《Bite》


 Prologue

    If there are seven-point-five billion people in the world, how many do you expect to be human?


    All of them, right?


    Well, that''s what I thought too, but I was wrong. And so was everyone else who guessed in the same way. Who was lied to their whole life like I was.


    I held onto the belief that everything was fine. That everything was normal. I mean, I wasn''t your average kid; both of my parents died when I was young and I was brought up by my grandmother. There aren''t many orphans where I live. There''s also the fact that I have vibrant red hair and pitch black eyes. I don''t think anyone besides me have those features, at least naturally.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    That should have been a warning that I was different.


    You''re about to read a story about my life. Not every detail, don''t worry, but....just the parts that matter. Like the fact that my best friends are creatures of the night. Like how my grandmother is a creature of the day. How my parents supposedly ruled those creatures and how I''m some messed up hybrid that evil wants dead.


    You''re about to read about a war.


    So, dear reader, if I haven''t scared you off by this point, I wish you the best of luck. You will need it when it comes to it.

 Chapter 1 - Breathe

    Breathe in. Breath out.


    Breathe in. Breathe out.


    Breathe in. Blink.


    Breathe out.


    My hands were shaking from the cold as I held my camera. Continuing to steady my breathing, I tried to still my body enough to peer through the view finder, adjusting the focus until I could clearly see the picture I wanted.


    It had snowed last night, I could feel how it altered the already cold temperature into an even chillier one. I shivered as I quickly snapped the photo, standing from my crouch and looking at the LCD display.


    I managed to capture a graceful picture of ice-covered branches from one of the bare bushes scattered throughout the forest. The water had completely frozen around the brown base as the sun rose through the trees in the background, providing a rather serene and peaceful picture to add to my collection.


    I set the camera down against my chest, the star-covered strap around my neck holding it in place as I dusted any snow off of myself. I looked around the snow-covered Forest, seeing if there was anything else I could take a picture of. I took a few steps back towards my house, looking all around as my constellation-patterned combat boots crunched against the white fluff on the ground.


    I smiled slightly as I spotted a blue jay by her nest. I knew that these birds didn''t hibernate for the winter, so I was hoping to get a picture of them  once the temperature started dropping. I raised my camera and looked through the view finder again, adjusting the focus and waiting for the perfect moment to press the shutter button.


    "Red? Red Monroe, where are you? Get back here!"


    I groaned and dropped my arms as the blue jay flew off, startled by my grandmother''s loud voice. "Alright, Nonna! I''m coming!" I shouted, glaring in the direction of my house. I angrily dug around in the pocket of my red leather jacket and pulled out my camera''s lens cap, twisting it on before I stomped through the woods, annoyed that I couldn''t get my picture.


    "Don''t you give me that face, nipotina." Nonna pointed her finger at me as I made my way over the old wooden bridge. I glared down at the partially frozen water as I walked over it, following the indent in the ground to the other houses that were built in my sparse neighborhood. I''ll admit it, I live in a large house, one too large for just my grandmother and I, but I love the fact that the forest is just beyond our backyard.


    Nonna told me that Nonno built the bridge a few years before I was born so I wouldn''t go sliding into the river like my father apparently did. She said that my parents were planning on living with them for a while so I could grow up with my family and with a good life, but that never really happened. My father died a month or so before I was born in a car accident, my mother in childbirth, and my grandfather from cancer a couple years after I turned three. I never met my parents and I don''t really remember Nonno, but I do remember him giving me something that belonged to them.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I received two necklaces, the kind that two good friends wear, but for a couple. The one my father wore was the right half of a sun, with six rays extending off of the golden curve. My mother wore a crescent moon that magnetized to the sun, the silver surface slightly discolored with lighter and darker shades. The two shapes both had half of a face that joined together to make the classic image that I''m sure many have seen.


    "Red!" I looked over at Nonna, confused when I saw her irritated face. "Will you finish getting ready for school? You have to be there in a half hour!"


    "Alright, Nonna." I trudged towards the back door of my house, stopping when my grandmother spoke again.


    "Oh, Red, by the way, what''s you''re camera called again?"


    I looked back at Nonna in confusion, raising a brow as if to ask a simple why?


    "My friend''s grandson is starting to get into photography and she wants to get him a camera. She knows that you like photography, and she knows that you''re my nipotina, so she asked me what kind of camera you have."


    "...a black Kamin Tikon DSLR Digital Camera."


    "Er...could you perhaps write that down for me?"


    I chuckled and shook my head. "Sure, Nonna, I''ll leave it on the kitchen counter."


    I walked through the back door and made my way up the steps, walking around the balcony to my corner of the upstairs, which consisted of three rooms: my bedroom, developing room, and bathroom.


    I walked into my bedroom, which was fairly plain, seeing as the only decoration were my own pictures. Walking towards my bed, I pulled my camera off my neck and set it on my black comforter, before pulling off  my fingerless knitted gloves that Nonna had made for me. She gave me a pair every month and out of all the ones she''s made for me, these were my favorites. I took of my leather jacket, leaving me in a black v-neck, slightly ripped black jeans, and my combat boots.


    I turned and walked over to my bathroom, sitting down in front of my white vanity. Quickly, I applied some concealer all over my face, followed by light brown eyeshadow all over my lids and a cat-eye wing. With some mascara and a coat of brownish-nude matte lipstick, my makeup was finished. I braided my fire-truck red hair down my back, tying the locks together as I walked back to my bedroom, pulling the door to my developing room closed as I walked past.


    Pulling my jacket and grey gloves back on, I picked up my camera and buckled the strap around my neck, pulling my hair out of the layers of fabric. Grabbing my black backpack, I left my bedroom and closed the door, closing my bathroom''s as well as I walked towards the stairs.


    Making my way to the kitchen, I grabbed an breakfast roll, putting it in my mouth as I took a magnetized notepad and pen off of the fridge. I quickly wrote down the name of my camera, resisting the urge to bite into my bread too much as I ripped the paper off and put the pen and pad back. Placing the paper on the counter, I hiked my backpack up my shoulder and walked outside.


    "Bye, Nonna!" I shouted, finally biting off that piece of the roll as I walked down to the bus stop.


    "Have a good day today, Red!" I heard my grandmother shout after me


    I only had to wait for a few minutes before the bus pulled up to the stop. I quickly climbed the steps, nodding to the bus driver as I took another bite of my bread. I sighed as I sat down, sending a close-lipped smile to some of the other people on the bus, before I looked out the window, watching the scenery as the bus pulled away.


    Today doesn''t feel normal, for some reason. Though I don''t really know how, I just know that it''s going to be different.


    Something is going to happen today.

 Chapter 2 - The Eye

    Red Monroe


    Mrs. Evergreen


    Digital Art


    December 16th, 2028


    Meaning of the Eye Conclusion


    In many digital paintings, the eye is somehow incorporated. Whether it''s a small form integrated into a larger piece or is the larger piece itself, the eye is undoubtedly a vastly used symbol for many different topics. Such representations are included with the color of the eye, the eye''s surroundings, and the meaning behind the artwork, as has been discussed. Whether or not the eye will change as such an influential symbol is still unknown, and we may never know if it will.


    No, that''s not a good ending.


    Whether or not the eye will change as such an influential symbol will remain unsolved.


    Okay, no, we aren''t referencing a mystery-crime show.


    Whether or not the eye will change as such an influential symbol is still unknown, and only time will tell.


    That just makes the whole conclusion much more dramatic than it needs to be.


    Whether or not the eye will change as such an influential symbol is still unknown, and...


    Alright, this isn''t working. Let''s just scrap the entire sentence.


    I angrily jabbed the backspace button, glaring at the dimmed computer screen. My eyes were so focused on the letters being removed, the sound of the bell ringing just outside the classroom nearly gave me a heart attack. I pressed a hand against my chest and breathed deeply as I turned off the computer, pulling my backpack strap over my shoulder.


    "Remember to finish your conclusion and email it to me before 11:59!" I heard Mrs. Evergreen shout as all of her students packed up. I pushed my chair in and walked through the door, grinning fakely at my teacher on my way out.


    I shoved my braid back over my shoulder as I walked down the tan and blue hallways. The walls, ceiling, lockers, and windows were all decorated with various seasonal cut outs, the smell of holly in the air nauseating as I walked past. I made my way over to my locker, frowning at the overly-happy elf face that was stuck to it. Sucking on my teeth, I twisted my combination into my lock, opening my locker quickly.


    "Hey there, grumpy pants!" I groaned at the nickname. Ignoring the preppy blonde beside me, I switched out my textbooks. Her smile was sickeningly large and I refused to look at it. "Come on, give me a smile! There''s only three more classes before break!"


    I looked up at Akia, glaring at her grin. "I prefer not to, thanks."


    "Oh, come on! You know you want to!" I slammed my locker shut, locking it and quickly running away from my friend.


    "No, I really don''t."


    "Yes, you do!"


    "No."


    "Yes!"


    "No."


    "Oh Jes-oh mother f-oh lordy!"


    Okay, That did get a laugh out of me. The small teenager toppled to the ground after tripping over her untied tennis shoe laces, her language very rough for her aesthetic. My mouth stretched into a grin as I laughed, something I don''t do as often as I should. It''s not like I''m depressed, and I mean no disrespect to anyone that is, I just don''t like how my laugh sounds or how my smile looks, especially after two years of braces that ended up not working. It''s a reasonable insecurity.


    Akia climbed to her feet and tied her shoes quickly, before prancing around me, laughing and singing about how she got me to smile. Rolling my eyes, I grumbled at her to shut up. I hiked my backpack strap further up my shoulder, trying to walk faster towards the cafeteria.


    The two of us made our way inside, immediately walking over to an empty table. I dropped my bag on the bench and grabbed my wallet from the front pocket, running with Akia over to the lunch line and grabbing some trays. She began to drop heaping amounts of Macaroni and Cheese onto her plate as she spoke; "by the way, Eiden isn''t eating with us today."


    "Again? He hasn''t since Friday." I grabbed a roll, biting into it and placing two more on my plate. Eiden was Akia''s older brother, although since the three of us were so close, he was. Like mine too. Because he''s older than us, we had no classes together, so the only time we could really meet during school was at lunch. But it''s Wednesday, and like I said, I hadn''t seen him since the week before. I was starting to get worried.


    "I don''t know, he probably had something to do," Akia mumbled. I looked over at her as I payed for my food, raising a brow at how calm she was.


    "For five days? Did he even do anything over the weekend?"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "I don''t know."


    I huffed as Akia payed and we made our way back to our seats. I figured she''d be more concerned, since it''s her brother, but it seems like I''m the only one that cares. Though, I don''t know how sibling relationships work, I am an only child after all.


    Akia and I set our trays down and shoved our backpacks off the bench, ignoring the loud thump they made when they collided with the floor. We sat down and immediately dived into our food. I know that a Akia was starving just like I was, especially after four fifty minute classes.


    "How''s that paper for digital art coming?" My friend asked through a bite of macaroni.


    I groaned at Akia''s question. I like art, I like digital painting, but I don''t like writing papers about it. I understand that eyes are important symbols, but why is an essay necessary to explain it?


    "Ah, I see." I glared at Akia as she laughed. She smirked over at me, before her expression turned back into the curious one from a few moments prior. "What are you going to do about the eye color?"


    "I don''t know. Mrs. Evergreen didn''t exactly give me any tips on how to rewrite it. I''ll just go more in depth on what different eye colors mean."


    "Are you going to mention your eye color?"


    "What am I supposed to say? That people think I''m a demon or that it''s fake? There''s no description for black eyes out there, because no one has them. Dark brown, maybe, but not naturally black eyes."


    Akia stared at me, shoving a large amount of macaroni into her mouth, promptly gagging when her spoon touched the back of her throat. I inhaled when she started choking, pulling the spoon from her mouth and tapping her back repeatedly.


    I was not getting cleaning duty again.


    Akia coughed up the noodles, swallowing them quickly before she spit them out. I pinched my face together in disgust, immediately removing my hand. "That''s gross."


    "I didn''t want to clean the lunch room again."


    I chuckled, nodding, glancing at the clock behind her. "It''s been fifteen minutes. Do you want to get to math early?"


    Akia nodded. "Yeah, I need your help studying for that quiz."


    "You really think I''d be able to help you with that?"


    "You''d better, I''m about to fail. I already have to spend another year in this hell-hole, I don''t want to add another to that."


    "Well, we''d suffer together, then." I laughed, covering my mouth quickly to hide my slightly crooked teeth.


    Akia and I grabbed our bags and trays, throwing away the cardboard plates-I grabbed my uneaten roll before I did so-and placing the plastic on the dishwashing rack. Quickly shoving the roll in my mouth, I waited for Akia to finish. I had finished chewing it as the two of us walked out the cafeteria doors and made our way to our calculus class.


    I rolled my eyes as Akia giggled from beside me. "You ate that bread pretty quickly."


    "At least I know how to eat and not choke." I immediately regretted my response when I felt sharp slaps on my arm. "Ow! No need to get violent!"


    "No need to insult my love for Mac and cheese!"


    "I''m not! Trust me, I like bread as much as you like macaroni, you can easily flip it on me."


    Akia pursed her lips, looking back and forth between me and the hallway. "Yeah, that''s fair. By the way, that can''t be healthy."


    "Leave me and my rolls alone."


    Akia and I laughed as we continued walking, our conversation gradually turning into stress as we talked about our math quiz. "So what will even be on the quiz?" my friend asked.


    "Derivatives," I mumbled, trying to lick a piece of bread out from between my teeth.


    "Yeah, but what specifically?"


    "Um...definition and interpretations I think. It''s just a quiz, so not a lot-"


    "I have a fifty six right now, I need a good grade on this quiz! Wait...what is the definition of a derivative?"


    I stopped walking, continuing to lick at my teeth as I reached into my backpack''s side pocket and pulling out a ring of note cards. Flipping past a couple, I stopped at derivative, clearing my throat. "According to Paul Dawkins, the definition of derivative states that: a derivative of f(x) with respect to x is the function f''(x) and is defined as f''(x) = lim f(x+h)-f(x) / h."


    Akia frowned, looking back at me. "Well, what does that mean?"


    I shrugged. "I dunno, I just sleep in math class, honestly."


    "Red!" Akia screeched, running over and hitting my arm repeatedly. "You''re the only one I like in math, you''re supposed to help me!"


    "That''s what Nonna''s for, Akia. She''s the math wiz, not me." I pushed Akia away, rubbing my attacked arm gingerly. Her hits hurt.


    "But you''re related, you have to know something!"


    "I''m a photographer, not an engineer!"


    "But there''s math in photography!"


    "Yeah, but not derivatives."


    "Red!"


    "What?"


    Akia groaned, stomping down the hallway, me chuckling as I followed behind her, quickly catching up. "You are the most useless person I''ve ever come across."


    "Wow, thanks. That was the greatest compliment I''ve ever received," I spoke, sarcasm dripping from my tone. I quickly sped up, turning around to face Akia as I walked backwards to class


    "Stop that, you absolute-Red!"


    "Yeah, I am absolutely Red, that is indeed-"


    I was cut off by a loud crashing sound to my right. Turning quickly, I looked right at the wall-length window being smashed to pieces, the shards flying by and cutting both Akia and I''s skin. Putting my arms up in defense, I didn''t see the large, blonde wolf barreling through the window towards me until it was too late.


    I let out a scream as the creature knocked me back into the lockers, growling as I collided with the ground. My head hit the concrete so hard that it bounced. Through the staggering migraine, I could feel blood dripping down my forehead from a fresh cut.


    Slowly, I pressed my hands to the ground and pushed myself up, looking over at the wolf with a numbness I can only attribute to fear and adrenaline. He was staring, growling, and stalking towards me. I let out a fearful sob, pushing my back against the lockers.


    "Red!" I looked over at Akia when she shouted my name, wiping away the blood that dripped down my chin. Apparently, I also bit my lip in the fall, which I only discovered when my hand brushed over the split. That only added more blood to the drying color on my face.


    "Akia?" I whispered in fear, setting my bloody hand down on the ground. The fresh liquid caused my weighted hand to slip, sending me crashing to the ground again and reopening the healing wound. I winced at the loud growl that echoed, curling into myself.


    "No, stop!" Suddenly, the growls stopped, but I still refused to look up. I was just focused on not bursting into tears.


    I jumped the moment I felt two hands on my shoulder, looking up to see Akia standing above me. She helped me get to my feet, going as slow as I needed to, trying not to make my headache worse. Turning me to face her, she scrubbed away the dried blood with one of her makeup wipes, being extra careful around the cuts.


    Batting away her hands, I glanced towards the wolf, only to see nothing there. The creature was gone, the broken window and my dried blood on the floor the only evidence that it was ever there.


    I looked back towards Akia fearfully. "He just..."


    "Jumped out."


    I inhaled sharply, sucking on my teeth as I looked back towards the window, staring at the forest beyond in intense confusion.


    What just happened?

 Chapter 3 - Eiden

    Glass shards cracked beneath my feet as I walked over to the smashed window. I finally felt the freezing air biting at my skin, making every single cut known. I glanced down at my arms, swallowing at the number of cuts and the amount of blood dripping down, an alarming amount for such small cuts. I looked back out the window, ignoring my chattering teeth as I looked at the line of trees where the wolf must have disappeared.


    "God, it''s freezing out there," Akia chattered as she walked closer to me. She looked up at me when I didn''t respond, raising her brows at my determined expression. "What are you thinking about?"


    "I''m going after it." I walked over to my backpack, which fell of my shoulder in the attack. I pulled my red jacket out of the zipper, tugging it on and wincing when the rough material rubbed against my wounds.


    "You-you''re-what? What do you mean you''re going after it?" I looked over at Akia as I pulled my hair out of my jacket. "Red, are you absolutely insane? That thing could have killed you!"


    I walked back over to her, raising a brow at her nervous expression. I mean, she''s making a fair point, but I still had to do it. I don''t know why, but I had to do it. I know it''s stupid, I don''t have to be told.


    Geez, I feel like Darry from Jeepers Creepers when he crawled down the pipe. I''m just walking right to my death, aren''t I?


    Oh well.


    "Yeah, I guess I am insane," I mumbled, waking back towards the window. I wiped away some fresh blood from my lip, glancing over at Amia''s desperate expression.


    "Red, I don''t think you understand what I''m saying. That thing almost killed you! Why are you going after hi-it?"


    Well, I just mentally answered that.


    "I don''t know," I spoke, turning to Akia and wiping at my lip again. She responded by pulling down her blue sweater sleeve and dabbing at the cut on my forehead.


    I looked down when I heard my friend sigh. "Red..."


    Grinning, I stepped closer to the edge of the wall. "Akia..."


    Without another word, I jumped out the window.


    Luckily, there was a hill on this side of the school, so the jump wasn''t that dangerous. I toppled to the ground in an ungraceful landing, wincing at the sharp pain in my ankles. I groaned in annoyance, climbing to my feet and dusting the snow off of my jeans. With a huff, I took off running towards the woods.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I sprinted past the large trunks and shoved myself through the foliage,forcing myself through the forest in a desperate attempt to follow the wolf. I used my arms as a shield to protect myself from the thorn bushes and low branches, trying to stop any more cuts from adding themselves to my facial collection. It almost never worked, though. It felt like hundreds of tiny knives were slicing through my skin.


    I let out a gasp of relief when I finally broke through the thick expanse of trees, clutching my stomach as I panted. Just after I gulped in a large breath, it was scared out of me by a piercing growl. I looked up, finally noticing the blonde wolf that I assumed was there the entire time.


    Suddenly, I''m really regretting my decision, but another part of my mind seemed really happy to see this creature.


    "What big eyes you have," I whispered, only half-aware of what I was saying as I took a few steps towards the wolf. It''s blue eyes widened as I approached, leaning away from me and letting out a snarl of warning. Isn''t it impossible for wolves to have blue eyes? And why do they look so familiar?


    "What big ears you have." Another few steps. The wolf''s ears perked up after being mentioned, before flattening against its head as it let out another sound.


    "What big teeth you have." The wolf bared it''s teeth, drops of saliva glistening as they slithered their way down the razor sharp bones, a deafening noise emerging from behind them as I took the last few steps towards it. My body, still in control, forced me to push out my hand. My fingers reached for the wolf, barely even brushing the fur of his muzzle before I was shoved to the ground.


    I grunted in pain as all air left my lungs, struggling to inhale as the beast pressed its front paws against my chest. I gasped in short breaths, struggling to push the monstrous creature off of me as its teeth got closer and closer to my neck. I forced my eyes open, looking around me for anything I could use as a weapon. Fortunately, luck was on my side as my gaze landed on a smooth, grey stone. Letting go of one of the paws, I reached a hand towards the stone, my fingers barely grazing the surface before they were ripped away. I let out a piercing scream, shoving the wolf off of me with a new found strength, dragging my body away from the creature. Tears spilled from my eyes as I cradled my wrist to my chest, peeling off my shredded glove and staring at the wound the wolf had left.


    A deep, bleeding bite mark.


    I gulped at the amount of blood pooling from my small wrist, forcing myself to look away and up to the wolf. The terrifying creature was stalking towards me with a predatory glint in its eyes.


    Its eyes. Eyes...eyes that were always so familiar, but I didn''t know why. At least....until now.


    "Eiden," I whispered, crawling further away when the wolf froze, it''s eyes widening at the simple word I spoke. A name both of us were very familiar with. "Eiden...is that you?"


    I was terrified. There is no doubt that those eyes belonged to my best friend''s older brother. My older brother. It had to be Eiden, but...why was he a wolf? How was he a wolf?


    The creature stared at me, its mouth snapping shut and all murderous intent vanishing from behind its eyes. Silently, with only the grass of the clearing rustling beneath its feet, the wolf stalked behind the boulder I rested my back against. I could only just feel the chill of the frozen rock and the snow on the ground as I calmed down. I swallowed as I stared at the spot the beast vanished from, wincing when I put pressure on my wounded wrist. Gasping, I pulled my wrist to my chest, crying out in pain. I leaned against the boulder, a few tears escaping as I stared down at my bloodstained arm.


    "Red?"

 Chapter 4 - Bite

    I looked up, gingerly holding my wrist as I met the gaze of my friend. His eyes were wide as he stared at my wound, gaze flickering back and forth between my hand and his own. Fearfully, he met my eyes and took a few steps towards me, only stopping when he saw me whimper and curl into myself.


    "Red?" He whispered, reaching out a hand in an attempt to make a soothing gesture. I didn''t respond, only hid myself further. "Red, it''s me, Eiden."


    "I don''t know you," my voice faltering from the tears.


    "Red, come on. You know me...it''s Eiden! Akia''s older brother, your older brother! You do know me," Eiden desperately tries to console me.


    "A wolf!" I cried, staring at the wound on my wrist. "You''re a f...a fucking wolf!"


    It''s getting serious if I curse, I never do. Thank Nonna for that.


    "Red..." I looked up when I felt a hand on my shoulder, meeting the eyes of Eiden. Our eyes lingered on each other''s for a moment, me searching for the truth in his and him analyzing the fear in mine. His gaze lowered down to my wrist, carefully taking it from me. I swallowed a cry of pain as he pulled my arm towards him, pressing the pads of his fingers into the bite. "It''s okay, I promise."


    I watched as Eiden balanced my wrist in his hand, stroking the wound slowly. I sucked at my teeth at the immense pain, squeezing my eyes together and concentrating on the feeling of the tears rolling down my cheeks. Slowly, the needle-like pain I was feeling decreased and I peeked one eye open in confusion.


    What I saw completely shocked and terrified me.


    While my hand and arm were still completely stained with my blood, the obvious wound was disappearing. Every time Eiden ran his fingers over the red marks, they minimized into stark white scar.


    I watched as Eiden finished his...healing, before ripping off a part of his cotton shirt and scrubbing away the blood stains. I gaped at him when he looked up at me, wordlessly asking how he could have possibly done that. Eiden just shook his head, carefully grabbing my chin and wiping away the blood from my earlier cuts.


    "Can you explain all of this to me?" I asked, pulling my arm out of his grip and examining the scar, running my thumb over the risen skin.


    I glanced up at Eiden when he swallowed, watching him stand and shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Turning and leaning back against the boulder, I continued stroking my scar as he paced back and forth in front of me.


    "Look, Red-" he cut himself off, turning his gaze from me to the ground. He let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before running a hand through his hair. "I''m not...human."


    "Yeah, no kidding," I deadpanned, staring at him. Eiden let out a strained chuckle, shaking his head and looking away from me again. "So...what are you?"


    "Well, you have to promise not to freak out-"


    "You attacked me twice as a wolf, then healed me as a human. I think that if I was going to freak out, I would''ve done it by now." I raised a brow at my friend.


    Eiden let out another laugh, walking back over and sitting in front of me. "Touch¨¦," he sighed dramatically, pausing before speaking again, "so, you know about werewolves, right?"


    "A fair amount," I mumbled, picking the grass as I thought about the books my fourteen-year-old self had mistakenly read.


    "Well, take that idea of a lycanthrope, meaning half-wolf-half-human creature, and change it a little bit. Have a human that can transform into a full wolf anytime they want with nearly no relation to the two in their full forms, but can also become something that''s a hybrid between the two. So, basically, a full human, a full wolf, and the classic image of the creature between the two. That''s what I am. Not a werewolf."


    "So...you''re a human...that can morph into a wolf...or a creature between the two? Is that it?"


    "Essentially."


    "But you''re not a werewolf."


    "No."


    "So then what are you?"


    "An Adolphi. Well, that''s the plural form. I specifically am an Adolphus."


    I frowned, hugging my knees to my chest in hopes to get comfortable on the damp ground. The bright sun had melted some of the snow, but that just made the grassy floor wet. I looked down at my half-painted nails, picking off the remnants of burgundy polish as I let my mind wander. We were silent for a few moments, before I asked another question. "So what''s Akia?"


    "What?" Eiden had the nerve to be shocked at the question. He and his sister have the same parents; if he was a full-blooded "Adolphus," then Akia had to be something, too.


    "What''s Akia? Is she an Adolphus, too?"


    Eiden started to laugh, the noise turning into a cackle quickly. He only stopped when he saw me glaring at him, clearing his throat and scratching at his scalp. "Uh, no. Well, yes, but she''s not an Adolphus. She''s exactly like me, but the males are Adolphi and the females are called AdoQhinas."


    I swallowed, continuing to pick at the grass beneath me. All of this new information was making my head hurt. "So," I began, "there are werewolves. Creatures that are supposed to be mythical, but aren''t. Are there vampires and...and fairies, too?"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "What, no!" Eiden laughed loudly, "those are obviously make-believe!"


    I raised a brow. "Yeah, obviously."


    Eiden gulped, shaking his head and moving so he was sitting next to me. "I''m...sorry to tell you all this. I didn''t really want to do it like this, I wanted to choose when. I guess I didn''t have a choice."


    "No, you didn''t." I glared at him, shifting closer. Sighing, I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. "Why did you have to be weird? Couldn''t you and your sister just be normal?"


    "I ask myself that all the time." I looked up at Eiden from where my head rested, sighing again and making myself comfortable. He reached for my scarred hand, gripping it tightly and running a thumb over the cold flesh. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s ok-"


    "No, it really isn''t. You said it yourself, I hurt you. Twice! I never wanted to do that!"


    "It wasn''t you. You told me yourself, you have nearly no relation to your wolf when you''re in that...form. It wasn''t you."


    "I should have stopped myself-"


    "You couldn''t have."


    "I should have done something-"


    "You really couldn''t have."


    "I could have told-"


    I leaned away from Eiden and pulled my arm out of his grip. Grabbing his face in my hands, I forced him to look at me, staring deep into his shocked eyes. "Eiden, you couldn''t have done anything. You didn''t know. You obviously didn''t recognize me, how could you have stopped yourself?"


    Eiden shook his head, grabbing my hands and pulling them away from him. "I still feel like I could have stopped myself. You have a scar on your wrist because of me...you felt such an...intense pain because of me!"


    "It really isn''t that bad," I mumbled, looking down at the mark that was partially concealed by my jacket. Now that I think about it, the leather should have protected my arm, but the sleeve pulled back far too much and left my skin bare.


    Eiden gawked down at me. "Isn''t that bad. Isn''t that bad? Red, look at it, it''s-" I looked from my wrist to Eiden in confusion when he cut himself off. He was looking around the clearing, staring at the woods with a dangerous glint in his eyes.


    "What is it?" I questioned, watching as I stood up. I grabbed my friend''s hand and used it to help me climb to my feet, stepping away from him and looking around the field.


    There was nothing...nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. "Eiden, I don''t really see-"


    "Sh!" I blinked when Eiden slapped a hand over my mouth. I looked at him with wide eyes as he continued to look around, slowly pushing me into the center of the clearing. "Do you hear that?"


    I raised a brow at him, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. He was holding my mouth closed, did he really think I could answer?


    Eiden took a step away from me and turned, glaring at the boulder we were just sitting against. "Something''s here," he said calmly. Far too calmly in my opinion.


    "What''s here?" I asked, taking a step towards him. He held out a hand, signaling me to stop without taking his eyes off the large stone.


    "Back up," Eiden ordered, so I did. After only a few steps, a wolf came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.


    "Eiden!" I screamed, falling a few steps back and covering my mouth in horror. I watched him struggle underneath the wolf. "Oh my god!" I quickly shed my jacket, trying to use it as some sort of distraction. Once it was off, I took some running steps towards Eiden, before I was shoved to the ground by another creature.


    This seems to be a reoccurring theme today.


    I push at the paws and chest of the wolf that had an obvious murderous intent, but it was futile. Despite how Eiden had healed me, I was still weak from blood loss. The wolf used this to its advantage, forcing my arms away from him with his jaw, pinning them to the ground.


    With a vicious shake of my head, the wolf lowered its jaw to my neck. I let out a loud, piercing scream as I felt its teeth sink into my flesh, feeling every rough corner and groove of the yellow surfaces. The creature''s jaws buried themselves further into the junction between my shoulder and neck, shaking around as they tried to make a killing bite. My vision went from clear and precise to blurry and dark, my whole body growing limp as the pain increased.


    "Eiden!" I screamed, turning my gaze up to the sky as I blinked my tears away, letting out a cry of pain as the salty water rolled into my wound. I made another attempt to call for my friend, but he didn''t come. I called for him again, but he still didn''t help me. I couldn''t do anything to fight the wolf off; I was weak and powerless. I had no way to do anything, no way to save myself.


    I was going to die.


    For a brief moment, the pain heightened to an almost unbearable point. I felt each strand of my muscles tear, each tooth scraping against my bones. I felt the blood pouring from my veins, each river that flowed down my shoulder and onto the ground beneath me. Each measure of searing pain that could have existed in my small body was there. It was all there.


    Then it was gone.


    The weight I mean. While the pain had decreased significantly, it was still there, but the weight of the wolf was gone. I could breathe easier and feel my arms again. My eyes, which I hadn''t realized had closed, opened, the biting cold blinding me alongside my tears.


    "...re you okay!?" I could barely hear a voice through the sharp ringing in my ears. I turned my head, rather painfully might I add, to the left, staring through hooded eyes at the corpse of the dark wolf, a panting Eiden standing above it. He had lost his shirt and pants somewhere, his naked skin splattered and stained with blood.


    I took in his worried expression and simply blinked in response. What did he say?


    "Red?!" I watched as Eiden leapt over the wolf and ran towards me. He grabbed his jeans from wherever they were and slipped them on, before kneeling down in front of me. He pulled me into his arms, brushing my hair over to my right shoulder. His eyes widened at my wound, tears beginning to drip down from them.


    "Eiden?" I whispered, slowly lifting a hand up and pressing it to his cheek, wiping away his tears. I was too weak to hold my arm up, so instead of trying, I just let it fall to my side, the cold grass freezing the skin that it touched.


    "Oh god, Red, I''m so sorry! I should have protected you! My god, I''m so sorry." Eiden chanted, continuing to cry as he held me. He looked around for a moment, before reaching out and grabbing something. A...scrap of fabric that he wrapped around my shoulder...where did he even get that? I let out a scream as he began to work, hot pain searing through my body.


    Eiden pulled his hands away from me, his terrified expression wordlessly explaining what he felt. I shook my head. "It''s okay," I whispered. "I''m okay."


    A few more tears slipped down his cheeks as he nodded, slowly reaching his hands out and finishing the ungraceful wrap on my shoulder. "It really isn''t, but-"


    "Eiden-" I inhaled sharply at the burst of pain, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Eiden, we can''t really focus on that right now. I''m-mph...nearly dead here."


    More tears fell at my statement, but Eiden did seem much more courageous. "Yeah, okay. We...we need to get you somewhere safe." He pressed a hand to my back and pushed me up into a sitting position. I felt the blood seep from my wound, much more than I thought would. My weak body fell into Eiden''s chest, him catching me quickly and wrapping his arms around my shoulders.


    "I don''t think...I can stay awake for too long," I mumbled, burying my face into his chest. I could feel Eiden''s hands shaking, but his nervousness kept me grounded. Kept me...awake.


    Awake.


    I need to stay awake.


    "Hey...Red?" A nudge. Some kind of feeling, a movement to keep me alive. I could just barely feel it.       "I just want to sleep," I murmured, closing my eyes and falling further into Eiden. Everything just felt...numb.


    "...ed! You nee...ay...ke."


    "What?"


    "...d!"


    "Eiden."


    I couldn''t hold back anymore. I allowed my body to fall limp and my mind to shut down, falling into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 5 - A New Reality

    I had hoped that it was all a Dream. I had hoped that I had just fallen asleep as Akia told me about one of her stupid werewolf stories. I was just begging someone that none of this was real.


    But it was.


    It was all very real.


    I sat on my bed, my comforter wrapped around me as I held my hair to the side, Nonna tending to my wound. Akia was pacing around my room, nervously looking between me and her brother, who was sitting on my desk chair.


    "So what happened?" I looked over at Akia as she spoke, thinking she was talking to me, but she was staring at Eiden. I turned back to my grandmother, wincing as she poked the tender skin.


    "She went after me, I...well, I had to explain everything to her!" Eiden looked desperately at his sister, who just raised her brows in response.


    "That''s not what I meant-"


    "We were attacked," I spoke, drawing the siblings attention over to me. It hurt to speak, but I had to clarify everything that happened. "Eiden saved me from one wolf, but there was another."


    Akia looked from me to her brother. "Only two?"


    Eiden nodded.


    "And where are they now?"


    "Dead."


    "Good."


    Nonna was quiet during the entire exchange. She poked my arms, telling me to lift them. My right was perfectly fine, but I couldn''t lift my left without having a spike of pain shoot through it. She simply sighed, nudging my arm out of the way.


    "Nonna, what are you doing?" I asked, watching as she grabbed my shirt. She effortlessly ripped me off, sending me into too much of a shock to realize that I was just wearing a bra with Eiden around.


    Oh my lord, I was just wearing a bra with Eiden around.


    "Have some decency!" Akia screeched, forcing her brother to turn around. He didn''t protest at al, hiding his reddened face in his hands. She quickly covered his eyes as he continued to look away.


    "Nonna, what-" I didn''t get to finish my sentence before my grandmother ripped off my bra as well. I frantically covered my chest with my one working arm. "Nonna!"


    "Red, put your arm down," she commanded in a tone that forced me to obey. Slowly, I moved my arm away from my chest, sharing a look with Akia as she continued to keep her hands over her brother''s eyes. "Look what you got yourself into."


    "It wasn''t me!"


    Nonna just huffed, opening a new package of gauze as she looked at the siblings. "Which one of you is a better healer."


    Without facing me, I watched Akia and Eiden glance at each other, before the former looked back at Nonna. Slowly, Akia pointed at her brother as he raised his hands, an audible gulp coming from both of them.


    "Great, of course," Nonna sighed, glancing at me. "Alright, Eiden. Come here."


    "No!" I shouted, immediately covering my chest with my right arm, pulling my comforter up just enough for it to reach my collar bone. "Nonna, no."


    "Enough, Red. I can''t heal you, and Akia admitted that Eiden''s better. Just let him heal you."


    "Nonna, I have no shirt."


    "You have a comforter."


    "Nonna-"


    "Red, you''ve said it yourself that Eiden is like your brother. It''s not that big of a deal if he just gets the marks to scar."


    I glanced over at Eiden, who was still facing my wall with his sister''s hands over his eyes. With a sigh, I nodded to Akia, who promptly released her brother. He stood up, staring at the ground as he walked over to me. Nonna got up and Eiden took her seat, reaching over and gently placing his fingertips on my wound. I sucked my teeth at the sharp spike of pain, resting my chin in my right palm and staring down at my bed. The needles slowly increased in intensity, before gradually going down again. I looked down at the wound, inhaling at the scabbed and slightly scarred wounds. Eiden stood up when he was done, wordlessly going back to the chair and letting Nonna sit down again.


    "See, It wasn''t that hard," Nonna consoled as she began to bind me with the gauze. She wrapped the roll around my chest and shoulder, making sure it was tight, but not constricting. I could feel the layers of bandages behind pressed into the still-healing wound, sending waves of pain through my body.


    But at least my chest is covered again.


    Nonna walked over to my closet, pulling a large, black hoodie from the rack, before tossing it to me. She helped me into it, coaxing my left arm into the sleeve. She went back into my closet, throwing my a pair of black leggings and fluffy red ankle socks. I swallowed quickly, taking off my socks and un buckling my jeans, pulling them off and changing int the clothes that Nonna handed me.


    "Is she covered?" I heard Eiden mumble, causing Akia and I to look at each other. A moment went by, before we burst out laughing.


    "Yes, she''s fine," Akia chuckled, taking a few steps away from her brother. He slowly turned around, letting out a breath of relief when he saw me in a sweatshirt.


    "So you saw how I did that, right?" Nonna pulled my attention back to her. I nodded in response, watching as she packed away all of her tools into the first aid kit. "I''ll help you with everything, but you should know how to do it...just in case I''m not around."


    "Thank you, Nonna." I smiled, watching as she set the first aid kit on my desk.


    "It shouldn''t take too long to heal, especially with Eiden''s help. However, I still want you to wrap it for a few days just to be safe. I''ll go now and get you some more gauze, but for now, use what''s in here if needed."


    "Alright."


    "Now," Nonna walked back to my bedside, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I''m off to the shop. I''ll leave these two to care for you."


    I looked over at Eiden and Akia, raising my brows at the two. They were just standing there, doing nothing but staring and nervously smiling.


    Good lord, please don''t leave me with these two.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be back soon," Nonna promised, chuckling at my pleading look. "They''ll explain everything to you, everything that I can''t say."


    I watched as she left my room, not leaving any room for discussion. I let out a breath, looking back at the siblings as they sat on my bed.


    Great.


    Taking a sharp inhale, I started. "Adolphi and AdoQhinas."


    "Yes."


    "You''re an Adolphus."


    "Yes," Eiden nodded.


    "And you''re an AdoQhina."


    "Yes," Akia affirmed.


    "Okay..." I let out a large breath, holding my head in my hands.


    "You good?"


    "No...for fucks sake, why didn''t I know this before?"


    "I don''t think she''s good."


    I glared at Akia,  it finding any humor in her dry comment. "Can I at least get an explanation?"


    Eiden sighed. He was the only sibling that was actually serious about this whole thing. "I told you what we are, what an Adolphus and an AdoQhina is-"


    "Yes, but how does that involve me?"You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Eiden and Akia shared a look, before the former continued. "We are creatures of the moon. Our leader assigned us to be your protectors-"


    "Why?"


    "If you stop interrupting me, I''ll tell you."


    "Sorry."


    Eiden sent me a glare, before making himself more comfortable at the foot of my bed. Sucking in a dell breath, he spoke again; "you, since the moment you were born, have been protected by the Gervais Wilhemines and the Gervais Barrins, which are the good wolf-shifters and bird-shifters."


    I blinked. He lost me at born, to be honest.


    "Eiden, I think you just confused her more," Akia stepped in, crossing her legs on my bed. I nodded in agreement, turning to Eiden.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean, too," he promised, shaking his head and falling back on my bed. "Akia, why don''t you explain this?"


    "Fine." Akia took a deep breath before turning to me. "Alright, Red. I''m about to introduce you to a whole new universe, I hope you''re ready."


    I looked back and forth between the siblings, before nodding. "Yeah, I''m ready."


    "Alright." Another deep breath. "Before we can talk about you, we need to talk about our history. Since the dawn of time, there has always been five species; the Dedricks, the Wilhemines, the Barrins, the Hermanns, and the Derwyns."


    "That didn''t really clarify anything," I frowned, rolling my eyes as Akia shushed me.


    "These names were given by certain Teutons, who we say are the founders of our kingdoms. The Dedricks are the gods and goddesses that rule the lower species. The Wilhemines are the wolf-shifters and the Barrins are the bird-shifters, two species that are equal in every way. The Hermanns are the humans, or those of mortal descent with no special trait. The Derwyns are those who have died, so matter the species."


    "Okay, pause for a second, let me write this down." I stood from my bed and hobbled over to my desk, pulling a notebook and pencil out of the drawer. I went and sat back down, clicking the mechanical pencil and scribbling down the species'' names.


    Dedricks.


    Hermans


    "Hermanns has two ''n''s."


    Hermanns.


    Wilhemines.


    Barrins.


    Derwins.


    "It''s a ''y'', not an ''i'',"


    Derwyns.


    "Okay, go." I pushed the pencil lead back into the plastic, looking at Akia expectantly.


    "Alright, well...so you know how your species are called humans, but you have words for males and words for females?" I nodded at the rhetorical question. "Well, four of the species have that. The Dedricks have male Audfis and female Aubrians. Wilhemines have male Adolphi and female AdoQhinas, as you know, and the Barrins have male Aroldos and female Amoldinas. Hermanns, to end, have male Alvans and female Alvernas. The Derwyns, however, are different; the whole species gets a new name. If you die as a Wilhemine, you become an Alcuin, whether you are a male or female. So, Dedricks become Adalies, Wilhemines become Alcuins, Barrins become Annraoi, and Hermanns become Amialionas."


    I was frantically writing all while Akia was talking. The repetition of the letter ''a'' confused me and I wanted to know why they started with that letter, but that could wait. For now, I was just satisfied with learning all of this.


    "The Teutons worshipped many different Audfis and Aubrians-that is, gods and goddesses, but there were two in particular that ruled the kingdoms; Saxton, the sun god, and Malia, the moon goddess."


    Saxton and Malia, why do those two names seem familiar? The more I thought about it, the more my head started to hurt. Nervously, I reached up and clutched the sun and moon necklaces around my necklaces that rested on my chest.


    Wait.


    "There was an unspoken division between Saxton and Malia. Everything that related to them had certain traits that were complete opposites in relation to each other. It''s common knowledge that Wilhemines are children of the moon and Barrins are children of the sun, so having two separate species only associate with one Dedrick further divided the two, but that didn''t stop them."


    Akia, please tell me this isn''t going where I think it is.


    "Whether the species liked it or not, Saxton and Malia fell in love. That love resulted in a child. This child divided the entirety of the known world further in half. There were those that wanted to keep the light and the dark separated and there were those that wanted everything to be conjoined into a peaceful harmony. Those who want the separation are called Bathildes and those that want peace are called Gervais."


    Bathildes and Gervais. Great, more vocabulary.


    "Eiden and I, your protectors, are called Gervais Wilhemines, while the Adolphi that attacked you ear,jerk are called Bathilde Wilhemines."


    Akia, where is this going?


    "The Bathildes want the child born of Saxton and Malia dead and they will go to extreme lengths to ensure that she becomes a Derwyn. They''re even trying to keep Saxton and Malia away from her and from each other."


    Please...please don''t tell me.


    "Red, you have never met your parents."


    No.


    "They only thing you have from them are two necklaces shaped like a sun and a moon."


    No.


    "You were raised by a grandmother that randomly disappears and your best friends are Wilhemines."


    No.


    "Today, you were attacked by Bathilde Wilhemines, and you survived."


    No.


    "Even now, you''re only going to have totend to that wound for a few days-maybe less-when normally, it would take at least six months to heal."


    No.


    "...I think you know where I''m going with this."


    No.


    No.


    No.


    "Red, you''re the daughter of Saxton and Malia."


    It all makes sense. The necklaces, my hair, my eyes, my grandmother''s stories, my sudden friendships.


    It all make sense.


    Because it was all fake.


    "You say that you''re...Gervais Wilhemines, or whatever," I sniffed, staring at the wall, "and that you were assigned to protect me by...someone..."


    "That''s correct-"


    "So it was all fake? Are you actually my friends, or are you just completing something you were told to do?"


    "No! No no no, you''ve got it all wrong!" Eiden quickly sat up from where he was still laying on my bed. "When we first met you, we didn''t know you were their daughter. After a year or so, when your presence was becoming known to the Bathildes, that was when we were told to protect you."


    Thank the lord.


    "Look, Red. I know this is a lot for you to hear at once, but there''s a bit more." I looked over at Akia, who was scooting closer to where I sat on the bed.


    I sighed, pushing the notebook and pencil off my lap and onto my wrinkled blanket. "Of course there''s more."


    Akia ignored me and continued. "I told you Malia is the mother of the Wilhemines and Saxton is the father of the Barrins. That''s because they are the first known AdoQhina and Aroldo-"


    "So." I cut Akia off before she could tell me any more. "I assume that you''re about to tell me that I''m not a human, but I''m actually a hybrid between a Wilhemine and a Barrin. A-" I cut myself off to look at my paper, "-Amoldian AdoQhina, or something like that."


    I watched as Eiden and Akia looked at each other, before their attention went back to me. "Well, yes, that''s exactly what you are."


    A blink.


    Two blinks.


    Three blinks.


    "I was being sarcastic!" I shouted, my mind just about ready to explode with the amount of new information it was receiving.


    "Yeah, but you were right," Eiden cut in.


    "Of course I was," I huffed, crossing my arms and staring down at my comforter. When I said that I thought something different was going to happen today, this is not what I had in mind.


    "Red, do you know what that means?" Akia brought her brother and I''s attention back to her. "That means you can transform into four different things; a wolf, a bird, a lycanthrope, and an angel. You''re not a mortal like you thought you were."


    "Well, isn''t that great. I''d love to transform into a hormonal mutt and an infected sky-nuisance," I muttered.


    "Wow."


    "Rude."


    "That''s not what I meant and you know it."


    Akia sighed, scooting closer to me and pulling me into her arms. She was extremely careful around my shoulder, just hugging my waist and nothing else.


    "Look," Eiden spoke, shuffling closer to his sister and I, "I know that this is a lot to take in. Your best friends are werewolves and your grandmother is an angel-"


    "What?"


    "Not right now-"


    "No, yes right now! What do you mean Nonna is an angel?"


    Eiden and Akia shared another look, which seemed to be a reoccurring theme, before the brother spoke again. "Well, your Nonna isn''t really your Nonna. She''s an Italian Barrin that took you in after Saxton asked her to. She lost all of her children, so she was lucky to have another chance with you."


    I paused, staring at a picture of Nonna and I that sat on my desk. "So all of the stories she told me about my mother and father..."


    "Are stories about her children."


    I felt tears trickle down my face, small whimpers soon becoming loud sobs. I cried harder than when I did when I was attacked, and that''s saying something.


    Eiden and Akia pulled me into their arms, soothing me with soft whispers of encouragement. My shoulder didn''t even hurt at this point, which made me cry harder at the thought of the hyper-healing.


    I was born a hybrid. Not of a human and another creature, but between a wolf-shifter and a bird-shifter. My grandmother is not related to me at all, she''s just a woman that my father asked to take care of me. My best friends are my bodyguards, which I didn''t even know I had. My parents weren''t supposed to love each other, so many members of four different species want me dead. After three attacks, two by my brother and one by a stranger, I was thrown into a whole new world that only certain people know of. That world is ruled by my mother, the moon goddess, and my father, the sun god.


    So what really am I? Who am I? What do I have to do with all of this?


    "I''m sorry we gave you such a short time to process all of this," Akia whispered, stroking my hair. Eiden was on my other side, braiding some red locks together.


    "It''s better that I learn it all now than never," I sniffed, burying my head into Eiden''s shoulder. They really were like my siblings, after all the years we spent together. We were there for each other''s highs and lows and we all became a family.


    A family I really need right now.


    I picked up Akia''s hand, playing with her slender fingers. "Am I a goddess?" I asked, mumbling through the question. I could feel Eiden stiffen, but he didn''t answer, so I turned my attention to his sister. She looked like she knew, but she didn''t want to answer. "Am I?" I repeated.


    Akia sighed. "Yeah. Yes, you are."


    I smiled, not because I was happy, but because I got an answer. I wiped away more tears as I continued to play with Akia''s fingers. "What of?"


    "There was actually a poem about you that we learned when we were young," Eiden spoke up. "The Teutons were waiting for a goddess like you, so they created a poem about your creation, one that the Bathildes refuse to believe in."


    "What''s the poem?" I asked.


    Akia began reciting the words robotically, like she was repeating something that she''s heard far too many times before. "We watch the moon go past the sky and wait for the morning sun to rise. We watch the sun as it goes to flee. It falls and sets, setting the moon free. As the days go on and nights go farther, lives get better and deaths get darker. We still wait to call her name, the goddess of life, with hair like a flame. We still wait for her to rise, the goddess of death, with ink in her eyes."


    There was a silence when Akia finished. The siblings allowed me time to process what she had said, a poem that was clearly about me.


    Hair like a flame? Ink in her eyes? Who else could that be about?


    "So I''m the goddess of..." I breathed in, looking up at both Akia and Eiden.


    "You''re the goddess of life and death."


    Well, this just gets better and better.

 Chapter 6 - Healing

    Nonna came home about an hour after Akia and Eiden told me who I really was. She returned with grocery bags filed with supplies for dinner, as well as gauze packages, which I was rather surprised about. After all, she did tell Eiden to heal me.


    I looked up at the siblings, pulled away from our game of Poker by the sound of the door slamming. We set our cards down on the bed, Eiden promptly getting smacked by Akia for sneaking a look at her hand. I just chuckled, shoving my hands into my hoodie pocket as I lead the two out of my bedroom and down the stairs.


    "Hoodie, off," Nonna commanded the moment I walked into the kitchen. I glanced at Akia before we both looked at Eiden, who immediately turned around and went to hide in my room. I chuckled before stripping off the black sweatshirt, carrying it with me as I walked over to my grandmother. I hopped onto the island, watching Akia follow behind me and sit on one of the stools beneath the counter.


    Nonna dropped the plastic bag onto the granite countertop, taking out the three gauze packages and unwrapping them. Akia pulled the curtains over the windows, making sure they were all closed, before running to turn the lights on.


    "Well, it certainly looks better," Nonna murmured as she inspected my bare wound. "Let me see..."


    I bit my lip quickly as I tilted my head to the side, glancing over at Akia. Nonna had one hand pressed against my wounded neck and the other hand against my collarbone. She started inspecting the wound, poking and prodding at the sensitive skin. I sucked at my teeth, squeezing my eyes closed at the sharp needles. Akia rushed towards me, grabbing my hand in hers. I squeezed it tightly, biting my still-healing lip at the continuous pain.


    Suddenly, it stopped.


    "Perfect, it''s scarred over." I looked down at my shoulder once Nonna pulled away. The once violently red, pink scabs were now wide, white scars, slightly pink around the untouched skin. Clear teeth imprints were now permanently imprinted on two parts of my body.


    "I think that it looks really good." Akia walked over and looked at the scars, nodding in approval.


    "While it may look fine, I still want it wrapped up for tonight, just to be sure," Nonna frowned, picking up one of the rolls of gauze. She wrapped up my chest and shoulders before allowing me to pull the hoodie back over my head.


    "What did you do?" I asked, situating the black fabric over my body.


    "I didn''t do anything, I just looked at it before wrapping it up," Nonna responded throwing away all of the trash that she just made.


    "Then why did it hurt so much?"


    "The skin is still sensitive. It is confused, to put it simply. You got the wound a couple hours ago and now it''s almost fully healed, so it''s still going to bring that spike of pain. Nothing bad is actually happening, it''s just a defense mechanism."


    "Oh...well, thanks, Nonna," I grinned, crossing my legs on the island.


    "You''re welcome," the old woman paused, turning to look at the girl beside me. "Akia, could you get your brother?"


    "Yeah, I''ll go." Akia spun around and ran back to the stairs, sprinting up them as fast as she could.


    Nonna cleared her throat, causing me to turn my attention to her. "So, I''m assuming they told you everything?" I nodded. "To what extent?"


    I swallowed, running my thumb over my scarred wrist. "Well, they told be about all of the species, about the division between the good and the bad, about my parents, about me, and...about you."


    Nonna flinched, her eyes flashing as she spun around to meet my gaze. "What did they say?"


    "Um...they just said that you''re a female...Barrin, or whatever they''re called."


    My head tilted to the side as Nonna let out a breath, one that seemed to be out of relief. "Alright...So you know that you''re not my nipotina?"


    I nodded.


    "I''m so sorry I didn''t tell you."


    "It''s okay," I shrugged. "I''d rather be raised by you than anyone else."


    Nonna smiled, chuckling a bit. She was about to say something else, but she was cut off by Akia and Eiden tromping down the stairs. The two walked into the kitchen, Eiden immediately walking over to the fruit bowl beside me.


    Eiden grabbed an apple and took a large bite, wiping the juice off of his chin. "So," he spoke around a mouthful of fruit, "what are we going to do now that she knows?"


    Nonna glanced at me, before turning back to Eiden. "We will discuss that over dinner." the old woman shooed us away, pulling a box of pasta out of the grocery bag. Akia grabbed my arm, pulling me off the counter and into the living room, Eiden following behind her.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Akia huffed. "I''m bored," she mumbled, collapsing into the recliner and draping her legs over the arm rest. Eiden and I sat on the couch, him sitting normally and me sitting cross legged on the leather. "What do you wanna do?"


    I shrugged.


    "Not helpful. Eiden?"


    He shrugged.


    "I swear to god, you two."


    I slowly blinked, twisting to rest my head against the arm chair. "I''m tired," I mumbled, burrowing into the soft leather.


    "That''s because of the healing. It takes a lot out of your body," Eiden responded, patting my ankle.


    "What even happens when you do that healing thing?" I yawned.


    "Basically, we force your cells to move faster and speed up the natural healing process. It''s nothing too special," Akia explained, shimmying deeper into the armchair.


    I scoffed. "Yeah, not too special."


    We were silent after that, the only sound being Nonna making her Italian delicacies. I let my eyes close as I shifted to a more comfortable position, switching to rest my head on Eiden''s lap. I let out another yawn, grinning slightly at the comforting feeling of Eiden braiding the loose strands of my hair together.


    "I''m still surprised you''re taking it so well," Eiden mumbled.


    I scoffed. "Just wait. In a couple days, I''ll realize what happened and freak out on you."


    "A few days?"


    "My adrenaline takes a while to calm down."


    "But you''re about to go to sleep..." Akia cut in.


    "Adrenaline doesn''t stop you from sleeping," I yawned, closing my eyes and rolling on my stomach, closer to the edge of the couch.


    "But-"


    "Shhh."


    Both Akia and Eiden went quiet, allowing me to get a bit of sleep. It felt like only a few seconds went by before I was jolted awake by Nonna. "Dinner!" she shouted, the sudden sound surprising me so much that I fell off the couch.


    "Ow..." I mumbled, slowly shifting to sit in my ankles. I hit the carpet face first and now my nose was hurting. I angrily rubbed the sore spot. "Great."


    Akia laughed, causing me to glare at her. "Come on, dinner time.


    Climbing to my feet, I followed the siblings into the kitchen, inhaling the smell of fresh tomatoes and Oregano. "Could you help me set the table?" Nonna asked the three of us, pulling a knitted potholder off of the hook above the stove. I nodded, immediately going to our silverware drawer and pulling out four sets of cutlery. Akia got the Parmesan cheese from the fridge, as well as another pot holder before she brought the sauce pot over to the table. Eiden and Nonna strained the spaghetti quickly and while the former got a cup of water for everyone, Nonna set the pot down on the cushion she grabbed earlier. I got plates and napkins, finishing setting up everyone''s place at the table before we all sat down. We all took a breath before we started to eat.


    This felt normal. It felt like a normal dinner that we would have, one from the time before I found out that I was a goddess, my best friends were Wilhemines, and my grandmother was a Barrin, even though that was just last night.


    I sat down beside Eiden with Nonna across from me, Akia next to her. I used the rings to give myself a decent helping of spaghetti, pouring sauce all over the noodles and sprinkling some parmasean cheese overtop once everyone had food on their plate, we began discussing everything.


    "So, Red, now that you know everything-" Nonna cut herself off with a forkful of spaghetti, swallowing it quickly before she continued, "-the Bathildes will start planning their attack. They don''t want you getting any stronger than you already are."


    I scoffed, swirling my fork around in my meal. "I don''t know anything, how strong can I be?"


    Nonna''s gaze sharpened as she stared at me. "You know what you are, that''s enough."


    "Well, what do we do?" Akia cut in, causing Nonna to look at her.


    "She needs to establish the fact that she is needed," Nonna insisted.


    "How? People have lived and died without her for years-"


    "Not naturally. Before Red, even now, her mother and father decided when people died, but that''s all. Red can do so much more. With training she would be able to revive people, kill them with a snap of her fingers, and decide the future for all creatures. No other god or goddess can even dream of doing that.


    "So...basically, I control people''s fate?" I mumbled, looking at the other three people at the table.


    "No, you don''t control it. You create it. You can resolve mistakes, create paths, and absolve sins."


    "Woah." I swallowed thickly, staring at my grandmother.


    Nonna nodded. "And that is why you are needed,"


    Eiden set down his fork. "While we may have been around, we were all just surviving. We were watching the sun and the moon go by, not really living or dying. We followed the normal path of reproduction and the normal path of destruction, but that was all we did. There was nothing to it. "


    I frowned. "Why should there be something to it now?"


    Nonna swallowed another mouthful fo spaghetti before looking at me. "The victors shall be rewarded and the sinners shall be punished. The goddess of life and death shall see to that."


    I swallowed the saliva building in my throat, wordlessly eating another forkful of spaghetti.


    I didn''t like how she said that.


    "So what are we planning to do to prepare her?" Akia asked, which I as thankful for.


    "We have to train everyone, not just her." Nonna are more of her spaghetti, finishing what was left on her plate. "We have to call them all to Moakd¨¦."


    Eiden choked on his dinner at the mention of the word. My eyes widened and I quickly began patting his back, continuing until he pushed my arm away. He swallowed down his mouthful before looking at Nonna. "No one has gone to Moakd¨¦ in years and now you''re asking everyone to go? Are you planning on giving them some kind of explanation?"


    I frowned, extremely confused. "But...but we live in Moakd¨¦?"


    Akia chuckled, bringing my attention over to her. "This Moakd¨¦ is a secret hideout in the forest. We''re not talking about the actual city."


    Without even acknowledging the fact that his sister and I had just been talking, Eiden continued arguing with Nonna. "What can we tell them? The goddess is aware of who she is and were all preparing for a war?"


    Now it was my turn to choke. "What do you mean war?"


    Nonna looked at me. "How do you think the rivalry between the Bathildes and Gervais will end? Do you think they will just peacefully accept you as their goddess?"


    "I don''t know!" I exclaimed. "I was just told about whole thing! Do you expect me to be an Einsten, because I''m sorry to disappoint!" I shoved another forkful of spaghetti into my mouth.


    Everything was silent for a moment, forks and knives frozen against our sauce-stained plates. Eventually, Nonna spoke again, "I expect you two to go with her."


    Akia and Eiden didn''t protest like I expected them to; they just wordlessly nodded and continued to eat.


    "Red." I looked up at Nonna as she turned to me. "You will leave in the morning, make sure you are ready."


    I scoffed. "Will I ever be ready for a war?"


    "You have to be."

 Chapter 7 - Going

    Waking up before five o''clock in the morning should be illegal. I don''t know why I did this, I had the choice to pack last night, but I decided to just take a shower and go to bed. Now I need to spend the early hours of the morning filling my suitcases instead of sleeping.


    I huffed as I pulled my large black suitcase out of my closet, unzipping it and setting it on my bed. I stared at it for a moment, tears pricking my eyes at the thought of leaving, before shaking my head and moving to change my clothes. I pulled off my black hoodie and red and black flannel pants, dropping them on the floor and walking back to my closet. I pulled on a black silk camisole, a red and black flannel, my signature red leather jacket, ripped black jeans, and galaxy combat boots.


    After I changed, I moved on to packing. Violins sounded from my phone as it played my favorite playlist and I hummed along to the melody as I began folding up all of my clothes. Any article of clothing I owned was either black, red, or both, and that goes for the shoes and accessories too. Akia called it my "bleeding goth" aesthetic, whatever that means. I think the only other color I have is the slight blue color on my combat boots. I carefully packed all of my clothes and shoes into the suitcase, frowning when there was no empty space left once I finished. Huffing, I zipped up the suitcase and set it by the door, before pulling out a slightly smaller one that looked exactly like the first.


    Walking over to my bathroom, I blended a layer of concealer all over my face, before applying eyeliner, mascara, and a beige-pink lipstick. I brushed my hair thoroughly, tying it up into a high ponytail and pinning any baby hairs out of sight. I packed all of my makeup and hair supplies into a bag, before walking back to my room and dropping it inside the suitcase.


    Moving to my desk, I pulled out the few books that I enjoyed enough to actually buy and not just rent from the library, as well as the large photo albums that nearly all of my photo albums are stored in. Placing all of the books in my suitcase but one photo album, I unpinned all of the polaroids and five-by-sevens and carefully slid them between the plastic sheets. Climbing on top of my bed, I took down the picture frames and jumped back down, unhooking the backs and taking out the photographs. Once all the pictures were in the album, I put it and the frames in the suitcase.


    I turned to my bedside table, picking up the necklaces that I had placed there the night before. Running my thumb over the engraved finished, I stared at the pendants. For all of my seventeen years, I thought that they were just cute necklaces that my parents wore when they were here.


    That couldn''t be farther from the truth.


    I sighed, clipping both necklaces around my neck, turning back to my closet. I pulled a box off the shelf and put it in my suitcase, opening it and sitting through the numerous pair of fingerless gloves that Nonna has knitted me over the years. Nonna loved to knit. She would, without fail, knit me six new pairs of fingerless gloves every year all because six was my favorite number. I picked out a black pair with a simple diamond pattern and slipped them on. Putting the lid back on the box, I zipped the black suitcase closed.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Looking around my room, I was shocked at how empty it looked. There was nothing left on my desk, nothing in my walls, and nothing on my night tables. It looked so bare, even though all of the furniture was still in it.


    I walked to the corner of my room, sitting down next to my camera bag. I made sure all of my lenses were inside, as well as all other necessities for my camera. Slowly, I pulled out the device, pressing the on button and scrolling through my images. Next to all of the scenic photographs I took, there were also the fair share of funny pictures. There was one of Nonna posing with a milk mustache, there was another of Akia planking across the beams of the bridge outside, and another that Nonna took of Eiden standing with Akia on his back and me on his, playing in the snow. Before I knew, it, tears were rolling down my cheeks.


    I have so many memories in this house, it''s where I grew up. For seventeen years, I''ve always been in the same place. Moakde is a rather small town, so everyone knew everybody. To think that some of them aren''t even human is awful, especially since some of those people are only here to kill me.


    I choked back a sob, slapping the back of my hand over my mouth. Instead of going through the rest of the pictures, I quickly turned off my camera, shoving it into my bag as I wiped my cheeks on my sleeve. Clipping the bag closed, I pulled it over my shoulder, wincing at the new pressure on my healed wound. Grabbing my phone, I pulled up the handles of my suitcases and began rolling them into the hallway and down the stairs, struggling all the way. I didn''t have any current photographs in my developing camera, as I usually use my digital now, so I didn''t bother looking in there.


    I layer my suitcases down by the door, turning into the kitchen to grab a roll. Instead, I was met with Nonna, talking to Eiden and Akia. They heard me coming down the stairs and were patiently waiting for me. Nonna walked over to me, pulling me quickly into her arms. "Look at you, going out to save the world."


    I rolled my eyes, pulling out of the hug. "Yeah, keep that in mind."


    "Why should I? Not a lot of world- saving will be happening anyway."


    "Rude."


    Nonna chuckled, hugging me again. "I need to clean up the house, so Akia and Eiden will be helping you settle. But I should be there before dinner."


    "Alright," I nodded.


    I beat of silence passed before Eiden stepped up. "Here, I''ll help you bring your bags out. I''ll grab one, you grab the other."


    "Okay."


    Before Eiden and I had the chance to turn around, Akia sprinted past us, screaming "I call shot gun!"


    I shook my head, grabbing one of my bags. While Eiden took the other to the car, I gave Nonna one last hug. "Love you, Nonna. I''ll see you later."


    "See you later, alligator," she grinned


    "After a while, crocodile."


    "See you soon, you big baboon."


    Giggling, I pulled the bag out the door, waving goodbye to my grandmother as I put it in the trunk of Eiden''s car. Closing the hatch, I slid into the backseat, staring out the window at my old house. I never really noticed how big my house was. Or how small the neighborhood seemed. Or how lucky I was to grow up where I did, to grow up with who I did. I never noticed any of that.


    Until I watched it all go away.

 Chapter 8 - In the Middle of the Woods

    "Did you guys bring me out here to murder me, because I feel like this is the exact situation where I would be murdered."


    "Red, we didn''t bring you here to murder you."


    "Maim me?"


    "No."


    "Eat me?"


    "No."


    "Sell me into a sex trade?"


    "Wha-Red, no!"


    I grinned as Eiden and Akia glared at me, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Are you sure, because-"


    "Red, if you start quoting A Cabin in the Woods, I will murder you."


    I frowned, huffing. Akia knew that I would randomly quote that Drew Goddard film ever since I saw it, so she was prepared whenever I started to talk. Eiden, on the other hand, had never seen it, so he didn''t know any of the quotes. Needless to say, he was quite confused.


    "Red, I thought you hated horror movies?" He looked at me with an eyebrow raised.


    "I do."


    "Then why do you like A Cabin in the Woods?"


    "I don''t."


    "But..then why did you watch it?"


    "Chris Hemsworth."


    Akia let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Now that is a whole ass mood."


    I grinned, looking at Eiden. "See, your sister agrees with me."


    He frowned, humming. "But that doesn''t make sense. You could say that about a Marvel film. You know, Thor?"


    "I like that movie."


    "Have you even seen it?"


    "No."


    "Then how can you say you like it?"


    "Chris Hemsworth," Akia and I both responded.


    Eiden huffed, shaking his head, stomping forward as Akia and I laughed behind him.  Eventually, Akia sped up to walk by her twin, both of of them leading me through the woods. Moakd¨¦ Forest was just outside the city and was one largest forests in North America. Apparently there is a Gervais haven there that everyone is gathering at for training.


    "So Yaya still didn''t put those markers up," Eiden mumbled, glaring at the trees around him.


    "Apparently not. We tell her to do it every time we see her, and here we are." Akia apparently wasn''t too happy either, a complete change to her mood from earlier.


    "Who''s Yaya?" I asked, quickening my pace a little bit so I was walking right behind them.


    "You''ll meet her later," Eiden mumbled, continuing to look around.


    I sighed, continuing to follow the twins. I obviously didn''t know where the haven was, so I couldn''t help them search. Kicking at the grass and twigs as we passed by, I sighed again, bumping right into Eiden when he stopped. "Ow! Geez!" I shouted, rubbing my nose.


    "Be quiet," Eiden hissed, shoving my hand down and covering my mouth with his. I just glared at him, going to rub the sore spot again, but he just pushed my hand away. "Stop." Instead of just moving my hand, I glared down at my nose, which still hurt. Eiden groaned, going to rub my nose for my so I''d stop annoying him. I flashed a victorious smile that was hidden underneath his hand.


    "What''s going on with you two?" Eiden and I looked over as Akia re-emerged. I raised an eyebrow, confused as to where she went. With a sigh, she pulled me away from her brother and continued to lead us through the trees.


    Walking a bit faster, Eiden moved beside his sister. "Did you see anything?"


    "Nope, were all good." She shook her head.


    "Where''d you even go?" I asked.


    "I went to look around and see if were being followed."


    "Were we?"


    "As I just said, we''re good."


    "Cool," I mumbled, continuing to follow behind them. Looking around the forest, I huffed, wishing I brought my camera with me. There were so many chances for good photographs, but Eiden and Akia made me leave all of my stuff in the car.


    My eyes widened as soon as I saw an outhouse just sitting in between the trees. I recognized it, I took a picture of it a couple months ago when the leaves had just begun to fall. It looked fine then, but now I''m not so sure. I realized that the twins were leading me towards it, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. "I knew it," I gasped, staring at the rickety wooden building.


    "We''re not going to murder you, Red," Eiden spoke, pushing at my back to try and get me to go forward.


    "I don''t believe you! I''m not going in there!"


    The siblings groaned, pushing me into the shack. The building was much smaller on the inside, not exactly fitting three teenagers. I gagged as I glanced at the well-used toilet, hiding my face into Eiden''s back. I refused to look up, even when a loud noise echoed in my ears. It sounded like creaking rusty chains, which wasn''t exactly the most pleasant sound.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Red?" I grabbed tighter onto Eiden''s shirt as Akia poked my back. "Red, you can look up now."


    "No," I mumbled, burrowing my face further in between my friend''s shoulder blades.


    Akia sighed, pulling me away from her brother. "See, it''s alright."


    I frowned, looking fearfully back at the toilet. Well, at least where the toilet was. The whole seat was lifted up and connected to the wall behind it, revealing a ladder down to a concrete hallway. "You keep saying that you don''t want to murder me, but you aren''t exactly helping your case."


    "Geez, Red, Shut up about the murder!"


    "How can I when the police could find my body in the sewer pipes?"


    "Red-"


    "You know, there was a hotel who found a girl in their water tank once. People were saying their water tasted weird and was a weird color, so the staff went to look and found her floating in there. Apparently she was acting weird in the elevator-"


    "Red, shut up and go down the ladder."


    "But I don''t-"


    "Go down the fucking ladder before I push you down there and fulfill your murder dreams."


    I crossed my arms, raising a brow at Akia. "You don''t have to be so rude." At first, I wasn''t going to budge, but I also didn''t want a wolf-human Akia to slaughter me, so I opted for the safer option and climbed down the ladder.


    "It still hasn''t gotten any cleaner, has it?" I heard Eiden mumbled to his sister as he descended the steps after me.


    Akia climbed down next, closing the toilet-table-roof-door as she did so. "No, I guess not."


    I slowly turned around to face the twins. "What does that mean?" I asked as my anxieties slowly began to set in.


    Eiden approached me, resting a hand on my shoulder as Akia stepped around us and grabbed my hand. "Well, that''s simple. The Gervais haven''t focused on this hallway. It''s the last thing on their minds, at the moment. They do, however, focus on this-"


    With a wave of his hand, Eiden motioned towards Akia, who was focusing her eyes on the blockade at the end of the wall. It wasn''t concrete like the rest of its surroundings, but it did look like it. "Tada~" Akia sang as the barrier opened.


    I pressed my lips together and swallowed nervously, looking left and right at the twins. With a huff, they pushed me forward into a...clearing?


    What?


    I looked around the grassy space, taking in the caved slopes that set it beneath the rest of Moakd¨¦ Forest. There was absolutely no sign of this from above or else everyone would know. Many buildings were set into the hills, leaving the circular center of everything except for people, birds, wolves, and a gigantic tree. The thick trunk was directly in the center of the haven, the branches traveling up and curving to form a dome above the entire area.


    "The Oak forms a barrier, see?" Eiden briefly explained, drawing my attention to him. He pointed above us, where I could just barely see a golden shimmering layer between the curved and intertwined branches. "It looks like a normal hill on the outside, but inside, were protected by this magic."


    "Woah," I breathed, spinning in circles as I stared at the forcefield. This whole place looked like it came right out of a storybook. "And what magician came up with that?"


    "Your father actually." I looked at Akia, raising an eyebrow.


    "Really?" Akia was about to respond, but was cut off by another voice.


    "So this is the girl we''re all going to die over."


    The three of us turned to face the voice and I came face to face with a tanned chest, covered with a layer of sweat. And, might I say, damn those abs. I looked up to meet the eyes of a man. I swallowed when I saw he was already glaring down at me, arms crossed. I wasn''t tiny, I was five-foot-five, but this man was at least a foot taller than me. Geez, he was pretty hot, too. He had long-ish, curly brown hair and piercing hazel eyes that were giving me far too intense of a look. His jaw was strong and chiseled, not even a hint of stubble adorning it, but there were a good amount of moles scattered across his tan face. Needless to say, I''m attracted him.


    "She''s puny, why the hell are we working so hard to help her?"


    Well, with that personality, he is suddenly a major turn off.


    "And who the fuck is this guy?" I remarked, kind of pissed off with how he''s talking. I crossed my arms, mirroring him, meeting his glare without wavering. He''s still really hot, though.


    The guy smirked, scoffing and rolling his eyes. "So the goddess of life and death has a mouth to her. Doesn''t change the fact that she''s more or less..." he waved his hands around, struggling to find the right word, "irrelevant."


    Rude. "Alright, asshole, listen here-"


    "Cap, just leave her alone," Akia interrupted me, stepping in front of this "Cap" and pushing me behind her. "If you''re going to bother her, do it tomorrow."


    "Or preferably, don''t do it at all." Eiden shoved himself between the group and crossing his arms, staring at the man with pure hatred.


    "What do you expect?" Cap chuckled, looking around the siblings and smirking at me. "I''m supposed to be protecting that. It looks like the can''t even tell her left from her right."


    "Casper, just shut up!" Another voice joined in on the conversation. I turned to see another man approaching us, one that was definitely closer in age than the other asshole-ish twenty-something-year-old. He had dark, spiked hair and brown eyes with a much softer jawline than the other. Like the former, he was shirtless, but Cap was a lot more ripped than him.


    Red, shut up. Cap is a douchebag, don''t be attracted to him.


    "Casper, you''re seriously being so annoying!" The young man continued.


    Cap, well, Casper, laughed. "Look who''s talking, squirt."


    If that guy''s a squirt, then I must be smaller than a speck of dust. He easily towered over my small frame, but was still shorter than both Eiden and Casper. I feel bad for Akia, she''s only five feet tall.


    The smaller man rolled his eyes, turning to me. "Hi," he grinned, extending his hand, "my name''s Levi. I''m this douche''s brother."


    I reached between Akia and Eiden to shake Levi''s hand, smiling back. "Red."


    "Is that actually your name?" Casper remarked, causing Eiden, Akia, Levi, and I to glare over at him.


    "Yes, actually, it is," I seethed. I''m starting to get really mad at this guy.


    "Who gave it to you, your art teacher?"


    "She was actually given her name by a Barrin couple who found her drenched in blood and nearly dead after a Bathilde attack," Akia deadpanned, scowling at the man.


    I stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, before turning to Eiden. "Really?" I hissed, confused at the confession. He just shook his head, motioning back to the slightly surprised Casper.


    "Oh, wow," he gasped, looking genuinely alarmed before he grinned with that annoying smirk again. "That has to be the stupidest reason for a name I have ever heard."


    "Good lord, Cap, you need to stop," Levi spoke up, reminding us all that he was still there. "At least give her a day to settle down before you start bullying her."


    "Again, how about you don''t bully her at all?" Eiden and Akia spoke in synch, staring at the man with crossed arms.


    With a sigh, Akia grabbed my hand and began to pull me away from the two men, Eiden trailing behind. "Have a good day, boys."


    With a glance back to a frowning Cap and a waving Levi, I followed behind my friends, struggling to hid how much Casper had really affected me with his words. Akia gave my a side hug as Eiden began to lead us, the girl rubbing my arm soothingly.


    "Ignore him," she whispered, glancing back at the two men. "He''s just a cranky asshole, he''s like that with everyone."


    "Really?" I looked up at Akia, tears pricking my eyes. I grinned slightly when she nodded, my mood slowly beginning to brighten.


    "Anyway, here''s where we will be staying!" I followed Akia''s hand as she waved it towards a log cabin, well, more like a huge log mansion. My jaw dropped as I stared at it, my eyes widening.


    "Holy shit."

 Chapter 9 - Moakd茅 Haven

    Eiden opened the door and I gasped in surprise. The house was absolutely incredible. A living room was right in front of the main door with a cubic staircase to the right. Next to the staircase and behind the wall in the living room was the dining room, the places completely set. On the left side of the living room was the kitchen, one that was huge and filled with all one would need, even a stone wall that two ovens and two microwaves were set in.


    "This is incredible," I whispered, spinning in a circle and taking in my surroundings.


    Eiden chuckled, walking towards me. "I''m going to go back to the car and grab your stuff. Akia will take you to your room and Nonna should be here shortly."


    I nodded, waving to Eiden as he walked out of the house. Akia approached me, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on, I''ll take you on a tour."


    "Hey, I thought you said nobody has been here for years, how do you know the layout of this place?" I asked as I followed Akia up the stairs.


    "When we said that, we meant that no one had been to Moakd¨¦ to live before. We''ve all been here to study our surroundings and living situations if we ever were in a situation like this."


    "Ah," I nodded as Akia turned left and led me down the hall.


    "Okay, we''ll start at the end and make our way down. This is Nonna''s room." Akia opened a door to reveal a large room with a sloped ceiling and a bed centered on the left hand wall. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and a balcony was attached to the back wall, although there wasn''t much of a view. The balcony was on the back of the house, so all that could be seen was the incline of the hill.


    "These rooms are huge," I said as Akia shut the door and led me to the next one.


    The girl chuckled. "Yeah, well, it was made for a goddess, so it might as well be a mansion."


    "I''d be happy with a normal house."


    "We all wouldn''t fit in a normal house."


    "Fair enough."


    Akia dramatically opened the door. "This is your room."


    "Woah," I gasped. The room was large, with a triangular ceiling and a fan in the middle. There was a balcony on the right that led to the side of the house, which had a bit more of a view than Nonna''s. There was a dresser beside the glass doors with an armchair and ottoman set up next to it. Right in front of the door was the bed and to the left of the door was an opening that led to a large walk-in closet.


    "Yep, pretty cool. So," Akia pulled me out of the room and made me face the rest of the hall. "The door right there is the spare bedroom-" she pointed to the door in the middle of the hallway, across from the two sets of staircases, "-and across from it is the bathroom. Next to the bathroom is Eiden''s room, and across from that is mine. I call dibs on that room, so it''s mine. Don''t listen to Eiden if he says otherwise, it''s mine.


    "Noted."


    "Upstairs is a library and another bathroom. All three bathrooms have a shower, so, that''s important for the mornings."


    "Great. I miss the days of having two people in the house and two bathrooms."


    "You say that like it''s been a long time, you were just there this morning."


    "Well, yeah, but the point still stands."


    Akia laughed, going back into my room and flopping on my bed. I frowned, opening my mouth, but before I could say anything, she spoke up again, "and no, I''m not showing you the rest of the rooms. I''m too lazy and we were coming back here anyway."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "But-"


    "You''ll see the rooms eventually, calm down."


    I huffed, walking over to the armchair and propping my legs up on the ottoman. "So what do we do now?"


    "Wait for Nonna to show up or Eiden to come back," Akia mumbled, rolling onto her back and looking up at me. "Then you unpack and I take a nap."


    "Actually, you''re going to come with Red and I to show her around the haven." I turned around to see a rather sweaty Eiden with two suitcases in his hands and my camera bag around his neck.


    "Geez, you got here fast." I took the suitcases from him and dropped them on my bed, grinning at Akia''s squeal.


    "Well, I am an Adolphus," he smirked, before frowning at my confused face. "You know, the-"


    "Nope, hold on." I dug my hand into my jacket pocket and fished out a folded piece of paper, the one I made all of my notes on the day before. Scanning over the words on the page, I found what I was looking for. "Okay, okay, male werewolf, no, Wilhemine, that makes sense. Okay, I got it." I folded up the paper and grinned at the twins, who were already smirking at me.


    Akia giggled, "well, you''re learning."


    We all laughed for a moment, before Eiden turned to me. "Alright, while we wait for Nonna, Akia and I will take you on a tour of the haven. There''s not a lot of different things, but there are a lot of homes, so it will take a bit of getting used to."


    I nodded, pulling my camera bag off of Eiden''s shoulder and draped it over my arm, fishing out the camera and looping it around my neck. "Alright, let''s go!"


    "Are you bringing your camera?" Akia asked, hopping up from the bed and walking over to her brother and I.


    "Obviously."


    "Alright, no need to be so sassy."


    "I''m a Gemini, I''m always sassy."


    "That''s not always the case-"


    "Okay, you two. Stop arguing and let''s go," Eiden cut in, leading the two of us out my bedroom. I followed behind the man, giggling at Akia''s mumbled cursing towards her brother.


    As soon as the three of us walked out the door, Eiden turned us to the left, pointing to a group of houses that were a bit separated from the rest. "Those five houses belong to the families that are regarded as the strongest families within the Gervais, Wilhemine and Barrin combined."


    "Those families include the Fagras, which are a family of Wilhemines that were very close to your mother, the Paynes, which are Wilhemines that practice medicine, the Johans, a Barrin family that are very powerful warriors, the Yangs, another Barrin family that are skilled in fighting and medicine, and then the Vollons, which is Casper and Levi''s family." Akia listed, counting off on her fingers, looking up at me as she finished, before her eyes trained on something behind me. "And speak of the devil, look who''s here."


    I turned around, huffing when I met the gaze of a smirking Casper and a bashful Levi. "Great," I mumbled, "I thought I was done with you today."


    Cap chuckled, shaking his head. "I hate to break it to you, Rose, but you won''t be done with me for a long long time."


    "What did you call me?" I raised a brow.


    "Rose." Cap smirked again.


    "Don''t call me that."


    "Would you prefer Scarlet?"


    "No."


    "Vermilion?"


    "No."


    "Ruby?"


    "No! I''d prefer it if you call me by my name!" I was seething at this point.


    "Ah," Cap sighed, grinning at me. "Sorry, sweetheart, but that''s not happening."


    "I swear to god-"


    "Alright then!" Levi cut me off, stepping in front of his brother as Akia and Eiden grabbed my forearms. I had unknowingly stepped forward, ready to fight this douchebag. "Casper, let''s just go home. We have three people we need to look after." When Casper refused to leave, the two of us steadily glaring at each other, Levi began to push him away. "Casper, let''s go!"


    With a huff, the two men walked away, leaving an irritated Eiden, nervous Akia, and furious me in their wake. "Alright then," Eiden spoke, turning to the two of us. "I''m going to cut this tour short so Red can go home and cool off."


    "Okay, how come my tours keep getting shortened!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air as Eiden  raised a brow at Akia, who just shrugged in response. "Ugh, okay, let''s just go."


    "Alright, so over there," Eiden pointed to the group of houses closest to the previous five, "are the Wilhemine homes. On the other side," Eiden pointed across the clearing to another housing group, "are the Barrin homes."


    "In the middle of the clearing is the Oak, which is the source of the barrier''s power." Akia took over for Eiden, motioning to everything she spoke of. "The building right next to our house is the infirmary, but people usually only go there if the injuries are severe. Otherwise, they go to the home of a family with medical training, like the Fagras, Paynes, or Yangs. Next to that building is the Training Facility, where people go for training involving their human forms. You''ll also be spending a lot of time there, since those who are learning how to shift into their two, or in your case, four forms-"


    "Four forms?!"


    "Yes, we explained that to you yesterday, now anyway, that was the last bit that we needed to explain. Now, we can go home, and I can take a nap."


    This time, Akia lead the way back to the house, opening the door with a huff. I stomped through the door, arms crossed and still fuming from the encounter earlier. "Well," a voice spoke, drawing my attention to them, "someone''s angry."


    I gasped, a grin forming in my face. "Nonna!"

 Chapter 10 - I Can Do This

    "You seem to be coping really well," Nonna spoke from where she sat in the armchair.


    "I don''t really have any other option. The sooner this all ends, the sooner my life goes back to normal," I said, handing up a red dress in my closet.


    "Are you serious?" I turned to look over at a shocked Akia. "Red, you do realize that there is no "normal" that you can go back to, right?"


    Eiden nodded. "This is your new normal now."


    I shook my head, going back to my suitcase. "No, no, absolutely not!" I chuckled, pulling out three shirts and walking over to my dresser. "No, everything is going to be fine after this."


    "Red..." I didn''t look at Nonna as I shoved the dresser drawer closed. "How can you expect things to be normal after this?"


    I fought back the growing tears as I zipped up my suitcases and tucked them into my closet. "Well, no one really has to know...what I am."


    "Are you kidding? Nearly everyone knows!"


    I straightened from my squat, turning to look back at Akia. "What?"


    Eiden sighed, placing a hand on his sister''s shoulder, before scooting over on the bed, giving me room to sit between the two of them. "Do you really think those Bathildes found you by chance?"


    "I was hoping...but what does that mean?" I slowly sat down on the bed, pulling my legs to my chest.


    Akia grabbed my hand, both of us turning towards Nonna as she spoke up; "your school is composed not just of Hermanns, but Wilhemines and Barrins as well."


    "Well, I figured that out when I found out what these two are." I motioned to the twins sitting beside me.


    "Yes, but unlike Eiden and Akia, not everyone is a Gervais. Bathildes went to school with you, too."


    I still need to get used to this vocabulary. "So you''re saying that I go, er-went to school with people who want to either kill me or stand beside me?"


    Eiden and Akia looked at each other again, a habit that was really starting to annoy me, before the former nodded. "Yes, essentially."


    "Great," I muttered, hiding my face in my hands. "I really love that."


    "Red." Nonna stood up and walked over to me." You know that you can''t go back to being who you were after this. You can''t go back to being Red Monroe-"


    "And why not? I don''t want to give up my life, it''s mine! I don''t want to have to stay and be a goddess because that''s what everyone wants me to do. I just want to go back to being a high school junior and a photography student." My voice was cracking from my emotions as tears spilled from my eyes.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Be rational, darling! Do you really think that the Bathildes will immediately accept you or that the Gervais will just forget the war? It doesn''t work like that."


    "You''re not the only one who wishes it did." I looked over at Akia, who was just staring at her folded hands. "My best friend is a goddess who''s been attacked four times. If Eiden and I don''t get into severe trouble for that, we''re going to have to live a stricter life in protecting you."


    I frowned, grabbing Akia''s hand again, before my brows furrowed. I mentally counted the number of times I was hurt and something didn''t add up. "Four times? It was only three. In the school, Eiden biting my wrist, and the Bathilde biting my shoulder."


    "Oh, uh...wrong number?"


    "Mhm, I definitely believe that."


    Eiden sighed. "Akia, you really messed up now."


    I looked at him. "What, what did she do?"


    "Ask your grandmother," both of the twins replied.


    I faced Nonna, crossing my legs and staring at her in confusion. Nonna huffed, glaring at the siblings. "You two will be the death of us." She swallowed, before looking at me. "Alright, Red, I may have fibbed a little bit when I told you how you came to me."


    "You said that Saxton...my father, gave me to you...what else could have happened?"


    "Well," Nonna inhaled deeply, looking around the room. "I wasn''t asked directly by Saxton to care for you. Instead, after an attack on their home, they left you there with clues to your discovery. Malia the Bathildes away from you, acting like you with her, while Saxton brought the closest Barrins, your Nonno and I, to you."


    Oh, so that''s what Akia meant earlier.


    "He hadn''t met you before?"


    "Never. Your mother had never met these two fools before either."


    The siblings gawked. "Wow, rude," they mumbled in synch, causing me to chuckle.


    "Those scars on your leg, the ones I told you came from you falling in the woods and getting cut on a stick?" I looked down as Nonna spoke again, roughly pulling up my pant leg. There were three pale lines running straight down the center of my right leg. "Those were wounds from the swords of Barrins. Your Nonno and I cared for you, so they scarred over easily."


    "Geez, I must be fun to attack, then," I huffed, lifting my leg up and looking at the scars.


    "If it makes you feel any better, you don''t exactly taste very good," Eiden chirped.


    "You know, surprisingly, that didn''t cheer me up."


    "Yeah, very salty."


    "Hm, I wonder why."


    Eiden shrugged, smirking at his sister. Akia just rolled her eyes, looking at me. "Well, that''s all we can teach you."


    "Really? That''s it?"


    "Yes." Nonna straightened again, motioning for Eiden and Akia to do the same. "That''s all we can tell you for now. Everything else you have to learn yourself through training or other messages."


    I raised an eyebrow, rolling my pant leg back down. "And what does that all include?"


    Eiden smirked, pushing the two women out of the door. "Change into some exercise clothes and meet me in the kitchen in twenty minutes." And with that, he was gone.


    I looked around the room, letting out a breath. "Okay," I heaved, fisting my flannel in my hands. "Okay."


    Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath. "I can do this."


    I stood up, walking over to my dresser and pulling out a pair of black leggings, a black sports bra, and a red sleeveless cropped hoodie. I changed into the clothes, slipping on some black no-show socks and a red and black pair of tennis shoes from my closet. "I can do this."


    Tightening my ponytail, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. "I can do this."


    I stared at my black eyes.


    "I can do this."


    I stared at my red hair.


    "I can do this."


    I stared at the pale bite scar.


    "I can do this."


    Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath.


    "I can do this."

 Chapter 11 - Training Session

    Loop over thumb, around the wrist, across the back of the hand-


    "Wrap it around your wrist twice."


    Alright, loop over thumb, around the wrist twice, across the back of the hand, around the fingers three times, circle to the...pinky?


    "Loop it around the thumb and then go back to the pinky. Wrap the thumb after each gap."


    Ah, got it. Loop over thumb, around the wrist twice, across the back of the hand, around the fingers three times, around the thumb and back to the pinky. Go through each gap in the fingers after each loop around the thumb, then wrap around the palm a couple of times. Finish off with the velcro on the wrist.


    "That was better, only three tries." Eiden clapped from where he was sitting next to me, examining the cloth that I had wrapped around my wrist. "That was better than the seven from earlier."


    "Yeah, well, that was my first time," I huffed, pulling my hand away from him.


    "I know it was, that''s why I''m congratulating you now."


    I rolled my eyes, flexing my fingers around the black hand wraps. I stood from the bench, adjusting my tank top and leggings. "Now-" I turned towards Eiden, "can you help me train?" It had been at least two hours since Eiden told me to meet him in the kitchen, and all we did was find a spot by the Oak and wrap my hands.


    My friend sighed, getting to his feet. "Alright, yeah, fine."


    I grinned at him, walking backwards into a clearer area of the field. Once we were surrounded by the rest of the trainees, I smiled at Eiden again. "Show me what you got!"


    Eiden shook his head. "Not so fast, I''m going to teach you the basics first. You can''t go on and be good at any form of combat without that knowledge."


    I huffed. "Alright, fine. Show me the basics then."


    "Okay, once you master hand-to-hand combat, we''re going to teach you some basic weapon moves, and then how to fight in your shifted forms. You''d have learned to actually shift by then."


    I frowned, not looking forward to the whole shifting part. It sounds really painful. "Fine, just teach me some stuff."


    Finally focusing, Eiden grinned. "Alright, before I teach you how to attack, I''m going to teach you where to attack." Pointing to different parts of his body, he continued. "Your primary targets are the eyes, nose, neck, and groin region. The secondary targets are the ears, abdomen, knee, shins, and feet."


    "I assume that I can hit all of those spots at a close distance?" I nodded, looking around his body, curious if all those spots were visually weaker than everywhere else. Eiden, who was strongly aware of our brother-sister relationship, didn''t really mind me inspecting his bare chest with a raised brow.


    Now that I think of it, that sounds really weird.


    "Typically, yes, but it all depends on the situation. For example, the calf muscles could be rooted in place, so that wouldn''t be the best place to attack, but the knee of that same leg would be weakened, so you would want to go for that. However, you may be held in a position where you can''t reach the leg as well as you could his arm. It all depends."


    I nodded. "Alright, anything else?"


    "Of course there is. Now, the skills I''m going to be teaching you today are actually from the boxing world. I was taught by a family friend who trained as a boxer with his friends. I''ll only be teaching you the basic punches to start."


    "Yeah, yeah, can you actually teach me now?" I begged.


    Eiden chuckled, taking a step back. "Alright, so, there are three basic punches that I''m teaching you: the left jab, right cross or straight, the uppercut, and the hook. Let''s start with the jab." Bringing his fists up into a fighting position, Eiden motioned for me to do the same. "So you''re going to want to keep your right fist steady at the base of your chin. When you punch, your left arm goes straight forward. However, when you do this, there are a couple things you need to keep in mind. During the punch, you''re going to want to rotate the whole arm. Circle the shoulder up to protect your chin, push the elbow straight forward, not outwards, and make sure the fist extends with the palm facing the ground. The impact of the punch should land on the index and middle knuckle, preferably. You got that?"Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I nodded. "I think so." Shoulder, elbow, fist, got it. "Yep, I do."


    "Alright, try it." Eiden lead me toward a fabric punching bag, one of the many that hung from the branches of the Oak tree. "Remember, turn the shoulder, elbow, and fist."


    "Okay." I took a deep breath, bringing my fists up into a defensive position that mirrored Eiden''s. I stepped back with my right foot, staring at the bag. Keeping my right fist at my chin, I need sent a quick jab towards the bag with my left, glancing at Eiden afterwards.


    "That was good, except your elbow went outwards, not straight. Keep your arm in one straight line. Try again." Eiden crossed his arms, tapping my elbow as he spoke.


    I nodded, turning back to the bag. This time, I punched forward with my arm straight, sending the bag flying backwards.


    "Much better. Practice those for a bit." Taking Eiden''s advice from earlier, I continued punching, the feeling of the left jab growing a lot more comfortable.


    "Alright, good. Now do that with the right. The right straight or right cross is basically the same as the left jab, but with the other arm and a different name. Try it."


    Okay, if the right straight is the same as the left cross, I should be able to do this. Remembering everything I already learned, I sent a punch to the stuffed bag, grinning over at Eiden when I brought my hand down.


    "Good, now do it again." I punched the bag over and over again, alternating between the left jab and right cross. My fists were beginning to ache, but I kept hitting the bag. "Wow, alright, you''re getting very good at this. Now, let''s work on the uppercut."


    "Okay, cool," I said, cracking my neck from side to side and rolling my shoulders back.


    "So watch me first." Crossing my arms, I stared at Eiden as he got into the proper position. In only a few seconds, Eiden sent the bag flying back on its chain. With a couple of wide-eyed blinks, I watched as the bag swung in quick circles, before turning back to Eiden.


    "Oh my fu-"


    "So-" Eiden quickly cut me off, walking over to me. "So there are five things you need to do when you do an uppercut. Bend your knees, keep your hips down, rotate the body, release into the uppercut and have a good, timed impact."


    I frowned. "That''s a lot."


    "It is. To be honest, the uppercut is a rather difficult punch to master and not a good one to use when fighting with someone who''s experienced. When you go in for the punch, you leave your body exposed, which will definitely be noticed by someone who''s been training."


    "Then why are you teaching it to me?"


    "If you do it fast enough, you can get a good shot on your opponent. Now, let''s see what you got. Remember, bend your knees, keep your hips down, punch upwards, pivot your feet, turn your palm towards the sky, and to get used to it, go immediately back to the defensive stance."


    I nodded. "Got it." I turned to the bag and began punching. It wasn''t easy to give a good, solid blow to the punching bag with an uppercut and I honestly don''t know how Eiden did it.


    "Remember the defensive stance afterwards."


    Oh, that''s right.


    After a good twenty minutes, Eiden stopped me. "Good, now, let''s do the last one; the hook."


    To be honest, I was rather relieved that this was the last punch. A good hour had gone by, and I was done.


    "Now, for this, you have to lead the punch with your hips, with your arm and shoulder following. For hooks, go for the jaw, and lead the punch as if you''re going for it. Move from facing forward to facing right, that is, if you''re punching with the right. Got that?"


    "Yep."


    "Good. Give it a shot."


    Punch after punch, I attacked the bag. After I got down the basics of the hook, Eiden began to throw combinations of the four punches at me, which did confuse me greatly. Eventually, I got the hang of it, but not before breaking a sweat and watching as the sun began to set through the barrier.


    "Hey, Eiden! Red!" The two of us turned to face Akia, who was lightly jogging towards us. "There you two are."


    "Akia, we''ve been here the whole day-"


    "Yes, shush, shush. Red, you need to come with me. We''re all going to dinner with a family friend tonight and you need to get ready."


    I frowned. "Why do I need to get ready?"


    "Red, I don''t think you''ve ever needed a shower more."


    "Wow, rude," I huffed, turning to walk back towards the house.


    "You know I love you!" Akia called after me.


    "Yeah, yeah."

 Chapter 12 - Going to Dinner

    "Alright, how precious is this dinner that I have to wear a dress?"


    "I thought you liked dresses?"


    "I do, but I normally don''t have to wear them unless it''s a special occasion."


    "Well, I suppose this is a special occasion, then."


    I raised my eyebrows, sucking at my teeth as I took the burgundy a-line dress from Akia. Stepping into my closet, I took off my robe and got changed quickly, already having put on my undergarments and some black spandex shorts. Frowning at my reflection in the full-length mirror, I also pulled out a gold, braided chain belt from my drawer, securing it around my waist before I opened my closet door.


    "Ooh, look at you, you little fashionista," Akia cooed, grinning as she walked into the closet with me.


    "Shut up, just help me finish getting ready," I grumbled, slipping my socks back on.Akia grinned, looking towards my shoes. Silently, she pulled out a pair of black ankle boots with a gold zipper on the side, also grabbing my black leather jacket from its hanger and handing both of them to me. "Alright, and I suppose I''m wearing these."


    "Just put them on, pick out some gloves, and then sit down at your vanity. I''ll do your hair and makeup." Akia wiggled her hands, forcing me to take the shoes and jacket from her. I quickly zipped up my shoes and made my way over to my dresser, tugging on the jacket as I sifted through the top drawer, looking through my multiple pairs of gloves. Settling on a dark grey knitted pair, I walked back into my closet, sitting at the dark oak vanity.


    "Thank god you''re doing this, I only know how to braid and do some basic makeup," I mumbled, pulling on the gloves.


    "That''s precisely why I''m here."


    Sitting down at the vanity, I pulled my hair out of its high ponytail and stared at Akita''s reflection in the mirror. She looked so focused, biting her lip as she combed through my long hair.


    You couldn''t even tell that she wasn''t human.


    "So who are we having dinner with?" I asked, watching as Akia picked up a curling iron.


    "Some close friends of your and our family. The Fagras," she responded, not even batting an eye.


    "Oh, you mentioned them earlier.  Aren''t they a Wilhemine family?"


    "Yep, you''re learning!"


    "Why are we going to have dinner with them?"


    "I told you, they''re very close to our families, they wanted to meet you."


    "When you say family, do you mean Nonna or... my parents?"Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Both."


    I frowned, shifting my gaze from Akia''s reflection to my own. I stared at my bright red hair pitch black eyes, wondering how on earth I was lead to believe that I was human for so long.


    I''m not human.


    Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I shoved down the growing anxiety and the tears that wanted to emerge. Swallowing the lump that formed in my throat, I looked back at Akia, who was holding a thin comb between her teeth as she continued to curl my hair.


    "Why is this a fancy dinner?" I asked.


    "Well, it''s...I actually don''t know." Akia mumbled around the comb.


    I frowned. "Then why are we getting dressed up?"


    "Um...why not?"


    "Fair enough." I shrugged.Akia set down the curling iron, unplugging it, before using the back end of the comb to separate some of the curls, fluffing them all up a bit. "I think it looks nice."


    "Why thank you." Akia grinned, spinning me around in my seat. "Now close your eyes."


    Doing as I was told, I sat in the chair, patting my thighs and humming to myself as Akia applied layers of makeup to my face, eyes, and lips. When she finished, she showered my face in setting spray, before turning me towards the mirror.


    "What do you think?" She asked.


    Opening my eyes, I examined the makeup. My eyes were a shimmering rose gold that transitioned to a dark red, almost black color. My lips matched, being a dark red as well. Overall, I thought it looked rather nice.


    Granted, it doesn''t take a lot to impress me.


    "I like it," I grinned, rising from the chair. "Now, are you ready to go?"


    Akia simply nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of my closet and through the hallways, shouting for Nonna and Eiden as she went.


    *~*~*


    "I wasn''t aware that they were coming," I grumbled, glaring at the two Vollon brothers, lead by a constantly-smirking Casper and a sheepishly-grinning Levi. There were three other people behind them, a young boy and girl, the former holding a baby.


    "In our defense, we didn''t know either." Eiden rolled his eyes, meeting the stare of Casper dead-on.


    "Well well well, look who it is," that infuriating voice spoke. "Are you coming to this dinner as well?"


    "Yes." Akia stepped forward. "Why are you here?"


    "Why, Marcuco asked us to come."


    "I don''t know why, this dinner is for Red."


    "Ask him I suppose. It may have something to do with the fact that he raised us."


    "Cap," Levi hissed, grabbing onto his brother''s bicep. "Calm down, you know how important this is for Marcuco."


    Looking at his brother, Casper rolled his eyes, before turning back to us. Without a word, he turned and walked up the steps to the porch we were standing in front of.Levi sighed, before stepping up to it. "Red, you''ve never met the rest of my siblings. That''s Sarai-" he pointed to the young girl who looked to be about sixteen with a curly bob of brown hair and a bright smile to match, "that''s Bordeaux-" he pointed to the boy, who was maybe about ten years old, "and this little cutie is Emery." Levi took the baby from Bordeaux and cradled her in his arms, showing her to us with a large grin. I sheepishly waved at the baby, and began to smile when the infant giggled back.


    I glanced back at Akia and Eiden, before the whole group of us ascended the stares, where an impatient Casper was waiting. Levi handed Emery back to his little brother before he knocked on the door, and not even three seconds later a woman opened the door.


    She was an older woman, with dark skin and short, black hair.  A grin spread across her red lips as she pulled Levi and Casper into her arms. She then turned to Akia and Eiden, the two calling her "Uvoca," before hugging her. Then her eyes set on me, who may or may not have been cowering behind my friends. Her dark eyes widened, her mouth dropped, and only one word passed as she stared at me in utter suprise.


    "Agl?ca?"

 Chapter 13 - Agl?ca

    I sat on the steps of the porch, my head in my hands, willing myself to keep the tears in. That dinner was a mess. Wasn''t it supposed to be a fun, good time where I could meet new people? It was anything but.


    Red isn''t my real name, it''s Agl?ca. The Fagras aren''t just family friends, they''re my god parents.


    This isn''t what this dinner was supposed to be.


    I jumped when I felt someone sit next to me, placing their hand on my shoulder. I glanced at the fingers and noting the darker skin, I immediately sighed.


    "I''m so sorry," Yasmyne whispered.


    I shook my head. "What''s there to be sorry about? I just found out my name isn''t my name and I have a whole new family. Nonna isn''t my grandmother, werewolves exist, I''m a goddess, and..." I trailed off.


    "I know it''s not easy, and I''m sorry for that, but we''re all here for you. Even if you weren''t my...spiritual...sister, you''d still be my family." Yasmyne pulled me into her arms, rubbing my arm soothingly.


    Before I could respond, another voice stepped in. "Hey Yasmyne, your parents need you."


    I leaned away from Yasmyne, watching her look behind her, before standing up and walking past Casper, back into the house. I wrapped my arms around my legs as Casper sat down. We silently stared out at the field, watching the shadows move around.


    "I know I was a dick to you, and I''m sorry." I looked over at Casper as he began to speak, but he was still looking out into the dark field. "I never really considered how all of this must be for you. I''ve always known what I was and what was going on in my life, but I never thought about what it must be like for someone who had no idea."


    "It''s okay, Casper, I understand."


    "No, it''s not okay. I thought you were supposed to be this big and powerful god that knew who they were and what they were supposed to do. When you showed up, this small, teenage girl, I didn''t know what to think. I just...I don''t know...I was expecting more."


    I scoffed. "You were expecting a buff, burly man?"


    The man noticeably gulped. "Well, yeah-"


    "So you were expecting someone like you."


    Casper didn''t say anything after that. We were silent for a long while, just gazing into the field, watching some children run outside to play a game of hide and seek around the Oak.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "I...I guess I was. I don''t know, thinking about it now...I feel really selfish," Cap finally whispered.


    "It''s okay," I patted his shoulder comfortingly. "You wanted to be a hero, no one can blame you for that."


    Cap was silent for a moment, before he suddenly turned to me, knocking my hand off his shoulder in the process. "I know so many secrets about your life that you didn''t even know, I think it''s fair that I tell you one of mine."


    "Cap, you don''t have to-"


    "I want to."


    I sucked at my teeth, pausing for a moment, before nodding for him to continue.


    "Well, you know Levi''s my brother and Sarai is my sister, but Bordeaux and Emery aren''t actually my siblings. They''re the kids of my oldest sister, Khina. Khina is actually my half-sister, her mother was my father''s first wife and she died giving birth to her. Fifteen years later, my dad got remarried to my mom, and a year after that, she gave birth to me. Two years passed, then Levi, another two years, then Sarai. Khina would''ve been twenty at this point, and that was the year she met her boyfriend."


    Casper paused, taking a deep breath. I gulped quickly, before scooting closer to him, gently grabbing his hand in mine. He looked up at me, shocked, but I simply motioned for him to continue.


    If he''s saying that Bordeaux and Emery aren''t his siblings, I think I know how this is going to end up. These memories must be hard to bring back.


    "Mom and dad never liked him, so when she told them she was pregnant with Bordeaux, they weren''t happy. Honestly, neither was Fulton, her boyfriend, but he loved Khina and she wanted the baby, so he kept it. She was about twenty-six then. Ten years later, she gave birth to Emery, which was only a couple months ago, but, like her mom, she died giving birth to her. Fulton didn''t want either of the children, so when Khina died, he left. My parents were gone as soon as soon as Khina first told them she was pregnant, but that was a coincidence, they left to fight with the Bathildes. They never returned, so Khina was taking care of us. When Markuco and Uvoca received word of our parents'' death, they immediately took us in. When I turned eighteen, Khina moved us all back into our family house, and then two years later, earlier this year, she died. Levi and I didn''t know what to do, we suddenly had our niece and nephew to take care of and we didn''t want them going anywhere else, so we just claimed them as our siblings and went on from there. No one ever questioned it, so that''s how that happened. Everyone just kind of...knew, until you."


    I blinked. "I-I don''t...geez, I''m so sorry."


    "It''s okay. I mean, it''s nothing compared to being a normal high schooler and then suddenly being told your the goddess of life and death."


    "Yeah, but...maybe if I had known, I could''ve done something-"


    "No." Casper gripped my shoulders forcefully and turned me to face him. "Do not blame yourself for this. I''ve come to terms with their death, don''t think you could''ve done anything."


    "If I knew who I was, if I had control over what I could do, I could''ve saved them-"


    "You can''t save everyone, Red. I think that''s what''s going to be hardest for you, you have to accept that people die. You aren''t the cause of it, so don''t blame yourself, but...death has to happen, and you''re just the one in charge of that. Your parents have been taking care of it until now, but now it''s your turn."


    I gulped, turning away from Cap and burying my head in my hands. "I can''t do this."


    "You can, don''t doubt yourself. And if you struggle, you have me, Levi, Eiden and Akia, Yasmyne, and every single person who lives in those houses." Cap pulled me into his side, staring at me as I listened to his every word,


    "We are your army, Agl?ca, and we will fight for you until death."

 Chapter 14 - Insomniac

    "So how did you like dinner?" I looked over at Akia as she waltzed into my bathroom, already in her pajamas as she sat down on the end of my bathtub.


    I shrugged, turning back to the mirror and continuing to brush my teeth. "It was okay. The food was good," I spoke, the sound coming out muffled around all of the toothpaste.


    "Well, that''s good. Are you okay?"


    "Mhm. Well, as okay as I can be."


    "That''s good. You ready for bed?"


    "Absolutely."


    "There''s the Red I know and love." Akia and I looked over as Eiden emerged from the hallway, coming in to sit on the toilet lid.


    I frowned, spitting out the toothpaste. "You all have your own bathrooms, can''t you go in there?"


    "And skip out on bothering you? No way."


    "well, you''re going to have to, because I''m going to bed." Before the two could utter another word, i darted out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, shutting out the lights as I did. With a sigh, I crawled in the large, soft bed that awaited me. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


    You see, it was only dreamless because instead of dreams, I had nightmares.


    ***


    "You''re a failure."


    My eyes snapped open, only to be met with darkness. At first, I thought it was my room, but as I sat up and looked around, I knew it couldn''t be. My room doesn''t have blood-stained grass as a carpet.


    "You''ve disappointed us all."


    I glanced around quickly, trying to find the source of the voice. Nothing seemed to stand out, except for the fact that I was lying in a dimly-lit circle of red grass. Where am I? How did I get here?


    "You''ve left us all to rot."


    Climbing to my feet, I looked around again, before cautiously taking a few steps forward. The light that shone on my surroundings seemed to follow me, so, warily, I began to walk into the darkness.


    "You were supposed to be the hero."


    I continued to walk, the blood on the ground gradually becoming more and more fresh as I went.


    "You were supposed to save us, but instead, you let us all die."


    I stopped. My mind began to click into place. I know that voice, I know it well, but who does it belong to?


    "We were all slaughtered because of you."


    I began to walk again, the grass beneath me becoming much more red than green. Soon enough, I noticed something in the distance, something that made my feet stop involuntarily in fear.


    "It''s all your fault."


    Slowly, I took a few steps forward, the bloodied foot I saw revealing to show a full body; or at least, what was left of it. The body was so mangled that it would be beyond recognition, if the head wasn''t perfectly intact. The head that belonged to Eiden.


    "It''s all your fault."


    I kept going, soon stumbling across another corpse, this one belonging to Akia. You couldn''t tell easily, her entire body was skinned, but the clothes that somehow were still on her were undeniably hers.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "It''s all your fault."


    I kept going. The next corpse was Levi, his entire body dismembered and left bare. Well, bare apart from the numerous bloodstains that were still accumulating from the pooling blood.


    "It''s all your fault."


    I kept going. Sarai, Bordeaux, and Emery were next, all grouped together into a pile of tiny bits of flesh, muscle, and bones, their heads perfectly placed on top with an eternal expression of fear


    "It''s all your fault."


    I kept going. Casper was dismembered too, all of his body parts hanging from seemingly nowhere by blood-stained ropes. His head wasn''t there, until I tried to walk again. The falling body part startled me so much that I fell to the ground.


    "It''s."


    I looked around fearfully, the multiple murder scenes teleporting to form a taunting circle around me, all the heads of my dead companions facing me. Haunting me.


    "All."


    I felt my chest tightening as the sound of snarling wolves began to echo beyond the inky blackness. With short, quick breaths, I crawled back on my hands to the center of the circle that formed around me, looking around and trying to avoid setting my eyes on those of my friends.


    "Your."


    The darkness slowly crept in, swallowing the bodies, before it quickly receded, like a tide at a beach. The corpses were all gone, and all that was left was the dark silhouette of a woman. No, it was a dark silhouette of Nonna.


    "Fault!"


    A white toothy grin shone from within the face I couldn''t see. As she screamed the last word, Nonna charged at me, talons suddenly extending from her hands. The bird claws were fixated on my neck, but just before she wrapped them around me, my body collapsed into the ground, falling into an abyss of the same darkness that was above.


    It didn''t last long, however, before I landed on a soft, squishy, and moist pile of something. I took a few quick breaths, before I attempted to stand up. As I pulled my hand away, I caught a glimpse of a red liquid sticking to it. My eyes widened as I fearfully stood up and looked around. I was standing in a field of mangled, mutilated, and annihilated bodies, up to my knees in corpses as far as the eye could see. The corpses weren''t still; hands still crawled across the pile and mouths still open in pain. I tried to scream, but I could only manage a small squeak. I could only stand still as the detached limbs made their way up my body and to my head: plugging my ears, covering my mouth, and digging into my eyes as the words "all your fault" echoed around me.


    ***


    I woke up with a scream of pain, looking around my room. There was no blood-stained grass, no field of corpses, nothing. I quickly looked at my hands, they weren''t covered in red as they were moments ago. I felt around my face, my organs weren''t being mutilated like they were only seconds ago. I tried to let outa gasp of relief, but I couldn''t manage to between my hyperventilating.


    "Red!" I looked up at my door fearfully as Eiden and Akia barreled through. "What''s going on?"


    "Dead," I whispered, "you were dead!"


    "What, no! Red, we''re alive. We''re right here." Akia consoled as she ran to my bedside. Eiden followed and the two pulled my shaking form into their arms.


    "You were dead. Everyone was dead."


    "No, we''re all okay."


    "What''s happened?" We all looked up as Nonna entered the room. I let out a fearful gasp and scooted back on the bed, Akia and Eiden letting me go in shock. "Red? What''s going on?"


    "Stay away!" I screamed the second Nonna began to walk towards me. I clawed at my neck, trying to protect it in case the talons appeared again. What she stopped, I spoke again; "you were-you had claws. You were going to kill me! You were going to kill be because I killed them!"


    A brief moment of silence passed, the only sounds being my shaky breaths that tried to hold back sobs.


    "Red, what are you talking about?"


    "It''s all my fault," I murmured.


    "Red?" Eiden pulled me to him again as Akia desperately held onto my hands.


    "It''s all my fault."


    "Nipotina?" Nonna walked over and sat on the bed, still wary enough to keep her distance as she stared worriedly at my shaking form.


    "It''s all my fault. It''s all my fault. It''s all my fault!" The dam I had built up to keep my tears in broke, a waterfall pouring from my eyes in between sobs. "I can''t do this! I''ll kill you all! I did kill you all!"


    "Red, it''s okay," Eiden consoled, running a comforting hand up and down my arm. I didn''t notice it, but Nonna managed to scoot closer, carefully grabbing my hand. I flinched away when she did, only relaxing when Akia held my hands again. "You didn''t kill anyone. We''re all right here."


    I looked up and around the room, tearfully meeting the gaze of Eiden, Akia, and Nonna. Slowly, my tears began to dry, my breaths began to slow, and my body began to stop shaking. With a few deep breaths, I finally began to calm down.


    "See?" Akia carefully smiled at me. "It''s all okay."


    "Yeah," I whispered, "all okay."


    "You''re safe, Red. You''re safe," Nonna spoke up, placing her hand on top of mine.


    "I''m safe."


    "Try to get some sleep, okay?"


    "...Okay."


    Something told me I wasn''t going to get much sleep tonight. Maybe not even for a while.