Moana“The police are downstairs,” the old housekeeper said, sounding both confused and concerned, and a little sheepish as she surely knew what she had just walked into. “They want to speak to you.”Edrick and I suddenly looked at each other in shock. “I’ll go,” he said, grabbing his shirt off of the floor and putting it on. “You can stay here, Moana.”But Selina shook her head and pointed at me. “They want to talk to her. They asked specifically for Moana.”As Selina spoke, my eyes suddenly widened. Surely the police wanted to talk to me about Ethan and Kelly, but why now? They really came in the pouring rain? Couldn’t they have called first? Edrick, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, narrowed his eyes. “Well, it’s not a good time,” he said. “Why didn’t they call first instead of just showing up?”The old housekeeper shrugged. “I don’t know. But they asked specifically for Moana.”Edrick looked at me again and opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head and grabbed my swe
MoanaWhen we arrived at the police station, Edrick helped me out of the cop car and held me closely as we walked inside. Once we were inside, I immediately noticed that the other people who were there suddenly got very quiet and started giving Edrick and I strange looks. I tried to ignore it, but it was hard to do that when I had spent the last two days at work being whispered about. Only this time, I didn’t know whether they were whispering about my “unluckiness” as a late bloomer or whether they were whispering about the warehouse incident.Either way, I felt myself getting somewhat sick as the officer led us down a narrow and fluorescent-lit hallway to the interrogation room.We stopped outside the door and he opened it, letting me in. It was a small room with a metal table in the center, a couple of chairs, and a fluorescent light on the ceiling. I could see a camera in the corner of the ceiling and a “mirror”, which I was certain was a one-way mirror. I instantly felt even more
EdrickI watched the police officer take Moana into the interrogation room and shut the door in my face before I could even really protest.“She’ll be fine,” I whispered to myself. But did I really believe that?What happened to Moana and Ella was extremely traumatic. At least Ella didn’t have to remember what happened at her young age, but Moana… She would never forget it. I had already seen the way that it was affecting her since it happened. During normal conversations, she would go elsewhere. Whenever the events in the warehouse were brought up, her face would darken and her eyes would gloss over, like she was reliving it. I tried to help snap her out of it whenever I noticed it happening, but I was worried that she would freak out in there and I wouldn’t be around to help her. I highly doubted that the police officer would know what to do, or if he would even care. To them, Moana was just a piece of evidence to collect before Ethan could be convicted. That was it.For a long time
MoanaOne moment, I was in the interrogation room with the police officer sitting across from me.“Ms. Fowler?” he asked, standing from his seat with a worried look on his face. “Are you alright?”My eyes were wide and my hands were shaking. I was standing with my back against the wall, feeling as though I couldn’t get a full breath into my lungs. The room felt as though it was closing in on me, and I felt trapped inside like an animal caught in a net.And then, suddenly, I felt my knees buckle under me. I fell to the ground, and then everything went dark with only Edrick being the very last thing on my mind.…When I woke up, I was in a dark room. In fact, it was pitch black… But when I held my hands up in front of my face, I found that I could see my own hands perfectly. The room itself was black, like a void.“Hello?” I called out. My voice felt thick and heavy. There was no echo, and no response.I called out again. This time, after a few minutes of waiting, there was finally an a
EdrickWhen I finally burst into the interrogation room, I found the two officers crouched over Moana as she was lying motionless on the ground with her eyes rolled back in her head. I shoved my way past them and scooped her up off of the floor, then ordered them to call an ambulance immediately, which they did.The ambulance came quickly, and before I knew it I was sitting in the back of it and holding Moana’s limp hand while they drove her to the hospital.“She went into a state of temporary shock,” the doctor said at the hospital, taking his stethoscope out of his ears and hanging it back around his neck with a sigh. “I believe her wolf put her into a minor coma to cope with the stress, in order to protect her and the baby. But there’s no knowing exactly how long she’ll be asleep.”“What do you mean?” I asked. “You don’t know when she’ll wake up?”The doctor shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. The best we can do is monitor her and try to get things like her blood pressure back down to
MoanaWhen I woke up, I found myself in a dimly lit hospital room with Edrick sleeping on my lap. I was no longer floating in a void, nor was Michael above me with a knife. Instead, I was safe and sound with my mate by my side.But nothing felt right. That dream was too vivid to just be a machination of my own anxiety… It felt like an omen. Was Michael coming for me with that knife, or was it really all just a dream made up in my own mind?Suddenly, Edrick must have sensed that I was awake because he jerked his head up and opened his eyes wide.“Moana,” he whispered. He lurched forward suddenly, looking relieved, and kissed me deeply. I was comforted, but also taken aback at the same time, and when we pulled apart I gave him a puzzled look.“What happened?” I asked quietly. My throat felt dry and cracked.Edrick shook his head. “You’ve been asleep for three days,” he responded, his own voice shaking. “But you’re okay. You’re okay now.”I felt my eyes widen as Edrick spoke. “Edrick, I
MoanaJust as the doctor promised, I was prescribed some medicine for the baby and for sleep and then I was sent home later that day once my bloodwork and vitals all came back within a normal range. The entire way home, Edrick didn’t let go of my hand. Every time I glanced over at him, it seemed as though he was looking at me, and that was comforting to me. The memory of our time spent together in my bed before I was taken to the police station stayed in my mind, which was a welcome distraction from everything else. It felt as though there was no longer a wall between us, and I hoped that everything would smooth itself out from there.When we arrived back at the penthouse, Ella came running as soon as the elevator doors opened and practically flew into my arms.“Moana!” she cried, sobbing into my chest. “I thought you were never gonna come home!”“It’s okay, baby,” I cooed as I stroked her hair and held her tightly and blinked back my own tears. “I’m home now.” I could only imagine th
Moana“Moana… What happened?” Selina asked as she looked around at the mess in my room with wide eyes. Scattered all around us were countless violent, graphic drawings that I somehow scribbled out in an unconscious state, even though I had absolutely no recollection of any of it. I didn’t know how to respond, because I didn’t even know what happened. All I could do was stand there, frozen, and stare at Selina.Selina slowly came into my room and set the tray of food down. “Are you okay?” she whispered.I nodded. As I did, I already felt that all-too-familiar sensation of hot tears pricking at the backs of my eyes. “I don’t know what happened,” I finally managed to say. “One moment I was just sitting in my bed and drawing in my sketchbook, and then it was like I blinked and my whole room was just covered in… whatever this is.”The old housekeeper looked around with a wide-eyed gaze for a moment. “I’m so sorry,” I said quietly as I began to stoop to pick up all of the discarded papers.
MoanaI couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back on the beginning of our relationship.To think that, just a year prior, I was just Edrick’s one night stand who also became his nanny… And now, here I was, standing in front of the mirror in my wedding dress.The dress that I picked out was beautiful. We planned to have a late summer wedding to commemorate our meeting,six months after little Daisy was born. My dress was a blush pink color. It was soft and flowy with a beautiful floral embroidered pattern, and sleeves that fluttered in the breeze. It hugged my waist in all of the right places and made me feel more beautiful than ever.Daisy was six months old now, and Ella often mentioned how she no longer looked like a squished little grape. Ella had just turned nine, and thought that she was a grown-up, although she still liked to
MoanaAfter ten hours of intense and grueling labor, little Daisy was born.“She’s so tiny,” I whispered as I held the little crying bundle in my arms. The doctor weighed her at just six pounds and twelve ounces, but she was as healthy as an ox.Edrick, who hadn’t left my side throughout the entire delivery, leaned over my shoulder with a wide grin on his face and held his hand out to touch her cheek. Almost instantly, Daisy’s little hand shot out and gripped his index finger with a relentless force for such a little thing.Her eyes were squeezed shut, and yet she still had an instinct to keep her father’s finger in a vice grip.I couldn’t help but laugh, but I also wanted to cry.When I was on the cliff with Michael, I saw my parents at my birth. I did the same thing to my father, and I also wouldn&
MoanaThe time between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were such a whirlwind of activity that the months practically flew by.Ethan and Kelly wound up being transferred to a mental health facility. I think that was better for them in the long run, as the things that they did were ultimately the result of Michael’s brainwashing. I didn’t hold any grudges against them; in fact, Edrick and I visited them on a monthly basis, and the medication and therapy that they went through seemed to be helping a bit.Of course, Kelly could never get over her obsession with Edrick. Nor could Ethan get over his obsession with me. It was very likely that they would spend years in that place, but at least we could have somewhat normal conversations with them when we went to visit.Michael, however, had no visitors and I didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. Verona ev
MoanaThe months in between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected turns. After the incident with Michael, where he was sentenced to prison for his attempt on my life, my world took another astonishing twist.The news outlets revealed a shocking revelation: Moana, the seemingly ordinary girl who was raised in an orphanage, was, in fact, the legendary Golden Wolf.I never imagined my life could become so entangled in a web of fame and attention.Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of me. All sorts of brands and non-governmental organizations bombarded me with invitations and tempting monetary offers. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My inbox was flooded with messages from high-profile companies and influential figures, all hoping to capitalize on my newfound fame.It felt like the world had changed overnigh
EdrickWithin an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion.We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat.“Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?”There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further.“Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!”Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous.
MoanaA little while later, Edrick and I were standing in the front doorway of the mansion and looking out at the scene before us.The security guards were leading Michael, who was cuffed, over to the car. His nose was still clotted with blood from Edrick’s punch, but something about it was satisfying to see. I enjoyed seeing Michael finally face some consequences for his actions, and I especially enjoyed watching Selina scold him like a child.What was even more satisfying, though, was seeing him being shoved into the back of the car to be driven down to the police station.Kat was found by the guards, too. Not long after Edrick punched Michael in the face, Kat was found hiding in the woods. As it turned out, Michael paid her a pretty penny to get close to me and lead me off into the forest to get lost so that he could kill me. She looked ashamed as the guards cuffed her, and
EdrickI hated to say it, but Moana looked more beautiful than ever as she practically assaulted my evil father on the back lawn.“He’s no threat,” she said as she released her grip on his shirt and let him fall back to the ground, then turned and walked back to meet me. “The knife is gone. He’s just an angry old man now and nothing more.”Moana was right; the knife was indeed gone. It shattered when Michael tried to stab her with it.During those moments when the knife was plunged into her belly, it felt as though my heart stopped. I watched in horror as the knife disappeared into her belly. When my father pulled it out, it was covered in blood and he had a maniacal grin on his face.But something happened then. She became enveloped in that golden light again, only this time it was even brighter and more blinding than before.
MoanaEveryone froze and stared at each other with wide eyes as the sound of the groaning and shuffling came closer.“Daddy?” Ella whimpered. “Who is there?”Edrick slowly sat Ella down, then walked toward the door. He gestured to the security guards, but before anything could be done, the last person we expected walked into the doorway.“Thought you could kill me, huh?”Michael stood in the doorway with an evil smirk on his face. Selina, the maids and I all let out a collective gasp. Selina suddenly grabbed Ella by the arm and shoved her behind us to keep her protected.“Michael,” I said, taking a step forward, “you were dead.”Michael just laughed. “I was indeed,” he said. “But not for long. I guess you didn’t realize that I was waking
Moana“Can you trust me to take care of him?” I asked.Ella began to sob, but I somehow knew exactly what to do. It all felt so natural now… I didn’t even really need to think about it. I just knew to wrap my arms around Ella and comfort her, although whether it was my abilities or simply my nurturing instincts, I couldn’t be entirely sure.Suddenly, Ella stopped crying.“Okay,” she whimpered after a moment, stepping back and wiping her tears out of her eyes. “I trust you. Please take good care of my daddy.”I managed a weak smile and nodded at Ella, taking her little hands in mine. “I will take good care of him,” I whispered as I looked into her eyes, still using my pacifying ability to keep her calm. “Don’t you worry.”Ella nodded and stepped away, allowin