×Griffin×Anastasia is freaking out. I can tell. I can feel it. As much as I want to stay with her, I turned the car away from her street and drove myself back to my hellhole. The place people expect me to call home. I've seen cemeteries and morgues with a more homey feeling than I get whenever I return home. There's a car I don't recognize outside in the driveway the very second my father's house comes into view. Who the fuck owns that?'Do we care?'No you're right. We don't.Once my car was secured in the parking spot, I headed out. Snatching the bags that I needed to hide for Anastasia. I'll take them to Dell's shed. As soon as I drop my things in my room. I feel like I'm fifty. My father makes me feel that old. I want to avoid him. I want to get as far as I can. But that would mean he won. He succeeded in making me look like the devil's spawn. He's had every control over my life. He's the major reason I'm broody. The reason I've gotten into trouble. If someone thinks you're ba
×Anastasia× My return to the house comes with a slight feeling of dread. The fact that the feeling is only small is what shocks me the most. Seeing my aunt with a knife, nearly drove me insane. Until she hugged me and explained that she was in the middle of preparing dinner, and I arrived just in time. I excused myself and went off to my bedroom. Tossed my bag on the bed, and crawled into it. Just laying there, I pulled my phone out and texted Griffin to tell him that I'm doing okay. I went to my gallery, clicking through a folder marked as memories. It had pictures of my family. Videos too. It's cute, and it tells me what I missed. What I can't remember. That little nightmare plagues me. When I see them, I see their splattered body next. And it hurts. A pang swells in my chest, I blow out some air to try and relieve the pain.Can't I just see them being Happy? There's a photo of me and Marion, laughing like a bunch of cooks. Our eyes look weird, and I'm sure we did that on purpose
×Alexis× You can say I'm a bitch, which is something I never wanted to be. Anastasia is the cousin I wanted to be close too. I thought that if we were together, as best buddies, I could get away from my horrible life. And it worked for a while, but not after she got to high school. Watching her ramble with Vanessa made me feel jealousy. Despite everything that had happened, Anastasia can still earn glances everywhere. She was still a social butterfly that people loved no matter what. That annoyed me. I wanted to be that social butterfly. I wanted attention like she gets but she's right, where the fuck are my morals? I should be a better person but instead, I'm a mindless sheep who spends her days feeling sorry for herself and envying her cousin. The thing about Anastasia that hits me hard, is how perfect she is. So I'm a year younger. A grade younger. I told myself things wouldn't be so different for me because we went to different schools. That all changed when she decided she wa
×Anastasia× |Two years ago|High proved to be a merry mess, after just a year of being there. I realized things weren't what they seemed. Everything was fucked up. The students, they were cooking us up for something big. Something none of the parents ever expected. It would crash the whole town once it happened but I am determined to make sure they fail in every way. There's a way that they select people. There are ways they choose their next victim. It's not by beauty. They're taking kids whose parents have neglected them. The suffering and pain of the kids makes them happy. Because when that kid is killed, they look to the sky and wonder why the world decided to be unjustly towards them. They'd think about their lives prior to their torturous death and think about how miserable, and unfulfilling it was. That was how they chose their kids. Mason was a star in the rising of football. He was a good friend of mine. His brother Joshua is one of the sweetest nerds I've met. People thin
×Griffin× Anastasia and I met up the following Monday. She looked like she'd had a nightmare that stuck with her, and I didn't look much better. She threw an arm around me, leaned her cheek against my shoulder and we walked into the school grounds together. I didn't bring my car, she didn't bring hers. We sort of just met along the way and made the curt decision to walk the rest of the school. I wasn't exactly feeling that great about either of our situation. We didn't ask about. Infact, we said no words. Just walking and staying in close contact. Eyes followed us everywhere . They seemed shocked by the sight, and I mean shocked. But no part of me cared. Luciana and Max rushed to greet me. "Griffin." I grunted a response. Not moving from Anastasia. Making it weird for them to offer me hugs, or anything. I could have moved away, but her scent was the only thing keeping me from breaking down. I didn't want to go to school. That was the truth. I wanted to stay away from school, bu
×Anastasia× This morning, I woke up with a grimy, cloudy feeling of dread looming over my head. Something was wrong. I could immediately tell. My aunt was still around, and Alexis had been pestering me the day before to hang out with her at the old playground. I finally caved and said yes. Something about that had made her grin ear to ear, and I knew instantly that I'd made a big mistake. But I didn't want her to know that she had gotten to me with her words. Instead, I told myself that it would be fine. I got up, took a shower and left all the make-up ideas and pretty clothes I wanted to wear. Instead, I went for matching joggers and a white Adidas shoes. My body was groggy, I must not have slept as well a so thought I did. Walking was difficult, it was like my entire body didn't want to get out of my bedroom. I'd been so freaked out by Alexis that I forgot to swap rooms.She's really a bad omen if she's making every instinct in my body tingle with a sad desperation to get away fr
×Anastasia× The stench of something burning, perhaps wood, is the only thing that comforts us in this silence. We haven't seen a single person since we were taken. My head had finally cooled off, and I could bring my body to ask questions. To Alexis. "What the fuck ?!" I exclaimed. Griffin had a tight look as he glared at Alexis, and Vanessa looked confused. But Alexis knew, she broke into her crocodile tears and hoped for sympathy as she whimpered with tears pouring like rain down her face. But sympathy was the last thing she would get out of me. She brought me to a park, she told me how she truly felt and now she has the mindset to cry??? Because she was kidnapped too??"I don't care that you're crying, Alexis. So shut it down, and tell me what you did, and why you did it. Because I can't understand how someone can be so cruel and pathetic. To set up their own cousin to abducted.""You did what?!" Now Vanessa mirrored Griffin's expression. We were all angry at her. She rubbed h
×Alexis× When Max stepped in front of th cell, I didn't even know what to think. First of all, this was Griffin's best friend. How did she just waltz in here easily? The guilt of my actions kept eating away at my chest reminding me that doing a bad thing and alot of consequences. Anastasia had felt those consequences when her family died, and I was blinded by my inate jealousy that I couldn't see her suffering. I was too engrossed in myself and my hatred only seemed to grow. What the hell is wrong with me? I worked with a clearly deranged woman, and I agreed to set my cousin up so she would be kidnapped, and killed. I'm so fucking stupid and wicked. This guilt will never go away , because Anastasia will never forgive me. She gave me so many tries to fix our friendship and I crashed every single one of them. I stayed against the wall, feeling more depressed that I'd ever been. Because this meant I was just as bad as my mother. Max gripped the bars and turned her attention to Griffi
×Third Person's pov×Griffin's uncle, much to Anastasia's dismay, gave her no further explanation to the Bombshell he had dropped. Instead he began to laugh, laugh hysterically like there was something funny. His shoulders rolled, his back arched and her eyebrows met.Her body was suddenly let free, and she felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet. But before she could ask anymore questions, he charged after her. Foot barreling through the floor. Anastasia's heart pounded in her chest as she faced off against the man who had caused her so much pain, her mate's sinister uncle. The memories of her parents' murder flooded her mind, giving her strength and determination to protect herself and those she loved.With every fiber of her being, Anastasia fought back, her body moving with a grace and power she never knew she possessed. Her movements were fueled by a fierce mix of anger, vengeance, and a desperate need to survive. The air crackled with the intensity of their clash as their weapons
×Anastasia×With me being left here, there's only one thing to do. 'Break out!'Sneak out, girl. Sneak. I'm not leaving yet. I reached for the key I'd been hiding for only god knows how long, I stopped counting after I snatched it out of the masked man's robe. I picked at the locks with it until I found the right angle and it opened up. A sigh of relief left me. I hid the key under my robe, and tiptoed out of the cage..The floors aren't squeaky, but the stairs are. So if I'm going to do this, I'll need to do it fast. Vanessa has been gone for a half hour now, and I've contacted Dell and Griffin to come save her from the clutches of that psycho Max. I was very gentle with the wooden steps but they still made their very loud creek. Leaving me with no choice but to hurry it up and just run up the rest of the way. The front door was locked and I wanted to face palm. I'd forgotten that the door to this basement area was usually locked once the masked people had left. Or arrived. Which
×Alexis×I was thrown into some sort of arena made of clay, and dusty bricks. Not the most hygienic place to be in but I'm not exactly worried about catching something when my life is on the line. My mother threw off her robe, she wore only her leggings and tight tank top. Two of the mask people approached her. They offered her a wrap of bandages that she used to cover her knuckles..I can't fight. I never knew my mother could fight. So this isn't the best situation for me to be in. Why did I mention fighting for my life? Right, I didn't want to be some pawn for her and her madness anymore.That doesn't seem like it's worth anything right now. Well, I better hurry up and do something before I get my ass handed to me in seconds flat."Mom, don't do this.""Don't do what? Ugh, I didn't want a failure for a child. So why are you pleading? You won't change my mind so get your fist up, and fight for your fucking life." She threw the first swing and I barely got out of the way before my
×Vanessa×"Max, don't do this." I pleaded as she strapped my arms to the circle she had drawn on the floor of this empty room. The only thing the room had was a statue of the town's leader. Grim. The madman who cursed out bloody town. Anastasia was right when she said this cult went back for years. Because something was never right from day one. Especially for my generation. Ninety percent of us have been unable to find out wolves, some can't shift and others lose the ability to shift. Something was wrong but we thought it was normal because that's how things are in this pack. Whenever something strange happens, everyone looks the other way. We were already dealing with fucked up shit whose to say this isn't one of the natural side effects of being cursed. If we looked deeper we might have seen the dying students. We may have been able to stop this. I looked left, then my neck turned the other way as Max tied on the last leather strap to my right arm. "Max, please, I begging." She
×Vanessa×Seeing Alexis being dragged out like an animal about to be slaughtered made the weight in my heart sink to the very bottom. This is madness. They can't do this. Her mother cannot do this to her. Yeah, I'm aware of what she tried to do but she's still a teen. This ….. this sort of death isn't right. Where is Griffin? He has a demon, he can save her. Why isn't he here? Oh right. He's handling his father's problem. Anastasia said that. Or did she say he's handling his father being a problem, I'm not even sure anymore this place is trying to make me mad, that's the only explanation I have for the twitching way I've been feeling. I rubbed my arm, and moved a way from the bars as Alexis continued to scream holy hell at her mother. She bit one of the men, and he grunted. "Should we sedate her? No, there's no need. Just drag her to the location and throw her in there. I will handle it from there."Turns out I'm not the only one with a psycho mother. And what are the odds of being
×Alexis× Griffin never came back, Anastasia was plotting something and Vanessa is actually a tough cookie. I'm all alone here. Those two have each other, I have no one. Because I chose to…. I wish I'd taken a different route. Anastasia forgave me so many times and I tried to get her killed. I wouldn't forgive me either. I've been having these thoughts for days, I'm tired of the self loathing. There isn't a word I haven't called myself. Every bad word I can think of, I've thrown it at myself. I fucking suck. I got up this morning feeling the same way. My shower was done in silence while I listened to Anastasia and Vanessa flash their friendships around. They were talking almost in code. If I closed my eyes, I can pretend like they've included me into the topic. It's said, yes, it's pathetic, I agree. But I'm lonely. I need to converse with someone. Anastasia is not interested in talking to me, again, I don't blame her. Vanessa won't talk to me because she's too busy with Ana.
×Griffin×This week only gets worse and worse, but not for me. I actually don't feel anything. I stopped feeling things after the first day. My mother was hung up like an animal. The contents of her stomach were removed. Most of her organs were stored in front of her. I hate alot of things, I really hate alot, but nothing had been able to cut close to seeing my mother that way. Not even my father. And he had hurt me bad. I'm supposed to be this badass who doesn't feel anything but isn't that a lie. I couldn't keep my face straight when I saw my mom in that position. To the best of my knowledge she was buried.I doubt my father even knows about the horrific way these people have hung her body to a wall. Right below a shrine. I wonder if they're praying to my dead mother's body, or if she was placed there as a sacrifice to whatever this cult serves. The door opens again, and I kicked the plate they offered me. I don't need food or water. Dell can keep me alive even after I'm dead. He'
×Anastasia×I think we've been here for weeks, but I can't be too sure. Everything is weird. They're feeding us, and treating us like we're at a two star motel. No one was actually doing anything. Griffin had secluded himself to the back of his cell, but he wasn't feeling any sadness. He was just curious. And I could feel it. Dell told me as well. Alexis was…. To be honest I haven't given her much thought. While my bunk mate, Vanessa was in a weird state. She was in between happiness that she could walk and sadness that her mother had been the reason for the depression she had felt after she thought her chances of walking were zero to none. Can I just gloat about being right? I called it years ago that her mother was a bitch but everyone who didn't know said it was a classic Gastillo trying to start a fight. NOW WHO'S RIGHT YOU SELF POMPOUS FUCKERS!It's me.Okay, now that I'm done with that little gloating moment, we can try to focus on getting some answers. It seems like they'r
×Vanessa× I awoke to soft sounds of my mother tapping her knuckles against my door, I wondered why she was up this early. She usually woke up my six am on the dot. Not wanting her to know that I was awake, I stayed still and force my body to go back to being limp. She knocked again, this time her voice followed through. "Vanessa, sweetie, are you awake?" She called. Her voice was louder than her knocking. She twisted the door knob, and I quickly closed my eyes lids. She knocked one more time. "Vanessa, are you awake honey?" Her voice still sounded like it was far away and I took sustenance in that. She hadn't entered my room just yet and that was perfectly fine by me. Her footsteps were loud, like she was trying hard to see if I was awake. Or maybe she wanted me to wake up. Whichever one, I remained quiet and continued to fake sleeping. I learnt this from Anastasia. She and I would pretend whenever we had sleepovers just to mess with her mother. It only lasted a year before her