The ride home took about half an hour. Liza and I sat in the car in tense silence, Liza probably contemplating on what we should do next. I already knew the answer to that though.
We were going to get the hell out of town.
As she pulled into the driveway of our little two-story house, I quickly jumped out of the car before she even managed to park properly.
I wasted no time.
I quickly entered the house, slamming the door open in my hastiness and leaving it open as I ran up the stairs and turned left down the hallway, running straight into my bedroom.
My body was on auto control as my mind scrambled for thoughts. I went straight to my closet. I took out a black duffel bag and hugged a bunch of my clothes, hooking the hangers off the rail and dumping everything inside the bag, both hangers and clothes. I scrambled for the drawers as I opened them and took out my undergarments, throwing them in the bag as well. This drill was so etched into my mind that there weren't even many clothes for me to pack. I've already been preparing myself for this.
I was so caught up in my anxiety to run that I didn't notice when Liza entered my room until she spoke.
"What are you doing?"
I jumped in surprise and turned around to face her. She stood leaning against the doorframe leading into my room, her shoulder length, black inky hair pushed back as if she had run her hands through them a lot before coming up to see me. Her bright hazel eyes stared at me in confusion.
I turned back to dumping all my stuff into the bag, talking over my shoulder, "hurry up and go pack your stuff. We're leaving."
My voice left no room for discussion. This was probably the first time Liza have ever seen me so authoritative.
A scuff of disbelief was heard from behind me, "what do you mean by pack? We're not leaving."
I turned to her sharply and hissed, "Like hell we're not. You trying to get us killed!?"
Liza threw up her hands in frustration, "We already got away! Why in the world would a wolf of all creatures waste time tracking us down to kill us? Let's just go to the cops and let them handle this."
I rolled my eyes. My temper was flaring even brighter as she refused to see my point of view. Knowing the things that I knew; she's supposed to be freaking alarmed as well! I was so preoccupied with running away that I forgot the part where Liza didn't know anything about the things I knew.
"And what are we going to tell the cops, huh? That we broke the law and entered forbidden grounds? That we saw the garden and found a fucking wolf breaking out of the statue?" I scuffed, "yeah that's the fastest way of getting ourselves checked into a mental hospital."
Liza scowled and ran a hand through her hair, pacing the length of my bedroom, "I don't fucking know okay!? But I'm not leaving for God's sake, we just moved here. I'm finally getting my life in order, and you want me to just up and leave just because we saw a wolf in the forest!? It's ridiculous! Besides... I love my job so I'm not leaving." she turned to me with cold eyes filled with resolve.
Ugh! I placed a hand to my forehead and massaged it, trying to calm myself down. I wanted to scream my lungs out in frustration. I knew this look all too well. Liza decided and there was nothing I could say that would change her mind. But...
A heavy sigh released from my lips, "Liza.... you don't know..."
Liza rolled her eyes at me, "I don't know a lot of things Ez! and that's because you're so closed off that you won't even talk to your own sister! We've been together for years and I still don't know what happened to you or why you turned into the timid shell that runs from everything she deems a threat!"
I avoided her gaze and pursed my lips, my mind refusing to take me down that path. Refusing to think on why I acted the way I did.
"Why are you so afraid Ez!? Why are you running?" Liza continued, desperation and sadness seeping into her voice.
I lifted my gaze to hers and stared blankly, refusing to let her see the turmoil raging inside me. This wasn't her burden to bear. This wasn't even a part of her world to begin with. I'd never drag her into my dark prison of a world.
"We're leaving Liza. It's for your own good."
Liza scuffed and crossed her arms, "What am I, five? If you want to leave, I'm not stopping you but I'm not going anywhere."
"If that's what you want then fine. You stay, I'll go."
Liza's arms unconsciously dropped back to her sides as she stared at me in disbelief, "you're serious?"
I turned my back on her and continued packing my bags, refusing to say another word, ignoring the slight throbbing in my chest as I heard my bedroom door close shut.
My shoulders slouched in exhaustion, and I found myself sliding down and unto the floor, my back resting on the bed behind me. I covered my face with my hands and tried to control my breathing, trying to calm myself down.
I thought back to the day the Franchild household took me in. The day I walked into their home and found a mischievous Liza hiding behind a corner, waiting to jump out at me. Little did she know that I had already sensed her from the moment our parents opened the door. As soon as she jumped out to tackle me, I had stepped aside and let her fall with an oomph, clutching my bag to my chest and eyeing her cautiously. I honestly thought that she was going to cry but no, not Liza. She got right back up and grinned at me with those bright eyes.
"You win this time, but I'll keep trying sis!"
That little girl accepted me as her sister without any thought. She had no problem sharing her parents' attention with me, she had no problem brushing around my rough edges to make me like her, she was determined to open me up and after an entire year, she finally succeeded.
I sighed again and clasped my hands together, closing my eyes and allowing myself to fall back into the deep recesses of my mind. I dug deep into my mind until I found an exact replica of myself staring back at me. Short nappy hair pulled up into a small bun, deep brown eyes, and a light brown complexion. My eyes were swirling with a deep-rooted sadness that appeared many years ago, drowning me in sorrow up to this day, drowning me in secrets.
I reached out and grabbed a hold of my hand, clutching it firmly once I felt the solid touch. Then I yanked myself. I tugged at her until I could feel us breaking apart and distancing. One second, I was leaning against the bed with my eyes closed and then the next second, I was floating in front of myself, a mere spirit hovering over my physical body.
There was no time for me to waste. I had to check the barrier I placed around our house for any damage. I quickly slipped through the white walls of the house and appeared outside, staring up at the pulsing purple wall that towered high up as far as the eyes could see. It was beautiful and frightening all at the same time.
I placed my hands against it and winced slightly as my finger was pricked with what felt like a needle. Crimson red dripped from my finger and unto the barrier, thickening the already thinning wall.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the barrier was fortified.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, signalling my time was almost up. I closed my eyes and gave myself back up to my body that called out to me desperately.
A sharp gasp escaped my lips as my eyes snapped open and I found myself leaning against the bed again. My breathing was heavy as I sucked in as much oxygen as I could. That took a lot out of me. My chest throbbed uncomfortably as I tried to catch my breath. A soul couldn't live long without its physical body. I'm lucky enough to even be able to last that long.
I glanced at my closed bedroom door and reluctantly pushed myself up, dragging my exhausted body across the floor and locking the door once I reached it.
I turned to my closet next and dug through my pile of clothing that laid on the floor, taking up the old dirty, shredded bag that stored all my personal secrets.
I zipped the bag open and reached a hand inside to pull out the bright purple crystal. It was a ball about the size of my palm. Every witch born was appointed one at the moment of their birth.
I clutched the crystal to my chest and chanted,
"Spirits on the other side
hear my cursed cry
Guide me to what I seek
Reveal the danger that comes for me."
I stared intently at the crystal, waiting anxiously for the face of that wolf to reveal itself. A cloud of darkness blanketed the crystal, and I squinted my eyes to look pass it, but it was futile. There was no wolf, just a blank canvas.
Undecided.
I sighed in frustration and shook the crystal.
"Spirits I call to thee
The ones that guide my family
Show me the path I'm destined to take
Show me what might be my future mistake."
The crystal glowed brightly, fading from its natural purple to depict a picture of me driving my car pass the welcome sign that's at the border of Sylia.
I scowled in annoyance, "why the hell can't I leave this place you bastards?"
A slight pain sliced through my hand where the crystal was grasped. I yelped and almost dropped the crystal, rolling my eyes once I realized what happened.
"I didn't mean it." I muttered.
I placed the crystal back into my bag and zipped it back up, placing it on the floor and throwing the pile of clothing over it to cover it up.
I guessed I was staying for a little while longer. I just hoped those damned guardians were right.
I stood up and planned to go and unpack my stuff but found myself tensing up in dread as I sensed something predatory slip pass my barrier.
An image of the wolf from the forest flashed across my eyes and I felt my face dropping in horror.
How the heck did it get pass my barrier!?
"Liza!"With my heart stuck in my throat, I quickly left my bedroom and headed straight towards Liza's room.She didn't answer, which was justified considering the fight we just had but that was the least of my concerns at this point.I quickly opened her bedroom door and strayed my eyes across her baby blue walls before my eyes locked onto her, lying on her bed with a cup of yogurt in her hands.She gla
"Hell no!" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could think it through, causing me to wince at how aggressive my voice sounded. I cuddled Liza to my chest and hauled her up into my arms, grunting at the heavy weight that she put on my shoulders. "She'd probably kill me if I let a naked man beast lift her defenceless body off the ground," I mumbled as I dragged Liza through the door and left the man behind, my priorities shifting from dealing with a threat to making sure that Liza was safely laying down on our sofa, in the living room. As soon as I touched the dark grey loveseat, I dumped Liza's body onto it, exhaling sharply and rolling my shoulders to ease the discomfort from having Liza there. "Why did you free me? " A voice came up from behind me. I turned around and saw that the man followed me into the house, standing in my doorway with his intense brown eyes staring right at me. It was hard for me to focus with him being na
I cleared my throat and gestured to the doorway that led us into the hall, "follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying and get you cleaned up." I lead him out into the hall and directly up the stairs, wary of his eyes that were drilling into my back. So creepy... Once up the stairs, I turned the corner and opened the very first door to my left and entered. I spread my arms wide, "this is your room for the time being, the bathroom is literally next door." Axil entered the room behind me, finally removing his gaze as he eyed everything in the room in curiosity. From the bed that stood in the middle of the room covered in dark red and white sheets to the dresser on the sides and the white silky curtains that blew from the wind and revealed the windows. Something told me he's never seen most of these things before. I walked up to the bed and patted it, explaining, "this is a bed. We use it to sleep on. It's very soft and comfy so you don't h
My eyes widened in disbelief as my mouth dropped open, "hellhounds!? Like the ones that were created byHades?God of the Underworld?" Axil nodded gravely, his eyes flashing with pain briefly before he willed it away. I've read this in an old history book when I was about nine years old, I think. Wolves were basically the living version of a hellhound. When a wolf dies, their soul is sent to the underworld. Hades saw the potential in their souls and created his own version, which he called hellhounds. Witches were basically the balance between life and death, the gatekeeper between portals and the link between good and evil. If a witch was powerful enough, she could manage to open a portal from our world into the underworld... but that was some serious black magic type shit. It was strictly forbidden because of the effect it left on the soul, turning the witch who cast the spell completely evil to the core. I shuddered just thinkin
"Oh." I said before I managed to stop myself.Our gaze broke off as Liza burst out laughing from beside me, turning my burning face to her as embarrassment grabbed a hold of me.She pointed a finger at me and laughed, "I told you so!"I brushed her aside and cleared my throat, taking a sip of my orange juice to pretend I wasn't shocked silly by Axil's fresh appearance.
Luckily, we didn't run into any peeking toms on our walk back home. Probably because we were more focused on getting home rather than observing the neighbourhood.I didn't know what it was that I was feeling in that very moment, but my heart was twisted in knots as a sense of deja vu came over me. What was going on?I wasn't able to breath a sigh of relief until we entered our house and closed the door shut.As soon as we got inside, Liza turned to the both of us with expectant eyes.
"Where am I?" I whispered in awe, staring up at the strange sky as the purple stars glistened and pulsed brightly with light. I glanced down at my body to see that I was dressed in a plain white dress that snuggled with my chest then flared out at my waist and ended just a little above my knees. My feet were bare as they stood on nothing in particular. Nothing in particular... My eyes widened as I realized that I was standing on air even though beneath me felt solid. I bent over slightly to look beneath me, seeing the same blank canvas that glittered with stars. It was everywhere, surrounding me.... calling to me... I looked ahead of me and took a cautious step forward, my stomach dropping at the thought of falling through mid air. My feet landed on solid ground and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. What was this place? I stretched out my hands towards the stars, but they were so far away from me. Every step that I took didn't seem to
When I woke up, it was morning again. I slept through the rest of yesterday. Of course I would. It's been forever since I've used that much magic in just two days. My magic was rusty, and I was basically still a newbie to all of it.I checked my phone to see that I got a message from my mother, simply wishing me a good morning. I quickly responded with a good morning as well before opening up Wattpad.Maybe a quick read would comfort me before I have to dive back into the madness known as my life.I relaxed into my pillow and opened the book I was currently reading, 'The girl he never noticed'."Ezzy!"I winced as my name was heard. You've got to be kidding me."Ezzy!" Liza burst through my bedroom door, a piece of bread hanging from her mouth.I shot her an exasperated look, "what is it?"Liza chuckled, "you slept for so long and you're still grumpy? You weirdo, I have school in an hour."I raised an eyebrow, "So?"
Unknown POVHave you ever been in a situation where you found yourself drowning in the endless ocean you call your nightmares? Every single night. They make your heart race, your palms sweaty and they sucked the air out of your lungs to the point where you sometimes woke up and found that you couldn't breathe. Then you began to panic because you're desperate for air, but none is coming because your mind suddenly shut down on you and suddenly you don't remember how to breathe.Then while you're there gasping for breath, your mind began to get hazy, vision darkening and limbs twitching as your heart pounded painfully in your chest. Then in that brief moment where it finally hits you that you're about to die, you accept that fact and then everything becomes calm again.
My lips tilted into a frown as I stared at the dress that Liza was currently flaunting in front of my face."Is that for me?" I pointed in a dumb stupor.The grin on Liza's retched face widened as she shook the dress in her hands excitedly, "Of course it's for you! Why else would I bother to show you bitch!?"I snorted and turned back to ransack my suitcase that was stuffed with my clothes, "I'm not wearing that! The fuck do I look like to you, a hooker?""Oh c'mon, a lot of girls wear these kinda dresses.""Good for them. They can actually trust those thin ass dresses. With my luck, it'll tear, and I'll end up showing all my lady bits."
I winced as the sound of breaking bones sounded out through the busy clearing. Someone was shifting. Snarls and growls began to sound out as the moon grew higher in the sky, glistening teasingly down on its targets. I couldn't bare to watch as a few hands and legs bent and twisted in ways I didn't even know could be twisted. One by one, the people who were new to their wolf sides were the ones shifting first. A few began to fight with each other as they got more aggressive and blood thirsty. Chunks of fur and flesh were ripped out as whines and growls sounded and yet the saner members did nothing but save all those who were on the brink of death. I couldn't bare to watch and yet I forced myself to, taking in the gore in order to familiarize myself with the sight. My face however was already deathly pale as my stomach churned in disgust. Was being here doing any difference? All we did was stand on the podium as they went wild below us, not bothering to
It's time. The sky was beginning to darken. Crowds of people kept piling into the square as the full moon began peeking through the clouds. Tension hung high in the air as everyone eyed each other anxiously. There were already a few people who had their eyes glowing, and nails lengthened. Everyone was on edge. The effect of the full moon was already beginning. I glanced at Axil and the others, who stood with Liza and I on the podium, and noticed the indifferent looks that blanketed their faces. It was like they weren't affected at all. Axil met my gaze and asked over our link, "Are you sure you want to stay for this? It won't be pretty." I nodded my head firmly, "I have to be inside of the barrier for it to show its full effects. Don't worry, I can protect myself and Liza." A growl sounded out from below us and I turned my head to the crowd, startled. A man was crouched slightly, eyes glowing and canines glistening threateningly as he gr
Unknown POV I calmed my breathing as best as I could and allowed myself to relax, forcing the tension from my shoulders and sitting Lotus style across the cold wooden floor. I felt the flow of energy around me, opening my pores and absorbing little droplets of that energy into my body. I had to be extra careful not to absorb more than my body could handle. This was a dangerous method on my part. I was using the world's natural substance to strengthen myself and allow me to peer further into my mind in hopes of connecting to her again. I could remember that moment vividly. The connection had appeared out of nowhere that it had startled me. All I felt was her overwhelming fear and her lack of confidence as images of our coven's destruction flitted through both of our minds. Those memories, however, weren't mine. I didn't know how we did it, but I somehow managed to gain control of her body to help her through her fight but the connection didn't last
Did I hear that right?"Excuse me?" I asked.The woman glanced at Axil and then back at me with anger filled eyes as she continued, "How can we trust your bond with our Alpha? We were literally just told you witches can take possession of another person's body."I snorted and crossed my arms. Her blatant hostility was showing, and I wasn't the one to simply take that laying down."That spell is forbidden amongst our kind. What Tiana's husband did was basically overextending his life. He will suffer from the consequences when the time comes. Not only that, but Tiana and her husband are both dark witches while I am not. Don't be stupid; a bond as pure as a soul mate could never be replicated even by magic. It's a gift from a God, not a plaything."Again, she glanced at Axil, "that still doesn't answer how you're qualified for this position."I frowned at her wandering gaze and then shot a glance at Axil curiously. He met my gaze with steady eyes and shook
Another 10 minutes passed before Axil's voice sounded out. "Let's begin," he said, his voice firm as he and Abel finally turned towards the people below us. Although his voice wasn't loud, with their supernatural hearing, it scattered over every inch of the clearing and caused all the chatter to slowly fade as everyone diverted their attention to us. Axil then began his speech: "A lot has changed. Some of you found out that you were wolves; some regained their memories of being a werewolf, some realized this wasn't originally a human settlement while the others were finally freed from Tiana's curse. These past few weeks have been chaotic for everyone, and we've tried our best to accommodate your needs and to help you settle into this new reality that you've found yourselves thrust into. By now, I'm sure many of you have had your questions answered and have been informed of what happened to us in the past that brought us here today, fractured and barely hanging on, but
The meeting today was being held in the town's square. That was the only area large enough to hold thousands of people and so we made sure to organize the event carefully, placing a barricade around the square and taking count of everyone who entered through the gates. We had the cops patrolling the area and keeping things in order as many people began to filter in and out, waiting for the meeting to start. The air was ripe with chatter as I awkwardly stood upon the small podium with Axil, Abel, Liza, Dawson, and a few others. Axil and Abel were conversing with a muscular man that stood tall like a giant, towering over even their 7-foot height. When I had first met him, I was so startled I almost stumbled on my face. The dude looked like a bald head version of the hulk. Maybe that was an exaggeration. A bodybuilder would be a better description. I thought Abel was ripped but then this guy probably soaked every inch of his body in muscles. It made me wonder h
What the hell? I waved a hand at the door, unlocking it and watching as it was pushed open by a very angry Liza. I gazed at her in confusion. "What happened?" Liza bristled as she began pacing the entire office, mumbling furiously under her breath. "Liza?" I asked. She suddenly stopped and turned to Axil, pointing her finger at him accusingly, "Why are you wolves so infuriating!?" Axil raised an amused eyebrow at her, seeming as though he knew why she was bristling, but he didn't say a word. Liza began pacing again. I frowned and narrowed my eyes at the grumbling woman, "Ayo, Patrick." She turned to glare at me, "Who're you calling Patrick, Garfield?" "You gonna tell me why you pacing or you finna let me kick you out so I can get back to work?" Liza snorted, "I doubt you did much work." "I did more than you have!" "Whatever. I'm upset! Bea is adorable and all, and I love hanging out with her, but her father is a c