HerThe movement of whoever was in the forest was so fast that it disappears in a blink. Colin couldn’t catch its shadow, only the swaying of trees are left moving.His senses were heightened and were about to run through it, had he not heard Elinor’s voice calling him.“Colin, when did you get here?”He tore his eyes away from the dark forest across them and swallowed hard. He then looked over to Elinor, looking very soft in her light blue dress. It was the same dress she wear when he first saw her. The faint light of the afternoon sun hits the red locks dangling on the side of her face. Her hair was up in a simple bun, and she looked more beautiful than he remembered.“Just minutes ago. How are you?” He asks.“I feel a little bit better now, thank you,” she said, but her eyes are still the same. It was void of any happiness. And the heavens know how much he wanted to give anything to bring it back.Bonnie followed close behind her, Elinor looked over to her and back to him again.“W
The SurpriseSitting across Colin, Elinor thought to herself how this is the first time she gets to watch him this close and study his face as his hands were busily polishing a topaz.Earlier, when he told her about any of his plans today, she looked forward to seeing jewels again and not having the freedom to stare at his pretty face.But for the love of all the holy beings, this man right in front of her is a pleasant sight to see that she cannot take her eyes off his serious face.His thick dark brows twitched, his lips parting with concentration, and the few dark locks dropped on his forehead. Not to mention the light escaping from the red curtains hit a portion of his face where his scar is.Elinor does not understand it, really. How can someone insult him just by this one scar he has on his cheek?The rumors, Bonnie had told her while they were out in the lake. The story goes that some woman he liked by then regarded his face as unattractive, and the worst part of it all, Colin
A TrystThis is not what he had in his mind at all. In fact, he was not thinking or imagining anything about how Elinor would react once he gave her the necklace.Well, now that he thinks of it, he actually does have something in his mind. He pictured her smiling at him, pressing her body to embrace him in her surprise.But a kiss?Oh, good lord. Only he knew how much he longed to know what a kiss would feel like.And clearly, he is not disappointed. Indeed, it felt so damn good. Just like how he heard his older cousin narrate his experience to kiss a lady.It does something to him that he became afraid of the moment she let go of the kiss because he might not stop himself and pull away.But it seemed like he was not the only one feeling things. Because she felt Elinor grip the neckline of his undershirt, pulling him in for a deeper kiss.Seconds later, she pulled away but in a heartbeat, before he and Elinor could catch her breath, his right hand snaked behind her neck to pull her in
ExpectationsThe days in the household were unbelievably fast. Well maybe because she always finds a way to keep her mind and body occupied.Some other day, she helped one of Colin’s cousins in the garden. She spotted her carrying two huge baskets.She walked up to her asking if she can lend her a hand, which the young lady accepted with delight.“You don’t have to Elinor but since you offered help, I’ll accept it.” The young lady gladly said, handing one basket to her.“May I know your name?” Elinor asked, scratching her neck.“I’m Mauve. And I may look young, but I am about the same age as Colin.”Perhaps it’s because of the lady’s height that made Elinor thinks this lady in front of her is younger than her.They set out to the garden. The sun was not too bright because of the clouds and the tall pine trees that provided them shade. Winds blow their hair and dress as they go against it.Indeed, it’s a great day to pick fruits.They traveled not too far but passed the daisies and lav
Other CreaturesShe walked to Colin who was already looking at her, his whole body facing her.His eyes glimmered, like how the stars above their heads did at that very moment.Surely, the ring could wait. A little voice inside Elinor’s head said to her.The way he looked at her made her push every disappointment she had felt just seconds ago into the back of her mind.Forget about the ring.Colin met her halfway, half of his face was overshadowed, save for his blue eyes that pierced through her skin, seeing through her very soul.“You look perfect,” he said.Her lips parted at what he said. She could not hold his gaze, but when she tried to look at him, she found his eyes staring down at her lips and looked away.She looked over to Colin’s shoulder, her eyes meeting Bonnie and Mauve looking at the two of them. They hit their shoulders when they noticed her.“I thought..” she trailed off.“You thought?” Colin raised his brow a bit.“That it’s just gonna be you and me but I misundersto
The TruthElinor stared at the dusty old page of a book. In it was a painting of a woman she now knows as Esmeralda.“I found it in the very old section of books inside a public library.”Her fingertips traced down the woman’s floating hair. The paper was crisp and thin because of the times it endured to survive inside that library.A light press on the paper and she is certain the whole thing would dismantle.Max secured the page with a stand and clear cover so that its pages will not be blown by the wind. It looked so fragile that may have been the reason why Max decides to paint the woman on his canvas just in case the whole book would break into smaller pieces.“I was just looking at the section when I saw this. The book was already opened for anyone to see. That’s how my eyes caught her,” Max said.“I dreamt of her,” she said.Max’s eyes widened with shock.“Are you certain?” He asked.But Elinor had never been more certain in her life. This is the woman. The one who changed the
The Deal BreakerA moment of silence grew between the two of them. Her green eyes locked with Esmeralda’s bright blue ones.Her brows furrowed with confusion. “Me? Bring you… back to life?” she shot back, and no matter how hard she tries, she cannot make sense of it.“You heard it right, Elinor,” Esmeralda replied, her face serious, no hint of jest in her voice.“But that is impossible. To raise someone from the dead is just impossible.”Above their heads, the full moon appeared as the wind blew the thick clouds that once covered it. The two of them stand face to face with each other, their intertwined hands in between them.“It is not impossible, at least for someone like you, Elinor. Raising someone back to life is a possible task for you are the second hybrid of a werewolf and witch”Hearing that felt as though some unseen force hit her whole body, making her shiver, her strength slipped away and if not for Esmeralda holding her hand, she might as well be rolling down the hill for
One Afternoon“Elinor, are you alright?” Colin rushed to her side. He grabbed her by the shoulders making her stand to her feet.She was still a bit disoriented. Her eyes remained on the dried blood left on the spot where the rabbit was.“Hey, hey. Look at me.” She felt his hand on her jaw, turning her face so that she could directly meet his gaze.“Eli, what happened?” His voice demanded, filled with concern.But his words are of no use to snap from her acting deaf and mute because she just witnessed a dead rabbit come back to life.Colin held her hand, leading her as they walked back to the trunk where their other weapons are.His eyes searched her whole body, looking for a wound or anything that might cause her to suddenly act like she had been struck by something, leaving her speechless and in a state of shock.She is a were-witch. She just confirmed it herself.What she did back there was a form of sorcery. She is sure of it. Because how else can bringing someone back to life wor
The once angelic face of Esmeralda now morphed into a grotesque-looking lady.All of it was a show. To lure her into believing that she is an angel, someone who will come and save her, but really, something sinister is hiding behind her angelic, perfect facade.Hearing those words coming out of Esmeralda's mouth, Elinor felt as though her whole world collapsed in one snap.But like any other being, the very first thing we try to do in an attempt to protect ourselves from the damaging truth is to be in denial.And just like that, Elinor refused to believe what Esmeralda said. She unconsciously starts to shake her head at her, her lips quivering with extreme anxiety.She felt as though her body would give up if Colin was really gone. And in an effort to keep herself together, Elinor strongly denied it. "No, that's... not true. You're lying." Esmeralda sneered. "Now that I come to think of it, you are right about that somehow."Her heartbeat intensifies every single second that passed.
One Against Many"Who is she?" Elinor recalled her dreams where she dreamed of the mysterious woman she thought was so divine and godly because of her captivating beauty."She was the very one who killed Judas.""And someone brought her back to life? Do I have something to do with it?"Ernest shakes his head. "I am not certain of that. But she showed up in your dream, did she ask you something?""She told me once that she needs me. But I didn't dream of her again after that. The next time she appeared in my dream was a few years part," she said. Elinor was waiting for Ernest to say something back. But when he was just sitting quietly beside her, she tilt her head to look at him and found that he was deep in thought.There was a crease forming in between his eyebrows, and his eyes were perplexed."If she is, you know, brought back to life. What will happen?"Ernest heard Elinor's question, but it was like an echo bouncing around his head, haunting him by just the idea of the possibili
Stolen LifeShe was taken by one of them, though she was not certain about that one yet, because she felt like she was being rescued for some reason. And those that took her first, the corpse-looking lady is far from rescuing her. One thing is clear for Elinor, they want her to be killed.He is dressed like the rest of the four: In a black hooded cloak. She could not see his eyes because he was covered with his long hair, not to mention his hood. She wanted to see if he had the same hollow eyes as them. In that way, she'll know if he's one of them.He came out of nowhere, wrapped his hands around her waist, and pulled her down to the dark forest. But they didn't land on the ground. He remained flying under the wide trees. To give those up there a hard time finding her.He recalled the moment they saw Elinor being captured by Aurora. They were too late. They found her too late.But despite having a deal with them on who will get Elinor shall win, Ernest has long abandoned that. It was
The FightThey were still in fast motion. Colin never even took a break for a while. He kept on running. It's like a never-ending chase. And Elinor was too afraid to even look behind them.But she keeps her eyes wide open. Both of them look ahead of the vast forest, never knowing when they could be out of the woods or if will they ever make it to safety. Until how long will this chase end? She doesn't know. And Colin doesn't know either.Above the trees was Aurora together with the two other members of The Spirit. Riding in their magical broom, they soared through the sky, heads looking below the forest, eyes frantically searching for the were-witch."They could run away, but they could never run so far," Aurora said with confidence in her voice.It is a good thing for them that Elinor didn't learn about her true identity from the moment she gained consciousness of the world. Her ignorance of her potential works to their advantage. One of the reasons why they were not as afraid as t
The SaviorIn a split second, Elinor was thrown high up in the air and then landed on Colin's back. He is in his werewolf form, and he's scathing at the two pale-looking men with hollowed eyes."No! You can't take her away from us!" The cloaked one, which goes by the name Fergus, shouted. "Give her up to us!" said the other one.Elinor chose not to look. She buried her face in Colin's fur and muttered a solemn, desperate prayer. Her life is on the line. She can feel it.Colin roared, making her grip his fur even more. "You don't understand!" a voice roared, but Elinor tried to just shut her eyes. Her heartbeat is fast like the rhythm of a drum being beaten so eagerly.She was in a great deal of stress. She does not know who and what they are. And why are they coming after her?Was it because she's a were-witch?Is she really a were-witch?All this time, ever since she had dreamed about Esmeralda, the one who told her about her being a were-witch, not once did Elinor choose to believ
Rescued Elinor's eyes stared at the empty seat in the center. Everyone was craning their necks, eyes refusing to settle in one place as they roamed around the hall, in search of Colin, who is supposed to be crowned as the next Alpha in this ceremony.The bloody full moon can be seen peaking outside the huge window made of glass. It is getting bigger and its fiery glow becomes brighter every time she takes a look at it. "Why is he not here?" Yves who was seated beside her whispered impatiently. She was itching to transform into her wolf form and find Colin herself.Where the hell was her brother on such a special night for the entire Ashmore, he cannot be seen around when he should be standing in the spotlight."Yves, where was he?" Tatiana glowered down and mouthed it for Yves to hear.Yves turned to look at Elinor. "Have you seen him?"She shook her head. "No," then looked down disappointedly.If she had known Colin would act up like this, she shouldn't have had that conversation w
Dreaded DayThe bloody full moon peaks over all of the creatures below. Humans stopped in their tracks to tilt their heads back and gaze over at the moon, their fingers pointing it as if not everyone could see the only brightest light in the dark sky above. For them, it is not likely to see a full bloody red moon. The news on each television flashed a headline that says the next time the next full bloody moon could be seen again. According to some widely known space research organizations, the next time this phenomenon occurs, a century has already passed.It means that only once in a century can a bloody full moon peak in the night sky.It was unusual, and rare, of course. Humans take their time. Make meaning out of it. They say it brings bad luck, some speculated that it is a sign of the start of another hundred years, a new era, as they said.A lot of people blamed this occurrence for their bad luck, but there are also those who wait for a hundred years to pass by just for the fu
The Pining"Don't you give me that look, Colin? I am your mother, in case you forgot." Tatiana glared at him from across the room. Her face still looked angelic and calm, but there is rage in her tone. He fixed his look on the outside instead. His shadowed face looked gloomy. "Should we at least try?" he asked, hoping it would convince his mother into taking Elinor as his Luna. Colin knew that if he would choose to listen to what his mother is telling him to do, sit back, and watch Elinor being taken away, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life. He would regret not even fighting for her. "Try what, Colin?" his mother snapped back."I'll try to save her," he replied, voice filled with determination.His mother looked at him as if he is a lost cause. She looks at him worried at just how madly in love he is with her, that he would try and go against the most powerful forces known to them. It's like Tatiana heard something very impossible out of him."Oh, my poor son. It'
Truth and Lies"Do you trust my love?"The question really struck Elinor. It is how he said those words with heavy emotions in his eyes and tone. Not once did Colin's eyes left her green ones as they stood face-to-face inside her chamber. Of all places, they are having this conversation again where there is a bed nearby.But what struck Elinor the most was not because of how he said those words, but the way her mind and heart whispered the answer that only she could hear."Yes, yes, I do." However, she kept that to herself.Despite what she witnessed last night. Despite crying herself to sleep because of it. She still finds in herself the love and trust she has for him. It never truly, fully went away, she realized that now. Even if there are countless times already when she felt like her love for him died in some ways. And even if she had tried to convince herself that she had long buried it deep in the ground, and nothing he can do or say will make it come to the surface again.I w