Shan-Cassian didn't return home.
Kylen had managed to salvage what was left of the front door, using ropes to hold it in place and old blankets to cover the open spaces. I helped him to cover the windows with some old boards that he had in the garage. "I was going to build the girls a treehouse," he had said and then drifted into the depths of his mental archives. When we finished boarding up the windows it was pass midnight. I found myself leaning against a broom staring at the front door. Kylen had said that he would be fine but that didn't mean that something bad wouldn't happen. Suddenly a scoffed brought me from my thoughts. Cleo stood a few feet away from me. Her arms crossed and her eyes glaring daggers into the back of my head. I shook my head and glanced away from her with a snort. "I guess your here to tell me that this is all my fault," I gave her back the same energy that she was giving to me with a hint of 'I don't care'. Cleo scoffed. "And it isn't," she said rhetorically. "Since the moment Shane found you, you have bring nothing but bad luck to this family," she yelled. I sighed irritated. So what her nice act was sham. Suddenly she wasn't down with taking care of me while I was in a coma. Was she bipolar? "What is wrong with you? You weren't acting like this before. If you really thought that I was some kind of cursed object why did you and your sister help take care of me." Cleo paused, her shoulders dropped and her arms fell to her sides. She glanced away and brought her fury with her when her eyes met mine. "I didn't know who you were then," she said coldly. "And who am I, Cleo," I asked softly. I continued when she didn't answer. "Someone who would rather you spend your time with someone who respect you instead of some guy who takes you in a closet with his friend." I hadn't noticed when she walked closer but I did feel the sting of her slap. I did see the tears watering in her eyes. I felt something changed…within myself. I blinked, letting the broom fall from my grasp and I turned towards her properly. "You don't know him like I do!" She yelled frustratedly. I found myself smiling but I didn't mean it. It was superficial…fake. "Okay, Cleo," I said slowly in a soft tone. My eyes staring into her wide ones. "The guy you like is not creepy pervert and I am the reason why Sha-I'm sorry, Cassian fell from grace with his old pack and they came to trash the house. I apologize for being chased by hounds and then falling into a coma after saving your brother," I said watching as regret slowly washed over her face. "Oh, yes how could I forget," I said suddenly with humorless chuckle and a snap of my fingers. "I am sorry that your terrible plan to get back at Cassian's old pack failed. And I'm sorry that your a bad sister for liking the guy that bullied Chloe for the majority of her preteen life. Congratu-freaking-lations, Cleo Cole! I'm your bad luck demon." With that said I left her standing there tears streaming down her face. Excuse me if I was done being belittled or blamed for things that I didn't do. I was done being the excuse and although my heart did hurt at the thought of Cassian being hurt, I was not about to let a confused teenager project her issues unto me. I sighed as I stepped off the last step. I didn't want to stay here anymore. I was going to pack all the new clothes that I was grateful for into the red and black duffle bag that Cassian bought for me and leave. I nodded to myself, sinking my teeth into my lips at this plan but as I pushed the door to the room that I was staying in open, my eyes fell on Chloe sitting on my bed. I desperately wanted to close the door but I decided to be nice to the sister who was nice to me. "Hey, are you okay," I asked with a stressful sigh. "Yeah, I was just a little scared that they would come back," she admitted. I nodded entering the room slowly. I sat beside her on the bed, staring at the unpacked shopping bags. "Very strange day," she commented. I nodded in agreement, sliding off the bed and unto the floor. "Shane's going to be alright. He always finds a way out of impossible situations. I mean growing up, mom and dad were extremely hard on him. He was the only boy, so the heavy responsibilities fell on his shoulders," Chloe started to explain, sitting beside me on the floor. I removed the duffle bag from the shopping bag that it was in and ripped off the tags and took out the plastic stuffings. My mother would always tell me to wash clothing or anything that I buy before I wear them or used them but I didn't want to stick around long enough to do laundry. Chloe helped me packed the clothing into the bag while she told me embarrassing stories of Cassian's past. I guess it helped eased her mind and worries. I appreciated learning more about him as well. "What did Cleo mean when she said that this was all your fault," Chloe asked suddenly as I was figuring out where to put the heeled boots that I had chosen because they were half price, the ones that I really wanted were too expensive. I froze. Should I tell her what ignited such an accusations? Wouldn't it affect her relationship with her sister? Cleo was dating a guy who bullied her for years. I had caught glimpses but I think he caused her to have a mental breakdown. Admittedly Damon was a stupid kid but he never apologized. I wouldn't tell her, Cleo would. After all Cleo was the one to lift Chloe up when she fell down. I shook my head at her with a quick smile. I decided to stuff the boots in one of the old shopping bag. "Why won't you tell me," Chloe asked her gray eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Because…" I paused to shift my body so that I was facing her. I tilted my head as I tried to answer her question. "Because…I know that she didn't mean it," I counted my words. "She was just upset," I told myself with a hesitant nod. "But you didn't do anything. Something was done to you," she said sympathetically. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. I don't remember talking about myself. "Dad told us what he think happened and then Shane pitched in and I connected the dots," she explained, her hands moving animatedly. I chuckled pulling my knees to my chest. "Okay young detective." "Thanks," she responded with a large smile. A comfortable silence followed until Chloe's smile faded. "Cleo has been this way since we were young. Sometimes she likes you and then sometimes she hates you. She just wants someone to believe in her, someone to believe that she can make wise decisions." I wanted to say more, specifically the fact that she didn't seem to make wise decisions or even good ones but Mr. Cole suddenly barged into the room, his chest raising and falling quickly. I was on my feet before he could speak. "Chloe, you need to go," he said hastily. "What," Chloe said with a tremor of fear on her voice. She stood to her feet and stepped closer to me. Nearly toppling over when a gush of wind passed by her. My hand reached out to steady her shoulders. I watched Kylen as he shifted the curtain slightly to look outside. "Chloe go get your bags and meet your sister in her room!" He barked pointing at the door. Chloe flinched and immediately went to the door. "Chloe," he called stepping away from the window. "I love you." "I love you too Dad," Chloe said breathlessly. "That was cute," I found myself saying a little bitterly. "Get your bags too, we're leaving," he didn't acknowledge my rudeness. "I only have a bag," I said leaning down to close it. I grabbed the duffle bag and the shopping bag with my shoes and followed Kylen out of the room. "What's coming? Is it the wolves?" I asked. Kylen didn't answer my question his eyes instead fell to the shopping bag in my had. "You can't take that," he commented, entering a room with two large beds. Half of the room contrasted the other half. Kylen grabbed a small bag from one of the beds with a note on it. He stuffed the note into the bag and then my shoes. "Where did the twins go," I asked glancing around, confused. "You know as a telepath, you should be answering your own questions," Kylen said sassily, handing me the bag as he passed me. "Thats an invasion of privacy and I'm not very good," I admitted, jogging to keep up with his long legs. He hummed. "Is that why Cleo slapped you," he said casually. I gaped at the back of his head, feeling my anger stir. "Maybe you should be a mind reader or better yet a good father," I jabbed, my words ran away from me and I instantly regretted it. Kylen stopped in the middle of the stairs and even though he was a few steps lower than me, I felt super small. I gulped. "I trust my daughters and my son," he started. "I know that they are capable of taking care of themselves and although I haven't been there enough in the past, I am here now." "Well I was with them," he added sparing my the intensity of his stare. I sighed. "So this is my fault.""That's childish," Kylen commented walking off into the living room. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I followed closely behind him. He grabbed a small backpack and a brown paper bag with food. I took the time to wear the backpack that he had handed me properly. "Where are we going?" "We are going for a walk through the woods and hopefully make it unto the main road without being detected, hitch a ride from a beautiful woman who has a crush on me into town and to my new home we go," he listed, checking his watch. I was a baffled, blinking idiot. "Aren't you married," I nearly yelled but found some self control. Kylen glanced at me briefly and then at an empty space at the wall. "It's complicated," he eventually said softly. His brows were furrowed and a deep frown was on his lips. I nodded. "Anyways, we have an hour and 3 minutes before she passes by," he explained, walking towards a door that I hadn't noticed before. It was a second entr
Sam and his soldiers took us safely to the main road. They waited patiently with us until Kylen's ride came. I caught a glimpse of a photographic memory reminder that Sam took. He was most definitely going to check if we were actually students at Elverton. I was hesitant to give my name but Kylen quickly fixed that, blurting it out before Sam even opened his mouth to ask. I didn't mind being around the man because admittedly I did think of a future with Cassian and if that future became real I really wanted to get along with his family. Which meant that I had to fix things with Cleo–on second thought, I think I'm just going to let fate do its thing and then I do mine. Kylen hopped into the front passenger seat and I hobbled into the back, placing my duffle bag beside me. I closed the door and glanced towards the driver. Her large blue eyes were piercing mine. I raised my brow and glanced towards Kylen, who had thankfully dropped the glamour. "Oh, this is Vanessa. S
When I grow up, I wanted to be a superhero. Someone who protected the innocent and imprisoned the bad but as if this moment I preferred the term vigilante. I did good things but by my own rules. I would steal from the rich and give back to the poor. I would break self-righteous idiots who thought of themselves as better than me for my own selfish need to feel power. "Kneel," I commanded. Derrick had no choice but to fall to one knee. After all, he was proposing to the love of his life. "How does it feel, Derrick? To kneel before your master," I exaggerated, watching as he struggled to make sense of the strange thoughts in his head. "Get the fu–," "Language!" "Out of my head, fuk–itch!" Damn, he was strong but I was juiced up. I pushed back forcefully, sending him flying into a tree. I felt sorry for the tree when its roots rose above ground. A few students ducked out of the way as it went tumbling down. It erupted into flames a second late
It took us 17 days to clean up the library and even after our job was done we had to help the workers build a new set of stairs through the hole in the ceiling and when that didn't work out, we had to make a raised platform thats triggered by weight. We literally made it for ourselves since it could only carry a maximum of 3 people and our initials were pasted on its glass walls. Always Phoebe, Medaline and I were the first to ascend to the second floor in it. It was a short ride but it was so satisfying! "We make such a good team," Medaline commented, staring towards the sky as we entered the outdoor courtyard. "We are good at fighting crime together, creating good art as well as destruction but then again from chaos comes order. We're really good at chaos," she said squinting slightly. "Uryah is not going have us replant that tree, is he," Phoebe asked with a tired sigh. She had dark circles under her eyes and usual bright skin was pale. "Are you okay," I asked
"Wait," Medaline suddenly said, as I hooked my arm around hers. "We need to change first," she said, pulling me in the opposite direction. I caught Phoebe rolling her eyes. “Harris might be there and I can’t let him see me like this,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I released a groan, throwing my head back to stare at the sky. I could feel the confidence that I had found slowly leaving my body, replaced by the thought that maybe Cassian would be at the party too. It had been a very long time that I had seen him and this morning when I glimpsed him, let’s just say that I really wanted to know if he was okay. There may have also been a longing in my chest, most nights I felt as if I was dying. I would remember crying myself to sleep and not know why I was crying. I knew my mother was okay, for now but the pain that I had felt in my chest wasn’t because of her. I missed him. I took a deep breath as we walked across the south hall, with every step
Madeline stopped by a grey bedroom before we went back down stairs. She cringed as she had struggled to see inside the dark room but I found my sight perfectly adjusted. There was no one in the room, after a few seconds of squinting into the shadows she closed the door and we went downstairs. We found Phoebe munching on a bowl of cereal, cuddling a pillow on the couch. Medaline gasped at the sight and I found myself dying of laughter as I sat beside her. "Seriously, you weren't even making an effort," Madeline said loudly, staring at her friend with wide eyes. Phoebe gave a careless shrug, slapping my fingers away from her cereal. I pouted and folded my arms. "I knew you would come to your senses soon enough," Phoebe said curtly, causing Madeline to roll her eyes. The sound of someone entering the house, directed our attention to the front door. There was a tall handsome man entering the house. He was tall with dark hair and his eyes were blue.
What did poor little defenseless Taiti Malcolm do to her great and powerful father Xerxes…she existed. History books speak of creatures similar to the Cider wolves that pass down their power to their offsprings. If an alpha Cider wolf had a wolf pup, the alpha would lose its alpha powers to the pup. As the pup grew so he or she would take their parents power slowly. Xerxes was a Cider wolf alpha and I was the pup. His power transferring to me was as a result of our similarities and the universe balancing itself. One man should not hold too much power but neither should one woman but we do it so well, nobody bats an eye. Xerxes didn't want to lose his power so he wanted to kill me before the majority of it was transferred to me. At least that was what I had gathered after reading several history books on darklings/ dark fae. There was also some old wives' tale about how they used to eat their first born children. I sighed, falling into the table, unwilling to go on.
I have never had a boyfriend. I was always too shy or too nerdy or too unapproachable. I was alienated by design, by a system that chose the girl with the flawless olive skin, small waist, long skinny legs, small breasts and always smiled. The perfectly unrealistic girl because even if her personality and body were on point, her life was a lie. The road that she took to get where she was, that road was grim. Painted with blood, sweat, tears, hatred, disgust…I could go on but I may never stop. The boys in high school wanted that perfect girl because she was the perfect girl. I was never the perfect girl. I didn't smile when a guy told a very disrespectful joke and furthermore I wasn't very approachable. For the first 2 years at high school, I was bullied by this guy. He would say the most disrespectful things that you could say to a teenage girl. I hated high school. Elverton seemed different. Everyone seemed comfortable and I appreciated the fact that the femal