71 Part LXXI

Confusion takes over my face as I stand up and look around trying to figure out why everyone's looking at me like I just grew a second head, or maybe something worse.

"A-are you alright?." Sean says lowly, still looking at me and I frown, nodding my head slightly.

Something glimmers on the wall and my frown deepens as I turn my head towards it to see the wall smoother and glossier than it was previously. I look around and see the entire hall walls are covered in ice, the large chandelier hanging high up in the ceiling has ice covering it and my heart booms loudly in my ears.

What's this? Where did ice come from? I look down at my feet and see the ice around the floor I stand on even whiter than the rest. The ceiling, walls and floor are all covered in ice, pure ice and I seem to be the source.

Completely nervous and confused, I ball my fists together with intentions to not even show it the slightest bit. Everyone looks surprised and terrified at the same time and I have no plans to change that, I'd rather be feared than mocked.

There's a strange feeling within me, just sitting at the depth of my heart, a feeling of strength and authority. Power and dominance.

Imitating Sean, I spread out my arms and smile to show that I'm okay but they all stay quiet, looking at me with wide eyes until Sean claps and one by one they join in until everyone starts to applaud and cheer for me. There's smiles on their faces but I can't tell if they're genuine or not, I'm not really bothered by it.

"Now I know why I chose you." Sean says and pulls me in for a hug, a long warm hug. "You're so cold." He whispers into my hair and I pull back a little to look at his face and see we're in the room already.

"What happened?" I ask, finally able to let my walls down.

"I don't know." He sighs and we sit on the bed, "you just went into a trance I guess, started groaning in pain until you couldn't groan anymore. I wanted to touch you, help you but the priest didn't allow it and that's when you stopped moving. It was like you passed out but I still couldn't touch you because just then, the place started to become really cold, like freezing cold and then ice started to spread out from where you lay all over the hall. The walls, ceiling, floors, everywhere was covered in ice. It became even colder and colder and colder until you woke up and it was like you absorbed all the cold but the ice remained and..." he stops and looks at me.

"And what?" I ask for him to continue but he stands up instead, walks to the dresser and comes back with a small mirror.

"This." He holds the mirror in my face and my eyes go wide as goosebumps creep all over me the moment I see my reflection. "It kept changing as the cold got tougher and the ice kept spreading."

It changed again. Why? I raise my shaky hands to touch my hair, trying to make sure it's real and not a silly prank. It's real. My hair's white now, completely white. Whiter than snow if that's even possible. He places the mirror on the bedside table and sits beside me, still looking confused.

"This hasn't happened before." I say it like I already know and he shakes his head.

"No, it hasn't." He responds.

"Can you explain the ice?"

"No, nothing that happened today has ever occurred before. Never."

"Is it because I'm human?" I ask and he turns to look at me, taking my hand in his.

"I don't think we can call you that anymore." He says and looks into my frightened eyes, "you're something else now."

Betty's words immediately come back and a hot coal of guilt settles in the pit of my stomach. I denied her last wish. I've lost myself.

"Betty," I withdraw my hand from his, "you knew her."

"Betty?" He frowns and looks at me confused like he doesn't have an idea what I mean and that's when I remember he addressed her by another name. The events of that day plays like a movie in my head and my heart breaks at the memory.

"Anastasia." Realisation shines in his eyes and he looks away from me.

"What has she got to do with anything?" He tries to dodge the topic but I won't have that. I need every clue that'd lead me to knowing what exactly is happening with me.

"Who was she to you?" I ask in a no-nonsense tone and he sighs.

"She was my first," he pauses to think of the right word, "acquaintance."

"Acquaintance?" I press for further information, my interest piquing at the fact that he's trying to hide something.

"Yes. We used to have an affair until she left." A slight pinch of jealousy hits me but I shake it off.

Why would I feel jealous at a time like this!

"She stole some things, messed with some powers and disappeared leaving a blank sheet in a locket behind."

I instantly remember the locket I found when I got here. Betty left that behind? I think I left it back at my old room but it wasn't blank. I could read the words she wrote in it, although I still don't completely understand.

"But," I ask completely confused, "why did she do that? Why did she steal stuff and run away?"

"Look," he stands up and walks towards the large window, "it's really complicated Crystal."

"Then explain it to me," I stand up as well, "tell me the whole truth. I think I deserve to know."

"I loved her." He confesses, "she was my first love and the most beautiful woman I ever saw. There was something about her, something special that wasn't in other ladies. I felt a strong inner power emanating from her and when I found out she was human, I took her in and showed her all the love I could but it was never enough for her. She was desperate to leave and eventually, she did."

"Who helped her leave?." Since she was human, she could only leave with the help of a powerful being.

"No one." He turns to look at me

"Then how?"

"I only discovered after she left that she wasn't a mere human hence her desperation to leave before she blows her cover."

Wow. So Betty has been a supernatural being the entire time! What were her intentions? Did Jake know? Did Dylan know? Why was she so desperate for me to not go along with Sean? There are so many questions running through my mind now and I've come to discover that the more I know, the more I want to know.

"Where did you find Betty?"

"At the cabin."