The ALPHA'S Masked Healer

BIRTHDAY/MEMORIAL

But I'm grateful to the Moon Goddess that it's a mini cliff.

As soon as my tumbling comes to a stop, I close my eyes tightly, grit my teeth and tense my muscles to pull the arrow out.

Lucky for me, it didn't go too deep.

Now is the time to continue moving.

They should be retreating by now. Rolland always takes the easy way, but I can never tell.

Who knows if he has created a new strategy since I last trained with them?

I try to get a grip of myself but I keep losing my footing anytime I try to get up. The scratches and cuts I got are also beginning to heal and my vision has cleared on my third try, thanks to the pills I popped before going to bed.

It's known that most Alpha's cheat their way to becoming crowned by poisoning the chosen Alpha, so I took an antidote to all poison.

I just wasn't expecting that it would be my ex-best friend.

The trees are denser in this part of the forest and the canopies that they form block the rays of the rising sun.

'Luca.' I tried to call my wolf out so I could shift.

I still have the other pair of clothes I took, but my favourite white pyjama is long gone.

Yes, I'm naked.

'Luca.' I called again, but he seemed to be in sleep mode as I didn't get a stir from him.

He's deliberately leaving me to fend for myself.

I let out a sigh as I continued forward, trying my best not to collide head on with a tree when I noticed a path.

Do people live here?

No, that's impossible.

Maybe it's a werewolf that has gone Rogue.

Should I go back now?

Behind me is a cliff and Rolland's soldiers waiting to finish me and right in front of me is probably a wolf or a pack of them.

Do rogues have a pack?

Or is it a vampire?

That explains the absence of sunlight.

With each step I take, my heart thumps 100 times harder than normal.

I'm anxious and Luca, my wolf, has left me alone. But for some reason, I can't bring myself to take another route, mainly because there is no other one.

Is there a possibility that I have been enchanted?

'Snap!' I hear the snap of twigs on the damp ground and I know I'm in trouble.

Have they found me?

Or is it the werewolves?

I'm still plundering on the possibilities when I notice I'm falling.

It was a trap.

It feels like I won't reach the end of it, like a bottomless pit and I can't help but scream out my lungs for help.

Will help come?

Jean's P.o.v

It's my parent's anniversary and my birthday and I honestly do not know which one to celebrate, so I picked up my calender.

I celebrated my birthday last year, so it's their death anniversary today.

I'm not much of a morning person, but there's never much of a difference here.

Rarely do I get to see the sunlight except when I go out of here, which hasn't happened in 5 years.

It's safer here, there are no werewolves or witches tailing my movements or who I converse with here.

I bet they think I'm dead.

The plants I nurture say good morning as I water them.

No, I'm not crazy and I can explain this act of mine that sounds like 'crazy'.

I'm gifted.

I belong to the Masked Healers clan even though we've disbanded and there were only 7 of us left the last time I checked, me included.

The masked healers are a clan of healers who wear masks. Not for costume parties, we are born with them.

We also have the special ability which can be mastered by half-bloods to make medicine out of any plant and flowers, including poisonous ones.

The masks vary in color and have different gifts, but sadly, most of us don't get to realize the potential of our masks before we die.

Another reason why we are almost extinct is because of our life span.

You might be thinking we should be able to heal ourselves since we have special blood composition and can make medicine from literally anything, but remember when I said most of us never truly realize the potential of our masks. Yes. That's it.

Most women die before the age of 25 or during childbirth.

The mask is supposed to help carry us throughout our lives and the first person who realised this is over 200 years old.

She found immortality but couldn't teach it because she traded her knowledge of her husband's affection for a witch.

She never got to pass down her knowledge even though she is still alive, somewhere in the North Pole.

Yes, you can guess what happened. Her husband died before she clocked fifty and her children. Oh well, I have a memorial to organise.

Mother died on my 2nd birthday and father on my eleventh birthday. People say Aunt Star who took me in after is dead, but I refuse to believe it, so I won't be holding a memorial for her even though I haven't seen her since my fourteenth birthday.

The plants aren't as excited today because they know what day it is, so I don't mind them as I carry on with my preparation.

Were you wondering how I get food even though I haven't left here for 5 years?

I'll let you in on the secret.

My father was a wizard and let's say I learnt a thing or two from him before his passing.

The place was set and I lit up a green candle.

It's my favourite colour.

My eyes are closed and I let myself imagine them with me.

My mom on my right and my dad on my left.

Maybe they are really here, who knows?

"Mom, I miss you." I whisper as I let my tears flow freely.

I don't have fond memories of my mother, but my father talked about her everyday till my eleventh birthday when he had to let go of his own life for me to live.

She had red hair and would sometimes dye them blonde, she had a smile that could melt the world and a voice that belonged to the Angels.

Yes, dad thinks angels are the good guys.

"Dad, look how far I've come. I told you I was a big girl, didn't I?"

As much as it hurts to lose them both. As much as it hurts to not have them by my side everyday, as much as it hurts to not have a family and live in seclusion because of it, as much as all of these hurt, I have to show them that I'm doing well, else they worry.

I don't want my parents to worry.

"I'm doing fine. I'm doing very fine here. And dad, you were right, the world is truly full of destruction." I look to my left as if he's there.

And yes, I can see him in his favourite yellow t shirt and paint brush in his hands. He was always trying to perfect his magic.

I sniffle and force a smile on my face then I start to recount all of my experience from the last two years.

My excruciatingly painful period pains, my relationship with the plants and how I love painting.

The mood gets lighter as I go on with my chatter. After all, it's been a while.