I've heard the doorbell ring before, but this is the first time I have heard it coming from the robot in my room.

Being connected to the central server means that I'm warned of any movement outside the house if I'm inside the room. Even if no one physically touched the doorbell, my robot will let me know when they approach the house. I smile, thinking I can see Seth before going to be, and stand up, quickly reaching for the door.

What if it isn't him? The thought pops in my head, making me stop. If it isn't him, I'm not going downstairs unless they tell me to, of course.

I look for Alice's car outside my window, but I see something completely different. What is he doing? Emmett walks out of the house and towards the forest. He walks a few feet away from it and leans over a tree, arms crossed. I ignore the cold outside and decide to open my window to ask him what's wrong, but it won't move. Was this thing always locked?

I'll just take a peek…. I stand up, walk over to the door to put my ear on it, but I can't hear a thing. I'll just open it a little bit… But the door won't move. I look to the handle, and a little red light indicates that it was locked from the outside. —Open the room door, Eve. I say to the little robot, but she blinks red and answers —Access denied.

Denied? But I'm inside the room. I know the safety system of the house. It should be impossible for me to be locked inside the room, especially having access to the central server, unless someone did it on purpose—someone with administrator permissions. Someone like Alice.

I can feel the fear inside my stomach. Did they lock me up? What's happening down there? My thoughts are out of control now.

The central computer is in the TV room. Alice's voice echoes in my head, and I call Eve over, putting her in desktop mode.

If I can access the computer downstairs, maybe I can turn on the mic and listen. When Alice registered me, she gave me access to all the public computers in the house. I can't access anybody's robot, but the TV room is an open network.

No one will notice. They usually meet people in the living room first. My fingers move quickly like they are used to it. Done! I open the robot's side and take out a pair of headphones to listen better.

I can hear a few whispers but can't make anything out of their conversation. Meanwhile, my head is still like a bus out of control, running over its thoughts without making sense out of them. Why did they lock me inside? Do they want to keep something out? Or keep me from getting out?

My imagination runs wild again. Alice sent Seth away so fast and wanted to talk to Esme all of a sudden. And then everyone acts like this is just another day in the house, being friendly and talking to me, but they were barely in the house the last few days. Now, someone shows up in the middle of the night, and they lock me inside. What in the world is happening?

—Isn't it enough what happened last time? Are you really that naive, or just dense?

The loud, angry voice coming through the headphones sends a chill down my spine. The woman sounds furious. They are fighting. Like I thought, this is no casual visit.

I can't hear the answer. I can only imagine they want to avoid a screaming contest.

—You really think you handle this? No one is safe! This voice is different. Another woman, equally angry, screaming at them.

What can't he handle, and why is no one safe? What are they talking about?

—You know they'll come for her. Her words make the whole conversations make sense now.

It's me. They are talking about me. So, Jasper found something. I had a little hope they locked me up to protect me somehow, but there is no doubt now. They don't want me to run away. The cops will probably be here soon. Jasper must've found something awful about me for them to be questioning their safety. I was stupid to think I didn't do anything wrong. I woke up in a forest, for God's sake!

I bite my lips, remembering how I felt tonight. That was all acting? They must have planned tonight to keep me distracted while Jasper fetched the authorities.

—Tanya! I know what can happen, but it's not what it seems! Esme's voice silences my thoughts for a moment. She's trying to stand up for me.

I remove the headphones and disconnect the mic. Whatever they say from now on, it won't help me.

The feeling in my stomach moved up to my throat. I hate to feel this way. Why do I have to be this weak? Why can't I stop myself from sinking into this darkness?

I cleaned all my traces from the system like I'm some professional hacker. I even analyzed their house blueprint looking for security systems, and tried to keep away from authorities. Even if I can't remember who I am, the bad habits are part of me. I guess I knew, by instinct, that I had to hide.

I'm so frustrated right now that I could scream. I just want to twist my brain like a wet towel and get all the memories out. I want to be able to stand up for myself and face Jasper about whatever he thinks he found about me, or even lie to them if it's what it takes to avoid being taken away. The problem is, I can't tell the truth because I can't remember it, and I can't lie for the same reason. I'm like a mouse trapped in a maze.

I'll have to leave. The words hit me like a punch in my chest, making me gasp for air. —Eve lights out. I try to breathe and calm down with my head between my knees. I can feel the sweat running down my neck. I can't take them down with me.

Ignoring the fact that my chest hurts like I broke my ribs, I make plans in my mind. I have already decided. I want to leave with my own two feet. I need the chance to properly go and be able to say thank you to them; that's all I want. I need a good lie. I wonder how bad they think of me right now. Depending on what I did, they probably won't even listen no matter what I say or how much I want to apologize for the trouble. What if I say I remember where my house is? I can't lie about who I am, but maybe I can convince them I can take care of myself and go to the police, that way they won't be afraid.

I stand up and go lay on the bed in case they come to check on me. It's better if they think I don't know what's happening. I hold my chest and try to keep my breathing stable when I hear the door open. The smell of mint fills the air, and I can feel Esme's finger on my hair as I stay perfectly still. When she leaves the room, I sit on the bed, facing the white blanket in the dark.

Rosalie was right. I should've left when she told me to. Esme should've handled me to the cops when she found me. But I knew that wasn't her. I know she won't give up on helping me, so how can I leave without having her follow me? What if I say I found my family? "I know who they are. I'll go to the police and have them find my parents for me. Thank you for everything. I'll let you know how it goes" I laugh at my ridiculous lie. Let's say I can say it with a straight face; what then? Where do I go from there?

I was too greedy. I wished to be with them and got what I deserved for being selfish. I can feel my hands shake, and I punch my leg in frustration—stupid memory.

At some point in the night, my body fell onto the bed, exhausted from the frustration and fear. My heart is beating way too deeply like it's trying desperately to pump blood to my limbs, but it's just not strong enough.

I have my first nightmare tonight. I'm inside the same green water pool, swimming happily when I see Esme from afar, smiling at me. I reach out for her, but she turns and walks away. I tried to follow her, but my hand hits an invisible barrier. It's glass, and it closes around me, locking my body inside. The water gets dense and heavy, making it difficult to move. I feel something grasping my arm, a black hand seemingly coming from nowhere. A million other hands come out as well and stop my body from moving, grabbing me by the throat and suffocating me. The water gets red as I hear some laughing. I can't recognize the voice, but the joy in his voice is obvious. He's enjoying it. He's rejoicing in the image of me sinking in despair.