COLD HARSH GROUND

Ophelia gladly ate the food served on her bed. She never realized she was this hungry until the smell of freshly baked bread teased her nostrils. The night before, she declined dinner saying her stomach was too upset to handle it. Nurse Sarah bought her a cup of sweetened warm milk instead, it helped calmed her down and before she knew it, she was in dreamland. 

The taste of the sweet jam and bread made her feel alive for the first time since that wretched night. The smell reminded her of home, the way her mom made breakfast when the first rays of the sun got into the kitchen. How Luke always whined that they were having the same breakfast again and he wants pancakes instead. The memory made her crack a smile, but along with it came a strong feeling of torment. It made her feel more lost than she already was. 

“A happy memory?” 

Ophelia snapped out of her dwelling and looked to her side, Noah. She forgot that he was there as her mind went astray. She found herself thinking of his question harder than needed when the answer was an obvious yes. But still, she took her time.

She nodded after a long minute. “But how did you know?” 

“Mom always said that when someone smiles out of the blue, then he is thinking of a happy memory,” Noah said, sinking back in the chair as he folded his legs underneath him. 

“Your mom is wise,” Ophelia said with a smile, biting down the last bit of her food.

“Did your mother never say something like that?” Noah asked, tilting his head. 

Ophelia shuddered and felt her blood run cold soon before she calmed herself down. 

‘He doesn’t know anything,’ she said to herself. ‘I never told him or anyone.’ 

The more Ophelia thought about it, she realized that she never got the chance to tell anyone what happened. Truth be told, she doubted that she wanted these words to come out of her mouth. 

‘My family is killed,’ she answered in her head. ‘My whole pack is dead and there is no one left but me.’

She doubted Noah would want to hear it either. 

“Yeah,” she replied, setting the tray on the night table. “I think Mom said something like that.” 

The fact that Ophelia didn’t remember made her guilty. She paused, staring out before her as she tried to remember all the memories she had with her family. It was vague in the back of her mind, a distant memory her brain never cared to preserve. 

Her violet eyes darkened as she clenched down on the blanket. She couldn’t help but hate herself for it. If only she knew that everything was going to turn in a blink, that she was going to lose everyone and everything she holds dear. She would have forced her brain to carve the memories on its walls. However, it was too late for regrets now. 

“D-Did I say something wrong again?” Noah stuttered, watching out for her reaction. 

“W-What?” she tilted her head in confusion.

“Whenever I ask you something a sad look appears on your face,” He elaborated. “Do I make you angry?”

“N-No!” She exclaimed, holding up her arms. “I was just thinking of something that’s all.”

“Something sad?” Noah asked. 

Ophelia took a deep breath as she looked away. Suddenly the words were lost to her and nodded instead. 

“My mom always says to speak up when you are sad,” Noah started, rubbing his hands on the back of his head in flusters. “I’m here to listen if you would like. I promise I won’t judge!”

‘Whenever you are having a hard time know that your family has got your back, Ophelia,’

Ophelia jumped in surprise as a voice rattled in her head. She recognized the voice instantly. 

‘Mom…’

Ophelia bit down on her lips to prevent the tears from falling. She promised herself not to cry in front of them. 

“Thank you,” Ophelia said quietly.

She couldn’t help but feel that it was thanks to Noah that she recalled this precious moment with her moment. Just when she was beginning to think she forgot all the memories she shared with her mother. She held her hand tightly to her chest, thanking the Moon Goddess for this chance. 

“For what?” Noah asked, tilting his head. He couldn’t read the expression on her face. 

“You made me remember a happy memory I shared with my mother,” Ophelia said, turning back to Noah. A bright smile on her tinted lips. 

This was the first time she had smiled like that since she arrived. Noah felt his heart leap out of his chest, and the heat warming up his pale cheeks. He fumbled with his hand in frustration, an awkward smile cracking on his embarrassed face. 

The awkward silence was broken when nurse Sarah came in, the door clicking shut behind her. 

“Good morning, Ophelia,” she said as she walked to her side. “Noah you are up early.”

“I always wake up early!” Noah coughed, bringing his hands to cover his mouth.

Sarah giggled seeing Noah’s cheeks turn bright red, she could already tell he had gotten closer to Ophelia. Was it a good thing? She couldn’t say yet.

“You look a lot better than yesterday,” Sarah said, eyeing Ophelia. “We just need to take care of those burns before they leave a mark. But I’m sure your wolf will heal it without a trace.”

Ophelia nodded with a faked smile, there was no need for her to say that she still didn’t feel the wolf inside her. Sometimes she felt it and sometimes the feeling vanishes without a trace. The latter happened often. One of the few times she felt her wolf kick in, was that night. The night of the arson, the murders. Her instinct forced her to flee far away from home, and here she was in this strange place, with a red-eyed boy. 

The two children were silent as Sarah did her job, Ophelia wasn’t on guard as the first time the nurse touched her. She wasn’t completely at ease but, she wasn’t uncomfortable either so, so she sat still and watched as Sarah nursed the burns on her arms. 

Ophelia couldn’t even remember at which point she got burned, was it when she ran into her home to stop her brother Luke or, was it when she was fleeing with her life? She never even noticed the sting until she woke up in this bed a day ago. The night when she was running, her mental bruises were much deeper than her physical ones. At some point, her brain stopped differentiating which was which, it was all one big lump of pain and agony that tormented Ophelia’s frail body. 

“There, all done,” Sarah said, straightening her posture as she took a step back to admire her handy work. 

“Thank you,” Ophelia said quietly, eyeing her arm as though it wasn’t hers. 

“Don’t worry as soon as you recover, you will be on your way home,” Sarah said, trying to comfort the little girl. “We already sent a messenger with a word about you to your pack.”

Ophelia shuddered at the words but by the time she wanted to clear the misunderstanding, the door was closing shut after Sarah. She sighed in anxiety. 

‘It’s barely been two days and I’m already causing trouble,’ She thought, wondering if she should run after Sarah. But what was she going to say? 

Hey, Sarah! Sorry, but my whole pack is dead and I’m the only one that survived.

It was one thing to say in her head and a whole other thing to say out loud. She doubted she would be able to stutter the words. So, just this once, she would forgive herself for falling in trouble.

She had been wondering since she regained a bit of her energy, why did no one ask her what happened? It was because they had already set their mind on the answer. 

‘They think I just got lost or perhaps ran away from home,’ She thought. The latter was as close to the truth as it could get. She did run away from home, or at least what was left of it.

~~~~

Sarah walked into the quiet hall