I sighed, stretching my arms behind my head and flopped back in my desk chair.

The blue-ish tinged glow of the computer screens sitting before cast an eerie light through the dark basement of our modest, one-storey house as I hacked into the server of the world-famous superhero organisation-- better known as STARKON. 

And the reason why?

Unfortunately, my father had gone and given me another villain job even after I had insisted the one from last week would be just that--the last.

Like any normal teen, I wanted to ignore him and go to bed but given that he was the last living member of my family I had left... I couldn't leave him to fend for himself.

I glanced back at the computer screens before me, biting back a yawn. It was probably nearing one in the morning and the moon hanging high in the sky-- although I wouldn't know due to the absence of windows in a basement.

I sighed again, spinning around in my desk chair. I was meant to break into the server, steal important files regarding STARKON's upcoming projects and disable any security cameras so my father and his idiot friends could enter undetected but I had cracked all the security and firewalls hours ago.

Why would an internationally famous organisation such as STARKON not have decent firewalls?

"This is so stupid," I muttered under my breath as I held my hand out for my mug of hot chocolate. I smiled in satisfaction as the mug lifted off the table and floated gracefully into my grasp. 

I supposed having powers had its good sides. My other hand steadily flew over the keyboard as I felt my eyes start to droop shut.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair that had long-since left its ponytail and let my mug drift back onto the desk. Apparently, caffeine also had its limits.

I stifled another yawn and checked the time. It was almost two in the morning and it didn't seem like my father was returning soon. How responsible.

I flopped back into my seat and stretched as it spun in a slow circle. Whatever. I'd just shut down the power in the whole stupid facility and send them the coordinates for the fire escape or something.

Saving the files that I had stolen from their server into a small hard drive, I sluggishly shut down each of the eight monitors before me. Picking up my mug, I glanced back at the monitors through the semi-darkness, feeling a twinge of guilt deep in my chest. Swallowing what was left of my now lukewarm drink, I shrugged.

I'd go over the information later when I wasn't too tired to even think. I was sure my father wouldn't mind that he'd get them a little later than planned, because really. What was the rush?

I covered a hand over my mouth as I stifled yet another yawn. The urge to flop straight into bed was strong, but some part of me couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled into my stomach since I had breached the STARKON server.

Through the fog in my mind, I questioned the security of the server. Hacking in had been easy--too easy--and the files didn't have security passwords of their own. It almost seemed like they wanted us to find that information.

But why would they want anyone to hack into their server?

Shrugging it off, I brushed my teeth and shuffled to bed. Tomorrow, I'd complain to my father on how he gave me another job, but tonight, only sleep was on my mind

~*~

I stumbled, my foot catching on some invisible hazard. Darkness shrouded my vision even though I knew my eyes were open.

Where am I? How did I get here?

I stumbled again, feeling my breathing start to go ragged.

Levi, my name echoed through the darkness and I froze, breath catching in my chest.

Where are you? How... could you leave us?

I whirled around, straining my eyes through the inky blackness.

"Who's there?" I tried to scream, but all that came out was a soft whisper.

Suddenly, a feeling of overwhelming guilt and sadness came over me and I choked out a sob. A lump rose in my throat as I felt my eyes cloud with unshed tears.

I tried to push the feelings away but I couldn't understand the feeling of intense loneliness in my heart.

I sank to my knees and curled up on the floor, feeling the inky darkness envelop me.

Levi, the voice echoed again, and the ache in my chest burned harder.

I felt my eyes slowly slide shut and the scene rippled, the inky blackness sliding away. My vision cleared and I found myself in some sort of prison cell, cement floors and walls with sturdy metal bars separating mine to the adjacent one.

I tried to brush a strand of hair out of my face, before realising my hands were constricted with a white material.

A straitjacket...?

I struggled in the tight material, trying to free my arms, only to find the bindings tighten with my every move. Gasping as the tightness began to constrict my lungs, I felt my vision start to swim.

From the corner of my eye, I sensed movement. Freezing, I darted a glance towards the source of the noise, breath hitching in my chest when I saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness through my blurry vision.

It pounced, snarling and snapping its teeth between the bars of the prison cell. I let out a gasp and fell back onto a sharp shard of glass that was scattered on the concrete floor. It pierced my skin through the straitjacket and I cried out in pain as blood began to pool.

I glanced back towards the glowing eyes--of which I now realised belonged to a huge, grey wolf-- my eyes widening in horror when I saw that the protective bars separating us had disappeared.

What's happening? Why am I here? And why am I tied up?

My body turned ice cold as the looming jaws of the beast came closer, it's yellow eyes fixed on mine and freezing me in place.

I tried to scream but like before, it came out as a whisper of air, small and unheard. If anyone was around to hear it anyway.

The wolf snarled again, pouncing, its jaws closing in around my neck. I cried out in pain, struggling and my whole world collapsed from beneath me.  

a.n

Thanks to my wonderful editor SilverSloth and to all my fellow book club members for giving me tips on how to improve my earlier chapters!

edited: 11/12/16