preface

"Let me go." She said, whimpering.

"Who's gonna save you now?" One of the boys said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into his grasp.

"Show me you're wolve." He said and they all laughed, she stood there fear gripping her as he shreds her shirt. There came a loud growl before they stood a large monster furred all over.

"Christ!" They yelled and wanted to run when the monster threw them all over.

Her heart calmed, and a bitter smile crinkled her lips. "Collins. I waited for you."

"I was delayed by my dad, And I must do so well to keep my promise, here I am, have you hurt anywhere, I wish I could just kill them." He said dragging her out of the mess as they lay on the floor wincing in pain.

"Hey, I'm grateful at least you left them with broken ribs," she said, parting with him on the shoulder, and they both busted into a peal of loud laughter.

"Next time scream my name, okay." He said, assuring her, that he'll do well to stand by her.

"See you later okay." She winked at him as she put on the hood and headed into the woods with the lamplight in her hands.

The sound of the rain is so soothing and can bring comfort and stillness to even the most troubled of hearts, but not this time, something haunts Lucia, the night was terrible for her, all thanks to Collins, she was saved from being ravished.

The banging intensified on the door, and they walked a woman in a red gown covering her head, after the doorknob was swirled and the door let into a loud creak.

Soaked in rain and shivering from the cold that has penetrated her through the bone and the assault from earlier.

"Grace, what-" said the man in a beige shirt. He was a human and had been there for Lucia since her mom passed on, he would tell the girl stories, stories of her kind.

"Not Grace, I need your help." Sliding the gloves from her hand, she said swiftly almost as fast, that you can notice the shiver on her lip shaking my, she hurled them towards the fire burning and stood beside it.

"You've gotten yourself into something this time around, again?" The man with his beard prodding out grey and his poor belly tied in a cotton shirt and a glass on his eyes, you can say he's a professor, books dishevelled on his desk as he sat and lit the candle that was blown out by the breeze from the door earlier.

"I need it." She said, craning her neck around the room, and absorbing the smell of books scattered across.

"What?" He asked, eyes fixated on the open book as he wrinkled his hands through the pages like some part had been ripped open.

"The last thing left of my mum." Lucia mouthed, her hands cold as she placed her palm toward the fire.

"Don't do anything stupid child." The man in his late forties said handing over a warm cup of coffee to keep her warm. " you can't shift and-"

"Not that I've been, yeah they're harpies prowling around." She circled her hands around the mug.

She looked through the flame and she ran her hands through the scar on her hand, there stroked another fresh one, and paced towards the alchemist.

"She wanted you to have it when you're of age." Drawing out his drawer he brought out a box. And placed it on his table.

"Be wary, the night is not safe, she asked me to keep you safe." He placed his hands on the desk and looked into the girl's hazel eyes.

"And what has that cost me?" She took the pendant out of the box and walked towards the door.

The alchemist heaved a sigh. "Be careful, Lucia." It reminded her of how the helpless teenager had run to her for assistance twenty years ago, Grace, the same spirit as her, Lucia,

"Where are you coming from?"

"I went to see a friend," she told her dad,

"A friend this late?"

"It's barely nine." She ran her hands through her already wet hair, sniffing the scent on her body, to be sure if there was any suspicious scent.

Her stepmom walked her inches closer to her and a slap thud on her face like a flash.

"You left them in school today. What is your plan?" She left her stepbrother in school and ran for help from her best friend, Collins, who helped her with the cape gown and a torch she used to get to the Alchemist.

"You've gone to meet that crazy man. Again." She started, bringing out her claws and marking her body, her dad stayed in his studies, things would have been better if he could intervene whenever this woman abused her, but he just throws a deaf ear.

She shifted her gaze towards her dad, tears quietly streaming down her face, the alchemist was more of a father to her than he would ever be, she bowed down to her stepmother. She needed to leave to get away from them but she was held in place by their presence, her wolf screamed for release.

"You're just the same as your mother, perverts." She spat harshly. Not being able to stand it all she decided to do what she thought would give her peace, run from it all. But the strong grip on her elbow reminded her of her bondage.

"You'll pay with your life." She said, Lucia was confused, her stepmother's cruelty grows each day, she held her by her hand and dragged her from her father's presence up the stairs to a room,

"What are we doing here?"

"You killed Steph. Look at him." Tears rolling down her eyes, Lucia pitied her stepmother, she had no equal when it came to understanding people's emotions.

"But he's my brother, how could I do such a thing?"

"Don't act all saints, his death is your doom." Young Steph was gasping for air on the bed, poor Lucia loved her brothers, what her eyes saw sent a shiver through her spines, and it was the night she planned to run away. But she had to stay for her poor brother, whose gaze waned in pain.

Steph whispered to her ears before giving in to the ghost, "she wants to kill you, run sister."

Tears fell from her cheek, her brother had died out of the devil she has as a stepmom, she wanted to leap at her but she couldn't. She's too fragile. Instead, she ran to her room and started packing.

Her stepmom walked past the door she has forgotten to lock earlier and she stood behind her,

What a heartless woman, Lucia whispered to herself. She's supposed to be Lucifer, how on earth did she escape. And not some mere mortal.

Lucia was lying flat on her bed, despite not eating dinner, she has grown thin and she wanes from worries day by day. Tired from parking she saw a shadow cast upon her as she raised her head to her right, she snapped immediately and from what was in the woman's eyes, tonight is going to be excruciatingly long,

She raised her hands folded alongside the sharp object she yielded and turn the bed shredded.

By now Lucia had rolled down the bed falling onto the floor, the darkness that was illuminated by the moon helped Lucia as she gaped her mouth with her hand looking for an escape route.

"I'm done and fed up with your nonsense, tonight you'll die too." She strung out her fangs like a hawk ready to devour its prey.

She brushed her hands on her makeup mirror looking for the box she had extracted earlier from the alchemist, a knife landed on the dorsal part of her hand and red ink splattered on the mirror. She saw it hanging near the window sill, where she had earlier raised the diamond heart-shaped necklaces to the flair shine of the moon. She groans in pain.

Lucia ran for it her hand dripping from a faint rosy red, and the pale-skinned woman leapt at her, hands raised backwards above her head as she tried to stab her, fighting for her life she grabbed the flower vase by her right, it just happened in a flash and the woman lied lifeless on the floor streaming from her head was a red taint, Lucia stood there her hands fall to her sides and her mouth agape.

She rushed for the box and leapt through the windowsill, without looking back she ran towards the wood. The night was scary and she could only imagine her life. She stumbled on twigs and wood branches and slipped into mud the rain had barely stopped falling, she crouched and then rested her back on the wood gasoline for breathing she had sprinted for almost an hour, her plan of going in the car and with her luggage tarnished, she plopped her hands into her pocket and found the necklace intact, a sigh of relief left her mouth, and she walked towards the train station.