“I don’t understand why you’re trying to dissuade her from going with us,” Duncan told Michael angrily. “Oh, come on. She’s a fragile girl who just escaped from a hellhole and is quite vulnerable at this time. She doesn’t need to be charging off fighting unknown creatures just yet. You keep on claiming she has powers, but I saw the girl, and she was beside herself with happiness just because her eyes changed color and she grew claws. That’s the person whom you claim has the powers to face monsters and free your fiancée. Forgive me if I don’t believe that for a minute, but that is how it is. I’m not letting her walk straight to her death.” “What do you care about her, anyway? I’m her uncle, while you’re just some guy she happened to meet because he wants to avenge his family’s death. Do you think you have her interest at heart more than I do?” “Actually, I do. At least, I’m not the one rushing her off to do dangerous things not long after her mother died, when she clearly isn’t recov
Before nine that morning, Sophia left the house with Duncan to go to the bank, where they spent most of the day doing stuff. When they were done, Michael picked them up and they went to a restaurant where they got something to eat. Sophia soaked it all up in awe. Needless to say, she had never been to a restaurant before. Michael watched her in amusement the whole while, while Duncan seemed very troubled and distracted, not that anyone could blame him. “I think we should get some food for Toby. The food here is really delicious.” She said, and Michael nodded his approval. “Sure thing. I’ll ask them to pack some for him.” “So, when do we set out to find Duncan's fiancée? I think the earlier the better because we don’t know what the poor woman is going through.” “You’re right. We’ll leave tomorrow.” Michael said and saw the relief enter Duncan’s eyes. The man was really going through a lot. This was why Michael needed to get away from Sophia so that he never found himself in such an
Sophia was awoken from her deep sleep by Michael around seven that night. She opened her eyes groggily to see that it was quite dark in her room now, whereas it had still been daylight when she went to sleep. It meant that she had slept for hours. There was no sign of Toby, who had slept with her, in the room. Her things, of which she did not have much, were already packed and were at the foot of the bed. Yawning widely, she sat up on the bed and saw the amusement in Michael’s eyes as he looked at her and spoke. “Come on, it’s high time we get going. You enjoy sleeping too much.” “Where’s Toby?” “He’s downstairs with Duncan. They’re already set, and so am I. It’s you whom we’re waiting for.” He told her before picking up her already packed bag and taking it out of the room with him. Sophia had already placed the cloth that she was going to wear on a chair by the bed, so she just had to get into it, and then she was ready to go too. She met the men waiting for her downstairs, but the
Perhaps, there was an element of truth to what her mother and Duncan believed about her. After all, Jonas had had a good eighteen years to kill her, but he hadn’t done so. Was it that there was something about her that prevented him from killing her? Her so-called powers, maybe? In the next instant though, she was dismissing the thought. Jonas had meant to kill her that last night before Duncan and Michael came to rescue her. She knew it very well. Perhaps it was only the fear of his father and grandfather that had kept him in check while she was growing up. Michael must have felt bad about yelling at her and probably thought that her continued silence was because she was mad at him, which was partially true anyway because he spoke into the thick silence that was interrupted only by the purring of his vehicle. “Look, Sophia. I’m sorry that I yelled at you, okay? It’s just a touchy topic for me, and I don’t like to remember that day at all, but that was no reason to yell at you.” “It’
Every day was the same, or if one was being totally truthful, each day was much worse than the previous one. There was no end to any of it, that is the whippings, stench, and hopelessness, but worst of all was the heartbreaking cries of despair that came from the mouths of the young children. Girls who were as young as thirteen, or even younger, by the looks of some of them, were packed in the same stuffy, dingy cell as older, worn, and tired women. In the cramped, filthy cell, giant rats roamed about freely, clearly not afraid of the humans who abode there, and for good reason too. After all, the women were totally helpless and were tied up so securely that they could only dream of escape, and not even fantasize about it. Therefore, the rats, and whatever other vermin, of which there were quite a few, moved about as they wished, feeding on whatever scraps of leftover food they could find, and when scraps of leftover foods were scarce, which was more often than not, these vermin bit
The occupants of Michael’s car were silent as the car moved steadily on the long and lonely night. Michael, who was driving, hummed steadily to himself as he drove, taking care not to meet Sophia’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He found his eyes straying to the mirror on occasion though, and most of these times, he found her staring at him with a sort of puzzled look on her face, as though she couldn’t quite figure him out. Michael didn’t blame her. He could hardly figure himself out too. Duncan sat in the passenger side with Michael, his brows furrowed, as he tried his best not to think about what his fiancée must be going through right this very minute, but it was impossible not to do so. If only Vanessa had listened to him, he would not be in this mess at all. “Yeah, right.” A voice inside his head told him, but he tamped it down effectively and looked resolutely out the window. He had to do what he had to do, and that was that. Toby was fast asleep with his mouth wide open, having
Sophia followed Duncan into the sparse bushes silently, her heart beating a mile a minute as she did so. If she failed to gain her powers, of which she was seriously beginning to doubt that she indeed had any, they were certainly going to be doomed. Duncan did not look like he had any intention of abandoning his fiancée in the other dimension, and neither would she want him to. Michael had promised to help him, so he had no choice but to do so, but aside from that, he did not strike her as someone who would abandon a mission all because he was afraid. From the little that she had seen of him, he seemed to be someone who thrived on dangerous situations a lot. Toby did not have where to go and was willing to follow the two men and do whatever he could to prove himself, and probably earn some money while doing it. That left her, who had gotten an escape route because of Duncan's fiancee, at least in a roundabout way, and there was no way she was not going to do everything she could to sa
Michael had Duncan by the lapels of his shirt and was growling fiercely, while Toby tried unsuccessfully to pry him off poor Duncan, who was sputtering in indignation and trying in vain to free himself. Sophia could see why Michael was so distraught. She was still kneeling down in the same position in which she had been before her trance, with her eyes tightly closed as she remained unaware of her surroundings. “Make her normal this minute, or I swear to God that I’ll rip you into tiny pieces,” Michael yelled, not caring that he was practically choking Duncan, who was trying to convince him that he wasn’t responsible for what was happening to Sophia in vain. “Wait. Let me try something else. I swear I didn’t do anything to her. I don't know why she's like that. Please, let go of me.” Duncan managed to ground out. “Oops. I thought he didn’t like me or want me as his mate. How come he cares what happens to me and what doesn't?” Sophia told her parents. “Even if he doesn’t care, he ca