They say history repeats itself. The last time I checked, Tyler was a beta who's supposed to be promoted as an alpha, not god. Tyler keeps on talking with his hand in sync but the words he utter was still gibberish to me. I now saw him face to face but my mind keeps on swirling around the idea that we accidentally kissed. "Harriet, Harriet." He snapped his fingers and I blinked repeatedly before he put his hand down. "Yes, what were you saying?" I controlled my breathing and focused on his eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked, forehead creased. I shook my head. "No, nothing, of course everything's fine, just...," I searched for the right words to hide my embarrassment but ended up finding nothing, "can you repeat what you're saying?" I just wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole, it seemed like all I could do was get embarassed in front of him."I found the real killer. You don't have to ask for Arnold's help, Harriet." His shoulder tensed and his face got a little sour
"Why did you do that?" I asked as we were trekking to the woods, Blake was behind us with the wolf on his shoulder and feeding him some bird food. "I know how you feel at that moment, I can read your thoughts, isn't it?" I agreed and thought about how I forgot he got access to my thoughts whenever he wanted.“I don’t need saving,” I blurted, and Tyler halted and I realized even I was surprised by what I said. He looked at me with a sinister smile. “I know.” I inched forward to him and formed my hands into fists. “I just needed someone to be with me when I save myself.” I can save myself – was what I want to point out, but I suddenly feel nervous closed to him, I feel like there’s a different spark that appeared between us. My mind’s twisted; I’m not the kind of person that want to be love, I’m just cruising on my own; I got numb and was reborn to reality when the truth was revealed to me. I still had a lot of things to do, and I kept buying time and procrastinating when I should
"Since it seems like you don't like to find your father anymore," Lea started, Azi offered me to sit on the curved maroon sofa I never saw before, the living room has a carpet and a complete set of sitting area with a wooden centerpiece and a chandelier, the kitchen overlooking the sofa has a marbled cupboard, a mini fridge, and pots, and pans, I'm in awe especially when Lukas opened the faucet and water come out, I almost clapped my hands. I know I should've noticed it the moment Lea pulled me here, the hanging string of pearls that covered most of the roof was gone, the algae too, and the weeds on the side, it's like magic, I knew I should expected something."We respected it," Lea added. My eyes were still feasting the cons lighting in every corner of the house and the pinwheel decoration and puzzle piece when I heard something getting pushed to the floor."But as Azi and I were looking for a pot, we stumbled in the attic and found... these." I looked at Lea and then at Azi, who
She was the only one he wanted. The only one he needed. But he couldn't have her. Not because she didn't want him, but because he was afraid. Afraid of what he was. Afraid of what he could do. So he watched her from afar, content to simply admire her. "That's so poetic," I muttered and glanced at the creases on the door made by Neneuis. She was on the other side, peeking and watching my every move. "That's a great book," Tyler said, I beamed at him and closed the book I was holding. We're in the library, and after minutes of persuading everyone to give us a minute, Neneuis was on my side so it became more bearable, though the trepidation was palpable, I wonder if he could see right through me right now? I made sure to imagine constant barbed wires so that he couldn't read my thoughts. I'm still debted by his kindness, and I don't know how to repay it to him. He let me stay here, accompany me to school, and take any dispute that surrounds me away. I don't know if my life could su
The brisk wind and the blowing strong winds from time to time made me realize that I was in the center of the town. There’s a place in town that’s near the mall, behind the funeral parlor, and in front of a bookshop, it was an abandoned building that has thirteen floors and was standing since the 18th century. It was an old abandoned building that’s said to be the home of a serial killer who made a killing spree on Mercia Lane. “Why here?” Neneuis frowned. They were walking in twos, Tyler was with Blake then Neneuis and Lukas, and Azi and Lea while I was in the front. If there’s one person here who grew up in this town and knows the tales surrounding the sacred town, that would be me. They were all wearing long coats in dark colors while I was the only one in white. I don’t have long coats like them. I only have a white pea coat.I turned to Neneuis and put my hands in my pocket when a gust of wind drew some hair on my face. “Because no one caught the killer, no one who he was.” I
"I don't like that man!" Neneuis shouted the moment we entered the building. "That man was crazy." It was the first time I heard Lea's awestruck voice. They got caught off guard by what he said. We were in the receiving area where ceramic tiles on the center formed a circle and there was an uneven long shape sofa around it, Neneuis sat on it and muttered, "This is the reason why I swore I don't need a man in my life." I remember how Michael doesn't talk much about his family, but this town was small enough for words to travel like wildfire. I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Summers were just arranged by their parents to be married. They say Mr. Summers' father has a debt to Mrs. Summers' mother and they settled it with an agreement that their child would be married to each other. Before the bookshop was really thriving, people came day and night to read and buy books, but today, only a couple of people entered the bookshop, they're all passers-by. What's more disheartening was those han
“Someone’s phone is vibrating.” I held my breath and my gaze traveled to the man's pocket beside me where a flashing phone screen lit up and non-stop vibrating was heard. Tyler didn’t move but I could hear his sudden heavy breathing, a chair movement, and a girl coming down carefully made my adrenaline rush, I quickly peek in front, and the fear to push Tyler aside and fish his phone from his pocket consumed me like a fire. I would never do that! That's beyond my imagination!But alas, Lukas was already coming to us and he caught us from the cabinet with my arm pushing Tyler to the side and my other one in his pocket while he resisted and was trying to bite my arm. “You saw us?” It was the question that would haunt me and probably would give me nightmares for days. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, collecting myself and looking down. “We’re sorry.” “What?” Neneuis breathed, she wore her bottoms and her top was covering her voluptuous front. “We’re sorry,” I repeated, but my
It didn't take a while for Aether to notice my silent scream. "You're Artha's daughter? Wow. How big you've become.""I'm seventeen now." I took pride in myself for growing this way and finally witnessed how my life has unfolded. So this was my life, huh? "Wow," Aether took a sloppy walk and held my cheeks in his hand, "last time I saw you I was holding you up in the air!" He smiled and I gave a sweet giggle.This was it, finally, the time has come. I met my biological father. I touched my father's hand with nervousness and I feel the sudden jolt that could only be felt when it's family. Azi and Lea were smiling on my side, and though still filled with awkwardness, Neneuis and Lukas' eyes were smiling. "I'm glad you grew up so well and find Neneuis and Tyler," Aether said, now on my side in the kitchen sipping a chamomile tea. I smiled at him because I still couldn't digest what was happening and words ran out of my mind. I'm supposed to be talkative, tell stories, and hug him,
Ahhh…I should just choose to stay in the town where I was raised, in the house of my father, and watched Priti grow, I want to say to everyone that I’m honored to have her as a sister. I should just forget about the wolves and didn’t force to see the ending, who was my real parents, and why Artha steal me from my birth mother. I shouldn’t stay curious, I should just stay silent and uphold my peace. Then, I wouldn’t have to witness a fire, and blood spilled in the air, if only I didn’t get angry and pursued revenge on my father, I wouldn’t have had to meet the legendary wolf. Maybe that’s his reason all along. He wanted me to stay by his side until he found my birth mother. He had to lie about his love story and keep secrets from me, and on the paper, I saw his name signed aside from the blank that I needed to sign. It just meant that he now let me become his neighbor. That was ironic. The house burned down, and I almost lived in his mansion for how long, it’s a pity that it was b
Just like any other movie or story – it must end. The bad guy finally sprouted like a mushroom, I conversed with him, he plotted murder, and he was so ugly. Because of my coercion, he took me on his journey, with the help of others of course, Lea was pushing my wheelchair while Azi and Neneuis were on my side, and Blake and Tyler lead the way. “It’s not like I’m doing this for you. That idiot brother of Tyler killed someone close to me too.” Neneuis made clear while they were walking to enter the forest, I’m wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life, so Lea just wheeled me. “You’re pertaining to Lukas, right?” I replied, confident that she was talking about him because there’s only him, right?Neneuis smirked. “Not entirely, I’m doing this for myself also,” she said, then walked past us. Her outfit was back to the emo girl that I first met, she was wearing a black square-neck sleeveless blouse tucked in a brown wrap-around skirt and a black belt hugging her legs, because of her sh
They knew… I returned to the room acting so scared and so cold, I fear for my future all of a sudden. They need to have a valuable reason why they didn’t tell me about my mother or else… Or else I’ll be seriously mad. I came back to bed with so many thoughts in my head and a heavy heart. It’s not that I don’t know they’ve been hiding secrets, I know, it’s not like a person can live without hiding secrets from anyone, I believed we have three faces, and that also comes with secrets, we have private secrets, secrets we only knew, like for example in our body, I have three moles in my back, and I can be naughty at home, and be friendly and shy at school. There were secrets we could not tell everyone, that’s just part of life and I respect that. But I didn’t know the secrets they hold were deeper than a well on a hot spring. I didn’t know it held the truth in me. They know who my birth parents were. I’m anticipating to know, yet I also don’t want to know. My other problem, on Phi
I was blind. I knew there was something behind his force smile, and his gestures, and all. But who am I not to pull on security when I don’t know what to believe. Am I going to trust him or his brother? Who’s telling the truth? Of course, the rational sense to believe on someone was with Tyler, I should’ve believed in him and maybe the night won’t end so bland, I enjoyed the longest time with him, and I’m happy and at peace compared to his brother who I just met, he said he lurks in the shadows and have a creepy conversation with me at one moment, it sure gives me a warning sign and I almost believed in him. But who am I to believe Tyler was the one killing my friends? He clearly denied it and I wanted to believe him so bad but I couldn’t agree with him at that night, there’s a voice saying I should not, obviously part of that was the last words of Lukas. “Harriet, whatever his brother said to you, believe him.” What kind of sentence was that? Why does it have a double meaning
I tried to asked him what he meant but he closes his eyes and I froze, that’s it? I leaned down to his chest but I didn’t feel a heartbeat, I wiped the tears from the back of my hand, I’m not disappointed, I just realized that this was more painful than learning your mother had died. In this, I witnessed him catch his last breath, he told me his last word, I was with him just a moment ago, why did it have to happen like this? Then I remember, the headlights that focused on us, my tears-stricken face turned around, the smoke and mist lights up from the headlights, dusts and particles made me realize that it was cold and it was night, no one’s supposed to be roaming around, but me, and the one who killed Lukas. I narrowed my eyes and focused onto the man who was on the car, like me, he was also frozen on his seat, I stood up and step forward, trying to recognize who was he. The road ends up at the beginning of the alleyway, it was a dead end here, if he did not purposedly drive on
My unexpected visit to my stepfather ended. The sky was getting dark when we reached outside. Now for the problem… “We don’t have a place to stay.” I sighed, feeling the warmth the air has blown opposite us. “We can go our separate ways and find a place,” Lukas suggested. I stared at him long enough to think that I’m positive he wouldn’t get killed, because Tyler’s brother was wrong, Lukas lost his memories, and Tyler wouldn’t kill someone with the same breed as his. No one’s getting killed, why am I so convinced and calm at the fact that Tyler was killing my friends? No one’s getting killed, I repeated. Tyler’s brother was wrong. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. “Okay,” I agreed to what Lukas suggested, so he flew away while I watched his back disappear, I was about to walk on to the opposite direction too, but someone called my name again. My father has three footsteps now, but that made him more of a slow-walker—sign of aging. “Harriet, I forgot to give you this,” my stepfa
The man has a wooden crane with a gold head of an eagle that speaks of how he became rich after he banished all his children. Was this really what it’s like to be a grown-up? You’re just suddenly tired from all the drama because it seems that it only repeats; it’s a life cycle, after the happiness, comes sadness, then happiness again then sadness, over and over, until you’re worn out until you question everything if it’s worth it until you couldn’t care less if someone leaves or dies. Life’s becoming dreadful for me, but to the man in front of me, it was the opposite, I can say that he doesn’t miss his children one bit. I’m not jealous of Priti and Genevieve. As much as I don’t like it, he married her and has a baby. Priti deserves the thing that we, his children, didn’t taste. At least give Priti a father that won’t leave when the mother dies, give her all that you can, and never lie to her. “Hey, you looked pale.” Lukas nudged me,
My plan was after Lukas and I left the place of the wolves and came back to the town where I really belong was to hunt down for a place to stay. But I’m with someone who has lost his memory, and the gazes of people as they passed by us irks me. It was still fresh on them, that I lost my mom and rebel and came to the woods and I met the legendary wolf. I was fiddling with the online cash I had with my phone when Lukas tugged the hem of my sleeves. “Let’s eat something.” I stared at Lukas. It was on cue that his stomach grumbled, so I gave in. I fished my wallet and was about to head to a café, but then I remembered, they’re the type of wolves that eat fresh meat. “What? Why? Aren’t we eating?” “Yes,” I faced the direction of the supermarket instead, “let’s go buy some fresh meat,” I declared and started walking, but the guy with me didn’t even take a step. “I’m okay with just waffles, what you eat.” But the guilt in me resided, I turned to face him again and remembered that h
“Harriet, we’re sorry we’ve done something bad to you.” It was late in the afternoon, and we have just returned from the psychiatric hospital, I was about to swerve and go to Joshua’s place when I reached the house of Neneuis and others, his house was just behind them but Azi and Lea showed up in the front porch and approached me. I was with Joshua all day, so I turned to him with utmost confusion. He just shrugged and motioned Blake and Tyler to emerge from the door. “Harriet, are you okay?” Blake sounded so worried, he was in his guy form, I guess his feeling guilty because earlier, at dawn, when I met him with his second form – Tiffany, she was so elegant like she just went to a party with the elites, turned out it was true, I learned that because her tongue slipped when she saw me with Joshua at breakfast, she was with Tyler, and they attend a charity ball along with other businessmen, and she tagged along as his date. I’m not mad or jealous, in fact, I’m relieved that the gir