Prologue
Hundred years ago
Evanora stood over Mount Prizm. Her red cloak covered her frame from head to toe. Her legs were widely thrown apart and under her feet were faint lines in different shades of red.
Whilst her cloak fluttered noisily in the boisterous wind, she stood rigid with her arms open as wide as possible.
Her hands were slightly curved and they borne two crystalline almond shaped stones. A single stone nested in each hand. The stones looked identical.
Right before each of Evanora's outstretched arms was a twirl of whirlwinds. They blew so hard but none of the stones was shaken.
Evanora's eyes were like pools of red inferno. Her mouth moved rhythmically as she chanted repeatedly.
Whatever she was saying seemed to control the whirlwinds as they danced to her rhythm.
"It is I, Evanora! This day, all inhabitants of the earth are doomed as I unleash terror into the earth. It's the time for Cleansing! Evil! Be gone from our lands!" She yelled with a great cry and the mount quaked.
Slowly, she brought her hands together. The stones held in her palms seemed to cause a repulsion as her hands were pushed apart, but the whirlwinds provided the needed force.
After much struggle, her hands forcibly met and the stones touched each other.
There went out a great spark. Evanora was shaken to the core. She let out a great cry and fell to her knees. Her hands were still merged together in front of her. Slowly, the stones began to merge into one. The whirlwinds also began to merge.
The whirlwinds merged at the same time when the stones merged as one. A great light radiated from the single stone that was formed and the heat there-of blasted through the whirlwind.
The whirlwind shattered like sand grains. The light from the stone shone widely and dispelled over the mount.
Evanora thundered in an ecstatic laughter.
As the Umbra Stone absorbed light, thick dark clouds began to gather a yonder. Slowly, the earth was covered in thick darkness, only Mount Prizm shone with a great light.
The world became chaotic. Men and women ran for safety as some of them began to vanish. Yes, some not all.
Evanora was a great witch who lived during her time. It was an era when supernatural beings lived amidst humans.
Vampires were numerous, they were the most feared and most hated. They were hunted down by vampire Slayers
Evanora was at variance with vampires. She wanted to remain the most prominent being who ruled the land.
Her greed and quest made her join forces with vampire slayers but the result was far below what she wanted.
This made her seek out an ancient relic; The Umbra Stone. She overlooked the consequences of using the stone with her unclean intentions and with her essence, she unlocked the power of the l stone.
With the Umbra Stone, she started 'The Cleansing' on Mount Prizm with the aim of destroying the Vampires.
As she continued to invoke the powers of the Umbra Stone, vampires in the land all melted away. But the Umbra Stone has its own will. It chooses and recognizes its owner. It works with the purest intentions and hearts without guile.
Evanora was not of pure intentions. Greed, resentment, selfishness and vanities were all embedded in her heart.
Whilst she continued her chants, the sky thundered with great thunder.
The earth shook in tremor, Mount Prizm quaked and Evanora fell with a great thud.
She shrieked and she screamed with a loud cry as she tumbled down the base of the mount.
While she fell to her death, the Umbra Stone lifted itself. It floated in the air and slowly descended towards the base of the mount.
At the base of the mount, was Vivian; one of the Vampires whom Evanora had destroyed. She did not melt away like others but she lay there unconscious with her body intact.
Evanora's body was covered in cuts, she coughed out blood and jerked hard as she landed at the base of the mount.
As she died, she struggled to grab the stone out of the air.
The stone was within her reach but she couldn't touch it. As she battled with her battered body to repossess the stone, the stone continued to descend towards Vivian's lifeless body.
Evanora watched in horror as the stone descended on Vivian's body.
Instantly, Vivian's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes fluttered continuously as they adjusted to the great light that emanated from the stone.
Slowly, she sat up and watched the stone in wonderment, not knowing what it was, but she knew the stone had revived her.
She was a half blooded vampire and a healer. She had thought she would melt away like other vampires but as she died, she was astonished that her body remained intact.
As she watched the stone, the light from the stone rescinded slowly, it turned to an ordinary mass of stone and fell into Vivian's hand.
Evanora cried out in disdain and tried to lift herself. Even as she died, she wanted the stone.
She finally fell flat on her face and yelled as blood sipped out from her mouth.
"I will hunt you! The stone chose you, but I will hunt you. There will be an awakening ...and the whole world will be ours again!" Evanora choked on her blood, she breathed her last breath and her eyes closed in death.
Gradually, normalcy returned to the earth. The dark clouds dispersed and the earth was illuminated.
Vivian and Horace; an aged and full blooded vampire, were the only vampires who survived Evanora's Cleansing.
Hardin I am Hardin, the only son of the Great Alpha King, King Aragon. I am a student at Hopkins Citadel. To avoid attention and favoritism, my identity was hidden. Yes, that was what my father claimed but I have always thought there was more to it. Hopinks Citadel is an unusual school in the woods. The school is sealed away from the outside world by spells. Students and staff of the school are supernatural beings. At the Citadel, humans are called 'normins' and they are treated as outcasts. It was the beginning of a new term and it's Friday. We just rounded off the last class for the day. It was a Mathematics class and the topic was 'Bearings'. I sucked at it and I knew it. All I did during the class was to envisage the sporting activities that would take place after the class. Only Fridays are available for sporting activities. Saturdays and Sundays are all fixed up. I think I love track events because students from The Faculty of Big Cats always won. The Faculty of Big Cats
Pearl It was my first year in senior high school. Summer break had just ended and I was glad that I would be going back to school. The few weeks I had spent back home seemed like decades. My stepmother and my step-siblings made my life a living hell. I did all the chores while they dined and lazed around. There was not much difference back at school either. My step-siblings and I attended the same school. They are in junior high school but they made sure they bullied me at every slightest opportunity. I was the eldest but my mother died during childbirth. It was rumored that my birth was ominous. My father hated me, he believed that I brought bad omen and my birth killed his wife. The assertions that surrounded my birth made it difficult for my father to get a new wife as prospective wives did not want to have anything to do with me. I grew up without motherly affection. When I turned six years old, my father finally remarried. His new wife became my stepmother and the mother of
When I came around, I felt something comfy beneath me, it was a bed.Slowly, all that had occurred flashed through my head. I sprang out of the bed and made my way towards the door."Are you up to it now? I wondered what a spinless girl is doing here," someone said and I realized that I wasn't alone.I looked around but there was no one in sight. I gave a keen look and noticed a door, and then, I realized that the room was connected to a smaller room.I walked towards the smaller room and peeped. My gaze fell on a man in a white lab coat and I presumed that he must be a doctor.He rose to his feet and began to walk out of his small office."I am sure I will see you often. You were brought to the infirmary after you passed out… I am Doctor Jacobs," he said with a smile."Where… where is this place? Where is my mother?" I stuttered and began to draw back. While we were still at it, the door opened up and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen walked in.She looked at me with scrutiny
"Pearl!" "Pearl!" "Pearl!"I heard the distinct shout of my name and I stopped in my tracks. Flashes from torches appeared in an array. I knew they were here for me."They?" I wasn't even sure about who they were. Footsteps echoed towards me and I ran in the opposite direction."That is her!" Someone yelled and they began to run after me."Stop Pearl! It's Evelyn!" My supposed werewolf roommate yelled and I surged forward. The last thing I wanted was to stay with that monster but I didn't make it long.The bush suddenly became illuminated like it was daytime and I was stuck in a spot, I couldn't move no matter how much I tried.When I looked behind, I saw that the great illumination came from the torches. I didn't know their numbers but I saw five touches on the ground.One of my pursuers had her hand on the torch in the middle, her mouth moved in succession like she was making an enchantment.The light from the torches augmented at the center and gave off a bigger source of light tha
The day was excessively bright and I wondered if it had something to do with the weird meetings that would be taking place today. Yesterday, I slept off without Evelyn and when I woke up this morning she was gone. She was avoiding me. Is it a crime to be normal? I asked myself and shrugged it off. I groomed myself and tried to get settled. When it was about 1 pm, I left the dorm and decided to take a stroll around. Not long after I had ventured out, I realized that I made the wrong choice. The whole citadel was in a frenzy. Students trooped out en masse from their dorms, they were in a mad rush. I guess their meetings start at 1 pm. From where I stood, I sighted a large court in the yonder and I maneuvered my way down. When I got to the court, I realized that it was a football court. I retired therein and tried to maintain my cool. I had just spent a few minutes in the court when I heard my name, "Pearl Shelby, you are summoned to Mrs. Hopkins's office." I turned around to
After trying hard to control the class, the lecturer finally gave up. He dismissed the class for another day.How I hated him. He began this and set the students against me but he couldn't stop what he had started.The class resumed their banters and their noise echoed through the hall as they gathered up again. They were aggrieved that Mrs Hopkins chose to send me to them. They threw different glances at me and I cringed on the inside.My savior left his seat and went on to address them. I couldn't make out their discussion but I knew he was trying to speak to them about me.I rose to my feet and walked out of the hall dejectedly. I fiddled with my necklace and walked away wearily. My eyes burned as tears threatened to fall from them.I have been rejected all through my life. My mother died because of me. Even in my own home, my father treated me like an outcast. To my stepmother, I am a little monster that her children must avoid. I was bullied at school and here I am, amidst the
PearlIt's Sunday morning, the sunrise came early and the sun was in its full colors. I was leaning against a Kashmir tree with a forlorn look registered on my face. My large curves were hugged in a white miniskirt which stopped just a few inches below my butts.A white flannel turtleneck shirt was well tucked into my skirt. I had chosen the shirt to conceal my wounds. The cuts on my neck were deep and ugly, I couldn't bear walking around with them in the open. I did not understand a bit of what was happening around me and I did not care to know, after all, I was just an outcast.I had thought lectures would commence by 1pm like the previous day until an announcement rang out at about 7am. All students were expected to get prepared for the day's events. Everyone was supposed to be ready at exactly 8am."What events? I muttered as I sprang up from the bed. Evelyn did not return after she had left yesterday and I had no one to tell me about the days' orders. Not that she would tell m
HardinI beat myself up as I watched Pearl walk away. I had noticed an all white body lurking around the tree. Whoever chose to dress up in such a combination of neutral color on a colorful day like this must be a killjoy, I thought as I approached the tree.Then I realized that it was Pearl. Everything happening must be strange to her, I thought and made my way towards her. When she turned to look at me, I was blown off my feet, I literally drooled over her. She looked pristine and undeniably gorgeous in her all white outfit and for the first time, I coveted becoming an ordinary human.Stan howled in appraisal and I must say, this was something strange. All Stan had ever wanted was his mate, not some beautiful human girl lurking around in white. Yes, my wolf and I have seen many beautiful ladies before now and I knew that Stan's attraction to Pearl was unusual."Stay away from me! Don't ever talk to me again!" Pearl's voice broke into my thoughts as she bolted away.Fuck! I knew
PearlWe took different turns and we were out in the open."Hopkins Citadel is essentially large. I haven't seen this side before," I whispered."Really? Well it's a given, you have no friend who could take you sightseeing. I am the only friend you have but you ditched me, calling me a monster," Hardin pouted."I am sorry.""Nah. You are right. To a normin like you, a werewolf is probably a monster too," he said casually."Well… Yes!""You see? I caught you…" He tickled me and I giggled, hitting him softly."Common, where are we going?" I whispered as he pecked my cheeks."This big monster is gonna eat you up," he said playfully and I hit him hard.Again our lips met and he kissed me lightly before moving forward.He didn't say much until we were in front of an enclosed field. I fell behind as he pulled me through the tiny entrance.The area was filled with well-trimmed carpet grass just like Pentium Field. I rared my head up looking at him questioningly."What is this place?"He smir
PearlHardin saw Evelyn before she got to him. Immediately, he broke off from the blonde and shielded her from Evelyn."Evelyn! Stop this madness. There is nothing between us. Stop hitting on me! I have no feelings for you!" He yelled, making Evelyn stop.His voice was drowned by the noise in the hall but few students that were close heard him. They shot Evelyn a demeaning look and continued with their businesses.Evelyn remained rooted to a spot, staring at Hardin with an open mouth. "Come here baby," Hardin said hoarsely and turned to the red-haired girl. He lifted her chin up, and sneaked a peek at Evelyn. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around the girl's waist, kissing her hard. Evelyn's eyes shone wide and her knuckles were white.I remained transfixed in my spot, feeling so bad for Evelyn.This could be me. Yes, there was nothing between Hardin and me as well. Why did I bump into the stage? I realized my foolishness and staggered backwards.Slowly, I turned around to leave, but I h
PearlI heard a noise from a distance, it was coming from the hall of the big cats, but as I got closer, the noise reduced and I wondered what was happening."Welcome to this grand event. It's always our pleasure to celebrate with the big cats when they find their mates. We see it as the kindness of the moon goddess towards them," Mrs Hopkins' voice boomed through the air and I hastened as I covered the last step.The hall was filled up with students. Members of the faculty of big cats were seated in the front rows. Others were students from other facilities who came to witness the event."To maintain order and a decent relationship among students, we usually celebrate this in grand style. Most often we do invite the parents of the students who are involved but due to certain reasons, Billy and Emma's parents could not show up. We therefore decided to throw a small party for them. This will in effect, make every other admirer to be aware that these two are taken," The students murmure
Zora The cold stares I shared with Evelyn was a show. I had met Evelyn earlier and we had decided to put on a show. We had to ensure that Pearl did not notice that we were working together. Well, she is quite gullible and I knew our show would work. Leaving Evelyn behind, I smirked as I made my way to Zenden's office.Few days ago, after I had taken the potion that Zenden gave me, I was locked up in an illusionary woods the whole day.When I came around, I was mad at Zenden. Well, she only does what she wants. She ignored my outburst and proceeded with what she wanted me to know. She informed me that Pearl saved my head and she did not reveal that I was the one who attacked her in Denim woods.That fool, she should have spilled the beans and got rid of me. I hated being indebted to anyone."Her kindness means nothing to me. I will hunt her down and get back my torrent of energy!" I yelled and Zenden laughed derisively."You can't get her. You are no match for her," Zenden said in
PearlI couldn't believe it when Dr Jacobs said I would spend three more days in the infirmary. "I thought you said I would be discharged today!" I fired."Yes but no. Sorry ma'am, you need some rest," he scoffed and walked away in his usual casual manner.The next three days were hellish. I almost died of boredom. Jayden, Pete and Billy dropped in to check on me at intervals, but neither Evelyn nor Hardin showed up.One question kept burning in my heart, who the hell attacked me in the form of a wolf? I know everyone in the school hates me and most especially those in the Faculty of the big cats, but despite the group's hostility towards me, the only person who could do that is Evelyn.Well, that is only an assertion, I will wait till I find out myself. I missed Hardin and I wanted to see him. I asked his friends severally to tell him to come but he never did.Days rolled by and after what seemed like eternity, it was time for me to leave the infirmary.That morning, I was over exci
Mrs Hopkins I swiveled from side to side as I skimmed through the documents in my hand. I had spoken to Pearl's mother but I was shocked by her response. I realized that she brought Pearl to Hopkins because she wanted her dead.Thinking back now, I wondered how she got to know about the citadel. We have our agents out there who make contact with our prospective clients. That's how we get most of our students, but the case is different with Pearl. Since she has no super supernatural ability, no one met her parents. Her step mother contacted us herself.Yes, talking about Pearl. I almost declined her offer for admission. She is a normin and we don't accept normins. But at a closer look, I saw through her barrier. She only posed to be human, but she isn't. She is a supernatural being, one that she isn't aware of.And that was the dilemma. We don't accept her kind in Hopkins. At first, she is thought to be a normin but after seeing through her, I realized that her kind of supernatural
PearlWhen I woke up, I wasn't in the cave. I was in a well lit room and I felt something comfy beneath me, it was a bed. Looking around, the room seemed familiar and soon I realized that I was in the infirmary."Pearl? How do you feel now? You slept for so long." A familiar voice said. Hardin's face came into view. He was hovering over me and looking intently at me."Why am I in the infirmary? You should have brought me here in the first place," I said coldly, looking away from him.He remained silent and said nothing. Slowly, he stood erect and turned around, turning his back against me."I guess I made the wrong call... If you want to stay away from me, ensure you stay safe so that I can detest you," he gritted out and made his way towards the door.My heart squeezed in pain as I watched him leave. I don't know if it was because I hurt him again or because I didn't want to be alone."Hardin! Don't go," I called out hoarsely and he halted. Without looking back, he turned the knob
HardinDust and dirt filled the air as Eve, Evelyn's wolf, raced through the field at a mad speed.Her fangs were deeply buried àround a human's wrist and she dragged a human body in the dirt as she ran.Pearl! My heart skipped a beat as I identified the body. Blood seeped furiously from her wrist, running down the whole length of her arm as she was dragged about."Pearl!!!" I screamed, horrified.At the sound of my voice which rang in Evelyn's head, she became wilder. Leaping through the air with Pearl's body dangling beside her, she shook her powerful jaws from side to side.Pearl's body dangled in the air like wool. Loud and painful moans tore out of her mouth as she tried to struggle free.Anger rocked my body and I shook in rage, bursting into full speed. I leapt up, catching Eve in the air. I threw my body against her with full force and dug my fangs into her neck.She shrieked in pain but she did not let go of Pearl. Swinging her head, she slammed Pearl hard on the floor as
Hardin Hopinks Citadel is largely dominated by large empty spaces and woods. This is as a result of the events, and supernatural activities that take place in the school. One of such woods is Denim woods where Pearl was found unconscious. It is the major greenhouse in the school. According to the school rules, werewolves can shift into their wolves at any given time, but not indiscriminately. There are spaces specified for such purposes. One of such spaces is the Cat Field where I had shifted some days ago. It is an open space surrounded by high walls. It qualifies as the werewolves playground and it is one of the fields where we can wolf out in our numbers. At maximum, it can hold about 20 werewolves at a time. But because of the enclosure and size, it is not usually used for group shifting. It's Sunday, the show-day in Hopkins Citadel and unlike the faculty display that took place last week Sunday, today each faculty is having her display discreetly. The big cat instructor,