My Stepfather's Darkest Secret

Fragmented life

Chapter 8 - Fragmented life

Laura’s pov

My knees barely made it past my door before they gave up on me, crashing into the hard wooden floor board. I shut the door hard behind me.

The pain in my knees couldn't hurt as much as my pulsating cranium. This must be what going mad felt like.

I watched my fingers tremble before my eyes.

This had to be a dream. It can't be real. I grabbed my head with both hands, raking my fingers madly through my hair. It didn't help that I could feel my nails hurting my scalp.

That was real. The 6 pair of blue glowing eyes flashed in my mind.

All the strange people at the table staring at me with glowing blue eyes and brown hair. They all looked different, yet very similar. Then the lady. The one who wouldn't stop staring at me. Dante called her Modaine. I still felt the cold chilling of her finger tips on my bare shoulders.

Just the thought of her words made me shiver to the bone. She told me to refer to them as my parents friends and relatives. I could only see the hollow blue glow in their eyes because apparently…I found myself laughing like the crazy woman we drove by beneath the bridge on our way to the club. I couldn't even bring myself to say the words in my head. It sounded too crazy.

That didn't change the fact that was just forced on me early; I am an Elemental werewolf. A beast with bad breath and…claws. Tears spilled out of my eyes.

My breathes were getting shorter. I looked up at Cassie and realized she was standing still. Motionless as the door left open behind her.

I totally forgot Cassie was still with me.

“Bro…what the hell did they do to you when I left…” She sounded traumatized.

I felt a mental slap on my face. I was supposed to make this a top secret. I was supposed to take this well. She assumed I was prepared. But I was the opposite, isolated in a fake darkness. This was the real deep of darkness. The icy glazing of her finger tips across my shiulders flashed again in my mind, sending chills through my spine.

I suddenly felt too cold. I has no desire to be in the dress I once considered ‘adult sexy’. It now strapped my body in all the wrong ways, reminding me of Modaine’s uncomfortable touch.

‘You should be taking this well. You are not a child anymore, Laura.’ Modaine's voice echoed in my head. I had no idea if she was in my head or I was really going mad from all the change happening in my life within the space of three days.

I probably should have stayed seventeen. Or just stayed back at school and continue to bury myself in the comfort of the cold dusty library.

I dragged my trembling body to my feet, finding support as I grabbed onto the leg of my reading table. I walked into the toilet, leaving the door open behind me.

By the time I was done cleaning up my messed up makeup, head bent down in the sink. I raised my head in time to come eye to eye with a frustrated reflection of Cassie in the mirror.

“That's it?” She snapped at me. I trembled at how sharp her voice got.

I thought of something to say. But nothing. Nothing made sense anymore. I stared at my blotch red eyes, pale face and messed up hair. I looked like I survived a convulsion.

“Laura!!” She snapped again, bringing my attention back to her.

“Who were those strange people? Why didn't you touch your food or look away from it, or speak to me?” She stormed to me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

“What did they do to you??”

I stared at her troubled eyes. In that moment, I heard Modaine's voice.

‘...You should be taking this well. You are not a child anymore, Laura. You made it obvious to your best friend and your sibling that something was wrong with you. What I told you stays between you, me and your stepfather. Do not fail me. I have a thousand and one ways to torture you.’

“They are my parents friends. Some are distant family relatives I don't even remember because my parents always moved around. But they were on board with me staying here with my stepfather when my mother died. They came for my birthday dinner since they missed my graduation. They also told me that my grandmother had died.”

The lies kept falling out of my mouth like a broken tap. I felt a tear break through, tricking down my left cheek.

“I am so sorry…” Cassie pulled me into a hug.

I sobbed some more.

Not because of some fake grandma I have never met. But because I knew this was a phase of my life I would have to deal with alone. No matter how much I ached for comfort, I could never tell Cassie. I would just be putting her life in eminent danger.

She pulled back.

“They seriously couldn't have found a better day to tell you, they had to pick your 18th birthday dinner? What creep assholes!” Cassie flipped a middle finger in no specify direction.

If only she knew who she was referring to.

“I want to get out of this dress.” I muttered, turning my back to her.

“I guess this means no sneaking out later to party.” Cassie sounded defeated. Guilt twisted my belly.

I held onto the front part of the dress just before it fell off my chest.

“I am sorry—”

“No! It's okay. I promise. I think it's actually the right thing to do. I don't think I am in the mood to party too anyways.” She looked like she meant her words. But I still felt guilty. This was supposed to be our last hurrah before it all came crashing down.

“We could still sneak some really good wine from the cellar underground. I would honestly like a drink.”

“I just want to forget…”

“Your grandma would always be here with you in your heart and your loving memory of her. My mom used to say no one really dies. They just died in this reality. They are definitely alive in another. We never really die.”

I stared at her for a bit. This wasn't the first time she would say something unorthodox without a shred of doubt.

But for the first time, I think I was starting to believe there was more to the world we lived in outside high school graduation and college.

If I was truly an Elemental werewolf like Modaine said, then my fake dead grandma could definitely be alive in another universe.