1. Being human

Henrietta

"Odyssey must be the most beautiful, strong and wealthiest kingdom else, why would everyone from far and wide want to settle here? especially when their own respective clans are quite specific for them." I asked the royal tutor, Sir Bernard who home schooled my twin sister, Gwendolyn and I. He was one of the oldest alphas in his clan who according to our father, King Kenneth is the reason our realm has so much balance to hold different energy and creatures.

"Pfft, they all have ulterior motives," I heard Gwendolyn say, placing one leg over the other as she threw her head backwards.

"Hmmm," Sir Bernard sighed, staring from me to Gwendolyn who didn't look like she cared about what he was going to say, as a matter of fact, she didn't.

"Ulterior motives?" I asked in confusion at her outrageous reply and she shrugged.

"Yes, ulterior motives," she repeated, with as much boldness as she could fathom. Gwendolyn has always been very smart, strong and courageous, yet extremely tricky. "Can't you see it?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, I can't. All I see are people of goodwill who all they want is happiness, praying for our father and the kingdom." I retorted, my voice a lot higher than I would have wanted it to be while staring at her straight in the face while a side of her lips twitched upward.

"That's bec…" she began, while dropping her leg and making to leave her seat.

"Silence," Sir Bernard ordered, cutting her off and stopping her from getting to me. We both turned our attention back to him, yet the tension in the remain only grew stronger. I knew Gwendolyn so well and since Sir Bernard didn't give her a chance to give me a befitting reply, the conversation was not over.

"Odyssey holds a lot of people, Vampires," he began and I think I saw Gwendolyn smile in pride, "Werewolves, witches and of course," Sir Bernard paused, turning his attention to me and with a smile he said, "Humans," which was the category I belonged because unlike my sister who was already actively displaying her fangs since childhood, up until my eighteenth birthday, I haven't been able to produce any element of the special categories, so certainly, I was human yet born of a Vampire and a White witch. 

"Humans," Gwendolyn repeated with a sinister laughter, "they are merely surviving on father's pity, else they would have gone extinct." She said in a malicious voice

"Like yours has already." I snapped and she hissed, exposing her long sharp fangs which were only beginning to get longer.

"Gwendolyn!!" Sir Bernard growled, calling her to order in time before I fell off my chair in fear and she quickly snapped out of it. Releasing a sigh of relief, I gulped, for one too many reasons I was scared of her even when I was the older twin. I have always had the feeling that she would hurt me if she had her chances. She was like fire while I was water while on many days I was dry wood, at the receiving end of her wrath.

Sir Bernard cleared his throat, he must have already gotten used to our constant fights, "They all coexist as a result of peace. The peace treaty which holds everyone's interest at heart and protects them from being prey to the other."

"You mean like Humans to vampires?" Gwendolyn asked but Sir Bernard rolled his eyes instead of giving her a reply.

"Sir Bernard," one of the palace servants ran into the study, panting furiously, "The king requests your presence." He said breathing hard with his head bent low in bow.

Sir Bernard bit down on his lower lip while staring from Gwendolyn to me as if resisting the urge to reply to our father. When his eyes landed on me, they got soft, it was as if he was apologizing.

"Gwendolyn!" He said her name using the voice of his wolf and she winced, "You must me behave!" He ordered, before leaving the room alongside the maid.

The moment he left, Gwendolyn took a few minutes to regain her composure before turning her face towards me in her seat.

"Hello, human." She mocked, "You know why you're still alive?" She asked an obvious rhetorical question which I ignored, doing my best to ignore her altogether.

"Let me guess," she paused, "Father pities you. He hopes you'd be like mom. What a shame." She said, slapping her tongue on teeth repeatedly so that the noise got to me. "Poor Mom," she whispered.

That was the part I couldn't tolerate, her joking with our ill Mom. They used to be close but the moment Gwendolyn got to know what she was and the difference, she began to resent mom. She has never expressed any remorse since mother got bedridden.

"You don't always have to make jokes out of everything, stupid." I muttered in a low tone, regretting it that instant as I recalled she had the strongest sense of hearing.

"So you speak, You know I can hear your heart racing audibly." She said in a sing-song voice, leaving her seat and taking dangerous steps towards me while flashing her fangs at me.

"Gwendolyn," I said in a shaky voice as she appeared beside me with so much speed. My breath was beginning to grow heavy and I was getting even more scared. "Gwendolyn, that is…" I watched her hand which she placed in front of me while her fingernails grow longer, "that is. enough. show..show off." I stuttered, moving backward in my seat. 

Suddenly, she had her hands placed firmly on both of my arms, holding me firmly while her fingers almost tore my skin. "Gwen !" I screamed in fear as her tongue licked the side of my neck, "Please!" I cried, her eyes hadn't changed its color yet, they never have. She has tried so many times to get it to turn red like father's whenever he's hungry or angry about something but it never does.

"What is a prey without fear?" She said through laughter and suddenly I felt her cold canine on my neck and instantly shut my eyes, expecting pain but the chilly feeling left as soon as it came and so did her hold

"Gwendolyn!!!" I heard father yell and my eyes quickly shut open to see me in his arms yet I was shaky. I raised my hand to feel his beard while admiring his hard face and he turned his hard stare to me but his blue eyes got soft the moment they met my gray ones.

His eyes were tired and afraid at the same time. He hasn't been able to sleep since mother became ill. Neither has he shaved his beard. I guess this was one of the things truelove could do to a person, the fear of losing that person was one of it. And our father did love our mom.

"Are you okay?" He asked me to brush my black hair away from my face with his hand and I smiled, still in shock from what happened. Gwendolyn has done so many things to taunt and scare me but has never gone this far.

Father turned his attention to the floor and I saw Gwendolyn, struggling to stay on her knees with her head hanging low. "How. Many . Time's up I have to warn you not to try such acts on your. Sister!" He bellowed, slowly taking steps towards her and she began to shudder.

"Let's go Dad," I said in a soft voice and he let out a sigh before nodding. I didn't want him to take any rash actions towards Gwen nor did I want to stay in the room any longer.

"Take her away, and lock her up." He instructed his servants while referring to Gwen. After that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

He didn't place me on my feet even though I was a grown woman who could walk on her own, he was scared for me, pity was the right word. I think that was because he wouldn't be around all the time to save me. I wonder what would have happened if he didn't get here in time, ugh! in a world of witches, wolves and vampires, it really sucks to be human.