FRANCESCA Her words were making me teary and I blinked multiple times to stop the tears from falling. "I know you yearn for a companion. I understand that but you must understand that you can't trust anyone, especially not people you find in the forest. Many times, those people are fugitives. Rogues, who had left their lands after committing a crime." "I guess that is how they would see us too because we are not different from them." I found myself saying. Madam Creese frowned at that."What do you mean?" "We are also living in the forests like criminals. I bet Rio must think we are fugitives like you believe he is. But we are not. Why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt? What if he is not any of the things you are accusing him of?" I could not explain why I was suddenly defending a stranger I had just met a moment ago but I did not like that Madam Creese was writing him off before she got to know him. I agree that he could be dangerous but what if he was not? Would I ju
I scoffed loudly as I watched the elf girl walk away with her grumpy grandmother. It was funny how the old woman thought I was interested in her daughter. Though she had not said a word to insinuate that, I could tell from the nasty glares she had thrown my way that she wanted me to be as far away from Francesca as possible. I could not help but find this really hilarious as I watched the two of them leave. Though Francesca kept looking behind her shoulder to catch my gaze, the grumpy old woman was keen on pulling her violently as though she wanted to detach the poor girl's arm from her body. I scoffed again as I stared at their retreating figures. I wished I could tell the old lady not to worry about me because I had no intention of being around her daughter. Of course, Francesca was very pretty — if I was being honest with myself, I had enjoyed the little conversation we had had — She was quite intriguing too. Perhaps, this was one reason I did not want to be anywhere near her. S
FRANCESCA"Your eyes on your target! Now shoot!" Madam Creese shouted and I did as she had taught me but just like the first ten times, the arrow fell to the ground before my feet rather than go hit the bottle.I groaned in frustration and set the bow apart. We had been doing this all evening yet it felt like I was not born to shoot an arrow; I just could not get it no matter how much Madam Creese tried. This was proving to be too difficult and I was already exhausted.Sweat trickled down the side of my face and I wiped it off with the back of my palms. My fingers hurt from pulling the bow's drawstring many times and my back was beginning to ache. I heard Madam Creese sigh deeply beside me and I bowed my head, fixing my gaze on the ground. She had been really patient with me that evening and I felt bad to let her down.We were standing in front of the cottage and Madam Creese was trying to teach me how to shoot an arrow. She had placed a bottle some distance away and was asking me to
FRANCESCAOf course, I knew what she was suspicious about. Ever since the incident with Rio, she had become more and more suspicious about my movement. She never wanted me to step out of the house anymore. I was sure she thought I was staying back to execute a plan I had under my sleeves.But where could I possibly go? I didn't know my way around here. I didn't know anyone. I had not even seen Rio in days. I had returned to the river, hoping to find him, but he was not there. He was nowhere to be found. Thinking about Rio made my heart feel heavy; It was like he had betrayed me somehow. I could not explain how but I felt betrayed nonetheless. I mean, he should have come looking for me — or had Madam Creese scared him that much to make him stay away completely? Now, I knew for a fact that I was only bothered simply because I didn't have any friends. I was sure I would not care about him if I had other friends. However, I had been greatly annoyed by his absence. Not knowing who to c
RIOI woke up with a banging headache and a sore throat which was strange because I rarely ail with such things. I groaned in pain, rolling a bit to the side as I tried to still the ache in my head. It felt like someone was hitting my head repeatedly with a pestle and it was painful.The sun was out and its blinding light shone on my face, making it difficult for me to open my eyes. I rolled to the side again, hoping to shield my face, but when I dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, my eyes opened and the first thing I saw was the wooden ceiling above. It was then I realized that I had fallen off a bed.I gasped loudly, my eyes scanning the room. The last time I checked, I was in the woods. How then had I moved from the woods to being in a room?The ache in my head had multiplied due to the fall but I ignored the pain and sat up on the hard floor.The room was very small but cosy. The windows were left open and the sunlight filled the room, brightening the room more than I would l
RIO"Nothing." He shook his head and smiled, but I could not be fooled by that. I could tell he had something on his mind but I chose to let it slide rather than push it."How do you know me?" I decided to ask the burning question in my heart instead."You don't remember?" Jake moved to sit next to me on the bed. "Remember what?""The boy who almost drowned. If you hadn't shown up, I would have died. I owe my life to you." I blinked at that, not because I could not remember but because I never thought to meet him again. I could remember the event vividly. I had gone with my beta and some of my trusted deltas to hunt. It was something we did occasionally: we caught hides and sometimes went fishing — all this just to take a break from the administrative duties in the pack and other serious engagements. It was always a time of fun; it was more like a boy's corner to me and I cherished those moments because those were the times I could truly be myself and not an alpha. Most people fo
FRANCESCAThe sound was swift but I heard it. It was the steps of a person walking around the cottage and I sat up in bed, wondering who it was. I knew it was not Madam Creese or was it? It was too early for her to return from her long trip. That morning, she had dressed up in her black cloak and had told me to remain indoors while she went into town to see someone. Regardless of how much I asked, she would not give me the full details of her so-called journey, all she had been concerned about was that I remained indoors while she was away. That had made me so angry that I had burst out in anger, accusing her of caging me like a kid, but after my outburst, all she had done was shake her head at me like I was an unbearable child, then she said, "It is for your safety, my dear." "Why won't you let me come with you then? It's been many days since I got here and all I've seen is this ugly cottage. I want to come to town too. I want to see this world and the people in it!" I had tried
FRANCESCA Though I did not want to show it, I was really starting to get afraid by her words. I found myself wondering what we would do if we got attacked by these beastly creatures in the middle of the night. Ava was right, there was a first time for everything. When she saw that I was quiet, she began to bounce on her feet. "Come on, don't overthink it." "I'm not. It's a no. I'll pass." I tried to remain stubborn. I would not easily give in. "Come on, Francesca. I know you don't want to spend the rest of your day lying in your bedroom." "I won't. I must save a land. I won't just be wasting away on my bed." I said before I could think. I looked up quickly to gauge Ava's countenance but she did not seem to hear what I had just said. "Why don't you come to visit us today? Hm?" She was negotiating. "You can return home later. I can ascertain that your grandmother is not in at the moment. I'll make sure you get back before her arrival if that is what you are scared of. What do you