Alone

Chapter 12

                                                                                                Anna

    “Run! Anna, run!” I’m back to that night. The night my mother was killed. I could see my mother laying motionless on the floor. Her face disfigured and blood. Her dress is ripped down the middle exposing her left breast as she lays on her side with a pool of blood around her. Something in the darkness shifts. With the stars out it illuminates the werewolf’s fur. It turns its head. Teeth gleaming in the starlight. Blood! Blood drips down its chin onto the balcony floor. His massive head swivels my way. “Anna, run!” My mother while motionless on the floor, her voice floats in the air. The werewolf’s growl snapped my eyes back to it. It steadily moved towards me. I stood transfixed. When it finally stood in front of me it took my breathe away. It lowered its head till it was a few inches from my own. Its eyes were all I could see. What stood out was how human looking they appeared.

    "Anna you are my mate. You are all I have next. Please don’t leave me!” It was William talking. Before my very eyes the werewolf shifted into William and he was bathed in my mothers blood.

                                                                                                   ~

    I wake up screaming, dripping sweat.

    "Anna, what’s wrong?” Aunt Sisilia and Uncle Alister burst into my room. With a candle raised high, I could see the worried expressions on their faces. I haven’t woken up like this for a couple of years. I wipe the sweat from my face and pull back my hair.

    “I’m alright just a bad dream.” Aunt Sisilia doesn’t look convinced. “I promise. I’m sorry I would you up. Go back to bed.”

    Uncle Alister begins to pull aunt Sisilia along with him. He was never much for words and he understands I don’t like when people hover around me.

    “Well if you’re sure.” Aunt Sisilia says, even though her voice does not sound sure at all. “Alright, well try to get some sleep alright dear? We love you.”

    “And I love you.” I reply. And I really did. I would do anything for them. Anything.

    After they leave, it takes hours for me to finally go to sleep. And when sleep does come its full of my mother’s dead eyes, and William standing over her with her blood painted on him. When dawn finally comes it reaches me with great relief.

                                                                                            William

    I could tell something was wrong when Anna opened the main door. Her demeanor was withdrawn as if she was focused on something else.

    “Would you prefer to stay in, my dear?” 

    She seems to pull herself away from her thoughts. She pulls a small, forced smile. “Oh. No let us go for a stroll as we discussed.” Then she goes back into her thoughts. We begin to make our way down the street headed to the market. It was a surprisingly sunny day. It has been cloudy on and off.  

    What did you do, Roi asks? I don’t even know, I honestly answer. I thought everything was going will between us. My heartbeat picks up. Did she find out somehow? Oh God! What if she leaves? “Is everything alright Anna?”

    “Everything’s fine.” She answers distractedly. We grow silent, just walking down the street till we reached the market. It was bustling with venders and customers. The livestock making a ruckus on the other side of the market, and the hundreds of people talking did not help any. With my heightened hearing it was almost impossible to focus. Anna walks alongside of me, not looking at any of the merchandise for sale. I could feel a migraine coming along from the excess noise when Anna finally spoke.

    “I apologize for my distance. Last night while I was visiting you someone broke into my home.”

    I stopped in my tracks. I look at her with my full attention, while I tried to push the noise out. “Are you    alright? Is your family alright?”

    “Yes, do not worry we are alright. Thank heavens no one was home. But they did take a few things.”

    Now knowing that everyone was safe I begin to walk again. “What did they take? Nothing irreplaceable, I hope.”

    “That is just the thing nothing of value was taken. Just a couple of portraits and my hairbrush.”

    I grow confused. Why would anyone steal a hairbrush? “Your hairbrush? Was it valuable?”

    “No that is just it. It was a regular wooden brush. Nothing special. But that isn’t the weirdest part of my day yesterday. I thought I saw my father on the way home.”

    My eyebrows knit together. “But you said your father was dead.”

    “Yes, I know at least that is what I was told. I never saw his body. His casket was closed. And I didn’t have it in me to look in it. But the man that I was in the street looked just like my father just with a bit older.”

    Without realizing it we had crossed the market to the other side of the market where all the livestock and no people were. In between all the wagons and livestock, we could no longer see the market. Almost as soon as the hairs on my neck, Anna’s eyes grew wide. A type of fog began to surround us. I pushed Anna against a wagon, while I shielded her with my body. A gust of wind blew the strange fog our way, when it finally hit me. My skin, eyes, and lungs began to burn. I realized it was silver, particles of silver. I struggled for air, anything that wasn’t clouded with silver. I could feel myself struggling to stand upright. In the fog I could see shapes materializing in front of us.

    Let me out! Now! Roi screamed. But we both know if we did that this powdered silver would be too much for him.

    “William what is going on? Who are those people?” Anna’s voice is trembling, almost as bad as her body was.

    After inhaling all this silver my body was so weak, but I couldn’t change and risk Anna being too close to me. How can I protect her if I am so weak? They grew closer. I can not lose her after just finding her. There were ten of them. There were a couple yards away. A fire grew one that I haven’t felt sense I watched my family die.

    I grabbed Anna with one arm and planted a kiss against her soft lips. Although it made my lips tear and bleed, I didn’t care. “Anna, I love you. Now run!” And then I pushed her towards the wagon so she would make her escape by going under it.

    “William no!” I could hear the tears in her voice. But I couldn’t look at her.

    “Anna!” I screamed at her. “Go find Abigail. Tell her the hunters found me. She will protect you and your family.” I could feel her moving around behind me. It broke my heart when a sob escaped her lips. I knew she did not know what was going on but there was no time to explain.

    “Wolf, you escaped once but you won’t escape again.” A deep voice boomed across the last few yards. Then he steps close enough that I can make out his face.

    Anna gasps behind me. “Father?”