by J. B. Garcia
Denise stands up and pushes the table violently shoving it against the wall. It rang out with a loud bang and my father comes running from his office and into the dining room shouting, “Michelle what is going on in here?!” Denise runs to him and throws her arms around his neck. Dad face is covered in confusion and Mom gets up and walks over to them. “Denise I am sorry but she needs to know.” Denise rips her arms off Dad and turns to my mother. Her face has changed. She looks evil and sadistic. Almost the way that Travis looks when he changes. Denise starts to walk towards her and Mom begins to back up. She pushes her so far that Denise has her pinned against the back wall. Travis springs into action and tried to rip Denise away from her, “Mom please stop! Don’t do this!” She throws Travis off her and grabs my mom by the throat sliding her up the wall until her arm is fully extended. My mother’s feet are kicking violently as she scratches at Denise’s arm trying to escape from her death grip. Dad runs to Denise and tries to pull her off as Mom violently fights trying to get oxygen. Denise flings my father across the room with just one swipe of her arm. Travis grabs Denise by the back of her neck and throws her to the ground. Mom falls to the ground with a loud THUD, coughing and gasping for air. I rush to her side, falling to my knees to check on her. There is a large red mark across her neck that is already starting to bruise. Anger takes me over and I stand up turning to Denise who is on the floor being wrangled by Travis. She is screaming and clawing at his arms trying to get away. I stomp over to them with my fists clenched and stand over her, staring at this woman who tried to kill my mother. Dad runs to mom and tries to get her to her feet.
I drop down to my knees and start striking Denise with my fists over and over on any piece of her body I can get to. Time has slowed. I hear nothing but my own breathing and my fists connecting on Denise. Anger has taken over my body and I can no longer control my actions. I feel pain shot up both of my wrist and skin being torn from my knuckles. I look at Travis and I can see his mouth moving in slow motion but I can’t hear any words. I feel an arm wrap around my chest and then I am ripped back into reality. Everyone in the room is screaming and yelling. I look around at my mother who is crying with her hands over her mouth staring at me. Travis has placed Denise on the ground, slapping the sides of her face trying to get her to wake up. She is covered in blood. It’s running from her nose and corners of her mouth. My father is squeezing me so tightly that I can’t breathe. I rip away from him and bolt for the front door jumping over Travis and Denise who are still on the floor. Whipping the door open, I run as fast as I can down the porch and around the side of the house to the back where the forest begins. I feel like I can’t run fast enough to escape what I had just done. How will Travis ever forgive me for beating his mother to a pulp? I speed past trees and jump over bushes. I feel branches scratching my legs and dirt being flung onto my back from the bottom of my shoes. The summer air is warm on my face but the smell of flowers and dirt brings me no comfort. The forest is black with only small beams of light from the moon breaking through the branches and leaves. My legs begin to burn from pushing myself as fast as they will carry me. A stick catches my foot sending me flying through the air and I smash my face against a tree. I feel only an instance of pain and warm liquid flow from my forehead. Then blackness...
***
The sun is warming my face through the window and I realize that I am in my bed. How did I get here? The last thing I remember is hitting my head in the forest. My head is throbbing with pain. I try to open my eyes and the sun stings them making my head pain worse. I shut them instantly and try to roll over to my side. My whole body feels sore. I feel like I have been hit by a train. I reach my right arm over my body and grab the edge of the mattress, pulling myself over to my side trying to get the sun out of my face. Once my face is shaded I open my eyes and see that Travis is sleeping on the floor next to my bed. I can’t believe that even after beating his mother he is still taking care of me. I don’t know I got so lucky. He looks so peaceful laying there that I don’t want to wake him. I reach up to my head to feel where I hit the tree. I feel some gauze that is taped to my skin. I put some pressure on the gauze and pain rips through my head and makes me yelp, “Ouch, FUCK!” Travis instantly wakes, sit ups and kneels in front of me. “Niki are you ok? Thank god you are awake!” He wraps his arms around me and gives me a gentle hung. It hurts my body but I don’t want him to let go. His touch is so calming. He lets me go and leans back looking over my face with concern. “How are you feeling?” My mouth is dry and sticks ask I try to respond, “My head hurts and my body is sore. What happened last night? I remember everything up until I fell.” He sits back onto the hardwood floor and says, “Well for one thing it wasn’t last night. You hit your head the day before yesterday and you have been out ever since.” I am shocked to hear this and ask, “Why wasn’t I taken to the Hospital?”
“We can’t have you going into public places. It’s too dangerous. We had a doctor come here to the house. He stitched up your head and has been checking on you every day.” I move onto my back and look up at the ceiling. Travis stands up and sits on the edge of the bed. I want to ask him what happened to Denise but I don’t know how he feels about the situation. I remember my mother being choked by her and my anger starts to surface. My eyes begin to well up with tears and I wipe them away before Travis can see them. I finally gather the courage to ask about Denise “What happened to Denise.” Travis turns away from me and runs his hand through his golden hair. The sun catches his hair and it shimmers in the light. He looks back and places his hand on my leg, “Niki she is fine. Remember she is immortal and her body heals itself. All werewolves can. She was beaten pretty badly but It only took her about 30 minutes to totally heal. She is in the other room.” I can’t help but feel bad for what I did. I know that she can heal herself and the only reason I did it was because of what she did to my mom, but I still feel guilty. I am supposed to be Queen next week and I doubt that is how they are supposed to deal with conflicts. I look back to Travis and put my hand atop of his, “I am sorry for what I did to her.” I climbs over me and lies in the spot beside me on my bed, “Niki, don’t worry about it. I am sure if your dad tried to kill mine I would act the same way.” He leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. My headache seems to lessen with his kiss. I lift my hand and touch his face gently. He places his hand atop of him, turns his head and kisses my palm. My stomach lets out a growl and Travis looks at me and chuckles, “Hungry Fella?” I nod my head and he sits up and climbs back over me. “Do you want to try and get up or do you want me to bring you something?” I put my elbows underneath myself and try to sit up. The pain in my shoulders is so intense that it makes my arms shake. I look back at Travis and say “I want to get up can you help me please.” He moves to the edge of the bed and puts one arm around my back and the other under my knees. He lifts me up in an instant as if I was as light as a feather. He sets me down slowly on the hardwood floor holding all my weights incase my legs giveaway. Surprisingly my legs are not as sore as my upper body.
I walk slowly to door with Travis at my side and he takes me down the hall. As we pass my father office I see Denise sitting in his office chair facing the door holding a picture in her hands. She hears us walking past the door and she looks up and stares. She holds her glare until we pass the door. Once we pass, I hear the door slam shut. My mother comes around the corner from the living room and lets out a squeal of excitement when she sees me. “Oh my goodness thank god you are ok! I have been so worried about you.” She hugs me tight and I yelp in pain, “Ahh, please mom, gently.” She releases me and says, “I’m sorry honey I am just happy to see you up.”
I look at her neck and there is some faint bruising left around her neck. She runs her hand down the side of my face, “Niki don’t worry, I am ok.” I look around the living room for my father but he is nowhere to be found. I look back to my mother, “Mom where is Dad?” The smile on her face fades immediately, “Well Honey he isn’t here.” My mouth d
rops open. I can’t believe he left. “What do you mean he is gone? Where did he go?” She starts to rub her hands together, “Well…Travis…Umm” She can’t finish her sentence so I look to Travis and say, “Where is he Travis.” He looks to the ground and is silent. I start to feel rage pulse through my veins “Travis tell me where he went and why.” He lifts his head takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes, “I sent him away.” I snap back “You did what! Why did you send him away?” I can see the beads of sweat starting to form his forehead, “Because Niki, it’s not safe for him anymore. After you ran out of the house he went out looking for you. I was trying to take care of my mom and Michelle was helping me.” Travis starts to pull me towards the living room and sets me down on the couch. The plush cushion feels heavily on my sore body. He sits next to and turns his body towards me.
“So about 30 minutes after he left I heard screaming in the forest. It was far away from the house so I couldn’t tell who it was. I ran out of the house and searched the forest. I searched for an hour but the screams just kept getting further away the closer I came. When I finally got close I realized it was your father that had been screaming.” My eyes grow wide and my anxiety level is higher than it has even been. I am so close with my Dad and now to hear that something happened to him is making my heart break into a thousand pieces. Travis continues, “He was lying under a tree unconscious covered in blood and cuts. I picked him up and raced him back to the house as fast as I could. Michelle and my mom took him to the hospital to have his wounds treated.” I cannot control the tears that are flowing from my eyes. I place my face in my hands cry harder than I have in a long time. Travis puts his hand on my back trying to console me. I look at Travis and say, “Wait, that doesn’t explain why he didn’t come back?” Travis removes his hand from my back and places it in his lap. “After I took him into the house I went back out to find you. As I was looking, I smelled the scent of James blood and followed it. It led me to a Scout. It was hiding in a tree just watching us run around looking for you. It attacked your father, tortured him for information and left him for dead. It would be safer if your father didn’t return to the Lake House. If he does it would make him an easy target for the Scouts and for Khan. I thought that it would be better if he didn’t come back. I’m sorry Niki I should have told you but this is the first time that you have been awake since it happened.”
I look out the window in the living room. I can see the lake glittering in the sun. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. “Travis is he alive? Is he ok?” He pulls me into his chest and hugs me, “Yes Babe he is fine. A few cuts and bruises but he is going to make a full recovery. It was hard keeping him away from the Lake House he wanted to come back and be with you. He loves you so much. I am sorry I made him stay away but it’s for the best I swear.” I know that Travis is trying to help but I can’t help but feel angry that he made my father leave. I need him here. I am stuck with crazy Denise and mother needs just as much protection as I do. This is my entire fault. If I hadn’t of run out of the house he would have never came looking for me. How can I ever forgive myself for putting my father in that situation? I can’t imagine the fear and pain he went through. My mind stops, my mother, why didn’t he have my mother leave. I look back at Travis, “Why didn’t you send my mom away? Isn’t she is danger by being here?” Travis looks to my mother and motions her to come into the living room, “Do you want to tell her Michelle?”
She looks to me and walks back into the dining room. She grabs a chair that was broken in tussle the other night and places it in front of me. She says nothing and raises her hand at the chair. Her glare is locked on it. I try to speak to her but she lifts her other hand signally me to be quiet. I think at this point that she has lost her mind. I look at Travis he grins at me and looks back at my mom. Turn my head back to her and the chair is beginning to smoke. Her face begins to turn red and the chair bursts into flames. I jump back and push myself down the couch, “Oh my god mom! How did you do that?” She closes her hand and the flames disappear. She looks as me and smiles “I thought that I lost my gift. But last night after Denise…well you know…tried to kill me, It felt the old sensation I used to get when I would start a fire. I thought that it was just because I was angry but it wasn’t.” Travis looks over to me and says, “When the gifted ignore their ability they loss it and can never get it back under normal circumstances, you know that. But since you were made the next heir to the throne, your parents will be given gifts for the great sacrifice of losing their child. Your mothers’ gift was the return of her Pyros gift. She is being given the chance to learn how to control it and embrace who she really is. I think that it’s fantastic.” He looks to my mom and then back at me. I really don’t know how to react to this. “Well what about my Dad? What gift was he given?” Travis looks to my mom, “You know… I don’t know. We took him to the hospital and that is the last time that I saw him.” I look to my mom and say, “Mom, how do you feel about this? You hated your gift and now you have it back.” She comes and kneels in front of me placing her hands on my knees, “Niki, for so long I was afraid of what people would think about me if they found out about my gift, but seeing you embrace your gift and responsibilities has shown me that I don’t need to be afraid of who I am or what I can do. I am so sorry for the hell I put you through when you were younger. Can you ever forgive me?” Everything that I have ever wanted her to say to me was crammed together in one sentence. Over whelming joy fills my heart and tears of joy flow down my face. She reaches up and wipes them away with her thumbs.
“Of course I forgive you mom. I love you.” She takes me in her arms and gives me a hug. I don’t mind the pain that it causes me because this is the first time in a long time that I have felt close to her. I wish that it was under different circumstances but I will take it. I feel her love envelope me and I accept it with open arms. She lets me go and the tears falling from her eyes and land on my knees. I take Travis hand and say, “So if I am a mystic and she is my mother, does that mean that I have some of her power too?” He thinks for a moment and replies, “You know I am not sure but my dad would know.” He immediately stops talking realizing that Denise is in the other room and Charles doesn’t want her to know, that he knows they’re here. Footsteps ring through the house and Denise comes into the living room. My anxiety and anger immediately returns.
Denise is a lot stronger than I am and I am sure that she isn’t happy about me beating her the other night. Denise looks at my mother and fear covers her face. Is there something that I missed? Why would she be scared of us? She came to this Lake House with the intent to murder me and now she is scared of us? She takes a step towards me and Mom springs to her feet standing between us. Denise looks up to my mother and says, “Don’t worry Michelle I am not going to hurt her. I just want to talk.” Denise takes another step forward and Mom puts her hand in the middle of her chest, “You can talk from there.” Denise takes a breath and steps back. “Niki, I am sorry about the other night. The story of how I was awakened is not pleasant and I don’t like to talk about it. There is a lot about that night that Michelle doesn’t know about and when it gets brought up I cannot control my temper.” Mom turns back and looks down at me. I motion her to move from between us. I place my hands to my sides and push myself up from the couch. The pain in my shoulders is almost too much to bear. I try and keep the look of pain out my eyes. The last thing that I want is for her to know that I am weak. I straighten up and take a few steps to her until we are inches apart. “Denise, I forgive you but if you ever put your hands on my mother or anyone else in this house there will be no stopping what I do to you.” She gives me a sadistic half smile and replies, “Yes your highness.” She turns away from me and walks out of the house. I don’t know why she would even apologies when she is trying to kill me, maybe to keep the illusion that she is here to help me through the awakening. Remembering that the Blood Moon is less than 5 days away sends shivers through my body. I am really ready for this?
&nbs
p; Chapter 5
-Denise-
“Denise hurry up we are going to be late for the Full Moon Festival!” My mother yells up the stairs. She is always trying to rush me. It’s my birthday, it’s the most important night of my life and all she can worry about is the damn festival. Tonight is the night I become my true self. A woman came to me in a vision and made everything so clear. It wasn’t like the normal visions I have where I am basically a spectator watching someone else’s life unfold. This woman looked into my eyes and told me my purpose. Her name was Katarina and she was just like me. She told me that she was a guide. Katarina explained the secrets of the Mystic’s and that we are valuable to the Werewolf race. She told me that after I awakened my abilities would be assessed and then my duty would be assigned to me. After she explained everything to me she gave me a warning, “Beware child, if you have a dark heart and your intentions for life are not honorable then our great Queen Renee will not have you. King Khan has given her the power to choose which Mystic’s are accepted into our race and her word is final. If you are not chosen, you will keep your gift, as it is your birth right and will be immortal, but you will never ascend to the Royal Court and you will live in the human realm forever. Immortality is a gift but when you are banned from our world immortality can be a curse. Watching loved ones grow old and die over and over can cause one to turn mad.” I take her warning into consideration. I believe that my intentions in life are good, but there is so much anger I have towards everyone that has caused me pain. I hope that it doesn’t affect the Queens decision.