~LILY'S POV~As we had arrived at the entrance of the Wailing Woods, we finally came across the clearing filled with the giant stone statues. The statues looked ancient, their features worn by time. It was a bit spooky, as if the statues were watching us. They did look hyper realistic. There were five; 2 by the left, 2 by the right and by far the largest one just in the way of the entrance."Fuck! Look how huge they are…I gotta get a picture." Sarah plopped out her instacam from her bagpack and started taking pictures."We don't have time for that, Sarah." Theo said, impatiently."Yes, we do. " She shoved the instacam in his hands, "Take a pic of me, please.""What are you doing, Sarah? Don't go close to those things…" I said, rather too forwardly but Sarah went anyways and stood close to the first one on the left."Making memories…if you won't take a pic with me, just don't complain.""But what if…""Take another one, Theo." She ignored me and continued posing for the camera, which I
As we journeyed deeper into the Wailing Woods, we discovered the forest's complex nature. The trees moved and swayed, their branches twisting together in a captivating yet confusing spectacle. Each step we took felt uncertain. The path before us kept changing, leading us deeper into the forest's puzzling maze.We relied on our instincts, keeping a close eye on our surroundings for any clues or hints from the elements around us. But the forest played tricks on us, making it hard to determine which way to go. We didn't even know we were in a maze or when we had reached a dead end. Landmarks that were once familiar now seemed strange, and paths we thought were clear suddenly disappeared into thick bushes and tangled plants.As time passed, our determination started to waver, and we grew frustrated and anxious. We started to doubt, suggesting to ourselves that we might be forever lost in this confusing maze.Sarah was the one who spoke first. "I think we're lost, Lily."As she spoke, came
Theo and Sarah looked dead-on at me. It felt like a huge weight came off my shoulders and I slowly breathed out."Stop fighting, please."Sarah rolled her eyes, "Lily, I know you-"Suddenly she stopped then pointed at my right shoulder. "Lily, what's wrong with your shoulder?"I looked down and saw one of the guardian marks on my shoulder glowing. It was in the shape of the crescent moon. It was different from the others I got that day I first transformed into an eagle. It looked like I had recently gotten it and it kinda hurt my skin.Theo stood up and looked at me, shocked, "It's the mark of the chosen one. The Healers told me that the person who bore the mark of a crescent moon on their right shoulder is the chosen one who will reclaim the ring." He looked into my eyes, "Lily, you really are the chosen one." Well, yes, that's what I just said.,Sarah looked at both of us then at me,."What? What?! Lily…why didn't you..when did you…what-""It's been some months since I found out, Sa
~LILY'S POV~The sunlight bathed the road giving me little relief after the days I spent in that accursed place. We were almost reaching the grove but we stopped at a stream to bathe, get drinking water and rest before continuing on. The woods we were in was part of our domain so we knew it like the back of our hands. Theo waited inside the bushes for us to finish bathing.Sarah was being her goofy self and we had a laugh. I missed these little moments and wished we had them more but I had already lost the ability to relax myself. So many things were always going on in my head, so many thoughts, so many unanswered questions, so many worries.As I reminisced about Adrian, memories flooded my mind. I remembered vivid pictures of our time together. I remembered his infectious laughter that could brighten the darkest of days. I remembered the way his eyes sparkled with mischief whenever we embarked on an adventure in the woods and we would arrive late only for us to sneak in so my parents
~NARRATOR'S POV ~The search troop Tyler led had made considerable progress in their search for Audrey, the fugitive. An emergency call from the pack was what made Tyler turn back. He addressed the men and told them they had to bring her back alive no matter what and beckoned them not to be afraid of any opposition they faced. After that, he returned back to the pack.Meanwhile in the coven, the vampires around the boarders already informed Leo of the search party coming for Audrey. He deliberately didn't tell her so he would see if she really had formidable power as she claimed and he suspected. He instructed his men to take her to the boundary and to tell her to wait for him since he was expecting another ally.Audrey did suspect he had ulterior motives but didn't say or do anything to show her suspicion. She also didn't resist and followed the men to the boundary. She waited for minutes but noone came. Totally irritated by the delay she turned to question one of the vampires, "When
~LILY'S POV~It hadn't been a day since we had arrived from our strenous journey when I heard my mom was sick. Infact, it was as soon as we entered the grove, I was informed of it. My mind raced when I heard the news. My mom, sick? She was the one who rarely fell ill in the entire grove. She had a strong immune system and very strong genes. Was it just a cold or something worse? Because the way the maid told me, she also looked fearful. Gosh, my mind spun in different directions. I told Theo and Sarah I had to visit her and my dad first before we would go to Aunt Belinda's.Before I even went to my room to freshen up, I immediately rushed to meet her and saw my father in their room. I went to hug him. He looked so tired and drained."Dad, what happened?""Where have you been, Lily?" He said, looking worried."Dad, I'd explain later I promise, but what happened to mom?""Lily, my dear." My mom's frail voice called to me and I went to her side. I sat beside her, my heart heavy with worr
~LILY'S POV~"She has cirrhosis…"I remembered what the doctor had said before my dad cut him off and took him aside to discuss. The look in my father's eyes said it all. I didn't need to check it up because I had heard of that illness before. It was what my father's mother had died from. They had taken her to every healer in the realm, every renowned doctor they could pay to travel to the grove, but still, no cure had been found for her.I brought my palms to my face and tried my best to hold in the tears that were on the brim of rushing out. No, nothing would happen to my mom. I had to believe hard enough and I had to stay strong, for her. She'd be fine. The more I'd tell myself, the more it'd be true."No…." My gut-wrenched voice came out which attracted Sarah's attention from the front seat she was sitting in beside Theo, who was driving. Theo looked at me concernedly through the front mirror as Sarah turned and placed a hand on my shoulder."Lily, you didn't have to come along. Y
There she stood, hair burning in the crimson light that started escaping from the heavy fog.She always gave off a eerie feeling that made me shiver, as if she would attack me out of nowhere and no-one would see it coming. Her eyes were filled with pure hate, showing the total darkness inside her. Every step she took closer to us was full of evil intent. She held Aunt Belinda on her knees, close to her, grabbing her hair tightly as the woman yelped for mercy. Her twisted smile showed how happy she was to inflict pain. At that moment, it felt like all the badness in the world was in the air with us, leaving me feeling scared and anxious."Let her go!" I shouted with all the strength I could muster.Her sickening laugh made my ears bleed. She dragged Aunt Belinda's hair tighter making her spine bend inwards and the poor woman's cries made me tighten my fists in anger."I said let her go, Audrey! What are you doing? What do you want?!"And then, a familiar voice I never thought I'd hear