*Thelma*If there is anything about Ma that I have learnt over the years, it’s the fact that she isn’t good at bluffing. When Ma lies, she blinks rapidly and her voice becomes very high-pitched.“There is nothing wrong with you, Thelma. What are you talking about?” Ma squeaks as her eyelids rapidly move and she averts her gaze from mine.I know she is well aware of what I am talking about, yet I decide to retell the events anyway, in case she suffered some form of mild amnesia.“I levitated yesterday, Ma. My eyes look more vomit green than their usual golden mix,” I start by saying.Ma raises her hand and waves it in dismissal, “That is nothing, dear. Don’t worry about it. We will figure everything out soon.”Nothing? Had she just dismissed the fact that I could levitate…equating it to something as mundane as having two hands? I flew…I fucking flew.Ma had shown more concern when I had started my period. She had fussed over me like I was going to bleed to death. Ma had taken me to the
*Thelma*I run back toward the diner to check up on Rebekah. She steps outside the door and glances up nervously. The small fire has died down but the sign is charred.“Is it me, or are you short-circuiting a lot of electrical things lately? Do you remember what happened to the light at the nightclub on your birthday?” Rebekah asks.I shrug. I don’t think it wise to tell her that electricity is just the tip of the iceberg. How would she react to me telling her that I can fly?“Are you okay?” I ask, ignoring what she has just said.“Yeah, I guess. Do you think that you are jinxed or something? Or haunted. Do you think that stupid Ouija board we messed with at that fortune teller’s shop opened some kind of demented gate?” Rebekah asks.I can’t help but giggle. Trust Rebekah to have a wild imagination. She is the one person who believes in the paranormal and all things mystic. A week ago she had asked me to accompany her to see some psychic. She wanted to know if her crush was going to c
*Thelma*I feel goosebumps begin to form down the nape of my neck at her words. What did she mean I was being hunted?Madam Emma stands up and speed walks to another table in the corner of the room. She picks up a pipe and puts it in her mouth. She retrieves a lighter from her pocket and proceeds to light the pipe. I can hear her chanting something beneath her breath before taking a puff.She walks back to where I am still sitting, her blue eyes looking at me as she takes a long drag of the smoke.Is she really taking a smoke break? Now?“Tash moesh. Tash moesh,” she chants before blowing a cloud of smoke into my face.I wave my hand around to fend off the smoke without much success. I try to hold my breath and cough. What the hell? Suddenly I hear a ringing in my ears and something tapping insistently on the window.Madam Emma walks over to the only small window in the room and parts the black curtains, which hang on a flimsy string nailed to the top of the window seal. I blink my ey
*Fernandez*To get to the isolated, antique mansion that’s perched on a small hill, I proceed down the unpaved, dusty road. I hasten my pace as I near the gate of the house.When I reach the iron bars of the gate, I take out my phone and dial a number. After dialing, I look up again and see a shining light coming from the roof of the house. I am sure it’s one of the guards watching me using some binoculars.Ouma’s house is heavily guarded, which is common for the property of an elder. As much as we are hunters, oftentimes we made enemies and became the hunted. Fighting evil comes with its set of dangers. Monsters that survived are always seeking revenge. The more we tried to kill them, the more they tried to do the same with us. We are a threat to their existence.I hear a ringing on the other end of the line; once, twice, before a female voice picks up.“It’s me. I’m at the gate,” I announce. The phone line cuts and immediately the monstrous wrought-iron gate squeaks and swings ope
*Kyle*Wolves howling reverberate through the silent forest as the sapphire moonlight illuminates it. An eerie, silent wind blows through the pine and spruce trees, causing them to sway. As my paws step on a twig, the sound of it breaking makes me even more alert to my surroundings.I am sure I am being watched, but I don’t know by who, or what.I had decided to run through the nearby woods because I feel much better when I shift. My wits are sharp again as my vampiric senses kick in. Managing to slow down, my run turns into a small trot. I tune out my inner thoughts and listen intently to the world around me. I can sense someone’s heartbeat and shallow breathing. I pivot sharply toward my right side; I am certain I see a figure darting behind a tree. Since the migraines started, I am not sure if everything is just a mess, or I am just a bit paranoid.As the Alpha of the Kwaad pack, I have trained rigorously to keep my physique strong and fierce. It’s my job to guide my pack, and kee
*Kyle*My people have reported that the Lombard farm is quiet. There isn’t any sign of danger, thus now I am second guessing what the teller told me. If the witch is in trouble, there should be signs pointing to that fact. Now I have to convince her danger is brewing without any tangible threat lurking. What a nuisance….Pressing my foot on the accelerator of my Pagani Huayra BC, the car jerks forward. I practice the speech I’m going to say to the witch; as I do, I wonder what she looks like. For a witch, twenty-one years of age is quite young. I can’t imagine having a meaningful conversation with an adolescent about how her life's in danger and how I can save her.Save her from who or what? I pray Mathias has assembled a group to attack the Lombard farm as planned. The attack will be fake, but should be enough to drive the point of danger across. I come to the rescue, sweep her off her feet, and boom. The girl is mine.As I direct my focus back to driving, I notice the road leading t
*Thelma*The fireplace's dwindling flame crackles; the air stills as the dust settles. In deafening silence, the imposing figure in front of me causes my mouth to turn dry.I didn’t need anyone to tell me that this was the hybrid, Kwaad, Madam Emma spoke of. The beast that had entered the house earlier had been both majestic and terrifying, standing at what must have been twelve feet, on his hind legs, with a delicate slouch. With white fur that reminded me of a ball of wool, I wonder how it would feel burying my fingers into that beautiful mane. His gray eyes had a pleasurably unsettling effect, reassuring in their reflectiveness, yet menacing. Kyle is daunting, even in his human form. His gray eyes are like silver-fire; I feel lost in their flame as he regards me, but I don’t want to be found. Not yet.He steps closer to me…his scent causing my head to spin. I step back, but can’t escape, as my back hits something hard…a wall. With a finger, he tilts my chin up to face him. I lic
*Thelma*Kyle grips the steering wheel of his car tightly as we drive further away from my home. I gaze out of the window into the dark. The darkness seems to reflect my feelings as we move further and further away from my comfort zone into the unknown. Tears burn the back of my eyes but I try to blink them away. The serious look on Kyle’s face tells me he isn’t one to sympathize with mopey women; he made that abundantly clear during my farewell with Roy and Ma. Although I can feel the heat radiating from the man sitting beside me, I feel so alone. I have no idea where we are going, and my emotions have caused my throat to clamp up; I couldn’t speak if I tried.We left the other man and Rhea behind. I’m not sure if they will follow us, but for now, I don’t see any other car. It’s only Kyle and me. Alone. Ma had placed her palm on the window as the car drove away, fat tears streaming down her face. The memory of Ma crying silently while Roy tried to look strong from the door breaks