Chapter 1_Stalkers

Amethyst went out of the bathroom with only a towel covering her. Someone’s watching.

She gripped the towel tightly to her body, like a mother clutching her precious baby. She couldn’t get wrong. Her sharp instinct screamed a warning siren in her head along with its red lights. Cold, minty air coming from the window kissed her bare skin. A frown and two lines formed on her glabella distorted her small, cute face.

“I’m sure I closed it before getting in,” she muttered and walked towards the open window opposite the bathroom. She grabbed the other end of the sill to shut it. But even before she did so, a silhouette of a man hiding behind the rose bushes in their garden caught her attention. It dove into the thick, thorny shrubs to hide again. And a low grunt of pain followed.

“Mom!”

She screamed, but no voice came out. She reached for the window sash, yet her arm wobbled. Everything went from normal to dreamy. “What’s happening?”

The moon beamed at her, delighted at her situation. Then, a gust of sweet, dewy wind threw her on the bed. The warmth of the covers was soft against her wet back. Someone, down on four, pushed his weight on her.

“Mom!” Her mind echoed her shaky voice. Tears of fear damped her cheeks. She closed her eyes and cried for help again.

“Shhh. Don’t cry.” A deep, melodious voice hushed her. He spoke in her head. “I won’t hurt you.”

Amethyst opened her eyes to look at the man atop her, but the lights in her room switched off. Only a fraction of moonlight coming from the window lit the man’s back. His face was blurry. Then he began touching her hair, smelling it as if tomorrow would never come.

Amethyst was petrified when their foreheads met. Her breathing stopped as the tip of his nose touched hers. His fresh breath warmed her lips as his lips hovered over hers. Her heartbeat was fast and deafening.

“Is he going to kiss me?” she asked herself.

“As much as I want to, I can’t—for now,” he replied.

You’re shameless, Amethyst Rei! She scolded herself.

The man laughed at her self-nagging. “Your scent is addicting.” He moved from her face to her neck, slowly moving downwards when the door swung open.

“Rei?”

In a blink, the man disappeared. Rinari had switched on the lights and rushed to Amethyst’s side.

“You okay, dear?” Her eyebrows pulled together as she touched her daughter’s face. She wrapped her in a not-letting-go hug.

“I’m okay, mom,” she said, returning her mom’s embrace.

“Sleep paralysis again?”

“Kind of—” she said.

Rinari walked towards the window. “What a pleasant night to go hunting, don’t you think?”

Amethyst scratched her candy peach head, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind. I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to the moon,” she said and winked at her. She pulled the window handle and locked it. She walked back next to Amethyst’s bed and kissed her forehead. “Good night, my love.”

“Good night, mom.”

Rinari twisted the doorknob and looked back before leaving. “You smell different. Did you change your soap?”

“Nope. Please leave the lights on.”

“Who is that guy? Why was mom acting strange?” Amethyst got up and scanned her room. It was definitely not a dream. Tiny drops of blood spotted the white marble floor. She traced where it led and found some on her bed.

She frowned when some rose thorns pricked her while shaking the dust off her sheath. That stranger had been here for real.

Thoughts about the trespasser stole her slumber. She walked to the door and switched off the lights, leaving the curtains pulled back and allowing the glimmer of the moon inside. Before she retired to bed, a bat bumped in her glass window. She peeked outside and, to her disbelief, the bat shook and placed its wing on its head, like a human feeling for a lump.

“This night is totally absurd. Am I exhausted? I’ve been seeing weird things.”

***

“Nic? Have you been sleepwalking again?” Lucia asked, scrubbing some mud off Nicolai’s room. He got up upon hearing his mother’s sweet voice—the music he always wanted to hear first thing in the morning.

“Morning, mom,” he greeted her with a blushing face while combing his unkempt blue forest night hair. “Sorry, but I can’t remember anything.”

“Nicolai Rex,” a man’s voice came booming from outside the room. His toned physique was a body to die for—chiseled chest, bulging biceps, and flat stomach. “Get up, young man. I need a sparring partner.” He marched and whistled as he approached the door.

“You better prepare in less than five minutes,” Lucia mumbled and winked at him. Nic jumped out of the bed and went to the toilet.

 “Oh! You’re up early, my love. What’s with the scrub?” Artemian kneeled to level his wife’s face and kissed her on the cheek. She gave him a knowing smile, which he understood. “Our boy’s maturing.”

Nicolai and Artemian breathed in, jumped into their respective places, and put on their fighting stance. The sun’s warmth in their tanned skin pumped their blood with excitement.

The Alpha attacked first, surprising his still warming up son.

“There’s not much time for stretching in hunting nor in actual battle. Pounce at your target, right away.” He punched and kicked Nicolai like a training bag of sand. The latter tripped with the kick, but he covered the punch.

“Careful with the face, dad. You won’t have another handsome son like me.” He laughed as he countered the attacks.

The pack, comprising most young women, gathered to watch them. Their eyes burned with fervor towards the son of their Alpha, wishing to be his Luna.

“Look at them feasting on you,” Artemian said to Nic.

He grinned at his father, not wanting to pay attention to the scent of desire blending with their salty sweat.

“Who can blame them?” He laughed, grabbed his father’s arm, and twisted it. “I guess I won this time. Don’t get distracted, dad.”

“Can you blame me when I can smell your mom from here?” He tapped Nic’s shoulder, showing his white teeth and silver upper canines. “You’ll understand it someday.”

“Speaking of which—I’ve been having weird dreams lately. Every night I find myself with a girl, but I can’t see her face. I can’t distinguish if it’s a dream or reality.”

Artemian’s face was neutral as if it did not surprise him at all. He squinted when some facial sweat reached his eye. “You’ll meet her soon.”          

***

What happens when it’s a full moon?

Creatures of the night.

“Are you for real?” Thea asked, seeing Amethyst’s G****e search box. Her kinky auburn hair tossed as she shook her head. “Why do you have these?”

 “It’s because of last night. I’d seen weird things."

 “Like?”

 “A man atop me while the lights were off.”

Thea’s face turned red. Her eyes were wide with anticipation. “What did he do to you? Tell me. Tell me.” She patted her cheeks while literally bouncing on the bed.

“You and your malicious mind. Remind me again, how did we become friends?” She gave her a scornful look.

“Is he scrumptious like my boyfriend?” She licked and bit her lower lip. She moved her face closer to Amethyst.

“Ugh! Disgusting.” She pushed her away, laughing at her gesture. “I didn’t see his face.” Her eyes looked in the window’s direction. A shiver ran through her whole body. “The face of the man from last night was blurry. Blurry as the silhouette outside the window behind you,” she said, stuttering while pointing at the shadow with bloodshot eyes.

Thea looked behind to see nothing. “You’re hallucinating.”

“And you have no plan of going home, right?” she crossed her arms on her chest.

“Of course,” she smiled and hugged Amethyst. “I was born for you, destined for you.”

“Stop giving me the chills.”

Thea released her from the hug. She looked at her childhood friend in the eyes and smiled.

“I may have a boyfriend, and I love him. But I would sacrifice my life anytime for your sake.” Her eyes flickered in green lights as she said those words. “I was born for you.”

“Your eye color changed,” said Amethyst, grabbing a small mirror. Thea’s eyes turned moss green from being brown.

“Oh, nice. My eyes are activated,” she complimented her fresh look.

“What do you mean?”  

“It’s my witch power.”

***

Amethyst and Thea woke up in the aroma of sauteed garlic in butter. Both their stomachs growled in response to the pan-searing of fried bacon.

They threw themselves up and raced to the door.

“Out of the way.” Amethyst bumped into Thea’s hip to get to the exit first. “I’m the daughter of the cook.”

“Who cares? I’m her favorite darling.” She laughed while grabbing the doorknob from Amethyst’s grip. They fought over who must come out first. Memories of their childhood flashed in their heads simultaneously; they laughed at the same thought. But Amethyst dropped her hand when a question popped into her head.

“Did we have the same memory just now?” Her smile turned to indifference.

“Yes, we did! Isn’t that cool?” Thea asked, beaming. What’s wrong?

“Did you just say, what’s wrong?”

“No. I mean, yes. But I didn’t utter them out.”

“How did I hear the words you didn’t say?” Amethyst brushed her messy hair, hands shaking. Mom! Mom!

Rinari suddenly appeared at the doorway in her apron with a ladle in one hand.

“Yes, my love? Did you call me?” She gave Thea a querying look, but the latter only lifted both hands in the air in an I-don’t-know gesture.

“How—” Amethyst slumped on the floor. “I didn’t scream, mom. I only called you in my head. How did you hear me?” Then she looked into Thea’s eyes. “I wasn’t dreaming. Your eyes really changed. What’s happening to me?” Amethyst broke down and Rinari enclosed her in her arms.

Rinari was about to say something to Thea through telepathy, but she stopped when she remembered her daughter might hear them. She looked at Thea instead and raised her eyebrows. Thea nodded, getting the signal.

She murmured inaudibly, which obviously could be heard by Amethyst.

“What are you mumbling?” Amethyst asked, tears flooding her cheeks.

“Rei, look at me.” She obeyed and saw Thea’s eyes glimmering for the second time. “My eyes are naturally moss green. You won’t remember a single thing that happened last night and this morning. Now, sleep well.”

With heavy eyelids, the sobbing girl closed her eyes in a deep sleep.

“How long will your hypnosis last?” Rinari asked in a worried voice.

“Forty- eight hours, auntie. We must bring her to Lucia for assurance.”

“Just our luck. We got invited to her son’s birthday.”

***

I found the love for me. Darling, just dive right in. Follow my lead…

“Where are we going?” Amethyst put the volume of the car music down.

“Hey, turn it up. That song’s my favorite.” Thea protested in the back seat.

“You have your playlist.”

“Ever heard of road trip music?” Thea asked in her sassy talk.

“Girls, enough. We’re off to my friend’s house.”

“Is it at the other end of the planet?” Amethyst asked in a sarcastic tone. “We’ve been on the road for like, forever.”

Rinari and Thea were both shocked at Amethyst’s change in attitude, but they decided not to react. They would put off their concerns until they reach Lucia’s place.

“Just sleep. We’ll be there when you wake up.”

I just hope I brought my broom. I’ll put you in it, then you’ll kazoom! Thea swayed her head with the funny thought while making faces.

“Who said that?” Amethyst asked.

“Said what?” chorused the two.

“Never mind. Wake me up when we get there.” Amethyst closed her eyes. Rinari looked behind and glared at Thea, who grinned with a sincere apology.