Jane followed Helen at a distance. As she walked, she wondered what this could be about. Her heart pounded in her chest when Helen led her to the elevator. Over the years she had been a friend of Ashley's, she had never been allowed to use the elevator. She stepped inside only when Helen prompted her.

"Where are you taking me?" Jane asked in a small voice.

Helen frowned thoughtfully. "What has Ashley told you of this place?"

"Only that you do research here and work as a doctor," answered Jane. She blinked. "Why?"

"You will see soon enough." Helen led her out of the elevator when the doors opened. Instead of giving the normal tour of starting with the main abnormal enclosures, Helen took her directly to the cell in which Ashley was being kept.

Jane jumped back and screamed in terror when she saw Ashley on the other side of the glass. "What's wrong with her?" Her eyes were wide as she looked at her best friend and she continued to back away as though being anywhere near the enclosure would infect her.

"Ashley is part sanguine vampiris," explained Helen calmly. "This is what she looks like whenever she feels threatened or scared."

"She's a freak?"

"I prefer the term abnormal." Helen winced as she watched Jane's look of terror grow worse with each passing second.

"What is this place?"

"A sanctuary for all manner of beings."

"And you—are you a freak as well?"

Ashley reverted back to her regular self. "My mom's human. I'm the abnormal one. Jane—I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you for a long time now, but wasn't allowed." Tears brimmed in her eyes as she watched her best friend grow more and more afraid of her.

Jane shook her head quickly before running away. She ran as fast as she could through the Sanctuary, though she did not know where she was going.

"Ashley, could you get her before she accidently goes into the shoo?" Helen sighed wearily.

She nodded before teleporting out of the cell. She rematerialized in front of Jane. She did not look into Jane's eyes when her friend froze no more than three feet away from her. "Jane—will you at least allow me to explain?"

"You're not human!" screamed Jane.

"No—I'm not. I'm part vampire—but not the kind that sucks blood. And please, don't try to fight me. I don't want to accidentally hurt you." She looked up, tears brimming in her now amber eyes. She fought for control. "I didn't chose to be like this—but I am."

"What else can you do?"

She blinked, and her eyes went back to being blue. "I can teleport, so long as there isn't an EM field. Other than that—nothing. I'm faster and stronger than most humans." She paused before continuing, "I understand if you never want to see me again, but please, don't tell anyone about me or about what we really do here at the Sanctuary."

"Ashley—I—I thought we were friends—why did you lie to me all these years?"

"Humans hunt abnormals. We keep them secret from society to keep abnormals and humans safe."

"I—your—Ashley, I could never not be friends with you," said Jane in a shaky voice.

Ashley forced a smile. "I'm sorry I lied to you—and I didn't ever want you to find out this way, but at least it wasn't you finding out by me accidentally attacking you."

"I'm glad you told me," replied Jane. She was silent for a moment before asking, "Who else here is abnormal?"

"Well, Nikola is a vampire, Henry is a werewolf, we have a Sasquatch as a butler, my dad can teleport, we have a mermaid in the basement, and many other abnormals," Ashley said excitedly, happy to finally be able to tell someone in the outside world about her secret way of life.

A/N: Sorry this took so long, and that it is so short.