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Fatal Lullaby (Revised Edition) by Jenni Teel

Tara Stele wakes in the ruins of her childhood home, her hands slick with blood, her mother's lullaby echoing in the hollow silence. She doesn't remember killing her parents, but the world is certain she did. Banished to the Shade Territory-a decaying prison where exiled supernaturals fight to survive-Tara is forced into hiding among the notorious Shades of Orphan crew. But secrets don't stay buried for long.

Hunted by the Division of Non-Human Affairs and a bounty hanging over her head, Tara must unravel the truth behind her own existence. As her powers awaken, so does something darker-whispers of gods long thought dead, fragments of war and prophecy twisting through her veins.

With a past she can't trust and a future she can't escape, Tara is faced with an impossible fate. Will she become the weapon she was made to be, or will she forge a new path before the world burns around her?

This is the revised edition of Fatal Lullaby by JenniferLayneTeel on Wattpad. I lost access to my account, and since it's nearly the ten-year anniversary, I decided to rewrite, revise, and re-give-it-a-go!

Fatal Lullaby

The main hall was quieter than before, but the air still hummed with unspoken tension. Tara could feel Collin watching from the corner, his blue eyes sharp and distant. Zeke leaned against the wall near the fire, his braided hair loose over his shoulders, his gaze unreadable.

And then there was Talulah. She was still near the fire, still watching. Her pale hands were folded in her lap, her long white hair hanging like a sheet of moonlight. Her face was so still, so empty, that it sent a chill down Tara's spine.

Ballad tilted her chin toward them. "Zeke, Talulah—this is Tara."

Zeke raised a single eyebrow. "Yeah, we got that already."

Ballad rolled her eyes. "I meant properly. You two like to make your own judgments, so here she is. Judge away."

Tara bristled. "I'm not some animal on display."

Zeke grinned. "Funny. That's exactly what you are."

Tara's stomach twisted. Then Talulah spoke.

Tara's breath caught. A slow, cold shiver curled down her spine. She hadn't told anyone about the lullaby. She hadn't spoken a single word about the song that haunted her dreams, whispered in the back of her mind like an echo from another life. And yet—Talulah knew. Talulah saw.

Tara took a step back. "I don't—"

Talulah stood. Her movement was silent, like wind shifting through hollow trees.

"You've always heard it, haven't you?"

The words wrapped around Tara like a noose.

"Éiníní, éiníní... codalaígí, codalaígí..."

Tara's vision blurred. Her mother's voice. The blood. The ruins.

Talulah took another step closer. "It's not just a song."

Tara shook her head, heartbeat hammering. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Talulah tilted her head. "You do."

Tara couldn't breathe. The lullaby whispered in the back of her mind, curling around her ribs like a phantom touch.

Ballad's voice cut through the air. "That's enough, Talulah."

Talulah blinked slowly. Then, without another word, she sat back down. Tara exhaled sharply, her pulse still unsteady.

Ballad sighed. "I told you. They see things."

Tara clenched her fists. "Yeah. I got that."

Zeke chuckled. "Better get used to it, little bird. We all have our ghosts."

Tara met his gaze. "Yeah?" Her voice was steady now. "Well, mine might just kill me."

Zeke grinned. "Then you'll fit right in."

Ballad snorted. "Alright, alright, that's enough. Let the girl breathe."

Tara inhaled slowly, then let it out. She had no idea what she had just walked into. But one thing was clear. Talulah knew something and if Tara wanted answers, she'd have to figure out what. Before it was too late.

Chapter Five: The Seers