Painful memories

~ SCARLETT ~

I woke up panting with the bed drenched in sweat.

Another nightmare…..

The nightmares were becoming frequent.

I walked to the bathroom to shower stopping to gaze at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes were puffy and red, I had been crying in my sleep. My chest constricted painfully as the memories I had tried to suppress for years came flooding in, my parents were gone murdered in cold blood. I was now a rogue.

Hot tears raced down my cheeks, my throat tightened as I remembered the last moments I spent with my parents.

************

8 years ago

I smiled brightly as I applied makeup on Dad. I took Mum’s favorite lipgloss and carefully painted his lips.

“Let me see princess”, Dad chuckled, his deep voice a stark contrast to his appearance.

I giggled excitedly as I ran to get the mirror.

“Wow, I look pretty”, Dad said puckering his lips. I laughed just as Mum walked into the room. She burst into laughter at the sight of Dad, it was amusing seeing him like this. Dad had different sides, as the Alpha, he commanded the pack with authority yet in moments like this he was simply Dad. He was strict during training, he trained me rigorously but I didn’t mind, I loved fighting and sparring and I was good at it. Dad told me every day how proud he was of me.

“Scarlett it’s time for practice”, Mum said smiling. My face immediately turned sour, I didn’t particularly enjoy practicing magical spells like I enjoyed shifting and sparring but Mum said I’d grow to love it.

“Same here, I hate it”, my wolf Kaya said grumbling.

She was funny, I wasn’t expecting a wolf to love casting magical spells.

I stood up from my chair just as Mum and Dad’s face changed to one of panic, it was obvious they were mindlinking. Dad hurriedly rushed to wash his face and put on clothes while Mum grabbed me and said instructed firmly, “Whatever happens, do not come out”.

“What’s wrong, Mummy”, I asked concerned.

“Nothing baby”, she murmured embracing me tightly and kissing my forehead. “Use the pendant if we aren’t back in thirty minutes, I love you”, she whispered kissing my cheeks. I nodded and kissed her cheeks. She had gifted me her heart-shaped pendant on my birthday, she had told me it would protect me when in danger, all I had to do was say the word, “effugium”.

I could hear screams, howls, and people running outside just as the danger alarm went off. Dad kissed me quickly and said, “I’ll be back princess, I love you, stay inside”. Mum cast a cloaking spell on me and then they left.

Screams of agony, whimpers, and growls echoed loudly outside. I could smell blood, and a feeling of dread crept up from the pit of my stomach. I waited for thirty agonizing minutes but there was no sign of Mum and Dad, the screams went on and on. My hands started trembling in an odd rhythm as fear coursed through me.

Unable to bear the uncertainty any longer, I tiptoed outside, my heart pounding in my chest. What I saw froze me in place, sending shivers down my spine, my mind clouded with fear so potent.

There were dead bodies everywhere, and the smell of death hung heavily in the air, I could smell silver and wolfsbane, loads of it. The bodies of my pack members lay on the floor unmoving, bloody, and mangled. I retched, throwing up uncontrollably. Some of the bodies were frozen, completely covered in ice, their body position a telltale that they were frozen in motion.

“Ice magic”.

Terror washed over me and tears fell from my eyes.

I walked further and I screamed as I took in the scene in front of me, my dad was naked on his knees, his body bloody and battered, his face in pure agony. Kaya whimpered brokenly. A man in a black cloak stood in front of him.

Mum who was always pretty and composed looked wild. Her dress was torn in several places, and her skin and the remnants of her clothing were stained with blood and dirt. Her long hair, once neatly styled, fell in tangled waves as she fought the woman who I recognized to be a witch and feral rogues. Beta Ethan and Aunty Rose stood frozen with many warriors. What of Kat and Liam? I covered my mouth with my hands as I stood trembling and crying.

Everyone turned in my direction but they couldn’t see me because of the cloaking spell. The witch chanted a spell that made me visible just as Mum let out a burst of magic instantly making all the rogues around her and the ones close to me fall to the ground. Some fell dead while others howled in agonizing pain.

The witch also fell to the ground and Mum cut off her head. More wolves rushed to take her down as she used her magic to fend them off but they were too much and she was already weak and surrounded. She was bleeding from her ears and nose from using too much magic.

“Mum, no”, I screamed as gut-wrenching sobs tore from my chest. I held my chest in agony.

I tried to reach her but she had created a magical barrier that prevented me from doing so.

She was using up all her energy to maintain the barrier while killing off the rogues that came close to her. The barrier prevented the wolves from getting to me.

The man in the black cloak turned, he looked calm but his stormy eyes and his sinister smile revealed his true nature.

He glanced at the witch’s dead body briefly and his face reflected pain and rage, it was gone quickly replaced with a creepy smile making me doubt if I saw those emotions.

“Well well well, who do we have here, we’ve been looking everywhere for you”, he said smiling.

He turned his attention to Mum and spoke in a very gentle voice, “You dared to kill my witch, your daughter will be a very fine replacement, she is very pretty, I’m sure she will grow up to be as enticing as you”.

“Run Scarlett, please”, Mum whispered weakly, tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldn’t leave my parents to die.

“Disgusting pig, touch a hair on her head and I’ll chop you into pieces, Dad said weakly coughing up blood.

“So heroic, the brave big bad Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack fighting for his little girl”, the man said as he brought out a silver dagger. I watched in horror as he plunged it deeply into Dad’s chest. Dad screamed in agony.

“No”, Mum kept wailing and screaming on and on in excruciating pain while clutching her chest. I watched Mum die slowly while she and Dad stared at each other. I knew he was mind-linking her.

“I love you, princess, please leave, you have to survive Scarlett”, Dad mind linked me as blood poured from his chest and life slowly disappeared from his eyes.

“No Mummy, Daddy”, I screamed, my body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears. I fell to the ground while struggling to breathe.

“Get her”, the cloaked man said with venom.

I had to survive for my parents, they sacrificed themselves so that I could live. As the rogues rushed towards me, I gripped the pendant and whispered the words Mum had taught me.