling inside of her eyes and I smile walking over to the couch before sitting on one and turning to the pair and I stare at my friend, staring at her until her question is fumbling out of her.

"Was it really you that called me a week after you disappeared?" she asked suddenly my eyes widen for a moment but relax the next and I rub the back of my neck, nodding.

"Yes," I sigh "I just couldn't work up the guts to actually speak," Keisha charges at me, falling onto me in an attempted hug before lying next to me.

"That okay." she smiles and pats the chair next to her, wanting Chris to come over and he complies, and as they are both seated; they stare at me, and I laugh and put my hands to the side of my head.

"Okay, okay." I say defeated "I'll tell you what happened during these 3 years."

They nod eagerly and I tap my chin and think about the first time I'd woken up in the mansion.

By the end of its Keisha was on the brim of tears and Chris had already concealed all sign of emotion from his face, but his clenched fists and dared to showed it. Anger?

"And that's how I ended up here." I sigh, closing my eyes but look at Chris who suddenly hopped from his chair and glared at me angrily.

"And you're still in love with him?!" he yells accusingly, and I could feel my heart burn, but it blazes at what he says next.

"He's a killer!"

My patience snapped and shot up from my spot, felling my wings unfold from their sitting position as I stare at him and he shrinks down, but it's too late now.

"Then what am I?" I spit with a scowl, and he stops. "Aren't I just as bad?"

They had never thought about that.

I wasn't the old Valentina they used to know. I had changed.

I wanted to stay with them, but if they couldn't understand me then I would just have to do this without them.

He looked at me angrily and started tried to look me in the eyes but sat back down and rested my arms on the edge of the couch head.

"That's different Val! He had forced you into this! He-"

I zoned out as he kept yelled.

My surroundings became my only awareness and I could hear the breathing of everyone and the heartbeats of anyone in this room and outside of the door.

There was Keisha, next to me. Her heart pace was fastening as the ringing of Chris in my ears became louder and his beat was already pounding to his chest.

But as I moved outside there were two standing at the door. Someone was talking to Nala; it was a familiar voice.

My head shoots up from the headrest to face the door, making even Chris stop and look at me seriously.

"What is-" Keisha tried to talk but I held my finger up to mi[ and I closed my eyes and rested my hands in my lap as I concentrated to be able to listen past the door.

"And you will have a recording device in your pocket, and we will be listening in case anything happens." Nala says and I furrow my eyebrows as she does but as I hear a mumbled yes because the door handle speaks.

My eye shoots open making the pair already in the room flinch and I mumble a countdown, my eyes not leaving the door for a second.

"3..." the door handle squeaks "2..."

She steps through the door, and I stop, and my face becomes a void of emotion.

"Leila." I snap in a monotone voice and stare across the room as I get up.

Keisha and Chris stared at me and Leila as she stared at the other in surprise, guilt wracking through her face as she fiddled with a small piece in her hand, and I could feel the corners of my mouth tilt down.

"What do you want." I snap and I could feel Chris and Keisha getting up, standing closer to each other, watching me in fear, or was it curiosity?

"Valery-Valentina." she corrects herself and a lump goes down her throat.

"Why did you lie?" she asks, almost in a whisper and I cross my arms over my chest, my glare deepening.

"Well, I would've ended up here quicker, right?" my tone is cold, and her hands start to shiver in fear as tears well in her eyes.

"I'm- I'm so sorry!" she cries out and starts to rub the tears off her face quickly and looks up to me, expecting me to come and comfort her but I stand there and stare. She should know that she couldn't trick me.

As she removes her hand from her face, there's a flash of annoyance in her eyes as she drops her hands to her side with a frown at me. "Can- can I please hug you, one last time?" she asks wistfully with a soft voice, and I almost fell for it. Almost.

"Of course." I say in a deadpan which makes her shiver as she takes her steps forward to hug me, but I had already moved as she leans in.

I move to the side, quicker than she can even comprehend and I move behind her, restraining her arms behind her back with one hand.

Leila gasped in pain as she realised her position and turned her head to the side with anger in her eyes. "What the hell Valery!" she yells but her confidence shrivels as I dig my nails in her forearms and she hisses in pain.

I lean over and whisper into her ear. "You thought I wouldn't catch onto your job, betraying me? Not a smart move, darling."

It's like venom on my tongue as I trace my free hand down her crossed arms until I reach her hand that was clenched close, but I pry it open easily.

It was a tiny bug, a listening device that wasn't even larger than my finger and I could feel Leila's heartbeat pattern frantically beating against her chest as I analysed the bug before crushing it between my fingers and letting go of the girl, kicking her forward in the process.

She grunts as she hits the floor, Chris and Keisha stepping out of the way, watching her in surprise.

I looked down at her, I was better than her and I knew my worth, she didn't.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER." She screamed in a shrill voice, and I scrunch my nose from the high-pitched tone.

"And what if I am?" I snap, my eyes widening in anger but my smile saying otherwise.

My chest heaves when I crouch down at her level, leaning over her face.

"You're pathetic." I spit and then straighten my posture, looking across the girl to see supposed friends.

Keisha looks surprised and so did Chris, scared too.

But it had to be done.

I was no longer the small girl they used to be friends with and now, I was stronger, and they could either join me or be against me.

Looking to Keisha, her lips quiver suddenly and before I know it, she runs to hug me, pushing us both to the floor as her tears stain my shirt with wetness.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this" she cries, and I try to comfort her until she comes back to her senses. She gets up off me and Chris helps me up, his face still stone cold but there was a little happiness in them.

"So- you guys are okay with me?" I ask, not wondering if I was still dreaming or not. I had never expected someone to accept me after they found out my true self.

I looked at the two nervously as they look at each other. "Of course, we are Val." Chris said in a monotone voice that sounded slightly happier than usual making me smile brightly, but it instantly dropped as I heard multiple footsteps running down the hallway before the door is burst open.

Two guards go through the door, both of them grabbing each of my arms as I try remove them, but I know it's no use once there are two clanks behind me and my wings are restricted behind me.

As I'm about to yell, a tough figure comes through the door, and I close my mouth as he walks towards me. It was the man from yesterday morning, looking more pissed off than before.

He glances around the room to see Keisha and Chris with confused faces, Leila still on the floor and shaking and me trying to shake of the guards.

"What happened here?" he asks, turning to Nala and she looks down, not daring to look at him directly.

"She caught onto what Leila's assignment, sir." her tone is plain, not revealing the emotions inside her head.

He scoffs and slides his eyes over to me, a smirk rolling on his lips as he steps closer to me.

"I warned you before, Rider. And now you will be restricted from seeing your little lover." he says in a drop-dead tone, leaning his face inches from mine, making my eyes widen in realisation.

"You planned this didn't you?!" I scream at him, but he remains emotionless.

"You're a selfish bast-"

I stop as my head snaps to the side. My cheek stings and my eyes widen even more, anger blazing through them.

"Never call me something like that." he spits with venom on his tongue, but I couldn't care less.

I rip my arm out of a guard's grip and slap him directly where he slapped me before making me smirk in triumph, but it didn't last long as my arm was pulled back again and within a click of his fingers, my left arm falls limp.

My eyelids become heavy, and I could feel the sedative needle being pulled out of my skin. I fall in the men's arms as I look at the front man with rage in my eyes, but it fades away to tiredness as I drop to the floor.

Black dots swarm my vision until I join the darkness completely.