"It wouldn't have changed anything," Darlene said. "She was already gone by then. I went to visit her body one last time... and I'll never forget what I saw. It wasn't my mother lying there, but someone else." She paused for a moment, gathering herself, then let out a soft breath. "This is where I came when I needed to be alone with her. But it's not like we can talk back here."
I frowned, moving my hand across the ground to wrap my fingers around hers. "You still don't remember anything? The night she died?"Darlene shook her head. "No. I told you before. I lost consciousness before then, and when I woke up...""Yeah," I whispered. "You were in your car, outside the old church.""But not Sister Claire."She turned away from the gravestone, letting go of my hand and placing the flashlight down next to her feet. Then she wrapped both arms around her stomach, curling into herself and looking more vulnerable than ever before. Her scarf fell against the ground,I helped her out, chopping some vegetables for a salad while she cooked the eggs and bacon. We ate together at the table, enjoying our meal and each other's company. Then we took a walk through the park, holding hands as we walked along the path that wound through the trees.It was nice to just spend time with Darlene. I felt like I was falling in love with her all over again. She was beautiful and kind, and I couldn't imagine life without her.We went home after lunch, spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing in front of the television. We were watching a movie when Darlene turned to me, taking my hand in hers as she spoke."Ben?" she asked.I looked over at her. "Yeah?""Do you think we could go out tonight?" she asked. "To dinner, or something?""Sure," I replied. "What did you have in mind?""I don't know," she said. "Maybe we could go somewhere nice.""Like where?""I don't know... someplace romantic."I smiled. "I'd love to
She asked what was wrong, and I told her that we didn't have enough money to pay the rent next month. She asked if we could sell the apartment and move somewhere else, but I said no.I explained that if we sold it, we wouldn't be able to afford to buy a new one. She said we could find something cheaper, but I knew she was right.So instead, I suggested we get a second job. Darlene said it would be difficult, but she agreed to do it anyway.That night, we went out and looked for work. It was hard, but eventually, we found something.We started working at a bar, serving drinks and making tips. We had to work late nights, but it paid well enough to cover our bills.It wasn't easy, but we did it. After a few months, we were able to pay off all of our debts and save some money.Once everything was settled, we decided to go back to the apartment. But when we got th
Darlene wasn’t feeling the part like everyone else. She was fading out. “You okay Darl” he said as he reached out to touch her shoulder.She brushed his hand away. She was embarrassed at how much she was shaking. She didn't want him to see her like this. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said in a quiet voice.He turned around and faced her. He saw that her face was red with embarrassment. Her eyes were closed tight."I'm sorry," he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The kiss lingered there for a few seconds. Then he moved away."Don't be sorry." She said, opening her eyes. "It's just... you know...""You don't have to explain it to me." He smiled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "If I were you, I would feel the same way."She felt better after hearing those words. But she still wanted him. And now she knew what she had to do.***After they left the mall, Darlene asked Tom if he wanted to go somewhere and get
Eva’s POV At the dark hole where no Werewolf treads on and the beast of the forests dreads, I stayed kept in chains struggling to break loose out of them and take my Revenge on all Werewolf packs that existed on the surface of the earth."Get me out of these chains and I would tear apart all the Werewolf packs with my fist." I cried out loud in my wolf language.How I got into these chains was a story that I could never forget in a hurry. It was just after the cold war between all the werewolf packs. I was a free and deadly lone wolf, cursed and feared by all and I was told a scary story in every werewolf household.After my first shift at eighteen, I became wild and couldn't control my wolf that had an unquenchable taste for meat. I could still remember my mom yelling that Night when I first shifted. I was so Hungry for flesh that I attacked her, not caring who she was to me. "What are you trying to do Rachael, why are your eyes glowing?" She inquired but I would not listen to a
EVA POVI stared into his eyes, and he met my gaze with intensity. But instead of tearing me apart, he showed restraint and curiosity."Hey, who are you?" he inquired, his voice steady.I let out a low growl, feeling defensive and guarded. Ignoring his question, I focused on the fantasy of finding a potential mate, my thoughts consumed by the desire to establish a bond."Why did you attack my pack member?" he growled, his tone now laced with anger.Growing tired of his persistent questioning, I entertained dark thoughts of devouring his flesh. A sinister smile formed on my wolfish face, relishing the idea. However, a part of me sensed that playing the waiting game might be a better strategy to satisfy my cravings. After all, he believed that our scents indicated a mate bond.Damien exuded an air of dangerous mystery. His eyes followed my movements, but he remained silent, observing me with a pensive expression. He seemed to recognize that I was a wild wolf, unleashed and untamed. I gr
Damien POV "My Alpha, my Alpha," the pack guard stammered, fear evident in his eyes, resembling a frightened child."What is happening?" I inquired, my voice laced with concern and a deep frown etching my face, replacing the anger that simmered within."The pack is under attack," he said, causing my eyes to narrow. I had to swiftly come to the pack's aid and fend off these invaders."Not again," I growled inwardly, my frustration mounting. These relentless adversaries refused to leave my pack in peace.Suppressing my rising anger, I clenched my fists and pressed my lips firmly together, striving to regain control."How? Who are they? And how did they manage to breach our defenses?" Urgency tinged my voice, but fear had no place within me. I was the protector of the pack, always prepared to wield my spear against any threat."No, it's our own people, Alpha. They demand your presence, threatening to overrun the pack if you don't comply," he informed me, injecting a note of relief into
Eva POV It was like the scent of ten thousand rose flowers, so sweet and so pleasant that for the first time since I ran wild, I could feel peace within me once again.I felt like clinging to the person with this scent, never letting go and staying calm this way all my life.I opened my eyes slowly and there he was, standing before me. "Mate?" My mate Bond came again, making my face twist with so much hate and anger. I howled angrily at him, making him get away from the cage immediatelyImmediately he set his eyes on me, his face vanished under a frown."What do you want?" I fired and I knew that he could hear me through the mind link."The trial, it's today." He noted. "Thanks to you, I have been wrecking my brain to make sure that you are not executed but don't worry everything will be okay. Just wished you had stayed put where you were kept, all these would never have come up" He said to me."And make sure all this doesn't go down the drain," he returned and walked away. Then, I
Eva’s POVEveryone in the hall waited to see why he had noted that I was innocent when everything pointed to me as a murderer. He went before the elders and began to explain. "She is a normal Werewolf that runs wild and she is only being controlled by her wolf. So whatever is happening right now is not the fault of that beautiful wolf inside." He explained to the displeasure of everyone in the hall. "So what should we do now?" One of the elders inquired. "We need to tame her." He replied with so much assurance in his voice. I hated him now with all the passion that I had in me, so much that I felt like tearing him apart. I wasn't going to be tamed by any stupid Werewolf. I loved my taste for blood and I would not allow anyone on the surface of the earth to deprive me of it. "But it has been said that a werewolf that runs Can never be tamed." One of the elders returned but Alpha Damein would not stop giving out his false hope, making me howl with hate and anger. "I will do it,
Darlene wasn’t feeling the part like everyone else. She was fading out. “You okay Darl” he said as he reached out to touch her shoulder.She brushed his hand away. She was embarrassed at how much she was shaking. She didn't want him to see her like this. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said in a quiet voice.He turned around and faced her. He saw that her face was red with embarrassment. Her eyes were closed tight."I'm sorry," he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The kiss lingered there for a few seconds. Then he moved away."Don't be sorry." She said, opening her eyes. "It's just... you know...""You don't have to explain it to me." He smiled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "If I were you, I would feel the same way."She felt better after hearing those words. But she still wanted him. And now she knew what she had to do.***After they left the mall, Darlene asked Tom if he wanted to go somewhere and get
She asked what was wrong, and I told her that we didn't have enough money to pay the rent next month. She asked if we could sell the apartment and move somewhere else, but I said no.I explained that if we sold it, we wouldn't be able to afford to buy a new one. She said we could find something cheaper, but I knew she was right.So instead, I suggested we get a second job. Darlene said it would be difficult, but she agreed to do it anyway.That night, we went out and looked for work. It was hard, but eventually, we found something.We started working at a bar, serving drinks and making tips. We had to work late nights, but it paid well enough to cover our bills.It wasn't easy, but we did it. After a few months, we were able to pay off all of our debts and save some money.Once everything was settled, we decided to go back to the apartment. But when we got th
I helped her out, chopping some vegetables for a salad while she cooked the eggs and bacon. We ate together at the table, enjoying our meal and each other's company. Then we took a walk through the park, holding hands as we walked along the path that wound through the trees.It was nice to just spend time with Darlene. I felt like I was falling in love with her all over again. She was beautiful and kind, and I couldn't imagine life without her.We went home after lunch, spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing in front of the television. We were watching a movie when Darlene turned to me, taking my hand in hers as she spoke."Ben?" she asked.I looked over at her. "Yeah?""Do you think we could go out tonight?" she asked. "To dinner, or something?""Sure," I replied. "What did you have in mind?""I don't know," she said. "Maybe we could go somewhere nice.""Like where?""I don't know... someplace romantic."I smiled. "I'd love to
"It wouldn't have changed anything," Darlene said. "She was already gone by then. I went to visit her body one last time... and I'll never forget what I saw. It wasn't my mother lying there, but someone else." She paused for a moment, gathering herself, then let out a soft breath. "This is where I came when I needed to be alone with her. But it's not like we can talk back here."I frowned, moving my hand across the ground to wrap my fingers around hers. "You still don't remember anything? The night she died?"Darlene shook her head. "No. I told you before. I lost consciousness before then, and when I woke up...""Yeah," I whispered. "You were in your car, outside the old church.""But not Sister Claire."She turned away from the gravestone, letting go of my hand and placing the flashlight down next to her feet. Then she wrapped both arms around her stomach, curling into herself and looking more vulnerable than ever before. Her scarf fell against the ground,
Darlene got up from the table and grabbed the journal again, pulling me away from the chair. I didn't want to go; there were so many questions left unanswered, so many mysteries surrounding her disappearance, but she dragged me back upstairs anyway. She pulled me into the room where her mother kept the rest of Sister Claire's things—her mementos and keepsakes, tucked away in storage with no real place in this world—and closed the door behind us. The only light came from a dim lamp on the nightstand, casting shadows along the wall and floor like dark storm clouds.Darlene had already told me about what she'd found inside her mother's old diary, how she'd read every last entry that she could find, trying to glean something of meaning from the words. She'd gone over it with me repeatedly during our dinner at the diner, telling me everything she knew about Sister Claire's life, both as a nun and an artist.But now Darlene sat down on the edge of the bed and placed
It was the final detail in an image that never stopped moving.A week later, I had a chance to meet Sister Claire's descendant, Darlene Bidwell. I wasn't sure how I got invited—perhaps she wanted to know who else knew her grandmother—but I accepted the invitation nonetheless, excited to learn more about my subject and her life outside of art. Darlene sat on the edge of the couch, swinging her legs like a little girl, while I perched uncomfortably in the chair across from her."So you think she might still be alive?" Darlene asked with a puzzled look. "Even though it was written all over the papers and everything."I shrugged. "The records aren't exact," I replied, wishing I didn't sound quite so vague. "Besides, there were many theories as to what happened to Sister Claire, but no one has actually seen her for several years. She may have gone underground after her escape, or maybe she was spotted at some point...but we don't really know."Darl
The success of the art therapy programs reached far beyond the town's boundaries. Sister Claire's advocacy for the healing power of art inspired other communities to embrace similar initiatives, fostering a movement of artistic healing that transcended geographical borders.I returned to my desk with the sketch in my hand.Sister Claire's letter told me how much the town she left had transformed and how, for her, the sketch was the last tangible reminder of a world that existed long ago. She must have loved the town, and I wondered if it was this very love that drove her to embrace its plight and use her art as a way to reach out.The question wasn't whether she was a hero or an artist. It wasn't even whether she was a woman of God or just a nun. Sister Claire's legacy would always be something more: the countless women and men she inspired to break out of their comfort zones and become artists. The lessons she taught were too valuable to miss, too important to ignore."You're looking
The sun cast a warm glow over the newly established Harmonyville Art Academy as Sister Claire stood at the entrance, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first batch of young aspiring artists. Inside the academy's bright and inviting halls, easels stood ready, and art supplies adorned each table. As the students trickled in, their eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation. Sister Claire greeted them with a warm smile, embracing each one with a sense of genuine excitement. "Welcome, my young artists," Sister Claire said, her voice filled with warmth. "Today marks the beginning of an incredible journey. Here, you'll discover the magic of art and the endless possibilities it holds." One of the students, a teenager named Lily, raised her hand hesitantly. "I've never been to an art academy before. Will I be good enough?" Sister Claire knelt down, placing a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder. "Every artist starts somewhere, and this academy is a place to grow and learn. Remember, it's
As word spread about Harmonyville's artistic renaissance and the success of the public art project, the town's reputation began to reach new heights. It caught the attention of a renowned, high-profile artist whose work had captivated audiences worldwide. Intrigued by the community's commitment to the arts and inspired by Sister Claire's advocacy, the artist reached out with an offer to collaborate on a large-scale installation in Harmonyville.The news of this collaboration spread like wildfire throughout the town, generating a buzz of excitement and anticipation. The prospect of working alongside a celebrated artist ignited a renewed sense of pride and possibility within the community.Sister Claire, recognizing the significance of this opportunity, embraced the collaboration as a way to further elevate Harmonyville's profile as an artistic destination. She assembled a team that included the artist, local artists, community members, and volunteers to bring the vision