Prologue II

AVA

I didn't think twice about it.

The look on his face was enough.

Without another word, I spun on my heels, dashing into the woods. The sharp wind slapped against my cheeks, the branches scraped my arms, yet I didn't stop.

All I could think about was the horror I'd just seen...

"Ava!" my mother called, running after me. "Ava, wait! You can't get past the bou—

That was all I heard before a strange blue shimmer sent me flying back.

For a brief second, the world tilted.

My stomach twisted, threatening to spill out the nonexistent dinner in it as I stumbled to the ground, gasping for air.

"Ava!" Her voice was heavy with disbelief. "You shouldn't have been able to do that." 

"What... what was that?" I panted. "

"I placed a boundary to shield us from the outside world. You just tore through it," Mum whispered, her eyes wide with fear at its implication.

Boundary?

Perhaps it was the situation or the overwhelming fear I felt, because somehow, I knew the boundary she was talking about wasn't the same one I was taught to spell in school.

Those weren't meant to act as shields...

Shaking my head, I sat up.

"But it exploded... It broke when I ran. And I... I saw Dad." I gasped with wide eyes, the scene replaying in my mind. "We need to run mum. Something is coming... something terrible.”

I couldn't stop speaking as tears streamed down my face. My mind was filled with so many questions. 

What just happened? How did Dad see me? How did I even see him from that distance? What in the world was he running from? And how and why did she create the shield in the first place?

This would be the right time to get answers to the things I'd noticed all week but none of them mattered— not now.

One peek at the horrific sight and my only thought was "Run".

My mother gently gripped my shoulder with a grim look.

"I know... I know, baby."

I blinked at her,  "You know why they are after us?" 

"It's your power.” Mum gave me a tight-lipped smile, “It's awake." 

Wait, I had powers?

Her words had barely settled when a loud, growl tore through the trees.

"What's... what's happening?" 

"There's no time to explain," she said, helping me to my feet. "We'd leave as soon as your father gets here."

The air crackled as another growl tore through the night and her expression darkened.

"Ava, listen to me. We need to find somewhere safe to hide for a while."

She was right. But before I could move, it happened again.

In a flash, I wasn't in the woods anymore. I was somewhere else.

My legs, much longer and grown, were moving at an unnatural speed. Blood dripped down my arms from the deep slashes on my chest and back.

And if it wasn't for the terrible pain flaring in my side, I wouldn't have noticed it was missing a large chunk of flesh.

Still, I didn't stop running. Not with the awful stench and heat coming from the unknown creature behind me.

When did I get here?

"No.” A familiar, stern voice thundered in my skull. “This is not your time. Get out of my head and get yourself and your mother to safety NOW!"

Instantly, I was yanked back into my own body. 

My gaze met my mother, shaking me violently, with panic-stricken eyes.

"Oh my god. What was that? What did you see?" she demanded.

"I think it was dad..." A new batch of tears began to fall. "He's running... There are too many. They're almost here." I wept. "He says to run."

She didn't ask any more questions. The haunted look on my face told her everything she needed to know.

"So we run."

"But Mum-"

"Now, Ava!"

There was no time to complain. 

One minute, I was standing on solid ground, her hands tightly holding onto me, and the next?

We were flying.

I couldn't believe it. Weren't things like this meant only for my TV shows?

Still, in reality, my mother held my hand in hers, darting through the woods like the wind itself carried us. It barely lasted for ten minutes before the trees around us burst into flames. 

The instant we fell to the ground, a wall of fire surged around us. 

"They're close," Mum grunted, crawling her way towards me.

Her eyes glowed the now familiar blue as she chanted, and I watched, stunned, as her wounds closed up.

What in the world was that?

She did the same to me before speaking.

"I need you to be strong, Ava. Can you do that for me?"

The previous Ava would've jumped at the chance to prove she wasn't a baby, but I couldn't be bothered at this point.

"I'm scared," I confessed.

"I know, baby. I do, but I need you to listen. You must run when I tell you to. No looking back. Promise me."

Swallowing, I gave her a small nod.

Slowly, the shadows around us began to materialise. We were being surrounded. Except for my muffled cries, nothing could be heard and when the smoke finally cleared away, I saw them—

Monsters.

That was the only word I could describe them as…

Standing on their hind legs, elongated fangs and teeth dripped with saliva. Their bodies were covered in half hair and half skin,

God… they smelt.

Taking a step back, I hid behind my mother, who stood proudly, her shoulders raised, nose stuck in the air like she wasn't shaking within.

"Where's my husband?"

The creatures, six in number, threateningly snapped their teeth in reply. But she didn't waver.

"You had better give me a reply, or I'll roast the hair off you mutts," 

A cold chuckle cut through the night and suddenly they parted, letting through a man I immediately knew was the leader.

"Well, well..."

Behind him were two others, holding up an unconscious, brutally injured ma—

"Dad?!"

"Stay put," Mum drew me back.

"He tried... He really did." the leader chuckled. "Killed 11 of our men by himself, but we all know this is futile. The chase is tiring. Aren't you tired of running?" 

I waited for my mum to speak, but her eyes remained stuck on my father, probably wondering if he was alive like I was.

"It's been nine years, but I found you guys. As promised.” The man continued. “I think it's time you hand her over."

"I'd be damned."

"Don't make this harder than it already his. Hand her over and we'd be on our way."

She's my child. My daughter!"

"You should've thought about it when you decided to have her..." He roared. "You should've thought about what it meant for our world; instead, you ran off with your dreamer of a husband!"

"It doesn't change the fact that I do not owe you anything." Mum snapped back. "I won't give up my daughter to be an instrument of doom in your hand."

I didn't understand the conversation one bit.

Instrument of doom? 

The scary man let out a loud, irritating laugh.

"If not us, others would come; now enough chitchat.” He stepped forward, “You leave me no choice."

At that precise moment, everything slowed.

"Now, Ava!" Mum screamed as Dad jumped to his feet.

"Dad!"

"Get out of here and don't look back." He yelled.

"Not too fast, you filthy witch," 

"Ah!" I glanced back to see my mother in our captor's clutches. 

Forget running, I couldn't leave like this. The instant I turned, I was snatched up by an invisible force. 

I couldn't breathe or move.

My throat burned, and before I knew it, I was the one screaming. 

It felt as though everything inside me was breaking as the force wrapped around me like a cocoon... squeezing the life from my soul.

I didn't know what death was, yet I knew I was dying.

With great difficulty, I extended an arm towards my father,

"Dad. Help... me..."

Suddenly, he began to jerk in vivid anger.

His bloodshot eyes reddened, slowly faded from their familiar deep grey into a bright golden hue purple.

And then, something I never expected happened—

He became one of the monsters.