The Alpha King's Forest

Chapter 1: Getting Out

"You've got to be kidding me," whined my older sister Veronica. We're on the phone and she asked me to come out with her and our younger sister Nicole to the club. But I couldn't. "I'm sorry Ronnie, but I have tons of drafts to go over for the paper and Mr. Lewis wants it done in two days." I said. "But you've been working nonstop Ellie and you're supposed to be a ghost writer not an editor." Veronica protested. I sighed. "I know but what can I do?" I replied.

My name is Elisa Simone Star. A 29-year-old editor for the Luna Cross local newspaper. I've worked here for five years and have always been reliable. But Veronica is right, I'm supposed to be a ghost writer and not an editor. When I first applied for the job, I had to go through a trial run writing for one of the reporters. The boss loved the work and moved me into the editing department. And I haven't moved up since.

"What you can do is get up from that desk, take a quick shower and get dressed," Veronica said. "Nicky and I are fed up with watching our sister not have any fun anymore." "We want you to go out and do something that makes you happy," she added. "What do you say?"

I chuckled. There was no winning with her. I sighed and gave in. I said, "Okay, fine. I'll shower and get dressed. I'm game." Veroinca started to squeal on the phone. I pulled my phone away from my ear until she was done. And then I said, "If you're driving, I'll be ready in 45 minutes maybe less." She responded, "Yes, I'm driving. See you soon!" I hung up the phone and made my way to my room to get ready.

My shower wasn't long because knowing Veronica, she's probably speeding to get to my apartment. So after my shower, I brushed my teeth and walked to my closet. Since my sisters wanted to go to the club, I put on my best club outfit. It was a black plus size solid corset design split hem slight stretch tank dress. I paired it with a pair of black strappy heels and a black belt. I put on my makeup and went downstairs to wait for Veronica.

During my wait, my neighbor Jamal and his friend Shawn walked down the street and said hello. " Hey there, beautiful," Jamal said. "Where are you going?" Shawn asked. "Oh, I'm going out with my sisters," I announced. Jamal smirked. "You're going out, huh?" Jamal said. I nodded. They both laughed. I raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" I asked. "Nothing. We were just surprised to see you out and about," Shawn said. "And we thought you were at home all day," Jamal added.

I rolled my eyes. "I get out y'all. I just have responsibilities." Shawn and Jamal looked at each other and then laughed again. I sighed. "What's so funny?" I asked again. "When was the last time you went outside?" Jamal giggled. "Not that you need to know, but I went to the new restaurant near your uncle Ray's last month with some friends." I said. Jamal's smirk turned sour. And his face was in disbelief. "Why did you go there?" Jamal asked.

"Why not?" I replied. "It's a new place and I wanted to try it."

Before Jamal could say another word Veronica showed up in her black Honda passport with our baby sister Nicole in the passenger seat. She gets out of the car with a big smile on her face and opens the car door on the left side. "Your ride madame." She says playfully. I waved goodbye to Jamal and Shawn and got into the car. Veronica got back in the driver's seat and drove off.

"Nice outfit sis," Nicole compliments. "Thank you," I replied. "I bought it off SHEIN two weeks ago." She adjusted the rearview mirror and grinned at me. "I bet Jamal and Shawn loved it." I laughed and nodded in agreement. "But what club are we going to?" I asked. "We're going to that club on 25th Ave." Veronica said. "You mean Nyla's new club?" I asked.

It surprised me that my sisters wanted to go there.When I was a kid, Nyla was a nightmare. She used to place all kinds of hexes on everyone in class. Fought more witches over guys than I can count. And during senior year, she almost put a spell on everyone to make her prom queen.

"Oh god no!" Nicole cried. "If I ever see Nyla again, she's gonna catch these hands." "I'll shove worms down her throat like she did Johnny." We all laughed, but deep down I knew Nyla was a terrible person and a terrible witch. The hatred and anger Nicole had towards her was well deserved. All the people she hurt did. As soon as she turned 16, she decided to become a bad witch. So that's to be expected.

"We're heading to Josie's spot. We're V.I.P.s there." Veronica says. "Oh hell yeah!" I cried happily. I love Josie! When she was a student, she was a team leader. She was extremely friendly, fashionable and loved herself so much that she never let anyone body shame her! All the girls thought of her as their big sister, and they hated it when she graduated from high school. She kept in touch and now owns a club called Joise's Dance Hall.

When we got there the place was packed! There was a long line around the corner. I got nervous. "Oh shit." "It's packed." I said, stating the obvious. "Yeah, but we'll be in the VIP section, so we won't be bothered by all this." Nicole explained. We made our way to the front of the line and were greeted by the bouncer. He checked our IDs and let us in. We made our way to the VIP section, where we were greeted by the hostess. She showed us to our table and gave us free drinks.

While sitting at the table, I noticed that everyone in our section was magical. There were vampires, fairies, and wizards. They were with humans but I was surprised by how many were in here. "Wanna take a quick bathroom break?" Veronica asked. "We just got our drinks. Why do we need to go to the bathroom?" Nicole asked. Veronica rolled her eyes. "So we can touch up our makeup, make sure we look our best and empty our bladders before we start drinking." Verionca explained. Nicole started grumpling but came anyway.

The bathroom in the VIP section was amazing! It was filled with expensive toiletries, luxurious robes, and high-end mirrors. Nicole was surprised and delighted by all the amenities, and she couldn't help but feel that the bathroom was the perfect place to get ready for the night. "The bathroom is lit!" Nicole gushed. Taking a glance in one of the mirrors, she checked out her red dress. It was a crisscross backless ruched bodycon dress. In addition to a black pair of strapped heels, she wore a golden heart-shaped necklace, red eyeshadow and red lipstick. Her outfit went perfectly with her golden brown skin. I knew she felt beautiful and confident. She couldn't wait to hit the club and show everyone what she was wearing.

Veronica on the other hand was wearing a white asymmetrical neck wrap hem sequin dress. Her shoes were silver and so was her jewelry. Her makeup was a settled peach color. And her hair was in a curly ponytail with her edges swooping back. I could tell she was self conscious but got over it when she noticed me squeezing her hand. She took a look at my hair which was in two french braids ponytail with the curls coming down.

"I love this," Veronica said with a smile. "Let's take a pic!" Nicole chirped. As soon as she grabbed her phone out of her purse, she clicked on Snapchat to choose the perfect filter and we took a picture. In the photo, my two sisters look perfect. I just looked average. But that's OK. I don't really care about my looks that much anyway.

We left the bathroom and saw a beautiful curvy black woman in a purple double crazy plus size plunging neck sequin dress. She was stunning. Seeing her, we all stopped dead in our tracks. She smiled at us, and ran over to embrace us in a huge hug. "Oh my gosh!" "I'm so happy you're here!" It was Josie. Her enthusiasm was just as great as it was back then.We laughed and embraced back. It was like no time had passed. We were all so happy to be reunited.

"Hi, Josie! It's great to see you!" I beam. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she spoke. "It's good to see you too!" She let go of us and gave us a big, contagious smile. We couldn't help but smile back, feeling a wave of warmth and happiness wash over us. "I was hoping my favorite trio would show up. And here you are." She led us back to our table and took a seat next to me. Karaoke and a special guest are on the agenda, she told us. But before anything, she wanted us to mingle with others and hit the dance floor.

Nicole had no problem with that. She and Josie strolled over to mingle with some vampires. Veronica and I were left at the table catching up with each other. "I'm glad you got out sis," she said slightly yelling because of the music. "I was worried about you." I looked into my sister's scarlet red eyes. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, feeling a sense of comfort. She hugged me back tightly and I knew she was relieved that I was there. We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the moment. But then she saw one of her old classmates and decided to go and talk to them. Leaving me at the table by myself.

I was about to join the crowd, then suddenly, a tall muscular man caught my eye. He smiled at me and I nodded back. He slowly walked over and said hello. "What are you doing by yourself, beautiful?" He asked. He was dark skinned and wore a red and black ombre lapel collar blazer and suit pants. He had black hair and dark eyes. His lips were full and inviting. He exuded confidence and charisma.

"Oh don't worry about me I'm fine." I said. He sits next to me and makes himself comfortable. He glances at me and smiles. I blush and look away. I can feel my heart racing. Even though he looked sincere, there was something off about him. He wasn't a wizard nor a vampire. The cause of it eluded me. But I knew I needed to be careful. I took a deep breath and decided not to confront him. In spite of this, I engaged in the conversation only so he would talk longer.

"I'm Elisa." I said. "And who might you be?" He smiles again and leans closer to my ear. "A shadow."