Dad and Daughter
1303 Words
Jasmine's POV
I woke up on a leather chair with lines hooked to my body. I groaned instantly, as it felt like my body had been run over by a thousand trucks. As I looked around, I could tell I was in Sabrina's house. She and I had snuck down here countless times.
As I lay in place, everything started coming back to me. Playing with Sabrina. Surrounded by rogues. Leaving my parents behind to die. Almost being killed by Darnell, and being knocked out by Oliver. My right eye felt swollen where his foot had connected, and there was something over it. I was only seeing from my left eye.
At this point, I thought I'd rather be dead. I saw Sabrina and Lori come in. Lori started checking my vitals while Sabrina sat beside me and held my hand. I didn't remember how I got there.
"How are you feeling, Jasmine?" Lori asked in that sweet voice of hers.
She and Sabrina looked just alike — both with the same black hair and sky-blue eyes, and the same heart-shaped face. The only difference was that Sabrina kept her hair cut short to her neck, while her mother's hair was down to her waist, kept in a single braid down her back.
"Sore," I told her.
My voice was still scratchy from when Darnell had choked me. I teared up at that. Lori nodded.
"Sabrina told us what happened to you, but what do you remember?" she asked me.
I remembered everything. I just wished I could forget it too.
"Parents... dead. Brother... beat me up. Oliver... knocked me out. Alpha and Luna... watched. Luna... laughed... blamed me for my parents' deaths," I told her, trying to catch my breath between words.
Sabrina held water with a straw in it to help it go down easier. It felt so good going down my throat.
"I am sorry," Lori said, her eyes downcast.
I could feel she was blaming herself for letting us go alone.
"Not your fault," I told her, and tried to manage a small smile.
She smiled back, adding something through the needle in my arm, which caused me to feel warm and cozy. She left the room, leaving Sabrina and me alone.
"How long have I been here?" I asked.
She looked broken in a way.
"Four days. The alpha was here to check on you. He says you are to be made a runt of the pack. He says he will come to collect you in three more days. You are banned from going into the packhouse unless it is to clean or cook for them," she said through her teeth.
I could feel her anger. I tried to calm her, though the news alarmed me in many ways.
"Where am I to sleep?" I asked.
Her eyes turned black, letting me know Flora had taken over, and she growled. I knew it wasn't going to be a good answer.
"They have you sleeping in the huts in the forest near where your parents were killed," Flora growled.
My heart started beating fast. Did they expect me to live there? I didn't think my heart could take it. I felt myself fading again. I reached out with difficulty and placed my hand on Sabrina's.
"I will be okay," I told her as the warmth inside me overcame everything, and I fell into a deep sleep.
Sabrina's POV
When the alpha came over to check on Jasmine and delivered his news, I flipped. I went upstairs and tore my room apart. My parents left me alone. They knew the pain I was feeling, and they knew there was nothing any of us could do about it. I had always had an anger problem, and I knew one day it was going to get me killed — but I would keep them safe before I ever let that happen.
After Jasmine fell back asleep, I jumped out my window and landed on my feet. The moon was bright and the stars were shining. I couldn't bring myself to tell her we had just buried her parents that very day. It was already too much, but I would ease her into it when the time was right.
My dad was out back chopping wood — something he did when he was angry, or frustrated, or sometimes both.
"Dad," I greeted him, and he nodded toward me, still chopping.
I sat on the ground and leaned my back against the wall. Sometimes we would just be like this for hours. It was our thing, along with our motto — something that came from the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. He would put his forehead against mine and tell me our family had responsibilities. I would reply: jobs to do. It was our thing.
As I sat there, all I could think about was how they wanted to make her live in those huts. We had asked them to let her live with us — I would have been thrilled to have Jasmine with me — but the alpha said no.
"She must face the consequences of her actions," he had said.
It felt as though he was trying to push her to a breaking point.
"Dad, what happened to those rogues?" I asked.
He had stopped chopping and was taking a break.
"They were killed by our soldiers, but one got away," he growled slowly, his eyes shifting from black to green.
I wondered if that was what was bothering him.
"I want to go to the cabin they are making her sleep in and fix it up for her. Will you help me?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Way ahead of you, Sport. Your mom and I have already gone there a few times to start working on it. The alpha agreed to let us do so, even though we can't make it fancy. It isn't much, but it's much more livable than it was," he told me.
That made me feel just a little better, though I cringed at the idea that our alpha had even needed to permit it. He was such an ass.
"Why are we even still here, Dad? We should take Jasmine and get away from this awful pack. Anything is better than this dark place. There is so much evil here," I told him, and he just looked sad.
"I have considered it, but with all the rogue attacks, I don't want to risk anything that could put any of your lives in danger — including Jasmine's. That poor child has been through enough already," he told me.
"I understand," I told him.
We ended up going back inside and checking on Jasmine, who was still asleep. She looked peaceful. I went upstairs and pulled out the blow-up bed I used whenever I slept in Jasmine's room, blowing it up quietly so she couldn't hear. After I had it set up beside her, I lay back on it.
I had to figure out a way to save her — and not just her. My family too.
"Moon Goddess, what do I do?" I asked out loud before drifting to sleep.
Sabrina's Dream
I knew I was dreaming somehow, as I felt light as a feather. I was in a garden. The sun was beaming hot but somehow cool on my skin at the same time.
"My child," a voice said.
I turned around and saw a beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes, dressed in a pale green gown that clung to her body. I could feel tremendous power radiating from her, and somehow I knew exactly who she was.
"Moon Goddess," I said to her.
She smiled and nodded, holding her arms open to me.
"Come, child. We have a lot to discuss."
- Writer
