Witchery

Chapter 15

It is a normal, small town, just the way you’d expect it. It has a main road, the one we are coming from, leading directly to the town square, hosting a few trees and a dried-out fountain. All the houses are built in the same, aging style. Brown bricks and black window frames. The city, honestly, looks quiet depressing and deserted. The sun is trying its best to peek in through the crown of leaves that’s overshadowing most of the town. Next to the Town Hall, a small road takes us to one of the only bright red brick houses I have seen since arriving. Adriel parks the car in front of the house, Lucas right next to us. Before we get out of his car, Adriel turns to me, asking: 

“Do you recall any of this?” 

I shake my head. No, I don’t recall anything. But none of this look very particular, nothing specific to notice, to be honest. And if this is really where I came from, I haven’t probably been here for five years. Many things could’ve changed over those years. 

We step out of the car, where Lucas is taking of his helmet, already looking bored. I look at him, feeling annoyed with his carelessness. 

“Why did you bother coming, if you don’t want to be here?” I ask, my voice clearly betraying my feelings. But he just shrugs, saying,

“Adriel asked me to come.” before turning on his heels, walking towards the small garden fence, surrounding the house. Adriel takes my hand, and sends me a look, clearly telling me to just let it go. Then he starts walking too, almost yanking me after him. 

The atmosphere between the three of us is dense, I can feel the awareness hanging in the air, almost being able to touch it. What if this isn’t it? 

But what if it is? 

Lucas has already opened the small fence door, trotting up the path between the patches of dried up grass. I notice the dryness that is everywhere. I almost convince myself I can smell smoke in the air, like the city has just finished from burning. Strange, when it is in the middle of May and rain season has barely ended. 

Adriel knocks on the black front door, then takes a respectful step back. 

An elderly woman cracks the door open, peeking out. She has greyish hair, pale, blue eyes and untamable eyeborws, which are deep in a frown. 

“Who are you?” She rasps. It is like she hasn’t used her voice for ages. 

“I am Adriel White, Alpha of the Emerald Moon Pack.” Adriel answers, but the old woman doesn’t notice him anymore, she is starring straight at me. Without saying another word to us, she turns her head to yell 

“Thomas, you better come.”, before turning her eyes back to me, not hiding her suprisement.

“Do you know Esme?” Adriel has clearly also noticed her intense stare. 

The old woman, again, doesn’t answer. Instead she opens up the door showing the entrance, an elder man standing in it. He, also, has greyish hair but brown eyes and is keeping a straight back, though supporting his weight slightly to a walking cane. In comparison, the old woman is hunching and huddling herself together.

I instantly guess that the old man is the Mayor of the town, and a feeling, no his aura, tells me he is also an Alpha. He, too, is starring at me as if though I was a ghost. 

“Why are you knocking on my door, strangers? It is Sunday today; can’t respectable people keep their peace for once?” He manages to say. 

“But maybe, Mayor Smith, you’ll find we aren’t just strangers. This is Esme Seamoon, do you recognize her?”

Adriel says without taking his eyes from the old man.  

It feels like electrical shocks go through my body. Did he just call me Seamoon? But I don’t have time to think too much about it, before he gentle pushes me forward, towards the door. Both pairs of eyes widen. The old man hurriedly decides on a new tactic. 

“Adriel White, why are you here? I told you would reach out to you next week.” 

“I couldn’t wait on your indecisiveness.” Adriel shrugs, adding, “and neither can Esme.” 

Once again, I feel his hand on my back, gently leading me forward towards the old couple. 

“We… we thought you were dead.” Mayor Smith finally stutters, taking his first step back. The old woman follows him like a mirror, retreating, however leaving the door wide open for us to follow them in. 

Inside everything is way too clean, way too spacious, way too unpersonal to be a real home. It almost reminds me of the hospital room. Embarrassingly clean, too. We don’t bother taking off our shoes or jackets, just following them into the living room. In here, the first colourful thing, since we stepped in, is presented in the form of a bright, red couch matching the bright, red bricks on the outside of the house. A coffee table is separating two armchairs in a boring beige colour. The Smiths sits in one each, gesturing us towards the couch, but none of us sit. No tea or coffee is offered. 

“Tell us what you know, no more seclusion.” 

Adriel uses his stern tone, and you find that you really do not want to argue with him when using this. To top it up, he also expands his aura, just slightly, an intimidating feeling spreading across the room. 

“Fine. Why don’t you sit down?” The mayor says, inclining his hand towards the sofa yet again.

But Adriel shakes his head, insisting on standing. I realize that it is probably a show of power, so I stay where I am, flanked by Lucas and Adriel. 

“Alright then, suit yourself. Yes, Ms. Seamoon, you are born in this village. You belong to my pack, the Yellow Moon Clan. Your mother is born and raised here as well, her name is Esther Clark, or, Seamoon after marriage.” 

“What happened five years ago?” Adriel insists. 

I am already overwhelmed with finding my mother’s name and my birthplace. My entire life used to be here? In this small village? I let my eyes wonder to the windows, looking over a small, brownish garden, and, behind it, more grey houses stretching before me.

“There… there was an accident. We never knew much of your father, except for his name, Dylan Seamoon. And the fact that he was your mother’s fated mate. That was the only reason why we allowed this arrangement in the first place. He was a strange man. Not even a werewolf. Rarely home. One evening, your mother and your father were fighting really badly. People walking the streets could hear it outside your house. Next day, the roof of the house had fallen down. We… we assumed you had all died within the crash.”

“Or that was what you fed the press.” Yells Adriel, slamming down an old article, he had in his pocket, in front of the Mayor. 

Smith slowly picks up the article, blankly staring at it. I have trouble following everything, taking a step back when Adriel yells. 

“We… we did send out search parties when we didn’t find any bodies. But we never found anyone. No one knew what had happened the evening before. And honestly, everyone was happy to see Dylan go. He made all of us uneasy.” 

The Mayor looks down, and I now understand his regret. He never tried hard enough to find my mother and I. And now the past has caught up with him.

“So, you knew I weren’t dead? But you never looked for me? Are you not supposed to be my Alpha? To protect me?” I ask, enraged over his uselessness. 

If only someone had found us sooner, my mother might still be alive. 

“I am still your Alpha.” Says the Mayor, raising his head and using his own alpha aura on me. 

“You should learn to behave. What way is that to talk to your superior?” 

“You are not my Alpha! I don’t even remember you. This is how little impact you had on me.” I yell. 

I also hear both Adriel and Lucas growl, and soon as Smith says I still belong to his pack, Adriel also expands his aura. 

“You… You really don’t remember anything?” Smith asks, unsure again. 

“No, I don’t. But I think you should be happy I don’t remember you, I would have been furious, I am sure, if I had.” 

I cross my arms and stare shamelessly into his eyes. There is a long silence between us, before he musters up his courage to ask,

“What about Esther, is she…?” 

He trails off when he notices my eyes filling with water, and Adriel’s shaking head. 

“Show us her old house. Maybe she’ll remember something.” He insists instead. 

“Yes, of course. Follow me.” 

Smith immediately jumps to his feet, walking back towards the door. We walk a few streets, a quietness over all of us. There isn’t much activity in the town in general, I notice. All the streets look the same, although they come in variation of smaller and bigger sizes, some of them flanked with sad-looking trees. But no personality or street art. I much prefer the big city I live in now, swearing I will never return to this place, whether I get my memories back or not. 

In one of the side streets, a different view meets us, however. One house isn’t standing perfectly neat, like the rest of the street houses. 

The roof has fallen through the house, ivory now growing through the broken windows. The fating green door, an unusual colour if you compare it to the other house’s black or grey doors, is half open, almost falling of its hinges. 

As soon as I look at it, a strong recognition hits me and I fall to my knees, not seeing the old, falling house anymore. 

I am sitting upstairs in my room, earplugs in my ears. But I can still hear them scream at each other. I look at the clock at my computer, realizing it is way past dinner time and I still haven’t had any food. Maybe I can sneak unnoticed down, grab something to eat from the fridge, and sneak back up? I decide to give it a try, my stomach not allowing me to do anything else. 

I silently make it to the stairs, and even though it creaks a bit, being an old, wooden staircase, I don’t think they notice the sounds I am making, too caught up in their fight. 

Tip toeing, I make it soundlessly to the kitchen, opening up the fridge, scanning through it’s rather empty shelves, before deciding on a yoghurt. 

On my way back, as I pass through the open doors to the living room, where they are still yelling at each other, I can’t help but overhear the man say: 

“But darling, come one, it will be good for us, for Esme too. If we stay here, I’ll never be able to finish my experiments.” 

“Your experiments?” My mother yells, “That is all you care about! You never cared for this family. And now you want to move us? Before Esme even has finished her school? No f*****g way.” 

“For f**k’s sake darling, I am doing all this for us! I will not allow you to say, that I do not care for you.” His voice is rising again, but I’ve heard enough. Move? No way, I can’t move, not now! Not when William and I are finally a thing, and Crista and I have just made up. Everything was just perfect. Not when I haven’t finished my school. The mere thought of starting in the end of the semester in my junior year is scaring me like nothing. What should I do? 

There is only one reasonable solution, really. Instead of turning back towards the staircase, I run for the entrance, heading straight for the front door. But just as I grab the handle, someone grabs my other arm, yanking me back. Too late I realize, their conversation has died.

“Where do you think, you are going, young missy?” 

I wake up, lying in the backseat of Adriel’s car. I can tell we are moving at a rapid speed and I slowly sit up, the trees flashing before me. Behind me, a motorcycle is driving at the same, fast paste as us, keeping up with us.

“What happened?” I asked, unsure. 

“Esme, lie back down.” Adriel commands. 

“No, I don’t feel bad.” 

“You fainted. I am taking you to the hospital, I already talked to Sunday. Lay. Back. Down. Now” 

“What?” I gasp, following his order.

I fainted? 

“Please Adriel, explain to me.” 

He lets out his breath, clearly relaxing. 

“What?” I ask at his weird behavior. 

“I… I was afraid you might’ve forgotten everything again.” 

“You mean that I might have forgotten you?” 

“Yes…” His voice trails off, his eyes focusing on the road. 

“Adriel, how could I ever forget you? Even if I forgot your name, I would still feel our bond.” 

“I don’t know, it just seemed like all this really triggered something in you. You were making these weird moves with your body and, well, screaming. It took all my strength to have you relax. How much do you remember, just from today?” 

I concentrate hard to think back. 

“There was this morning. You were in my bed. I… we didn’t go too far.”

“Yes, that is correct, go on, describe the day for me.”

“Hmm we had breakfast with Sera, you… you told me you had some information about my origins. That wait. That I had disappeared five years ago. We decided to go there, right?”

“Yes, that is right. What else do you remember?” 

I frown, concentrating deeply. I slowly remember our conversation on the drive to the town. We were talking about his parents and his secret military service. I mention the topics, and he nods, encouraging me again. 

“We made it to the small town, all made of bricks. And we met with the Mayor. He said I was dead. You had a newspaper article saying that, too. Why would you only tell me I disappeared?” 

I ask, feeling hurt and betrayed with this withdrawal of information. 

“I didn’t want to scare you. And I also thought, that if you were, in fact, that Esme, then it couldn’t, obviously, be true.” 

“You also didn’t mention that you knew my last name.” I cross my arms, pouting my mouth. 

“No, again, I also did not want to get your hopes up too high. But I instantly realized that they recognized you.”

I let my pout fall, however I keep my arms crossed. 

“Please Esme, what else do you remember?” 

“I… we went out to… to have a look at my old house, right?” 

This is where my memories get muddy. 

“Yes Esme, what happened?” 

I try to focus everything I have on what happened next. But it is like focusing on a slippery, silver fish in a blinking sea.

“I… I am sorry, Adriel, but I can’t remember.” I say, letting my arms fall. 

“It is okay baby. I’ll take you to the hospital now, and we’ll go see Lena first thing in the morning.”

I nod, feeling endlessly tired all of a sudden. My eyes are blinking while I fight to keep them open. Adriel notices, telling me to relax. He also points me to his black leather jacket, which is lying on the floor, and I pick it up, asking if I can use it as a blanket. 

“Of course, baby, that is why it is lying back there with you already.” 

I must’ve kicked it off when waking. Before I close my eyes, I remember something else. 

“What was Lucas’ deal today? He seemed… off.” I ask, sleepily. 

“Lucas? oh, I think he has something taking a turn for the worse with a certain nurse.” 

“Charlot?” 

“Yes, she isn’t indulging with him. But I just think he needs to pursuit her a bit more. He has always had it too easy, and now there is a woman fighting back, he isn’t really used to it.” 

“Or he could just take a no as an answer and respect her choices.” I murmur, half asleep. 

“Or he could do that, darling.” He laughs.