“What’s wrong with you?” Greyson cries, clutching his neck. “You were never this mean before. God, you really must be one of them.”

Giving some slack on the chains, I say, “In case you forgot, vampires are hideous blood sucking monsters.”

He massages his neck, which has gone red. “Not a vampire, Kayla.”

I pause. “Then what?”

He only smiles, revengeful. “I guess we’ll all find out soon enough.”

Then they leave me alone with my thoughts, which are unsettling. What else could there be that they think I am? There are only three kinds of breeds that I know of: Humans, vampires, and… Highers. I scan over my skin: white, but not as white as the Highers. I lift a strand of my hair, which is black as ash. And the last time I checked my eyes were still brown.

But what else could they mean?

Chapter 21

Time creeps by so slowly it drowns me. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen to me, or what has happened to Maci. And even Bernard. I just left them, defenseless.

Two guards finally enter my dungeon and my mind flashes back to a scene at The Colony, when two Watchers hauled me away to the bright red door; a door I now know that, at one time or another, I was locked behind and covered with blood,

This time the guards’ faces are blocked out by masks. Gloves cover their hands, boots lace up their legs, and they wear grey padded suits, like their trying to protect every part of their body. Each one has a knife strapped to their belt. They fear me—I can sense it all over them, like the blood flowing in their veins.

“Stand,” the taller one orders through his mask.

I remain sitting on my butt. “Why?”

A huff through a mask. “Get to your feet, now.”

I don’t like it, but not seeing an alternative, I get to my feet, the chains lugging with me.

“Put your hands out,” the other guard commands.

Feeling as though I shifted through time and landed back in The Colony, I obey, raising my arms. The guard clips a cuff to each of my wrists. The cuffs are linked by a short chain that forces my arms together. Then they cuff my legs together, leaving me just enough room to walk, and stealing away my chances of running. Then they unclip me from the wall and march, one in front of me and one behind, forcing me to move with them. We go back through the tunnel, upstairs, through the packed room, where everyone watches me like I’m some kind of foul creature that’s even worse than a vampire.