10. Lea
10
LEA
E xcitement and uncertainty swirled in my belly as I rushed home after school.
I couldn’t believe I could secure such a secret pact with Jax—even Chika wasn’t a part of it! I rubbed my sore shoulder as the marking settled into my skin. I couldn’t wait to tell my parents what happened.
The road was long and quiet, but the summer breeze made the trek home a dream.
I was sure I was practically floating home to my village. If I weren’t wearing my shoes, I might have very well floated away!
My village came into view in the distance.
The merchants were slowly moving their items inside for the night.
I only realized something was strange when not one of them looked up to greet me as they usually did.
What’s going on? Everyone seems so somber.
I wasn’t going to let it ruin my day, though. I continued on home.
Strange, I can usually smell what Mama is cooking for supper.
The closer I got to my house, the more the puddle right in front stopped looking like rain and started looking like blood.
I wasn’t sure what I was looking at.
Was I even able to believe my own eyes?
My pace slowed immensely as I started to worry about what I would see on the other side of that front door.
Standing over the puddle, its contents a stark, coagulated red against the soft tan of the dirt, I felt a chill grip me. My reflection trembled in the murky mirror at my feet, a harbinger of turmoil. My hands, betraying my attempt at composure, quivered uncontrollably. A lump, thick and suffocating, lodged itself in my throat while my legs threatened to buckle, as fragile as paper in the wind.
With a breath that seemed to catch in the air, I nudged the front door open, inch by inch. What I saw was so horrifying that it became an indelible memory, one that would stay with me until my last breath.
The scene was one of unspeakable horror, a chaos of form and color that defied understanding. No words, no matter how painstakingly chosen, could encapsulate the sheer terror that unfolded before my eyes. At the heart of this nightmare lay two figures so grotesquely disfigured that their humanity was obscured.
The horror done to them erased their identities except for the haunting familiarity of their attire. Only by these remnants, these threads of a past life, could I discern the unthinkable truth of who they had been.
In that small moment, my world irrevocably altered.
I shut my eyes quickly as if that would stop me from seeing the image before me, but they appeared in my mind.
They wore the same clothes—my parents wore the same when they sent me to school this morning.
What… happened?
I wasn’t sure how I ended up on the floor.
But I did.
I buried my burning face in my hands as tears blinded me.
Mema…
Her face flashed into my mind, and I struggled to get to my feet.
I had to clutch the frame of the door just to stand upright.
Splinters from the old wood bit into my flesh as I struggled to stay upright.
My head was foggy.
I was about to pass out, but I needed to know… If I was all alone in this world now.
I moved to the back, slipping on my parents’ blood as I did so.
My vision was so blurry from the hot tears pouring out of them.
Mema’s bedroom door was slightly open, and I could see through the crack that a body was on the bed.
“Please, Lunaira… Have mercy on me.” My pale and shaking hand pushed the door open more, and I could see that her eyes were wide open in fear.
I observed, waiting for some kind of movement.
She was almost perfectly still… Almost.
Her chest rose subtly… unevenly, and fell in the same manner.
She was still alive.
I couldn’t find any noticeable injuries on her. I deduced that she was in shock.
Her face was pale, and her mouth was agape as she tried to draw in enough air to keep her alive.
“Me…ma.” I struggled to speak.
My throat felt like I swallowed a hot poker.
Mema’s eyes flickered at me.
She sat up slowly, holding her hand out to me.
I rushed into her arms, burning my face in her and sobbing.
“So it wasn’t a dream… I thought that this must be some horrible nightmare—that if I laid down, I would wake up from it. For some reason, I still can’t wake from this nightmare.” Her voice trembled, and she spoke as if she wasn’t fully conscious.
“Mema, we have to report this to the police. We have to face it… We don’t have a choice. I can’t sleep like this.” I tried to be the reasonable one, even if that meant getting the paranormal police involved.
The shock hadn’t fully settled in yet. Or maybe it had, and that was why I could think with unparalleled clarity.
In any case, I had to act fast before I was useless. I could feel Mema nodding as she held me tighter. “I’ll make the call.”
An hour later, the police arrived.
I was sitting outside, wrapped in a blanket.
The summer breeze swept through my poor little village, churning my stomach upside down. It was like the breeze was trying to comfort me, but comfort was the last thing I wanted.
I wanted answers. I wanted to sleep. I wanted my parents back.
But comfort? No.
I wanted to recount what had happened and why it had taken us so long to report it, but recounting it now seems almost impossible.
It was as if it was already a distant memory.
Maybe it was for the best that I could barely remember.
I either forget or see that graphic scene whenever I close my eyes.
Sitting outside, I overheard Mema talking to the agent about who might have done this. Without thinking about it, I spoke up. “It must have been Diesel and his wolves. One was here the other day trying to shake us down for money.”
The police officer turned to me and furrowed his brow. “Why didn’t you just pay him then? Your family could have avoided all of this.”
I nearly snapped my neck, turning to look at him. I was in disbelief.
Suddenly, the catatonic state I had been in dissipated, and a fiery rage replaced it.
“How is this my family’s fault? What Diesel and his band of assholes do is extort the weak. If anything, is it not your job to protect us? You’re the ones who have failed!” I shouted at him, balling up my fist and doing everything I could to contain my werewolf.
“Those are some hefty accusations, girl. I would be careful if I were you.” He took one step closer to me, staring me down as if he was going to hurt me. Then he turned to Mema. “We’ll look into these leads. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Despite his words, it didn’t sound like he meant it.
Deep down, I knew they wouldn’t do anything, especially against Diesel.
The overwhelming sense of hopelessness overcame me, and suddenly, I was numb again.
I couldn’t take it anymore. My body twisted, muscles rippling, and bones shifting beneath my skin. Claws extended from my fingertips, razor-sharp and gleaming. My teeth elongated into fangs. With a final shudder, I transformed entirely into my wolf form.
The sound of tearing cloth filled my ears as my clothes shredded to pieces around me.
I ran into the forest, where I knew no one could find me. I just wanted to be alone and away from everything.
Mema’s voice dissipated behind me as she called for me to return.
I’m sorry, Mema. I can’t!
The branches and leaves whipped against my coat but couldn’t hurt me due to my coat’s thickness.
The Solare sought to kiss my skin through the trees, but I didn’t want to be comforted.
I wanted to be angry. I knew, eventually, I would have to deal with this…
Diesel and that Beta wolf made me an orphan.
It was a reality I wasn’t ready to face.