Her Vengeance

Remember Who You Are

Haydee sat up with a groan. She was in so much pain. Her joints were on fire; her head was pounding. Was it possible for one’s brain to feel like a puzzle being put together? Because that’s what it felt like.

She resolved to stay in bed, but then her stomach growled. Loudly. She moaned as she begrudgingly willed her body out of bed.

“Ow!” she exclaimed when she tried to stand. Her feet were hurting. Why were her feet hurting?

Shaking her head, Haydee realized something was different. Lifting her hands, she began to touch her hair in wonder. When had she put her hair into puffballs?

Her stomach growled again. There was no time to contemplate; she was starving. She wouldn’t be able to think on an empty stomach.

So out of it, the presence of her foster family sitting at the kitchen table startled her. “Haydee!” Samson greeted. All conversation ceased as Haydee became the center of attention. “Your hair!” Samson continued, breaking the nearly suffocating silence. “It’s puffy! You have two puffs – like cotton balls!” he stared in wonder.

“Um, yeah, buddy,” Haydee replied uncertainly. “I was hungry, and – “

“I made lasagna and garlic bread,” Lily said proudly as Sarah stood from the table

“No,” Rose glared, “you made crappy lasagna and burnt garlic bread.” Rose turned her attention to Haydee, “I’m surprised the smoke alarms didn’t wake you. She nearly burnt the house down.”

“Shut up!” Lily yelled.

“Girls,” Cliff said in a warning tone.

“Luckily,” Sarah returned with a plate of spaghetti and unburnt garlic bread and a glass of iced tea. She set them on the table for Haydee…next to Aiden…who had been silently observing her since she’d appeared in the kitchen. “Luckily, we had enough sauce left to have a spaghetti night. And don’t worry, sweetie,” she said to Lily, “the garlic bread wasn’t burnt too badly.”

“It was black and as hard as a brick,” Rose muttered.

“Rose,” Sarah said her daughter’s name sharply.

“I’m just saying,” she whispered.

“You guys already ate?” Haydee asked as she sat down…next to Aiden.

“I didn’t,” Aiden said. He gave Haydee a wink before standing from the table.

“Of course, you didn’t,” Rose whispered as Lily chuckled.

“Anyway,” Sarah said with an eye roll.

“Where’s Monte?” Haydee coined the question. The kitchen went silent. The atmosphere became tense. “What?” Haydee eyed each family member.

“He ran away,” Samson answered sadly, staring down at his coloring book. “We were washing him out front, and then he just ran to the woods.”

“Oh,” Haydee frowned. That was very odd behavior. What was going on with her dog?

“But Mommy says he’ll be back because he loves us all too much to not come back home,” Samson looked at Haydee brightly.

Haydee tried to smile at him. She tried, but…

“Lily, can you take your brother and sister to the basement?” Sarah asked. “Put on a movie or a game or something.”

“I know,” Sarah smiled, “but the grown-ups need to talk.”

“Is Haydee in trouble?” Samson’s large brown eyes grew in size.

“No,” Sarah laughed, “but we need to have a grown-up conversation. So, you and your sisters need to go to the basement,” Sarah concluded as she helped Samson gather his crayons and coloring books.

Haydee began to eat silently as she listened to the chairs scrape against the kitchen floor as the girls stood from the table. She tensed slightly when Aiden returned, but that was her typical response to him.

“Wait,” Haydee heard Aiden speak. Her gaze was fixed on her food; her mind was on Monte. “We’re going to do this now? While we’re eating?”

“Do what?” Haydee finally looked up.

“Uh…well…” Sarah stuttered.

“I agree with Aiden,” Cliff said. “We should wait for them to finish eating.”

“What do we need to talk about?” Haydee asked again.

“My husband is right,” Sarah patted Cliff’s hand. “We can wait. How goes the grant writing?”

Haydee’s unease grew with every bite she took. Words could not express how grateful she was when Aiden began talking about hiking…or something. She barely paid attention to what he was saying. Her mind was on – “Monte!”

“Monte?” Haydee’s head shot up. “Where?” she looked around. She jumped from her chair when she saw her lovable pet staring at them through the glass door. “Monte!” she squealed before sprinting to the back door. Monte’s assignment only grew as his tail wagging continued.

Once again, Haydee found herself on her knees, near tears, with her arms around Monte’s neck. “What has gotten into you?” she pulled away before scratching and petting him. “Why do you keep running away? Where do you even go?”

“Guess my mom was right.” Haydee turned to see Aiden standing not too far behind her, smiling at her. “He came back.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” Haydee gave Monte one last pat before standing. “He’s never done this before… I’m just happy he’s safe and sound,” Haydee felt the anxiety in her body slip away. “So,” she looked at Cliff and Sarah after giving Monte a pat on the head, “what did you want to speak with me about?”

“We can talk in the living room,” Cliff replied.

“And I’ll bring the hot chocolate,” Sarah added.

Aiden and Haydee exchanged glances. “Mom does know that it’s summer, right?” Aiden asked of his father.

Cliff shrugged. “Twenty years of marriage, and I still don’t understand how your mother’s mind works.”

Moments later, Cliff and Sarah sat opposite Haydee while Aiden sat in a recliner. “I don’t know how to begin,” Sarah folded her hands in her lap, “so I’ll just dive right in. Haydee, what do you remember about the day we took you in?”

“Not much,” Haydee thought back to when she was almost 15. She didn’t remember her time in foster care…or anything before… “My earliest memory is standing in that small police station,” she answered. “Um…I also remember not being very talkative.”

“That’s an understatement,” Aiden scoffed.

“Aiden,” Sarah shushed her son. “Haydee. Close your eyes with me.”

“Huh?” Haydee asked, taken aback. “Why? I don’t understand. Are you guys feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” Cliff looked at his wife, “I’m with Haydee. You haven’t done something like this since-”

“Just trust me,” Sarah looked at her husband for support. “I can do this.”

Haydee watched as Cliff gazed lovingly into his wife’s eyes.

Sarah turned back to Haydee after receiving a minute nod from her husband.

“Fine,” Haydee relented. She had no idea what was happening; Cliff and Sarah had been nothing but good to her. She owed them her trust. If Sarah wanted her to close her eyes, she would close her eyes.

“Okay,” Sarah smiled. “Now, close your eyes.” Haydee obeyed. “Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe deeply with me.”

Haydee felt stupid, but she did as she was told. These breathing techniques seemed similar to the ones she did with her therapist. Was Sarah about to hypnotize her? “Are you going to hypnotize me?” asked Haydee.

“No,” Sarah chuckled. “I just want you to listen as I tell you a story. This story takes place in Virginia.”

“Aiden was just in Virginia,” Haydee said.

Sarah made a sound in agreement before continuing. “In the mountains of Virginia, there was a family of werewolf shapeshifters and hunters.”

Haydee smirked. Werewolves, yeah right.

“This family,” Sarah continued to speak soothingly, “the Knights owned half of the mountain. The other half of the mountain belonged to a different pack of werewolves. The Chrysanthewaites. They’ll show up later.

Anyway, the Alpha of the Knight’s pack eventually married and gave birth to these beautiful twin girls. Usually, a girl being the firstborn in a werewolf pack is disappointing because most packs want their firstborn, their alphas, to be men. But not the Knight family. The head of the Knight family was overjoyed with the birth of his two daughters. He and his wife named the first twin Sirena and the second twin Silena.

Cute, Haydee thought.

“As the days went by, it became clear that Sirena had inherited the werewolf gene while Silena did not. Instead of this becoming an area of contention, the parents decided they didn’t care. They loved both girls equally, and both were trained to take over the pack one day. Sirena trained as a wolf; Silena as a hunter.

“By age 5, it became clear that Sirena wasn’t like all other werewolves. She was more powerful. Her eyes didn’t just glow amber or red; they glowed white – a universal color for a universal werewolf. A universal werewolf is very, very rare. Usually the product of a perfect alpha gene.”

“Why are they called universal?” Haydee asked, feeling very disconnected from her own voice. Simultaneously, she wondered why she was treating the story as fact rather than fiction. Her mind was working overtime.

“A universal werewolf can become the alpha of any werewolf at any time. They don’t need their own pack to rule. They are also the only werewolf that can exist outside of a pack and thrive. Fun fact: they can communicate with regular wolves and have a special bond with dogs.”

When Sarah said the last part, a strange feeling settled in Haydee’s stomach.

“Unfortunately, their ability to control any werewolf at any given time makes them a target. Universal werewolves are fiercely protected and hidden away less their packs be targeted.

“Not wanting to draw attention or place their daughter in danger, the Knights kept her true identity silent. Sirena also began a very intense training regimen. She was trained to stay in her human form during a full moon; she was taught to transform in the sun…things werewolves aren’t usually trained to do until they are at least ten years of age.”

Haydee’s brain felt…foggy. She could almost envision the story Sarah was telling. She could almost see Sirena and Silena playing in the grass, training with her father and mother, staring at her weirdly colored eyes in the mirror. She could almost feel the sunlight on her face.

“As the girls grew older, their pack grew bigger,” Haydee continued to hang on Sarah’s every word. “Harold Knight began calling reaching out to relatives, receiving them into his home, giving them land to build their homes on…everything and anything to protect his daughters.” Sarah paused. “Not everyone in the werewolf community was…okay with him doing so.”

Sirena and Silena stayed hidden in the shadows as they eavesdropped on their parents.

“Who do they think they are? Telling me who I can and cannot allow to live on my land!” Their dad was pissed, to say the least.

“Babe, calm down,” they heard their mother say soothingly. “Yelling won’t make this better.”

“My family has owned this land for 70 years. My name is on the deed. The mark of our pack is on the deed. If they want to fight- “

“Harold,” their mother gripped their father’s arm desperately, “please. Let’s not do anything rash. He’s just trying to rile you up. That’s what they do. They rile the ones like us up and try to get a response that will get us in trouble. All of us are in trouble. We need to be – wait,” their mother stopped talking. Sirena and Silena remained as still as statues. “Girls!” their mother called out.

“We’re dead,” Silena whispered.

“I know you’re listening. Get out here now! Do not make your father and I look for you!” their mother ordered.

Silena emerged from their hiding spot first, despite Sirena’s protests. “I’m sorry,” Silena immediately began to cry.

Sirena begrudgingly followed her sister. “You are so weak,” Sirena snapped at her sister.

“You will not be mean to your sister,” her father chastised, his eyes glowing red. “She may not be a shifter, but she is your sister…your twin. She will always, always be a part of you. You will have respect for her.” Sirena bowed her head in both fear and respect. “Now apologize to Silena, and then tell your mother and me how much of our conversation you overheard.”

Haydee rubbed her closed eyes with the palms of her hand. She was having a problem staying awake. It wasn’t like the story was boring. She just kept dozing off.

“Things began to change after the girls’ 8th birthday,” Sarah continued speaking, not realizing Haydee was barely listening.

“They tried to kidnap my daughters, Cliff! The council needs to take this seriously!” Sirena poked her head around the corner and watched as her father paced back and forth in the kitchen, yelling into the phone. She didn’t understand much. Who was Cliff? Had someone tried to kidnap Cliff’s daughter? Her father slammed his phone on the counter with an angry growl, smashing it into tiny pieces. It was then that he realized he had a visitor. His blood-red eyes met his daughter’s dark brown eyes. “Sirena,” he relaxed. “What are you doing up? It’s way past your bedtime.”

“I was thirsty,” Sirena walked into the kitchen.

“You know the rules,” her father said sternly, “no water after 8:30.”

Sirena poked her lip out. Her father’s face once again changed…softened. “Don’t tell your mother,” he said, “and promise not to wet the bed tonight.” He held up his huge pinky.

“I promise,” Sirena answered with a massive smile on her face as she linked her pinky with her father’s.

Haydee returned to her body once more. Sarah was still speaking. Haydee sighed. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be getting out of this story, but…Sarah needed to get to the point. She was about to open her eyes when Sarah said a name that made her body freeze. “His name was Pie- “

“Your son is a p*****t!” Harold accused the Alpha of the Chrysanthewaites. “And you didn’t need to bring a posse. I’m not as manipulative as you! You’re actually safe on my land! We follow the rules!”

“Harold!” Tiana all but screamed.

Twelve-year-old Sirena listened to the confrontation from her bedroom.

“Sirena, what are you doing?” Silena asked her twin. “Are you eavesdropping again?”

“Shh,” Sirena put a finger to her lips. “Stop talking, or I won’t be able to hear them.” She closed her eyes and listened in on the conversation.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” her father growled. “This land is ours. Your great-great-great-grandfather gave it to us…or should I say our great-great-great-grandfather?” Sirena wasn’t sure who her father was talking to. The other man came with at least 20 other men wearing chrysanthemum symbols. She’d only seen him once before when she was very small – she recognized his scent. He seemed to be upset with her father.

“Victor Chrysanthewaite was an adulterous fool who disgraced our family when he mated with that slave w***e!” the other man spat.

Sirena gasped. This man sounded mean.

“a******y?” her father chuckled darkly, “is that what it’s called now?”

“She didn’t fight him,” was the haughty response.

“She was a slave!” Sirena’s father yelled.

“Sirena,” Silena warned.

“Hush!” Sirena waved her twin away.

Sirena heard a slight shuffle. “You’re going to hit me? In my house? On my territory? Go ahead.” Her father seemed to provoke the angry man even more. “I’ve been dying for a good fight.” Sirena could hear her mother talking to her father in a soothing voice, though she didn’t know what her mother was saying.

“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow,” Sirena heard the other man say, “but I will put you in your place. You’ll remember who’s on top and who should be at the bottom.”

“You have 5 minutes to get off my land, Pierce.”

“…Pierce Chrysanthewaite,” Sarah was saying. Haydee gasped.

“I know that name,” she said, her eyes still closed. “How do I know that name?” she asked aloud. Monte began sniffing and pawing at her, sensing her distress. Haydee gently, blindly, pushed him away as she began desperately searching her brain for answers.

“Has it really gotten that bad?” Silena asked their Aunt Lina as they drove back up the mountain.

“Yes,” their Aunt Lina said. Sirena watched and listened from the backseat. “Your father has doubled the guards and patrols.”

“Cameron is a p*****t, just like his ancestors,” Sirena said.

“Is that why we keep changing bedrooms so often?” Silena asked.

“Our next-door neighborelative is nothing more than a peeping tom,” Sirena said. Her Aunt Lina glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “I have alpha hearing, remember?” Sirena smirked.

“You’ve been eavesdropping on our meetings,” her aunt said stiffly.

“Please,” Sirena answered smartly, “if I concentrate hard enough, I could probably tell you what goes on at our uncle’s KKK meetings.”

“Sirena!” Silena turned to her sister, completely horrified. “That is a heady accusation.”

“But true,” Sirena glared at her aunt. “Father and mother have been hiding it from us for years.”

“Sirena,” her aunt warned.

“Did you know that our neighbors used to be our family’s enslavers, Silena?” Sirena ignored her aunt.

“Is that true, Aunt Lina?” Silena asked sullenly. She was such a gentle soul—a stark contrast to her twin.

“Well…uh…” their aunt stuttered. “They are not KKK meetings, Sirena. And that’s not a funny joke to make.”

“The real reason we have this land is because their great-great-great-grandfather Victor r***d our great-great-great-grandmother and then felt guilty about it. He felt so guilty, he released all of the slaves and gave half of the mountain to our grandmother as an apology.”

“Enough, Sirena,” her aunt cut her off harshly.

“This is true, Aunt Lina?” Silena asked.

“Your father wanted to wait until you were older to dive into our family’s history,” Aunt Lina explained with a sigh. Being the personal bodyguard to twins drained you.

She was just thankful that Sirena and Silena were always together. Wherever one was, the other was always close by.

“We’re nearly 15,” Sirena replied in frustration, “how much older can we get before he actually starts telling us what’s going on. He wants us to run the pack one day; but he keeps secrets from us.”

“I agree,” her Aunt Lina said, “but your father is…he’s trying to do what he thinks is right. “

“Look out!” Sirena screamed, the warning coming too late. A big SUV and pickup slammed into them from both sides, sending them in a tailspin.

“Hold on!” Aunt Lina screamed. But another slam from the back caused whiplash and forced their car into a tree. “Are you girls okay?” her aunt asked.

“Yeah,” Silena groaned. Sirena opened her mouth, but the sound of a gun going off and her sister’s scream silenced her. Sirena watched as her aunt’s body slumped forward in the driver’s seat. “Silena,” was the last thing Sirena remembered saying before a sharp prick in her neck forced her world to go dark.

Haydee’s hands began to shake. Her whole body began to shake. Her breathing became labored. “Haydee, open your eyes,” she heard a voice say in the distance. “Open your eyes,” she felt hands on her face…or did this face belong to Sirena? Who was she?

“It was too much,” a voice said, “I should have paced my….”

“Now her,” a strange voice said. Sirena’s eyes slowly opened. She lay on the floor of a…dungeon. Seriously? A dungeon? What was this – medieval times? She looked around just in time to see the door of her…cell close and lock. “Look, your sister is up,” a different voice said. Sirena’s vision was hazy. All she saw were amber eyes leering at her. “Just in time for the show.”

“Sirena?” her sister cried. Sirena looked up to see another cell about 20 feet from her.

“Silena?” she moaned.

“Are you okay?” her sister gasped. Sirena tried to stand. “Look at her, sir,” one of the male voices said. “She’s trying to fight the drug.”

“I don’t approve of this,” a female’s voice said. “Pierce, this is wrong.”

“Quiet!” the voice snapped. “Cameron, I said now her.” This ‘Cameron,’ along with four other guys, entered her sister’s cell. Sirena slowly stood to her feet. She tried to take a step but tripped, falling forward. She looked back. Her ankles were tied together. Why did they use her shorts to tie her ankles?

“Get off me!” she heard Silena shriek. Sirena looked into her sister’s cell. Her eyes widened with a new horror as her mind slowly began to piece together what was happening. “Get off of…her!” her voice cracked. After untying her ankles fast but sluggishly, she gripped the bars of her cell. “Aahh!” she screamed as volts of electricity shot through her system. She collapsed onto her back. “Silena,” she simpered as she watched her sister get pinned down by four guys. “I’m sorry,” Sirena whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Haydee was saying over and over again. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and rocking back and forth. Monte was desperately trying to calm her.

“Did you call Chiro?” a voice asked.

“She should be here soon,” a different voice asked.

“I’m sorry,” Haydee continued to whimper. Her eyes had glazed over. Her body was here. Her mind, however, was not.

“I’m sorry,” a different voice said, “I wasn’t trying to put her under…I was just….”

“Haydee, hold on,” a voice next to her said. “Breathe.”

Sirena’s eyes popped open. Her head was pounding, and someone was shaking her. She rolled over. “Mrs. Chrysanthewaite?” she moaned.

“Get up!” the lady of the house urged. “Help me with her. She needs the moon.” Another figure ran to her other side and lifted Haydee up - or was she Sirena? - “Come on, Sir-aydee,” her sister said.

“Silena,” she gasped.

“Here,” Mrs. Chrysanthewaite said, “this is a secret tunnel?”

“Where are you taking us?” Sirena slurred, still out of it – or was she Haydee?

“I am so sorry, girls,” Mrs. Chrysathewaite cried. “I didn’t think he would go through – I thought it was all useless chatter.”

“Just get us out of here,” Silena snapped. “We don’t have time to soothe your guilty conscience.” Sirena had never heard her sister sound so…deadly.

The three females emerged from a tunnel – the full moon shone directly on it. Sirena/Haydee immediately felt her strength return to her; and, before Mrs. Chrysanthewaite could move, Sirena had her by the neck, pinned against a tree. “I should kill you!” she screamed into the older woman’s sobbing face.

“I will kill you!” Haydee lunged from her seat and pinned Aiden against the wall, her sharp claws digging into his neck.

“Haydee!” Sarah and Dr. Chiro yelled.

“Sirena!” Silena yelled. “We don’t have time for this! We need to go!”

“Wait,” Aiden held his hand up, stopping his parents in their tracks. He placed a gentle hand on the wrist of the hand wrapped around his neck. Her skin was dark and velvety soft. “It’s okay, Haydee,” he spoke softly. “It’s okay.”

“Come on!” Silena yelled as she ripped Sirena away from the woman. “We have to go! We need to get to dad and mom. They’re going to burn the house! They’re going to kill everyone inside! Let’s go!” Sirena quickly snapped out of her rageful state and nodded at her sister. The two quickly ran through the woods.

“We’re at the Chrysanthewaite’s estate,” Silena explained as they ran through the woods.

“What happened?” Sirena asked. “Why can’t I remember?”

“I’ll tell you later,” her sister said, “but we really need to hurry right now. We need to run.”

“I need to run!” Haydee gripped her head with both hands, releasing Aiden.

Silena cried as they saw the mansion burning. Sirena could hear the dying howls of her cousins and aunts and uncles. “What are you two doing here?” one of her father’s sentinels staggered up to them, coughing with deep gashes on his stomach. “You need to run!” he pushed them away. “You need to run now!” he coughed.

“Let’s go!” Silena grabbed her sister’s hands as they began their sprint.

“I have to go!” Haydee cried, as her eyes turned red, “I have to go now!” her voice changed into a deep growl. She sprinted past her doctor and foster parents and through the glass door with Monte hot on her heels.

“Sirena!” she heard someone scream from behind, but she didn’t turn around.

She heard the sound of ripping fabric. Before she knew it, she was transforming into…something. Soon, she was running on all fours. She was running faster than she’d ever run before. Was she Sirena? Was she Haydee? Who was she? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t want to. Her brain didn’t get the memo because the flashbacks continued.

Sirena burst into the sheriff’s office. “Sirena,” the brown-haired sheriff jumped to his feet. “I saw the fire! The fire department is on its way. What happened to you!” he exclaimed. Her hair was crazy. Her clothes were torn in multiple places. Her body was bruised and bloody. “Where’s Silena?” he gripped her shoulders. “What is going on?”

“Silena…” she couldn’t speak as tears poured down her face. “R-r-r**e. F-f-ire. Attack. Run! Run!” she began to scream.

“Calm down. Aiden!” the sheriff screamed. A blonde-haired boy around her age appeared from…somewhere as the sheriff led her to the chair behind the desk. “Get your mother, now,” he commanded. “And bring Sirena a drink.”

“Where are you going?” the boy, Aiden, asked. Sirena watched blankly as the sheriff grabbed bullets and a bow and arrow and…silver bullets? What was going on?

“Do as I say!” the sheriff yelled at his son, who jumped in surprise before scurrying away. “It’ll be okay, Sirena,” the sheriff tried to calm the traumatized female. “I’ll find them. Just stay here. You’ll be safe. You’re safe.”

They were dead. They were all dead. Sirena stopped running. Her entire pack was – her whole family was...Uncles. Aunts. Cousins. Nephews. A couple of friends of the family. Her parents. Her sister. Gone. Destroyed.

She sat silently with tears running down her face. The blonde-haired boy kept his distance, looking up from his book periodically. Sirena tried to concentrate on…anything…, so she stared at the book in the boy’s hand.

“It’s The Count of Monte Cristo,” he smiled at her, “for a book report. Have you read it?”

Sirena didn’t respond. She had read the book before; it was one of her favorites, and the media adaptations were awful. Haydee was never portrayed correctly…if at all. Haydee…royalty…everything taken away from her. Everything…gone.

Her head hung low. She remembered everything now. She was broken, angry, confused, and mournful. A strange feeling started in her chest and climbed up her throat. She lifted her head and began to howl. She howled a mournful depressed sound into the night. She didn’t care who heard.