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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

Lottie kicked at a loose stone on the floor. "Speaking of the Ordies, we should talk about tomorrow."

Collin snorted. "You really don't know?"

Ballad sighed. "She's new, asshole."

Ballad stretched her arms. "Tomorrow's assessment day."

The words landed like a cold weight in Tara's chest. Assessment day. The DNHA. She had heard of it before. Back when she lived in the Middle Order, her father's voice had been carefully neutral whenever the topic was brought up.

Officially, the Division of Non-Human Affairs was meant to monitor supernatural beings, ensuring they weren't a danger to the state. Unofficially, it seemed everyone knew what happened to those who tested too high. Except Tara. She was always kept in the dark.

Tara swallowed hard. "You have to go?"

Ballad nodded. "Every Shade and Fluorescent in this territory gets tested once a month. If you don't go, they just find you and drag you there themselves, so we've gotten used to dragging our own leashes. I preferably don't like to ruin good clothes when I find them."

Tara's fingers twitched. Remembering what these tests could really mean, "What happens if you test too high?"

Zeke let out a low chuckle. "You disappear."

Tara's throat tightened. "Disappear where?"

Zeke grinned. "That's the fun part. No one knows."

Lottie exhaled sharply. "Some say they take you underground. Some say you get put in a Fluorescent prison. Some say you get sent back to the Ordies and turned into a weapon."

"No," she said before she could stop herself.

The crew looked at her. Her heart pounded.

"No," she repeated, voice sharper. "The Fluorescents wouldn't do that. They don't treat people like that."

Collin arched an eyebrow. "And you really believe that?"

Tara's stomach twisted. She did. She wanted to. Fluorescents were good. She had met them, been around them, seen their kindness, their gentleness. They wouldn't let something like this happen. Would they?

Ballad sighed. "Believe what you want, little bird. Doesn't change the fact that some of us don't come back from those assessments."

Tara's pulse thundered in her ears. She didn't understand. She didn't understand why the DNHA facility was the only pristine building in this entire ruined city. Didn't understand how her entire life had been a carefully curated lie. She didn't realize she was shaking until Ballad nudged her with her foot.

"Don't panic just yet," she said. "We've got a plan."

Tara swallowed hard. "What kind of plan?"

"The kind of plan where everybody wins."

Tara exhaled sharply. The bounty was still hanging over her head. The DNHA was a looming threat she hadn't even begun to comprehend. And somewhere in the middle of all this—Landon Frasier was back in her life. And she still didn't know how or why.

Chapter Nine: The Division of Non-Human Affairs