How can I run so fast? Forty miles an hour is as fast as a car on the road, when I used to lag behind the slowest jogger. I created cracks in the tree, and if I had kept at it, it would have broken. The Awakening will even allow me to create a spirit spear, by which I can kill my parent’s murderers. Maybe it would be good to start meditating now in the forest. I want to avenge my parents as soon as possible.
I try to tell myself that is the only reason why I want to be a Spier, but I know that is not true. Being immortal appeals to me because of a man I can barely even think of without either getting angry or elated. Now I am stuck with him (or is it the other way around?) forever. Why does that not repel me?
A strange question begins to pound at me, scaring me to pieces. I stuff it into the depths of my mind, avoiding it completely.
I know I said I wanted to rest, but now that I finally met a strange girl that haunts the mirrors in my room, I have no intention of staying here. Might as well creep into the forest on the mansion grounds. I have become rather acquainted with living here, and I know where everything is.
I slip into the garden again, where the three werewolves have been lazing about for all this time. “Back so soon?” Wes asks slyly as I reappear, Xavier chuckling.
“That was a quick nap,” Xavier says, and I smile. I am truly helpless against him.
“I’m going into the forest to try and meditate,” I say quickly, then begin to walk towards the vast expanse of trees. However, a hand catches my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“You can’t go alone,” Xavier says worriedly, “Shifters have already proven they can bypass the barriers.”
“Watch me,” I snap, tugging my arm away from his loose grip.
“Relax, Xavier,” Jake agrees, “Yi’s there. She will be safe with him.” Xavier hesitantly backs away, and I start to sprint away before he has a change of mind. Yi is in the forest? What could he be doing there?
Why has he been so cold recently?
Once I reach the first wave of colossal trees, I weave in between them, hoping to find some clearing with a little pond. I did say I was going to meditate, and I am, but a nice little bath in the warm water will also do me some good. At the very least I can try to check my reflection to make sure that girl vanished.
My nose scrunches up a little, and a waft of pineapple-something hits my senses. It is similar to the scents of Jake, Wes, and Xavier, signaling me to the fact that this must be Yi. Without really knowing what I am doing, I start to move towards the smell, wariness beginning to creep upon me. I’m not all that eager to be alone with Yi, but it would make Xavier feel better, and he might be able to help me meditate. I also need to figure out why he has been ignoring me. At first, he was almost flirtatious, but ever since we captured that Shifter, he has changed. He looks upon me as if I am disgusting.
I stumble into a huge clearing, complete with a pool and lovely flowers. The little pond is as clear as can be, no fish beneath its waters. Joy erupts within me, and I completely forget Yi. I begin to shed my clothes so I can “meditate” in the soothing water.
“Hey, don’t take your clothes off in front of me,” the tree beside me speaks. I jump back, more than a little grossed out at the strangeness of this forest. Fright dances across my features as the voice suddenly gets closer.
“You only want to do that when you’re alone,” the voice teases, as smooth as syrup, “and right now, you’re not.”
“What’s going on?” I ask as the grass suddenly crunches, though not by my feet. A branch cracks, leaves crumpled. “Who’s there?”
“Your worst nightmare,” the voice whispers into my ear, closer than ever. I scream, running away from the creepy words. Yi suddenly steps through the air, appearing before me like a magician, full of smugness. He stares at me, and begins to laugh hysterically.
Red blooms onto my cheeks as he smiles, examining me. “You look completely different now. Seems like I can talk to you again,” he concludes after scanning me, “you don’t look fully human anymore.”
I narrow my eyes at him, unnerved by his sudden friendliness. “Why were you avoiding me earlier?” I demand, my stare sharp and piercing. He freezes for a second, and then opens his mouth reluctantly.
“Well, you… reminded me of someone I used to know the night we almost killed that shifter,” Yi admits, sitting down in the warm grass. Everything about him seems to grow solemn at his words, even affecting me.
“Who?” I probe after a long, stretched silence.
“Her name was Raina,” he grins weakly, “my childhood friend from thirty years ago, when I was born. I am a very young werewolf.”
“Okay…” I motion for him to go on.
“When I was almost murdered by bank robbers-” he begins.
“Bank robbers?” I ask, confused. Yi is not a very good storyteller.
“I worked at a bank,” he explains quickly, then continues. “When I was almost murdered, Jake happened to be passing by, and he saved me from them. I was badly hurt, with a bullet in the chest, so he went ahead and converted me without notifying the council. When it was known that I was a Stealth Talent, he added me to the pack, and I disappeared off the face of the earth. However, my best friend Raina coincidentally discovered me when I had my first morphing. She demanded to know what I had become. When I told her, she was not angry or disgusted, but interested. She told me that she was able to see the Shifters since birth, but never told anyone that she could. She asked me if she could watch one of our Shifter attacks.”
“This is a strange story,” I smile, “did you let her go?”
“Yeah,” he sighs, “I was in love with her since kindergarten. I’d let her do anything.” His voice is tinged with sadness, and boiling anger. “Even though Xavier said not to.”
“What happened?” I put one hand on his back, calming him.
“She reacted just like you. It must be a woman thing, to feel too much compassion. Raina took one look at the man possessed, and said she couldn’t let me kill him. She said he was a person, and that would make me a murderer.” Yi is expressionless now, his words lacking emotion.
“Where is she now?”
“Dead. The shifter killed her before I could react,” he says softly, a hard, determined look to him. “I hate them.”
“I’m so sorry,” I sympathize with him. Silence sizzles between us, and when Yi can’t take it anymore, he begins to babble.
“She wasn’t my mate, anyway. I will find someone new to fall in love with… I’m sorry, Mona, for being so mean. You just looked a little bit like her, and your reactions were exactly the same…”
“Shh,” I pat him on the head, “cheer up. If Xavier can fall in love, you can too.”
“But now,” he adds, brightening a little, “you don’t seem a bit like her. Your eyes are just like ours… I have a question, Mona.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you a werewolf or a Spier?” he asks thoughtfully. “Your looks have changed, and I saw you run here really fast. However, I have seen no Spier abilities from you.”
“I have no clue,” I confess, “I don’t know how to conjure a spirit spear, so I can’t know for sure. What are you doing out here, anyway?”
“I have to practice my Stealth talent,” Yi shrugs, “or I won’t become fully matured. Right now, I can only hold my invisibility for about three minutes.”
“Do you know how to meditate?” I ask him eagerly. He nods slowly. “Can you teach me?!”
“Here is what you do,” he begins, lying in the grass, face up. “You can sit in the pool if you like,” he smiles evilly, “I don’t mind.” With a big gulp, I decide to lie beside him. There is no way I’m taking off my clothes in front of him. He will probably steal them and run away.
“Breathe regularly, and close your eyes. Try not to think about anything. Clear your mind,” he instructs. My eyelashes hit my cheek, and I try to think of nothing.
Wow, this is hard.
Silence reigns as I feel the thin blades of grass, as jittery as a rabbit. “You stink at this,” Yi laughs, standing up, “I could feel you squirming around like an earthworm.”
I continue to lie down, trying once again to focus without the attractive Asian by my side. All I can see is black. What happens after this? What do I do?
I begin to think back to Yi’s story, and suddenly my mind flashes to the Shifter in the mansion. The young boy with eyes of fire. The dev!l beneath the skin.
I jump up and start to sprint through the forestry, ashamed that I would forget him. Yi gallops along with me, not even looking where he is going. “Where are you heading? You were actually doing well for a minute,” he says with some concern. I ignore him, chugging away towards the mansion as fast as I can. I whirl past Xavier and the others, Yi stopping briefly to talk to them. They can catch up to me in a second, though, with their super speed.
The area around me grows dark as I enter the mansion, a stench belonging to the possessed boy wafting to my nose. I follow it like a bl00dhound to a random door. Xavier zooms up behind me, anger in his features. “Don’t go in there!” he commands, but I disregard him, knocking it open with all my strength.
The boy is laying on the luxurious bed, his dark arms and legs tied to the bedposts. A piece of heavy duct tape is stretched over his mouth, and his red eyes are wide with heart-wrenching fear.
The fear vanishes as I move closer, replaced by pure, savage madness.
“Mona! Stand back!” Xavier calls as I lean towards his face, “he can hurt you.”
“Got a nasty bruise from him,” Jake mutters, rubbing his slightly splotched arm. For some reason, I can hear everything, but all my focus is on the poor soul in front of me. I ignore the others, examining his bl00dthirsty gaze and stained heart.
With sudden direction, I place my hand on his head, remembering that contact brings the voices. Immediately they pound in my head, hurting as they overwhelm everything. The same horrifying KILL command beats like a drum, and the whisper of a protest lays in the corner, unable to fight. It is much weaker than last time, I had to strain to hear it.
But this time, I can do more than just listen.
With strange guidance, I try to reach for the weak voice, wanting with all my might to help him. To aid his rebellion. Strength is leaving me, pouring into the one small protest. I suddenly find it hard to stand, and I wobble on my feet. Tiredness washes over me like a flood, destroying my defenses. But I keep going. The thought of saving this man from the same fate as my father helps me stay awake.
“Mona!” I hear faintly, reality trying to bring me back. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, shaking my head no. I am fighting with him, and distraction right now will ruin it.
The protest grows larger and larger, and then starts to scream like a train whistle, high and exceedingly annoying. It deepens into a lion’s roar, unending with power, unleashing its fury. The deathly command starts to fight also, growing in volume equally. My head and heart is pounding. Looks like I’m going to be deaf for the next few days.
A few more seconds of this torture, and then the command fades away, ceasing to exist. The red retreats from the teen’s eyes, leaving a spectacular chestnut color. He is sweating, life truly returned to him. His stench slowly morphs into a neutral aroma, faintly sweet. He is emotionless for a minute, and then erupts into a spectacular smile. “Are you an angel?” he finally asks after staring for a moment. He is gazing at me as if I am a sky full of stars, with wonder and awe. Is his image of me a little warped?
“No,” I grin back as I answer him, flattered. I turn to four open-mouthed werewolves in the corner of the room. Their jaws are nearly hitting their knees.
“That,” Wes speaks for all of them, “was amazing. We’ve never seen anything like it.” Xavier, with his beautiful blue hair, just stares.
I peer over into the mirror beside me, just noticing its presence. There it was again; that strange, stunning girl that I do not know.
Raising my arms, I peer at each of my perfect fingers, while the other girl does the same. There is incredible power hiding behind each of these fingertips, power that I have yet to unlock. Is this the me I have been so desperately desiring?
I turn to the still-awestruck boy staring at me with wide eyes, and my smile grows wider. Who knows what I can do with this power?
Anything is possible.
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