Dangerous Truths

Sophia walked into the forest. As she walked alone, she realized it was more quiet than a forest should be. This scared her greatly. It did not help that she could barely see her feet.

After walking for a while, she saw light in the distance and increased her pace. She soon found herself in a clearing—a large patch of land without trees.

With the trees absent to block the sky, Sophia expected to see sunlight, but all that was there was darkness. She looked up to see the dark night sky.

This greatly confused her. How long had she been walking? She recalled that it should still be morning.

In the middle of the clearing was an old house, with light emanating from inside.

The house seemed to be barely standing; it was at most a shack.

"Hello?" she called out, approaching the door.

"Come in," an old voice answered, startling Sophia so much she nearly screamed.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and entered the house. Inside was a living room stuffed with random things. The fireplace was lit, and by the fire sat an old woman poking at the flames with her back to Sophia.

"Sit, child," the old woman said without turning around.

Sophia looked around at the stuffed living room and saw no empty seats.

"I am fine standing," Sophia answered. "I was told to come over. Jonathan said you..."

"Jonathan says many untrue things. You should take what he says with a pinch of salt," the old woman interrupted her.

"He said you have answers. Is that untrue?" Sophia asked.

"It depends on the question, child. But he did not send you here for answers," the old woman said. "He sent you here to be marked. Once marked, you can make a bond and choose a mate."

"Marked, what mark?" Sophia asked and suddenly realized that a constant drumming was in the air.

"Child of the moon. There are many who will aim to possess you, but you are born to lead," the bold lady said.

"Is that what this Moon Maiden thing is about?" Sophia asked.

"You shall take many under you. Only with you can balance return," the old woman continued without stopping. Sofia still heard the drumming sound and found it quite annoying. It was getting louder.

"Stop speaking in riddles! What am I?" Sophia asked. For some reason, her temper flared.

"Legend has it, all wolves are tied to the moon. Not the ball of rock in the sky but the nightlight herself, the goddess that grants all that walk the night their powers, Lyrica. But for many centuries, Lyrica has been lost. But the creatures of night hold hope that she will return one day," the old lady recounted this tale.

"And you all believe that is me? A goddess?" Sophia asked. She thought she had just heard the biggest rubbish ever spouted. That drumming sound seemed to get louder. Sophia started to feel a chill in the room.

"It has been said that her incarnation is the Moon Maiden," the old woman said.

"Well, I am a human being. If you want to get technical, a starving artist, not some goddess' incarnation," Sophia said, pulling her shirt closer. She was still wearing her clothes from yesterday.

The room was getting colder for some unknown reason.

"Warm your hands by the flame child," the old woman said, and Sophia moved closer to the fireplace. When her hand hovered over the fire, it rose sharply and wrapped around her arm as though alive.

Sophia screamed and retreated, but the flame followed. The fire burned her skin, spreading to her back.

Sophia felt as though someone had taken a hot pen and was carving down her back. The pain tore through her head, making her dizzy till her vision went black.

******

Sophia was not sure how long she had been unconscious. When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer enveloped in flames.

Her shirt had been burned, barely hanging on her body, covering her chest. She felt as though all the energy in her body had drained away.

The drumming continued loudly. She found the old woman still sitting in her position. Sophia found that she still seemed to be poking at the flames in the fireplace, but realized for the first time that the figure was too still.

She slowly approached, still cautious of the fire as she thought it would attack her again. She used her feet to push the old lady slightly, and the old lady tilted and fell with the chair.

Sophia went stiff at the sight. There was no old woman, only a bundle of stiff human bones.

She looked around the living room to find that, though still stuffed with things; the walls seemed weird. It did not look like any kind of plaster or wall finishing she was used to.

Flesh?

This thought flashed through Sophia's head, and she approached the wall and touched it before withdrawing her hand sharply as though she had been stung.

It was not only flesh; the wall drummed; she could swear it was breathing.

Drumming. Yes, that sounds. It sounded like a heartbeat.

Fear descended on Sophia. Where was she? She made for where the door used to be but found a slab of flesh. Her hands shaking, she looked around the room for something sharp.

She was not stupid. She was inside something—something alive. If she stayed here, she would die.

Regret filled her as she searched the room. She knew she should never have trusted those werewolves.

As she frantically searched, she felt like crying. The drumming of the creature's heartbeat only sounded more like a ticking clock the more time passed. A clock counting down her time alive.

Her eyes descended on the bundle of bones she had thought was an old woman and walked over.

Suppressing her disgust, she searched for a sharp bone. The next moment she froze.

If the old lady was dead, who was she talking to all this while? Had she gone crazy? If the house was a creature, how could she have just walked in? Did the werewolves put something inside her breakfast?

There was only one way to find out. She looked around the room.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You are inside me, child," the same old lady's voice answered. The voice came from all over, making Sophia look around in panic.

She was really inside something.

"How do I get out?" Sophia asked in a trembling voice. Her hands were shaking at this point.

"You are smart, Moon Maiden. Your instincts are sharper than wolves. Very few who have walked inside me have been able to break the illusion and truly see. Even fewer have been able to hear my heartbeat that quickly," the old voice seemed to praise Sophia, but she refused to be tricked.

"How do I get out?" Sophia asked again, this time much more frantic.

"I would not harm you, Moon Maiden. I carry the eternal flame inside me. You can only be marked by the flame by entering my body," the voice explained.

Sophia did not feel better hearing this. She felt deceived. Everyone has deceived her. Jonathan, Damien, and even Marcus, who had not appeared during breakfast. They were all at fault.

She no longer cared about any truth. She did not want to know anything. All Sophia wanted was to leave this place. She wanted to go home.

"Let me out!" Sophia ordered, "You let me out or I will dig my way out of you." She brandished the sharp bone as she threatened.

The next moment, the door opened exactly where it was before, and Sophia dashed for the door, bursting out into the cool night air.

When the forest air hit her lungs, she took in rapid breaths, savoring the smell of soil and leaves. Before she could calm down, she recalled the creature and turned around sharply towards where she had escaped from, only to turn stiff.

Sophia was face-to-face with a giant black snake.