Kayla sat up slowly on the iron chair she was tied to, sucking in air occasionally as the pain in her wrists sent sharp reminders that she was here against her will. Her heart raced with every passing second and the walls echoed her loud shaky breathing in the pitch black room she found herself in.

“I take it that you're finally awake” A thick masculine voice spoke from the far edge and the hair on the back of her head stood up as she froze.

Footsteps emerged from the left corner of the dark bringing with it the smell of cinnamon that got close really fast. She could feel his eyes burning holes on her forehead from where he stood already even before he halted in front of her but by that time she was already shaking.

“Please don't hurt me-”

“Shut up!” he commanded and her trembling lips pressed against each other in fear. His footsteps began to circle around her.

“I have only one question,” he said with an air of authority that sent cold shivers down her spine. “And you'd better not fucking lie” his breath suddenly became inches away from her, Kayla could feel the heat of the anger in his eyes. “How did you escape?”

Kayla’s ability to think plummeted as her brain instantly began to ache.

Escape?

Escape from where?

“What?” Her voice came in a whisper.

“Answer me!” He blared and she jerked back, tears instantly blurring her already useless vision as she began to sob.

“I shouldn't be here.” she thought but only because it was true.

She had no reason to be here, the last thing she remembered was that she was trying to open her gate just before someone grabbed her from behind. She wasn't rich, she was practically struggling, so she knew he wouldn't attempt to call her family, she didn't even have a family for him to call.

“I'm going to die here.”

He hissed and his footsteps began to move away from her.

“You're even more useless than when I last tried to finish you off”

She blinked multiple times at that statement.

“There was a first time?”

Zara's heart skipped as the realization came down on her.

He had gotten the wrong person.

But then instantly her eyes widened when she realized it meant that he had killed someone before her.

“I’m in the same room as a serial killer!”

There was a sudden cackle that pierced the air that sent numbness to her knees.

“I shouldn't even bother asking, I'll simply get the job done myself”

“What?!”

“See you in hell, you brat” he said just before his footsteps began to get further and further away from her and she took it as her cue to untie the ropes with shaky hands.

As she struggled she began to smell the scent of burning wood and the fumes started to fill the room as they got into her eyes.

“Oh God I'm going to die. I'm going to die!” She screamed internally.

“Somebody help, please!”

Soon enough red flames began to submerge from the blackness of the room as the atmosphere became warmer and warmer against her dark skin. She began to wiggle violently trying to untie herself till she suddenly felt a sharp rusty blade pierce the small of her back and she screamed in agony.

The room became foggy with black fumes suffocating her now making her jerk as she coughed violently. She pressed her tied hand against the rusty blade and started to move it back and forth against it.

“Help!” She screamed when the fire grew bigger.

Her hands suddenly came loose and she untied her legs with trembling hands. She spotted a door through the smoke and wasted no time in running towards it. The door was open, he obviously thought she wouldn't survive.

“Fucking bastard” She cursed under her breath just before she burst into the open street, her warm blood streamed down her back, her breathing and sight still dishevelled.

“If I don't see a doctor now I'll bleed to death.” She groaned under her breath.

Her feet staggered against each other as she ran away from the burning building. A bullet went flying over her head and her delicate body went crashing down as a car with the shooter in it went the other way.

“They probably thought they got me” she spat just before she got up and started running in the dark street till she saw a light from what seemed like a club.

Just then, the sound of a roaring engine could be heard racing down and she instantly knew the driver had made a U-turn.

“Help! Save me” she screamed, her voice blared in her ears.

She saw a few figures emerge from a building and it felt like a stroke of luck as she crashed into them for safety but by that time her vision was already failing. Their faces began to blur and the familiar blackness overcame her.

Beep, beep, beep…

A small high pitched sound rang out from a distance and she sucked in air, blinking her eyes open as my vision cleared slowly.

“Am I dreaming?” she wondered

Her eyes trailed around the room she was in, it was painfully bright and it smelled like air freshener, the first thing she noticed was the small tube attached to her arm. She tilted her head slowly and her eyes caught sight of sharp brown eyes looking down at her, they were familiar yet strange.

“Where have I seen you before?”

It was only when her vision cleared completely that his whole face came into perspective. Dark chocolate skin, full lips, alluring eyes and thick brows came together to form the beautiful features of the man looking at her with so much concern.

It was like she was looking at an angel.

Her dark guardian angel.

His lips parted to form words and her ears perked up to listen ever ready to hear the rise and fall of each tone of his voice but that pleasure wasn't granted as an old lady rushed in completely pushing him out of the way while she clamped Kayla’s cheeks with firm but shaky hands.

“Oh my baby!” She squealed with a tear stained face as Kayla stared at her with widened eyes.

“Um miss ma'am-”

“Ma'am-”

“Shhh” she pressed her manicured finger on Kayla’s full lips, “you've been through so much already. Don't stress yourself”

What?

Who is this woman?

Kayla’s brows rose in shock. She had never met this old but stunning woman in my life.

Kayla took a good look at her racking my brain in an attempt to recall if they were at least neighbors but that was more than useless since she had just moved there and lived only to avoid human interaction.

What she did notice though was the woman's attire. She was dressed in a green silk flowy off shoulder gown with a matching scarf wrapped in an eccentric style on her shoulders and a monochrome bag from a brand Kayla had never heard of before. She wasn't wearing any makeup but her flawless fair skin didn't need any as her gold jewelry popped against it. Whoever she was, she was definitely very rich and had no reason to be speaking to her.

“Oh my goodness!” A shrill voice came from behind and another woman ran to her side, she was younger and seemed a little older than Kayla with light skin. “I'm so happy that you're alive” she hugged Kayla.

Kayla's shock amplified as she squeezed the air out of her lungs. She tried to protest but her words failed her.

Mr Angel-face was in the corner now, hands in pocket as he spoke with a doctor. His body movement was fluid and laid back against his blood stained gray shirt and loose jeans yet every movement commanded everyone's attention,all except the women hovered over her. He looked like he belonged in their caliber making Kayla the odd one out.

He glanced at Kayla's direction and her heart skipped a beat, that's when it all came together as he suddenly appeared in her memory.

He saved me. He really is a guardian angel.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” the younger woman asked, bringing three fingers to Kayla's face, completely blocking her view.

“Hey!” Kayla protested weakly as she tried to find my voice.

“Shhh” they both hushed Kayla aggressively in unison.

“Don't shush me, who are you people?” Kayla finally pushed.

There was a sudden pause that affected everyone in the room as both women looked at each other with a confused gaze.

“Doctor” the older woman called out “why is she asking us this question?”

“She probably hit her head too hard, oh you poor thing” the younger woman responded, reaching to caress Kayla’s head but she pulled away.

“It's probably a concussion” the doctor responded from where he stood in an assuring voice.

“We're your family honey” the younger woman said “I'm aunty Alexandria” she cooed with a voice laced with hope but Kayla only stared back at her with a straight face.

This was all happening too fast. As far as she knew she didn't have an aunt much less a whole family. For as long as she remembered she had been pretty much alone in this world with barely any friends, she was too socially awkward to make any.

“I'm grandma” the older woman added and a part of her wished that Mr Angel-face wouldn't tell her he's her brother.

“Overwhelming her wouldn't jog her memory ma'am” the doctor said in a bored tone.

“What do we do now?” her apparent grandmother asked.

“Just let her rest for now, I'll be needing one of you to sign some papers-”

“Let's get it over with,” Grandma responded, getting to her feet.

“I'll come with you” Alexandria said, doing the same and suddenly Kayla was left alone as Mr Angel-face was no longer in the room.

Her eyes wandered to the TV that was apparently showing the news, usually she wouldn't have given what was on a second glance but the image on the screen made her do a double take.

There on the screen was an image of a girl that looked exactly like her. It was me but it wasn't her.

It couldn't be

“What the hell is going on?”

Kayla lifted her body from the bed, her legs landed on the cold tiles floor as she dragged the drip with her and she briskly walked over to the television for a clearer view as she assured myself that she was seeing things.

It was probably the medication that was making me hallucinate. Right?

She however was so wrong. The picture of her lookalike stared back at her as she read the headlines.

“Miss Christina Wellington found alive”

She looked around frantically for the remote and increased the volume.

“...was spotted by our sources being rushed to a private hospital and was in critical condition. We are yet to know her current condition but we will be updated soon….”

“What?” She muttered in shock as her mind raced with a thousand thoughts.

“Chrissy!” squealed Amaka as she ran towards her. Kaylaa was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't notice when she came in. “You shouldn't be standing with your condition” she said before she allowed Alexandria to usher her to the bed, too shocked to protest.

This makes no sense. This can't be real. If I close my eyes really tightly and open it I'll wake up in my bedroom.

“Honey what are you doing?” Alexandria asked in puzzlement.

“Trying to reboot”

“Ugh she's gone crazy too” she wailed.

Kayla opened her eyes only to meet Alexandria’s confused gaze under the white hospital ceiling and she covered my face in defeat.

“Okay this is my life now,” She thought in a sudden surge of defeat.

“I just have to figure out what's happening, easy peasy. Right?”

A thought came to her suddenly.

“What if they actually were my family?”

But that possibility would mean so many things. And she knew.

Her heart skipped a beat as her head ached. She had never thought of finding her family, she had been too busy trying to survive to think about any of that and now like magic these people came running to her.

What if this was a sign? She'd get to know what it's like to have a family but that would mean being someone else.

“But-”

“Christina, it's time to go home” The older woman said walking in.

“Home…”

“Okay grandma”