15. Lea
15
LEA
T he long days and sleepless nights began to catch up with me, and Mema’s rhythmic patting of my knee wasn’t helping.
My head began slowly drooping forward.
My eyelids felt like cinder blocks were weighing them down.
My vision became fuzzy, and I was about to let the sleep take me when the front doors of the healer’s clinic flew open.
The cheaply made wooden door slammed against the clinic’s wall, causing a loud banging sound to rip through the otherwise quiet waiting room.
My head snapped up, and I quickly reached for Mema.
The dust from the outside kicked in, making it difficult to see who was entering… At least until it was too late.
A shadowy figure walked in slowly, rumbling the floor with every step. The figure became clearer now, and I saw it was a werewolf. This was different from the others I saw… He was bigger and more volatile—foaming at the mouth and snarling at the people waiting in the waiting room. This werewolf stood almost eight feet tall And had jet-black fur aside from several brands all over his body. He looked deranged… or sickly.
My heart leaped into my throat.
Fear flooded me until I felt cold, right down to my fingertips.
I wanted to get up. I wanted to scream, but my body was useless. I couldn’t even bring myself to breathe, let alone move.
My mind began racing at the speed of light.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the last thing my parents saw before being murdered.
The moment seemed to be moving in slow motion.
I watched everything unfold as if I had a millennium to stop it. It was just my brain trying to make sense of the situation. Even if I could stop time, I still couldn’t move.
I finally pulled my eyes away from the frightening wolf at the door’s entrance. I looked around, and I saw the room descend into chaos.
Suddenly, werewolves flooded the waiting area and clawed to the back, where the staff kept the medicinal potions.
Then, a disembodied scream caused a jolt of adrenaline through my body.
I was on my feet before I realized I had stood up.
My shaking hand clung to my Mema, urging her to get to safety with me.
The guards tried to stop the werewolves from walking out with armfuls of medicine, but the werewolves threw them across the room.
Is this really what our kind has been reduced to… using our brute strength against the innocent?
I began ushering my grandma out of the room when I thought they wouldn’t notice.
There was a side door only fifty feet away from us that I knew we could escape through, but we only managed to take a few steps before we crossed paths with a jet-black werewolf.
The werewolf made eye contact with me and stopped in its tracks. It watched me as if it knew me.
Now that I was looking at it, something was familiar in its eyes.
Those burning green eyes reminded me of the beautiful green moss.
I took in a sharp breath.
The only thing I could focus on now was his eyes.
But it couldn’t be. He isn’t that type of man… He’s better than his uncle.
One of the wolves howled, causing the jet-black werewolf with the green eyes to turn toward the sound.
This gave me a full view of the seal burned into his shoulder.
It is him.
I felt like a damn fool.
My eyes grew hot, and my vision blurred with tears. “Jax?”
He snapped his head around and bared his teeth at me.
My head shook slowly in disappointment.
Then, Jax’s eyes shifted to my grandmother.
I took a step in front of her protectively, but he looked down at his arms, which held a menagerie of expensive drugs and potions.
He plucked a few things from his arms and tossed them before me.
The sound of the glass clinking against the rug held my eyes down.
I watched the bottles roll to my feet. I wasn’t precisely sure what they were just by looking at them, but I knew they were healing potions far out of our budget. By the time I looked back up, Jax was already gone.
A wave of emotions washed over me, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved they had left or touched that he was trying to help.
I tried to remind myself that he was a monster who had resorted to working for his uncle.
T he dry heat of a summer breeze brushed through my hair as I sat in the school courtyard.
My eyes scanned the main arch carefully.
I was watching and waiting like a hungry predator.
Anger and confusion still boiled up inside of me.
I was unsure which emotion would take hold when I saw him. Even with the whole day to mull over the fact that Jax robbed a Healing Center, I still couldn’t believe it. I thought he was so much better than that.
It turns out I was wrong.
He was turning into his uncle, and there probably wasn’t anything I could do to stop him.
My heart ached against my ribs, begging for what I thought not to be true.
I pressed my hand into my warm chest in an attempt to ease my pain, but that all went by the wayside as soon as I saw him.
He towered over most people around him, allowing me to glimpse his raven hair.
His olive complexion was speckled with dots of golden light from the sun leaking into the trees above.
He looked unassuming, and he was so charming.
He should run for student body president with the amount of popularity he has in this school and not running around like some wayward vigilante.
The aching in my heart ceased momentarily as I thought I could just let it go and pretend I didn’t see him. It would be so easy to turn a blind eye to it, but I wondered if I could live with myself if I did that.
It had to be someone my parents could be proud of, and if that meant destroying any chance I had to be with Jax, so be it.
His green eyes flashed above Chika’s head as he spotted me staring at him from across the courtyard.
My brows furrowed deeply as I signaled for him to come to me.
His shoulders rose and fell as if he breathed deeply, preparing himself.
I watched as he motioned for Zane and Chika to go on ahead of him before he began approaching me.
Both Zane and Chika stopped in their tracks and watched.
Bewilderment was more than evident on their faces.
They wanted to follow him to see what was happening, but it was better they stayed out of this matter.
The less people that knew, the better.
Jax tucked his fists into his pockets and stood before me, turning his head away so the breeze didn’t blow his hair into his eyes. “You summoned me?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and breathed, hoping that would calm me… It didn’t. As I tried to think of how to word what I wanted to say, I watched the facade on his face crumble.
Panic filled his eyes. “What’s that worried look for, Lea?”
He lingered on the syllables of my name, knowing it would affect me.
“Please tell me that it wasn’t you that I saw yesterday. I keep trying to convince myself that maybe I hit my head because there was no way that someone with such a promising future at this school would risk it by stealing from a Healing Center.” I jumped from the stone wall and stood tall before him, but he still towered over me.
“You’re right. That would be very foolish of me to risk my future for something small.” He crossed his arms as a smirk played in the corner of his mouth. He must have thought he was being so clever, perhaps too clever for his own good. “Did you ever consider that maybe I wasn’t doing it for something small?”
“It doesn’t matter why you did it, Jax. It’s wrong. People got hurt—people from our village. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Out of all my years of admiring Jax, I never realized how stubborn he was until now. What I said didn’t matter; he would feel vindicated in his choice.
“They’ll be fine. You don’t understand what it’s like to have so much potential and ambition only to be kept down because you weren’t born into a rich family!” He was careful not to raise his voice but stressed his words to let me know he was angry. He must have thought I would buckle immediately by doing that. He looked shocked when I didn’t.
“You think I don’t know what that’s like? Everyone in this village understands. What you don’t get is that you’re not the only person in the world. If you have to get to the top by crushing the people around you, you don’t deserve to be at the top.” This was the first time in my whole life I had felt a hint of resentment toward Jax. I wondered how many things I allowed him to get away with until now.
The position of his eyebrows flickered as he tried to think of a comeback. “We need that money. There is no way to get a good Potion’s Agent without it. Don’t you see? They rigged the game against us. Will never get ahead if we don’t cheat a little.”
I fall silent. What was I supposed to say to that?
He has it in his head that we could still get ahead by doing things incorrectly.
“What kind of person will you be at the end if you continue down this road?” My voice softened, unable to fight with him anymore. I knew it was a losing battle, but I had to try.
He also went silent and turned to lean against the stone wall and look up at the trees. He breathed in deeply, holding it in momentarily before sighing heavily. “Have you ever seen Vermil in person before?”
Vermil? What’s he on about? Probably trying to change the subject.
“I don’t know what that is,” I admitted, using my hand to squeeze my shoulder awkwardly.
“Vermil is a white stone used to build the capital city. It’s strong, expensive, and hard to come by. My uncle is the only one that’s been to Theskin and seen the beautiful white buildings.” I looked up to see serenity wash over his face like he was imagining seeing it.
“Why are you telling me this?” I grew impatient, waiting for an explanation.
He turned slowly to look at me.
His deep green eyes burned into me, and I suddenly lost the courage to continue interrogating him.
“I want to see those white stone buildings. I want you to see them too, Lea. We could see them together. Wouldn’t that be nice?” His eyes held mine with an unmatched gravity as his hand reached out, grazing against my unprepared fingers.
My heart skipped a beat at that moment.
I was so stunned by how he looked at me that I couldn’t think properly. “You want to see them with me?”
He chuckled in the back of his throat.
At first, I thought it was because he was being cute, but the more I looked at him, the more I saw the scheming gears in his head. Then I realized he was laughing at me.
He must have thought he would get away with it because of my feelings for him.
I quickly snatched my hand away from his. “You haven’t changed my mind. What you did wasn’t right.”
“I know it wasn’t right, but I have no choice. Don’t you want a better life for us—For your grandma? Aren’t you, too, losing your house? Are you still going to sit on your high horse while you guys are sitting under a couple of trees during a storm? Think about it, Lea.”
My eyes dropped away from him to the floor as a cold shiver ran through my body.
I haven’t even considered Mema. She would be so disappointed in me if I let this slide, but if it meant keeping her safe, maybe it’s worth it. Jax isn’t asking me to partake in his illegal activity; he’s just asking me to turn a blind eye to it.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head at the thought.
The integrity that my parents instilled in me would never allow me to pursue it, even for Jax.
“I’m sorry, Jax, but I’m afraid I will have to turn you into BPR.” My voice shook as if my body was experiencing an earthquake.
My own words tasted bitter on the end of my tongue.
The Bureau of Potion Regulations. It wasn’t a kind place…
“You’re going to turn me in? After everything we’ve been through? You know they’re going to kick me out of school. They will blacklist me from every educational institute for the rest of my life!” He was beyond shocked to hear me say that.
He must get away with so much in life to react like that. What other horrible things has he done and never had to pay penance for simply because he was charming and popular?
“I’m sorry, Jax. I don’t see any other way out of this. I can’t pretend that I didn’t see what happened.”
The way he stared into my eyes frightened me to my core.
His irises shifted from human to werewolf.
I had gotten a clear glimpse into Jax’s true anger for the first time. Was he threatening me? “Goodbye, Jax.”
I turned my back to him and marched off in the opposite direction.
Every one of my interactions with Jax had been so pleasant up until that point.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this was who he truly was underneath everything.
No, I refuse to believe that. This must have something to do with his uncle. Perhaps he’s being influenced. With Jax’s father gone, I’m sure he doesn’t have many role models to look up to.
I kept walking until I was off the school property. Then, as soon as I found a secluded spot, I stopped to catch my breath.
The warm summer air felt cool on my face from how hot it was.
I leaned over, clutching my stomach from how much it ached. I was really about to make an enemy with the only man I had ever been in love with. I never wanted anyone to look at me again the way he looked at me… Like I was the monster. After the sickness had washed over me, I looked up to the sky. “What should I do, Mom… Dad? What he was saying wasn’t wrong. The system is rigged against us. We probably have to cheat just to get ahead, but I don’t want to be that person. You raised me to be better than that… To rise above that. I wish you were here so I could talk to you.”
Hot tears dripped from my eyes before I realized.
My vision blurred from how much I was crying.
I was surprised… I had already cried so much for my parents I didn’t think I had anything left in me.
I thought sadness was like a glass of water. Once everything spilled out, there would be nothing left, but I was wrong. It was an endless ocean.
The strong summer breeze brushing through the secluded area again displaced my hair.
The wind, however, was more assertive this time than before, causing me to raise my head. Someone was calling me, but I looked around to find no one.
My eyes raised to the trees as they rustled from the wind.
Anyone would have thought we were suffering a hurricane.
Then, as suddenly as the hurricane started, it stopped, and all the leaves and late blossoms began falling from the trees.
The sight was certainly something to behold.
At that moment, I didn’t feel alone anymore. I was almost too excited to admit it, fearing I might be disappointed. “Mom? Dad?”
Everything was silent now, including my heart.
I stood stark still as I felt unusually calm—the same way I felt when one of my parents would put their hand on my shoulder and tell me everything would be alright. “I know that if you were still here, you would tell me that I needed to follow my heart…Because deep down, I know what’s right.”
Silence still followed my words, but I had my answer.
I made my journey through my village of Dask.
The villagers were just ending their work and turning in for dinner. They paid no mind to me walking down the dirt road or leaving the village.
The Solare had just dipped below the horizon, causing the temperature to drop significantly as I reached the BPR headquarters.
The BPR policed the paranormal societies and kept the peace. They were the exact right people you went to when you saw someone doing something terrible. Although, admittedly, the last time I spoke to a BPR agent, they weren’t exactly helpful.
Two guards in finely pressed charcoal suits stood at the front door.
“Hello, excuse me, I’d like to—” I started to say before I was interrupted.
“State your business!” One of them shouted at me.
That’s what I’m trying to do!
I narrowed my eyes at them but bit my tongue before saying something I might regret. “I need to report illegal activity in your district.”
The other guard laughed at me. “You’re gonna have to narrow it down for us, sweetheart. There’s a lot of illegal stuff that happens in your district.”
He emphasized the “your” as if it was dirty.
“I have information on the team of werewolves that robbed the local Healing Center.” It was a miracle that I managed to keep my cool during this conversation.
Their condescension and superiority were more than apparent.
I was now glad I had never met a BPR agent before.
They looked at each other as if exchanging a conversation I wasn’t supposed to be a part of. Then they both reached for either door and opened them for me. “They’ll be able to help you inside.”
I couldn’t even bring myself to throw them a pitiful “Thank you.” Instead, I marched right past them.
The two guards slammed the door shut behind me, leaving me in the darkened gray stone room With a ceiling as high as a cathedral.
There were lines of guards on either side that didn’t say a word or even budge when I walked by them.
I feel like I’m on trial.
Luckily, at the end of the room, there were no guards, just a receptionist sitting at a desk with a singular lamp doing paperwork.
“Hello. I have a tip about the recent robbery at the Healing Center.” I tilted my head to the side, trying to get her attention.
She glanced up from her paperwork and looked me up and down before flashing a shallow smile. “We are already aware of the situation and are doing everything in our power to find who’s responsible.”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. I have some information on who may be responsible.”
She perked up as soon as she heard that. “Wonderful. We appreciate any information we can get.”
She began siphoning through her desk drawer and pulling out a packet of paperwork. “Just write down whatever you can remember.”
“Thank you… I’ll do that.” I glanced at the first three sheets of paper, all questions about me.
“Where do you live? Does your allegiance align with the governing body of Anterra?” Why would I need to answer these personal questions when I’m just trying to report something?
“Keep it moving, dog!” A booming voice ripped through the otherwise silent atrium.
My head snapped around to see who was making all the commotion.
The guards and receptionists remained unbothered.
I was the only one who reacted this way.
My stomach sank at the sight.
It was a guard yanking at silver chains wrapped around a werewolf. Although, I could hardly call it that anymore.
The poor thing was so emaciated and burned from the silver that it hardly looked like a werewolf anymore. It looked up at me, and its eyes were filled with sadness as if asking me to end its misery.
The werewolf’s eyes shut tightly as the guard yanked on his chain again, causing it to tighten around its throat.
“Stop it! You’re hurting them!” My voice echoed across the room as I lunged at the guard, but he shoved me back with great force.
My body cracked against the cold stone floor and rippled through every bone.
I forgot how to move for a second. I blinked up at the dark ceiling, trying to focus my eyes again. Once I collected myself, the guards shouting and surrounding me took precedence over everything else.
They held their weapons in my face and ordered me to my feet.
I stumbled into a standing position as they asked me my true purpose here. “I was just here to report something!”
I raised my hands to show them I wasn’t a threat.
“Then speak, girl! What information do you have?” One guard demanded.
My line of sight fell to the werewolf that was being tortured and toted around by the guard for sport.
I couldn’t imagine seeing Jax like that. As heinous as his crime was, that was too cruel a punishment for anyone. “I—was mistaken. I don’t know anything.”
The guard holding onto the silver chains looked at the others, exasperated. “Get her out of my sight.”
Three different guards grabbed a hold of me and dragged me out of the building.
I was just counting my blessings that they didn’t drag me into one of those prison cells.
They threw me outside, and my knees bit into the concrete as they broke my fall.
I looked up at them with a burning hatred in the pit of my stomach. I rolled over, sitting on my side so I could take a look at my knees.
They were severely bruised and skinned.
Crimson dripped out and slowly dribbled down my shin.
I grabbed a cloth from my side and wiped the blood away.
If I can’t go to BPR, who can I turn to? I might have to handle this on my own.