ESCAPE AND REFLECTION
1330 Words
After Molly stepped out of the house without a second glance, she took a deep breath.
The cool night breeze against her skin was a stark contrast to the heated tension that she had just left behind.
She bound still hear the sound of her parents raised voices echoing in her ears. They must have been surprised at her outburst.
But, she did not care.
Let them fight.
Let them argue over what had happened to her.
It did not matter anymore.
She walked down her street at a slow pace with the her heels of her shoes clicking lightly against the stone pavement.
The city was alive with activity and yet she still felt as if she easy oddly detached from it. Many people passed her by.
She heard the honk of cars on the road and the laughter that spilled from people walking or talking, or in places nearby. She took all of it in with a strange sense of calm.
She had done it.
She had walked away.
Molly exhaled deeply and glanced up at the afternoon sky. She stopped for a moment, trying to stare directly at the sun.
The gesture brought tears to her eyes, slipping down her cheeks as some form of relief washed over her. She smiled as looked away, swiping at the tears.
She resumed walking, quietly, her thoughts drifting back to her childhood days. She thought back to her real parents who had been nothing like the Houstons.
Her mother and father had been kind and loving, selfless. She could still recall her mother’s gentle touch and her father’s warm laughter.
They had given her everything that they could, only for them and everything to be stolen away. And it was all Sydney's fault. The girl had destroyed her family.
She clenched her fists.
Sydney had made sure to take everything from her because of her jealousy. She had taken her home, her happiness and even her rightful place after that.
And yet, the manipulative b***h still kept acting as if she was the victim. Molly would not allow it any longer.
Sydney must pay.
She would make sure of it.
As she passed by a small coffee shop, lost in thoughts, the sweet aroma of the sweet delight caught her attention. She looked up and stared hard at the shop.
The scent of the freshly brewed coffee mixed with the delicious aroma of baked goods wafted into her nose. It felt rathe comforting to her. And without any form of thinking, she took a step inside.
The small shop was cozy and filled with soft chatter and the occasional clink of cups. A family of three sat in the corner of the shop at a table.
They were gathered around a small cake with a single candle. A little girl of no more than seven or eight giggled as her parents sang to her, their faces full of joy.
Molly stood still, watching them.
A sharp pang of longing burnt through her chest.
She missed them.
Her real parents.
She took a deep breath to steady herself before she walked up to the counter.
She was greeted with a warm smile by the cashier and asked what she wanted to order.
"I think I will have a coffee," she said, her voice even, "and probably a biscuit too."
"What kind?" The cashier asked her as her own eyes settled on the machine in front of her. She paused to think for moment.
"The kind that is so sweet it would make me forget bad memories," she said after a while.
"Alright," the cashier nodded with a broad smile and wrote her order down.
She paid quickly and moved to a quiet table near the window where she waited. She glanced back at the happy family.
The father was cutting the hear shaped cake with a small knife. The little girl smile as he placed a slice onto her places. Her mother cut her a bite with a fork and gave it to her. The child smiled as she ate, icing sugar staining her lips.
Her resolve hardened from watching them.
Sydney and her family might have taken everything from her and the original owner of her body. But she was not that weak girl anymore.
She would gather enough evidence to expose them and to also make them suffer just like the way she had suffered. They would think that they have won, but she would show them otherwise.
She recalled the memory of her father, lying lifeless, in her arms. She remembered all of the tears that she had shed as she begged that he was innocent.
And just as her thoughts grew darker, there was a sudden tightness that gripped her chest.
She gasped, instantly pressing a hand to her heart as if that would stall the pain.
A strange and rather peculiar warmth spread through her. It was unfamiliar and yet oddly familiar all at the same time.
She thought it was her wolf.
No.
It was not her wolf. It was something else.
She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling. It was faint and yet persistent, like a distant pull.
And just then, a reason surfaced in her mind.
The stranger.
Her eyes snapped open in realization.
It was the mark.
She reached up to touch her neck absentmindedly. She had almost forgotten about it.
The bite that stranger had given her had created a bond, a strange connection between them.
She could clearly feel it now, lingering just beneath her skin and tying her to him in ways she did not understand.
The implications came over her with a crash, like a wave.
She had been marked by a stranger -and it was her choice.
What did that mean for her and for her future?
She pushed the thoughts aside because she could not afford to dwell on it now.
If anything, she needed it to use it to her advantage.
Alpha Kane was being so hellbent in trying to claim her. But now, she had a shield.
She was no longer unprotected.
This stranger's mark would change everything.
Her dead parents, the Houstons, and even Sydney -they would all be shocked when they realized what had happened.
But there was one big problem.
She had no way of finding the stranger who had marked her.
In her haste, she had not taken his contact number. She had only given him hers.
And now she had no idea where he was or if he would even bother looking for her.
Molly frowned, drumming her fingers against the table.
Why had he not called her? Why had he not tried to reach her even once? Did he forget about her?
"Miss, your order."
The waitress placed her coffee and biscuit onto the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. She gave her a small nod of thanks before she bit into the biscuits.
They tasted heavenly.
She only took five huge bites, and they were all gone. Her body craved more of it. She raised her hands and made an extra order, waiting for it while sipping her hot cup of coffee.
When it arrived, she reached for her hand bag. She pulled out her phone and opened her banking app to make payments.
Her heart instantly sank at the sight of her balance.
She had given that stranger a substantial sum of money, far more than she should have.
Now, looking down at what she had left, she felt a wave of regret.
Would she ever have such an amount again?
She sighed and transferred the payment for her order. The loss of money stung, but she had made her decision.
The real question was -had it all been worth it?
She stared down at her coffee, lost in thought.
There was only one way for her to find out.
She had to find him.
But how on earth was she supposed to?
- Writer
