THE GIRL CRIED WOLF

Prologue Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Ezra kept the sparks flying from her fingers hidden in her pockets. "Remember Ezra, whenever you panic, take deep breaths and count to ten." Her father's soothing voice came to her from a not-so-long-ago memory. She always listened to him. No matter what. So she gave it another try. 1...2...3....4....5....6.....7....8... Howls. Gods so many of them that she almost couldn't hear herself think. But she swallowed the screams threatening to crawl up her throat. She had to be absolutely quiet. That's what Daddy had told her. No sounds. Stay hidden. The sound of running feet made her whimper – no, no ...NO! Please don't let it be one of them. Please don't let it be one of them. Please. Please. "Come on Ezra sweetheart, get up from there, we're leaving." Her father's voice. So strong. So comforting. But there was a certain sense of urgency to it now......an almost subvocal tremor. She may've been young but her most basic instincts told her that something was dreadfully wrong if her ever serene father was ruffled. Dread made icy fingers crawl up her spine. Now the sparks shooting from her fingers were red instead of blue. Oh no. Not now. She couldn't have her powers going haywire now. Not when there were enough people in their manor that she could hurt anyone with the backlash that came of her unruly magic. Keeping a firm grip on her breath – as her father had taught her – she got out from behind the alcove hidden behind the bookshelf in their library. She took her father's extended hand and he immediately took her small form in his arms, while simultaneously pulling out the gun he always kept hidden in the study-table drawer. Ezra swallowed. Hard. Oh God, what was happening? She knew her father hated guns – hated anything that led to bloodshed. At just 10 years she shouldn't know what that meant- but she did. The world she lived in was sometimes harsh that way. Accepting that for the way it was always going to be, she held on to her father – trusting him in a way she trusted no one else. He ran down the stairs to the basement, pushed aside a heavy chest in the corner and lifted a small door hidden below it. Ezra coughed as dust rose from the obviously unused pathway. He pushed her inside and told her to shut the door behind him. "I'll come down and pull you out as soon as I can Ezra. There's just a situation upstairs I need to handle quickly. But promise me you'll stay here till then." "I promise Daddy." The noise of the basement door clanging shut was the last thing Ezra heard. Then came a sound she never forgot in her whole life – the sound of flesh being torn apart. The sound of howls – loud enough to drown out her screams. But scream Ezra did.