V Y X E N

1.

Present day

The moon hung in its silvery beauty, completely mesmerizing Arisa as she lay awake in her silk sheets, her hair in loose twists and the smell of shea butter wafting off her skin. She had a long hot shower and even went as far as to put on her favorite face mask, so why wasn’t she at peace? why did she feel so tormented?

Rolling on her stomach she scrutinized the heavenly body, it looked innocent enough, so why was it wreaking havoc on her once more? “it’s you isn’t it?” she whispered, “you’re the reason I can’t sleep” Pushing her pillow aside she tried to find the sleep she knew wouldn't come.

Dark haunting eyes assaulted her, they seemed to seek out all her secrets and insecurities, with a frustrated groan she resisted the urge to scream. “who are you?”

“if you won’t say anything just let me sleep already” she muttered pleadingly, those haunting eyes remained fixed on her, the rest of his face left in the shadow.

I must’ve been bewitched she thought to herself bitterly

A voice never accompanied those eyes, it never listened to her pleas to leave her be nor further provoke her, just watched her with the same intensity every full moon without fail. She had already concluded that maybe, just maybe she was going crazy like her mother. The faint scent of fresh rain tickled her senses and made her n*****s pebble, affecting her in ways she was still confused by, even after two years of it happening.

Begrudgingly she left the warmth of her sheet, knowing from experience that she wouldn’t be able to sleep with the moon so high in the sky. heading downstairs she wondered if she could pass the time mixing up a new concoction that could help her sleep better, not that it was a pressing matter, she functioned just fine with the limited amount of rest she was getting.

The tinkle of Stans collar notified Arisa of the whereabouts of her pet and she bent to meet her lovely golden eyed hound, patting his deep black fur she guided him down the stairs alongside her.

The cold wrapped around her the second she hit the first floor, Renae stood before the back patios sliding doors in nothing but her thin nightgown, The moon shone even more fiercely and the bite of the sea breeze pushed Arisa into action as she rushed forward in alarm, quickly pulling her mother back.

“Ma, It’s freezing, what are you doing?”

Renae struggled in her arms “leave the doors open, they need to be able to come in, so we can go home”

Her stomach plummeted and she tried to keep her hands from shaking, Renae’s big brown eyes didn’t leave the doors before her.

Not again

“okay, okay, I’ll stay here and let them in” she reasoned with the woman, her hair had fallen loose from its updo and burnt blonde locs fell across her almost blank features “you should go up and I'll come back and wait for them” Arisa urged softly.

Her mother frowned not quite liking her idea but relented when Arisa tugged her to the bedroom. Her mother's eyes never met hers as she tucked the woman in, it was almost as if Arisa didn’t exist at all, the young woman straightened, an almost mechanical motion to her movement as she headed towards the door, dialing the doctor.

“where is she?”

Arisa didn’t have to wait long for Fedrick to arrive, he looked the same as usual, just as she remembered him through the years, warm chocolate eyes, a downturned mouth, and rough outward appearance, his profession didn’t suit him at all.

Arisa pointed upstairs and without a word he took the stairs two at a time, Stan sat by the foot of the steps, wagging his tail softly at Arisa. She patted him on the head as she passed him knowing the hound wasn’t fond of being in close proximity with her mother. She waited patiently by her Mothers door for Fedrick to exit or Olivia and her Mother to arrive, whichever came first.

“oh you slobby mess, move!” she heard the harsh whisper, followed by footsteps as Anita and her daughter climbed up the stairs, “are you okay, Arisa” A middle-aged woman came in her line of sight, jet black hair, a small round face and worried eyes greeted her, she smelled faintly of plum blossom, the smell Arisa associated with the Kang women.

“Fedrick is looking after mom” The woman nodded petting her twists before also entering the room.

“hey mutt, earn your keep” a faint chime rang in the hall before she felt the warmth of her hound as he squeezed his way between her and Olivia, she turned to see her friend glaring at the hound who completely ignored her hostility.

“why do you always start a fight?”

Olivia didn’t answer her question but instead reach across from Stan to hold Arisa’s hand “was it bad?” she whispered, her eyes softening.

Arisa hummed, playing with the gold and silver bands around Olivia pudgy fingers, she pulled back instinctively but Arisa held on tight, a small smile on her face.

“don’t tell me you’re still self-conscious”

“did you pack already?” Arisa sighed heavily, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as Olivia evaded her questions yet again.

“it's not like I have anything better to do" Arisa muttered bitterly, "do you know where we're going?"

"not really, but we can't stay here anymore, it's not safe"

Arisa's face crumpled in confusion "it's not like I come from a family of fugitives, what's this about safety?" she liked where she lived, the food was great, the people were vibrant and with a large mix of cultures there was always something to do. Olivia had an expression that Arisa couldn't quite read and it made her feel a little queasy.

"Ol-" Stan whined beside her, rubbing his massive head eagerly in her lap, his puppy eyes begging Arisa to pet him, Olivia frowned in annoyance “you’re literally of no help, this is why you don’t keep strays”

Arisa gasped, covering her hounds' ears “Olivia!”, the older girl shrugged, still pouting.

“if you're going to blame anyone blame yourself”

“Hey!, I brought you camping for us to bond over the full moon and whatever, not for you to take in a rando”

Arisa couldn't help but snicker at the memory of the disaster that was her 16th birthday, Olivia, despite her perfect outward appearance wasn't the best at planning. anything. whatsoever.

“bond over the full moon?” Arisa rolled her eyes “sometimes you say stuff that really makes me worry about your mental health, are we all going crazy or what?”

Olivia slapped her and Arisa squealed in surprise “Liv!”

“I told you countless times not to call your mother crazy”

“if she’s crazy, she’s crazy!, why should I sugar coat it?” she asked angrily, frustrated she rose heading for the first floor, Stan’s whine following her, she knew she was being mean but what was the point of being a teen in this day and age if they couldn't make light of situations that were too stressful to handle straight on.

Olivia always got defensive when the issue of Renae's mental health came to the forefront and it annoyed Arisa.

Huffing she jumped from the stairs, hoping Olivia would hear the thud and know she was still very much irritated.

The nape of her neck itched, just like it did whenever her emotions were intense, she groaned in irritation, rubbing the pebbled skin, ready to continue her stubborn stomping when the sliding door shattered into a thousand pieces, sending glass whizzing through the air and the frigid wind sweeping in, chilling her to the bone. An unnatural hum penetrated the air as something even darker and ominous stepped past the jagged pieces latched in wood and the scattered mess on the hardwood floor.

Chills raced along her spine as her feet came out from under her, a sinister smile graced its grimy, scarred face, cuts so deep and violent it made Arisa want to throw up.

abomination

“you’ve been hiding for so long little thing,” it said, his voice was like acid and her skin reacted in kind, burning with a ferocity the closer it got, darkness seemed to seep from its skin into tendrils that reached out for her, just waiting for a taste of her flesh.

Her flesh.

Something told her this wasn't the visitor her Mother had patiently been waiting on. She willed her muscles to move, but they remained frozen, and good God, it kept creeping closer to her, she swore she would pass out from how brutally her heart was beating against her chest.

“Arisa!” she heard Olivia’s voice as Pounding footsteps descended the stairs, her dyed blonde hair wild around her pale terrified face. Arisa had never seen her like that, it made her trembling triple tenfold

“Run!”