Layla

The new place

To get to our new home we had to drive through the middle of a forest filled with the highest gigantic trees that looked down at you as if to say, ‘watch out, we know your every move’. They honestly give me the creeps, but for some reason I can’t stop gazing up at them. Thankfully, they stretched for hours successfully keeping me distracted from the heavy tension in the car. The long drive was deadly silent, my mum not even giving my dad the slightest glance, her eyes solely fixed on her side window. I’m exhausted and most importantly desperate to go for a walk and stretch my legs. It has been ten hours since Dad has been driving and not a word from both. Normally I would say something but after what happened back at home even, I don’t have the will or the slightest ounce of energy to say a word nor move a muscle on my face. The events from last night had sucked the life out of me draining the last bit of soul I didn’t even think I had.

My Dad peaks at my mum with the corner of his eyes and then to me through the rear-view mirror, ‘We’re here’ he says. I give him a slight nod unable to say anything as we enter Roosevelt a small suburban town known to have only white people and a place those hunters would least expect us to be in. My dad being an Arab with dark brown skin and curly hair that coils up so beautifully, I’m sure he might feel uncomfortable to be here, but what choice does he have. His family might be slaughtered at any given day if we stayed at home. My mum turns her gaze to me, she has a slight sadness and protectiveness in her eyes.  My mother, who likes to be called Luna (even though it’s far from her real name) has ginger hair that falls so elegantly in endless waves down her back. Her face so angel like, a complete contradiction to the women she really is. She’s cunning and always hiding secrets, I guess that’s where I get it from. This evil darkness I sometimes feel inside of me, the only explanation is her because my dad you see he couldn’t possibly hurt a fly, he’s quite a sensitive man easily getting hurt by my mother’s sometimes cruel words. They are complete opposites and sometimes I wonder if there better off apart but then I see how they glance at each other when they think I’m not looking, and I know in those moments they do love each other, and they’re not just married for the sake of me. My dad is from Jerusalem, a devout Muslim that warned me about demon’s, spirits and witchcraft. He’s the reason I’m wearing a headscarf, ever since he took me to Jerusalem and I got to see my cousins, I wanted to be like them all wrapped in black.  I’m not as religious as him or have a love for religion and spirituality like he does but something about covering my hair makes me feel protected and comforted. People tend to stay away from me which I quiet like, but I know it upsets my mum. Luna is still looking at me with those pleading eyes to take of my scarf. I get it we must blend in, but I just can’t, I’m glued to this thing it’s like my hair at this point or better less a limb.

‘Layla please’ my mum begs. I look over at my dad and of course he looks away leaving me to fend for myself as usual. Its like talking to a mirror, our faces look the same, both of us having the same blue eyes and high cheek bones, only I’m not a ginger like her, not like anyone can see my hair anyway. My hair is as black as my scarf and that’s the way I like it. It’s the only thing that makes me feel different to my mum. ‘Mum I’m a bloody vampire and your worried if someone will hurt my feelings because of this thing’ I point at my head.  She rolls her eyes and turns to dad ‘Moh tell your daughter if she wants to not attract attention, she needs to take it off, at least till we know our next location’. Sometimes I feel like I don’t exist I mean everything I bloody said hasn’t even digested in her brain. ‘Don’t worry they won’t come looking for us here, this place is controlled by the spirit pack we just need to speak with their Alpha and tell them about our situation and they’ll keep us safe’ my dad explains in a shaky voice. ‘We all know werewolves won’t help us’ mum interjects quietly.  Werewolves hearing is so much superior to ours and I can already smell them around the town. ‘We have to try; I’ll keep trying until my child is safe’ He says firmly. He looks at mum in a sort of authoritative way which I rarely get to see. She finally gives up and goes back to look at her window. My dads’ Arab accent always deepens when he’s more serious and I can’t help but feel bad for thinking he never has my back. If only I wasn’t this blood thirsty vampire my dad won’t have to suffer because of me, he’s just a human and had no idea mum was a vampire when he married her. He always tells me the story of how he found out when I’m having a bad day just to give me a little laugh. I lean over and squeeze my dad’s shoulder silently thanking him.

We pass over a beautiful bridge that hides a small lake, it radiates peace and serenity. If I had the time I would dive into the lake and swim until my heart desires. I sometimes dream I was a mermaid instead of a vampire. How nice it would be, being alive in the ocean and not dead on this land, waiting to die with a spear driven through your heart. The houses come into view however it looks almost deserted, I can smell the humans inside and the just werewolves outside. My mum sits up on her seat clearly feeling the same thing I’m feeling, dread. My dad looks at mum seeing her discomfort ‘what is it?’ my mum shakes her head. “Somethings not right I can’t smell any humans” she turns to me “what about you”. I turn down the window and take a deep breath in “there definitely here but there’s some sort of spell on them, there all inside…asleep”. “The wolves know were here” she turns to dad who speeds up, his hands too tight on the steering wheel.  As a human I’m sure he’s terrified for what’s to come and as the man of the house I’m sure he’s trying to stay calm and play the protector of the family but me and mum know that humans have no chance with the supernatural. “Dad they definitely know, maybe we should stop somewhere so we don’t seem like a threat”, “she’s right” mum says, “we are in their territory lets surrender and bend the knee”. For some reason, my fangs grew, and my nails extended at the thought of bending a knee. My mum turned around clearly notices but doesn’t seem surprised unlike me. “Breath Layla they already suspect” she gets cut off as dad comes to a sudden stop. My mum goes to shout but her words get caught in her mouth as a deadly looking werewolf covered in jet black snarls at us. The wolf’s eyes are also pitch black; a darkness surrounds this wolf as he contrasts drastically to the clear blue skies.

My dad to my surprise gets out of the car, he fixes his glasses and puts his hands up in surrender, more wolves in human form emerge from behind the trees and in between houses. Me and mum share a look of concern, I know what we should do but for some reason my body and my heart is pulling at me, telling me not to bow down so quickly. I mean is it that bad we came into their territory we just need a safe place to reside it’s not like we’re here to cause any harm. My mum steps out and the snarls begin, she puts her hand up in surrender. The werewolves’ growls are defeaning, but the black wolf doesn’t move and instead he focuses on me. I match his gaze through the front car mirror. His eyes getting lighter by the second but his face still as deadly as his once black eyes. An immense sense of power radiating of from him that exhilarates me instead of scares me. Is this what everyone else is feeling? My dad seems like he’s about to pass out and mum looks still as a dead bird. So, it’s just me huh?

Everyone is still, clearly anxious of why their precious Alpha is still. Why his eyes are getting brighter by the second. They seem soft, I could almost stare at those eyes all day, but I know that can’t happen. My mum hisses turn’s to me “Get…out...of...the...car...NOW”. I come out in a haste and slam the door shut. I stand the tallest out of my dad and mum. My vampire powers radiating of me. I can’t seem to control myself. My fangs extend without my control and the veins in my face turn black. I put my face down as the snarls become angrier. However, to my surprise the Alpha directs his gaze at his pack, and they stop in a deadly silence. The Alpha looks back at me and turns his back to us and walks forward in the middle of the road. Do we have to follow him? What is he doing? Such power from one wolf, such criminal dominance yet such silky tender eyes that glared at my soul without permission.

As we drive slowly following the Alpha my mum looks at dad and puts a comforting hand on his lap. The scenery is quite pleasant, almost seems like a mystical city hidden from humans’ eyes but I can’t seem to enjoy its beauty as the Alphas eyes still linger on my mind.  “Layla please don’t act like a child today, we need their help more than anything, so lower your gaze and control yourself” Mum says in the gentlest yet authoritative voice I have ever heard. I couldn’t say anything else just nod. I don’t know what happened to me back there, but I know It was disrespectful. To bare my fangs in front of an Alpha and not have it start a war I know we were lucky. I’m not sure why he allowed us entry into his pack, maybe he can sense we are no harm or maybe this is a trap and he’s working with the same men that are hunting us. “Doesn’t this feel a little weird and oddly too simple” my anxiety increasing by the second. Dad looks at me thoughtfully through the rear-view mirror “hmm yes I’m not sure why he silenced his pack, but we don’t have any option but to follow his commands”. My mum was in deep thought her eyebrows furrowed and her lips shut tightly together. She was more alert and serious then she was yesterday.

Mum has had quite a bad experience with wolves growing up. A rouge killed her family, so her distain for werewolves runs deep into her veins. However, she knows the dire situation we are currently in and so no remarks against the beasts have been made since. Otherwise, she would be going on about them and how barbaric they are. I think werewolves are special yet dangerous, the eldest supernatural creatures than us vampires. There history runs deep and I’m so what envious they live in packs and can transform to such majestic creatures. Whilst all I can do is look like the life has been sucked out of me and not to mention I’m constantly pale as in the pale you get when you’re sick.

We pass by some bigger homes that have a magical barrier surrounding them, the barrier turns purple when the Alpha passes and then black when we pass through it, clearly sensing unwanted trespassers.  An infinity of trees surrounds a mansion at the end of the road for protection. The alpha and the rest of the wolves speed up to this beauty of a mansion. The trees open and the forest moves making a pathway for its Alpha. Dad speeds up alongside them and my mum’s eyes darken as we get closer. I look behind and the forest starts to close as we make our way inside.  As I turn back to stare at him as he runs, he abruptly stops catching us by surprise making my dad press the breaks awfully hard. Whilst the Alpha transforms into his human form the fairies in the garden swarm to surround him effectively protecting his nudity. “I’ve never seen fairies” I say without comprehending my words. My dad looks at me and I blush realising I was trying to see the Alpha. “eyes down Layla” my dad says still doing his best to parent me.

The alpha in all his glory has changed into dark blue jeans and a black shirt that falls loosely on him. His back is still towards us but I’m itching to see his face. It seems like forever before he makes a next move. My eyes blaring razors at his back beginning to turn around but he doesn’t. He just walks on forward. Everyone following closely by. Someone knocks on our car, a woman seemingly in her 50’s with wild hair and smells like a witch. “Hello bloodsucking demons may you please step out of the car and follow me closely”. Me and my mum are wide eyed, our mouths hanging to the floor. Did she really have the nerve to call us demons? Mother fucker!

“Come on now we don’t have all day” her voice getting more and more annoying and high pitched by the minute. We get out of the car and the air feels different almost clean yet if you breath in too much it will put you to sleep. It feels like a different world. My dad nods his head “it does” wow did I say that out loud? My mum looks at me “no you didn’t but over here your thoughts are heard out loud to the ones near you, so sweety be a dear and don’t think of the Alpha in any way” she whispered the last part about the Alpha. I blushed profusely, damn these wolves and witches. The old lady turns to look at me squinting her eyes. I guess she hard that too.

As we walk up the steps to the mansion it gets darker and darker the sunsetting behind the building. Have we been driving that long? How big is this city? I thought it was ghost town, but I guess not. Just hidden from tourists and trespassers like us. The Alpha has seemingly disappeared inside the house. About a hundred wolves surround us and not to mention the wolves behind us who are as still as statues, but their faces are threatening and unsure. It seems like the hate for vampires is very much pure but as my dad is a mere human, I think that’s what’s saving us. It’s incredibly unique for a vampire to mate with a non-vampire, especially a human. Very unheard of as Vampires live on forever and a human can’t especially when the human isn’t turned into one of us. A relationship like this goes against vampire law of course but the wolves tend to be more barbaric and lenient with these things however they love being in a pack. They almost can’t function if there not together. I mean talk about “Aww” my mum pinches me and gives me a stern look. Oh, damn I forgot they could hear.

An older man walks out in a walking stick and every wolf howls. He seems kind and has a strong aura of powerful strength almost stronger than the Alpha. How can a man radiate such magic, as he stares at me with his grey aged wrinkly eyes, a cold shiver runs down my spine. He doesn’t seem welcoming as the Alpha does. He has a stern look on his face and looks between my dad and my mum. He observes us well as the howls finally stop. He walks towards us and extends his hand to my dad who shakily takes it. As he looks into my dad’s eye’s and he observes him almost looking into his soul. I guess he passed the test as he introduces himself “My name is Adam Lockwood nice to meet you Dr Mohammed Al – Kurdi in such perfect pronunciation. My dad flabbergasted splutters out “how do you know my name?”.  Adam Lockwood chuckles well Mohammed I’m an ancient wolf and bear the power of knowledge of all. One look into your eyes and I know your history just not your darkest secrets those I can’t see or feel, so not to worry. “Oh, right well um this is my wife Isabelle and my daughter Layla” he points to us. Did dad just ignore the fact that this man can look into our eyes and know all that we went through, does that mean he knows what were escaping from?”

The Alpha steps out of the mansion he has a mask covering his face only his eyes that resemble mine can be seen. “Everyone knows what you’re escaping from”.  Adam Lockwood turns to the Alpha “that’s my son, I apologise but his face must be hidden as the very same vampires after you my dear are also after my son so I must keep his identity hidden to you”. He looks over at my mum with a cold unwelcoming gaze. My mum looks towards the ground in deep concentration. The fact that they can hear my thoughts feels very unsettling. I can’t hear anything from my mum she seems to be trying to think of nothing. As am I. “We’re very sorry to hear that they’re after your son but may I ask why?” my mum finally speaks. “you must know why dear Isabelle. You were present in the battle of the lands in 1948 were you not?” Mum stays silent and Adams’s jaw tightens his fist knuckles turning white around his walking staff. “The day Dracula left his curse upon my kind Isabelle”. He says my mums name with so much venom, but he continues “and the day you were forced to marry him”.