Lucy
After Duke, Amy, and Michelle dropped me off back at the dorms, I tried to get my mind off everything. It was just too much to think about, and if I kept dwelling on it, I’d never get anything done, so I got into my room, locked my door, and pulled out all of my textbooks and notes.The GED test would be at the end of the month. I would figure out how to get my grades corrected so that I could sit for the test, but I had to be sure that I would pass it first, or I really would have to take the class all over again. I started with my math homework, going back over my notes and hoping that OAs much as I tried to focus on the math problems, the numbers and letters started to blend together. My mind felt hazy. I tried to fight the sleepiness and focus, but the lines grew blurry, and soon, everything wen t dark.When I opened my eyes again, I found myself running through a dense forest. It wasn’t the same forest from my visions, but soLucyThe air went still. It seemed that I had shocked her as the storm cut out and we were dropped back into the clearing. The light in her necklace dimmed as she stared at me. She looked down then met my gaze again. “It is what your mother wanted for you,” she said. I flinched at that. Something in the back of my mind screamed. “It is what you were born to do, Lucy. That may seem hard now, but if you accept it, you will be much happier.”I thought about the day Matt and Tony had bought me. How I had told myself that I could accept whatever they were going to do to me. How I accepted everything, they’d done to me: the sex, the changes to my hair, the fear that I had tried to ignore, the role that I had tried to make myself be able to do, and the anger in me turned cold. I narrowed my eyes at her. “Happy?” I asked. “Did I look happy in that vision?”“How could you not be hap
LucyI entered the campus coffee shop; a woman twirled her finger in the air, making a line of coffee pots rotate in the air before she greeted me. Then, I saw Duke. He lifted his hand, looking as tired as I felt. I crossed the room to him and looked up at the menu. “My treat. You like chocolate, right?” “You don’t have to.”He waved his hand. “Go find us a booth away from windows.”I hesitated as he stepped up to order, but I did as he asked, finding a small booth at the back of the café away from the windows and the baristas. Soon, he joined me at the table. He set one of the tall cups in front of me and set his own cup in front of his seat as he sunk into the booth across from me. With a flick of his wrist, Duke whispered a few i
LucyWhen Friday came around, I packed a small duffle bag. Tina and Stacy teased me the whole ride to campus, but I didn’t mind. I got through most of my classes easily. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to Duke in Professor Smith's class, trying to focus on the lecture. All throughout the lecture she refused to call on me even when I raised my hand. She didn’t call on Duke either, so I just wrote my questions down to figure out later.Then, the door opened and a woman in a pencil skirt and a blouse walked in. “I’m looking for Lucy Graves.”I lifted my hand. “T-That’s me.”“You’re being called to Director Roberts' office about your behavior.”A murmur rippled around the room. Professor Smith smirked at me. “Better get going…”I gathered my things hastily, feeling a mix of confusion and nervousness. Duke pat my shoulder. “See you after?”I nodded and walked down the stairs to follow the woman. She looked over me with a dismissive glance and rolled her eyes. She turned and walked
Lucy“David!”He lifted an arm and waved over his head. I turned, sniffling and felt a bit of comfort wash through me as he walked towards us. His eyes darted between us for a moment before stopping at me. His eyes were full of concern as he reached us. "What's wrong, Lucy? Are you okay?" David asked. He placed a hand on my shoulder.I sniffled and shook my head. “I’m okay now. It’ll b-be okay. I just---““Lucy,” David whispered, cupping my face. “You don’t have to hide it. If you don’t want to talk about it… that’s okay, just say so, but I’ll still want to hear even if I can’t help.”“Actually… I think David would be able to help a lot more than I could.”I looked up at Duke. “What?”He wiggled his eyebrows. “Money is power after all…”I looked back at David and glanced around. “D
LucyI didn’t know the song, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves and the food was really good. David had at least six tacos, and I split several pieces of chocolate cake. Before anyone could protest, David had swiped the bill and paid for it before ushering us back to the car with food for the road. Sarah, Amy, and Duke chatted in the back seat over the quiet tones of the radio as David drove us away from the diner. The sunset slowly until the sky turned dark and the stars came out. When it was dark, David opened the windows and the sunroof so the fresh wind rushed through the car. I could smell a bit of salt on the wind as we reached a section of cliffs that overlooked the sea. “It’s beautiful,” I said looking out into the night. “Could we go down there from here?”David chuckled. “You could, but good luck doing it safely, let along getting back up. The locals call this cliff Dragon’s Teeth.&rdq
David“For me?” She nodded and reached into her jacket pocket. Her face was flushed. She looked nervous and unsure.“It’s not much but… I wanted to get you something for your birthday.”I watched as Lucy's face lit up with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. Her small, delicate hands trembled slightly as she pulled them from beneath the blanket. The sight of her flushed cheeks only made my heart skip a beat.She held out her hand, revealing a beautifully crafted origami flower. My eyes widened in surprise, a warmth spreading through me as I accepted the gift.“I… can’t believe you remember.” I met her gaze and she smiled at me. “This is the best gift anyone has ever given me.”Her smile widened, and she looked down for a moment, her voice soft. "I don’t think that’s true.”“It is,” I said, looking down at the little paper flower. “
TonyAs David entered, my gaze fell on him and I felt my fury starting to boil. The curse that witch put on us was still in effect, as we couldn’t find another witch powerful enough, or willing to remove it. Matt went stiff beside me. What the hell is he doing? Matt asked. Trying to piss us off.He sat down wearing jeans, a button up, and a blazer, a birthday sash draped across his chest, and a ridiculous paper crown perched on his head. Anger welled up within me. I could tell that he didn’t care about how disrespectful he and his liaison were being. I narrowed my eyes at Trent. I had heard about him from our father. He met my gaze and wiggled his eyebrows as he relaxed in his seat. He was trying to agitate me, but I took a deep breath, and glanced at the panel. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single werewolf among them. A dragon shifter, a witch, and a human sat there, looking over their documents as the last two people of cam
TonyMatt surged to his feet, snarling. “You son of a---““Mr. Chance,” the human woman said. “Contain yourself or you will be removed from the room.”I stared at David, parsing through his words. I could hear the words he’d said back in the foyer of our house. I look forward to seeing how prominent your bond really is.I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’ve seen her recently, haven’t you?”David smiled. I glared at him. “You’re asking for a conflict where there doesn’t need to be one, whelp. Tell us where Lucy is now and perhaps we’ll gentle about it.”“Mr. Chance, that is not appropriate for this discussion,” the dragon said. “Mr. Bloodborne—““It’s alright,” David said. His voice was low and unbothered. He sat forward in his chair, leaning forward with a cold smile on his lips. His eyes gli
LucyThe morning sun, a mischievous wink through the blinds, painted golden stripes across our bed. I snuggled deeper into the warmth of David's embrace, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest a soothing lullaby. He slipped his hand across my lower back. The warmth of his bare skin against mine set a spark of pleasure through me. He rumbled low and content into my hair. “Wake up,” David rumbled. He kissed my head and twined a curl around his finger. “We have things to do.”“You shouldn’t have kept me up all night.”He chuckled. “You didn’t say that last night.”I nudged him. He dipped his head to nip my lips. “You know, if it’s too much, you can always tell me to slow down.”He’d been saying that for five years now, and I never found a reason to tell him to. He knew that. His eyes flickered between colors. I nipped his lower lip. “Give me a reason.”He smirked and rolled me onto my back. “To slow down or…”“To get up,” I said as he kissed
LucyI sat on the cold stone, watching her, but she didn’t move another muscle. I didn’t know how long it had been, but it didn’t matter. The spectral glow around her was starting to dim, and my mind was just too stressed to do too much thinking. The light of the ritual, the spell I’d used, the blood on my hands all flashed through my mind, and part of me wondered if it was all just a dream. I looked down at the stained and ruined gown. The armor was as pristine as ever, but most of the embroidered roses were torn or stained. This dress would never be white again, let alone whole. I flicked a piece of the long, gossamer fabric and shook my head. I really liked this dress.“Lucy!”I turned my head toward the sound of David’s voice, wrung out and relieved to hear him. He was rushing through the air towards me. He dropped down a few feet from me, looking so worried I could cry.I smiled at him as he dropped to his knees beside me and threw his arms around me,
LucyI sailed through the air, landing with a jarring thud within the ritual circle. With a trembling hand, I pushed myself up, my senses on high alert. A figure, cloaked in darkness, appeared in front of me. My blood ran cold. Selene."Well, well, Lucy," her voice, honeyed yet laced with venom, slithered into the darkness. "Thank you ever so much for making this easy at last.”I grit my teeth. I wouldn't go down without a fight. Straightening my shoulders, I met her gaze, my voice shaking but resolute. "You underestimate me.” “No, Lucy,” her voice dropped, and a cruel smile twisted her lips. "You underestimate me.” The chanting grew louder around me. I lunged for the necklace, my fingers grazing its cold surface before Selene snatched it away, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. But that touch, fleeting as it was, ignited something. I felt her pushing at my mind. I felt her shoving me back until I could see the forest from before, and we were fighting in a ci
MattMy vision pulsed and flickered, a strobe light of pain blurring the edges of reality. Tony rained blows down on me, slashing with claws. Each hit chipped away at my resolve and my control, leaving behind a raw desperation to end this quickly. My armor protected me from most of the damage, but still. He was always the stronger of the two of us. I thought it was just because he was the older of the two of us, but this was different. I thought for sure he was going to bite off my head. Then, a flash of golden light arced through the air, and a spear lanced past my shoulder, catching Tony square in the chest. I turned back to see Ginevra hovering in the air. Her golden dress glowed as she passed me with a glowing winge spreading from her back. What the absolute fuck?Tony staggered, falling to the ground, and Dad darted forward, encasing Tony in a shimmering web of light. The wave turned to chains. He thrashed and howled, straining against the magical bonds, but t
LucyPeter's breath hitched, rasping, and shallow, then deepened into a cough that wracked his battered body. His eyelids fluttered, eyelids so pale they were almost luminous in the dim torchlight. He struggled to get up, leaning on his Spear and on Michelle. The light pulsing through the Spear rippled over his skin. He let out a soft sigh and stumbled a little. “Peter?”“I... It’s gone.”“What?” Michelle gasped as his hair started to change, losing the gray color and growing dark. His face turned younger until I was sure that he was all of twenty-something. He grew a bit taller, too, bigger until his shirt strained against his chest and his buttons popped. He flushed. “Well… that’s not…” He cleared his throat as Michelle smiled up at him. “So this is what you looked like in your youth?”He scoffed. “I’m much younger than you think.”He grunted, pressing a hand to his side. “Wish the Spear would heal the wound, though.”I winced. “Sorry… it’s a
PeterMy feet pounded a frantic rhythm against the uneven earth, branches whipping at my face, thorns tearing at my clothes. How long had I been running? How much further did I have to go? I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter so long as I got there. My lungs burned, legs screaming in protest, but still I ran. The trail of blood behind me and the patchwork of wounds across my body, chunks of missing and regrowing flesh, weren’t my concern right now. The creature—the wolf was after me, and unlike before, it didn’t seem willing to back off or slow down. It was going to kill me, and what happened after that was anyone’s guess. Behind me, the guttural snarl of the wolf echoed through the trees. Too close to be comfortable. Too close to make sense. This was too much like that dream, but worse. So much worse. The sky was a kaleidoscope of images I could barely make out. They flashed in the sky and in my vision, making it hard to see. I saw Lucy. I saw Michelle. The long
LucyAdrenaline surging, I grabbed Michelle and pulled her after me deeper into the inky depths of the tunnel.“Quick!”She panted. “What’s going on? Peter—”“He’s possessed,” I said. “Just keep running for now!”I saw my Allison up ahead, leading me down another tunnel. Behind us, I heard Peter's guttural snarls, the rhythmic thud of his feet echoed eerily in the confined space. We had to lose him and the other one quickly, but we didn’t seem to be putting enough distance between us. Panic coiled in my gut, urging me to run faster and push my body beyond its limits. Michelle kept up relatively well. We twisted and turned, navigating the treacherous path by torchlight and the spectral murmurs of White Moon's fallen. But the passage seemed to twist back on itself. When we were back at the forked path, the faint light that had been illuminating the tunnel went out, plunging us into darkness.Michelle shuddered. She drew closer to me and tightened her grip on m
LucyI was back in that house with that couple that adopted me. I felt the floorboards creaking as I went downstairs. I saw the men in suits. I shrieked, turning. Not again. I couldn’t be back here. Where was David? How had I gotten back here? I looked down. I wasn’t… wearing the dress or the armor. I had no daggers. My hair was just as uncombed and dry as it had been then. When I looked in the mirror, the skinny young woman who had barely had anything more than ramen and school lunch stared back at me. My stomach lurched. The door opened, and I turned to run, knowing what was about to happen. I dug my heels in as dark shadows pulled me towards the door. I felt myself being lifted onto someone’s shoulders. I fought and kicked, but all my training and all my strength were gone. I saw the calendar on the wall, but the date was different. It wasn’t my birthday. It was the day of the Crescent Moon Festival. I screamed, grabbing anything I could manage. Then, Sele
DavidOren's head arced through the firelit air, landed, and rolled. His body dropped to the ground, still spurting blood. Then, all hell broke loose.The shimmering barrier around the Ball faltered, rippling like a pond, before collapsing entirely. Hunters poured into the arena, their snarls blending with everyone's shocked gasps. “Defensive measures, now!” I yelled, my voice carrying over the sound of the attack. A group of dragon shifters took to the sky as my blade clashed with the first hunter. How had they gotten through the barrier? I saw a flicker of a ghost and growled. “Selene!” I shoved the hunter back, slicing through him before sending out a shockwave of air. She’d been behind this, and maybe she’d been planning this for years, using the werewolf virus to spy on the preparations. It would make sense to try and get rid of me. I was the direct descendant of Fenris. More than that, it was their movements. Each and every one of them moved e