ONE HOUR BEFORE HELIOS AND LAUREL ENTER THE HUTHELIOS’ POVThey say that the eyes are the windows to our soul.And as I stare at Laurel who stands next to me at Morningstar Square, I cannot help but feel something is off. Like always, her hair is tied up in a tight no-nonsense ponytail and she is wearing her usual dull brown vest and black leather pants. But there is something different about her. Something is missing.I notice how red her lips are and how shifty her usually bright blue eyes look. Then, her beautiful face contorts into an ugly scowl as if a pungent smell has just hit her nostrils. It is not a pleasant sight to behold. “Mate,” Laurel suddenly whispers. Her tone is incredulous as if she herself has trouble believing what she just said. And from the side, Nox slaps Marty on his back.“Goddess! You two are mates!” he roars, palming his stomach and throwing his head back in laughter.I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. Laurel and Marty are mates?!This is ridicu
LAUREL’s POVThe door creaks open and we both step in.“It’s rude not to knock, you know?” a voice calls out from the corner of the hut and our heads Iimmediately turn to see an old man in royal blue pyjamas on a rocking chair. It is the exact same chair that I had hidden behind when Jamie tried to hunt me down. Only this time, the rocking chair looks brand new.The chair is tucked in the corner of the hut and is so far away from where we stand that the old man’s face is obscured in the shadows. But as he rocks back and forth, I notice that his snow-white hair is all dishevelled. It is a mess and dried tree leaves are sticking to them. And it seems as if he has not shaved in years for his beard reaches the ground. And like many old men who have lived past their prime, he looks scrawny and frail.Helios and I would be fools not to know that this man is no ordinary old man.We hear a soft intake of breath and a low chuckle. Then, the rocking chair comes to a halt and the old man leans f
LAUREL’s POVHelios stares at Diego and for the longest time, no one breathes a word.Stifling silence fills the air and we all stay unmoving like statues in a wax museum. Then all of a sudden, Helios throws his head back and roars with laughter. But there is not a single trace of humour in his voice.The hair at the back of my neck stands up and I feel goosebumps all over my skin. It is never a good thing when Helios laughs like that.Diego looks on in confusion before he starts to smile nervously and lets out a chuckle of his own. Soon, he too joins in the chorus of laughter.I stand rooted in my position and stare at them both incredulously, feeling as if I am watching some sort of satirical dark comedy unfold in front of me.Then just as suddenly as Helios starts to laugh, he stops abruptly. And without warning, he reaches out and grabs Diego by his scrawny neck, cutting off the elderly man’s cackle and pulls him close. This time, Helios’ nails dig deep into Diego’s pasty skin and
LAUREL’s POVGrowing up, there would be times when I dreaded going home, simply because I knew what awaited me behind our front door. Mother's wrath. But I had never dreaded coming back to the pack after a long day of hunting or work that Alpha Helios assigned me to. Not even once.Until now. We approach the great iron portcullis. The lattice grilled vertical gate is closed and two guards stand erect in front, vigilantly guarding it. We could have used the shortcut through the Morningstar square to renter Helios’ land but he had deliberately brought us through the main gate. He is shrewd, sometimes, I simply cannot fathom his mind.Helios moves forward with Diego reluctantly following from behind. But my steps falter and I come to a stand still, watching the figures of the two men in front of me walk further and further away. I do not know how my parents and Jamie will react upon seeing me. Will they plot yet another scheme to get rid of me? I curl my fingers into a ball so har
LAUREL’s POV “Come out, Laurel.” Helios calls for me and I take a deep breath to soothe my nerves. The time has come to put an end to Jamie's facade. I get up from my hiding place, ignoring the dizzy spell that washes over me. My blood pressure drops and for a moment, I feel woozy. But nothing will stop me from facing the very person who stole my identity from me. And with one bare foot at a time, I step out from behind the painted screen to face Jamie. Sister, imposter, murderer. Slowly I move towards her, until I stand right in front of her kneeling form. And for a full minute, neither of us speaks nor moves...it is as if time has come to a standstill. Memories stir within me. Memories of a better time; of Jamie’s first steps as a toddler towards me, of Jamie laughing as she played in the fields near our house, of Jamie soothing me as a child when I cried from the pain of mother's flogging. Memories of how innocent and full of love she was before she changed. Into a monster.
LAUREL’s POV Death comes to everyone who is born. It is the natural order of things. But as my end nears, I have to ask myself this; knowing that death is inevitable, what is most precious to me today? The answer is painfully obvious. Helios. I wish to see him one last time. I wish to be able to tell him how I feel. I wish to let him know that the sun and moon rise in his eyes and that I have loved no one else but him throughout all these years. It matters not that he already knows about this; all I want is for him to tell me face to face how he truly feels about me. Because if Diego fails to come up with an antidote by tomorrow, I will never know. Is that too much for a dying girl to ask? “Okay, let’s try this one,” Diego’s voice breaks my train of thoughts and I turn to face the old man. He has his beard tied into a little braid, complete with a tiny bow at the end. I would have laughed out loud at how adorable his beard actually looks if it weren’t for the dire situation we a
LAUREL’s POVThere is pain. At first, it is everywhere, heavy and unbearable and for a moment, I have to wonder if I am already dead.But I’m very sure that heaven or hell doesn’t very well include Ares screaming like a madman into my ear.“LAUREL! THANK GOODNESS, YOU’RE FINALLY CONSCIOUS! YOU MADE IT! THE POTION WORKED!”The way Ares is shouting, I think my eardrums might just about split open. I struggle to open my eyes and whisper, my throat bone dry, “Ares…”Quickly, he leans closer, placing an ear near my lips. “Yes, Laurel? Is there anything you need? Water? Food?”“I need you to shut up.”“Oh, okay.”But he throws his arms around me and hugs me anyways even as he pulls me to a sitting position. My head is throbbing, my body is burning and my legs are cramping but it feels good to be alive. It feels even better to be in Helios’s comfortable and warm bed. I inhale deeply, noting how fresh the linen smells. Someone must have changed my sheets and clothes while I was unconscious.Wh
LAUREL’s POVThere is movement at the corner of the cell and I suddenly freeze. My reaction surprises me. Probably because I have feared them for so long. It is difficult to approach them without hesitation even when they are both chained to the walls.A shadow speaks. “Jamie? My darling daughter…is that you?”It is mother and she cranes her neck to catch a glimpse of my face.“JAMIE!” she calls out again, the joy on her face is immeasurable.“It’s not her, Helen. It’s Laurel,” father’s tired voice fills the cell and mother’s jaw drops. For a moment, she merely stares at me, her eyes unblinking.Then suddenly, she lets out an ear-piercing howl. Her chains rattle and she kicks and screams, “Nooooooo! Damn you! Laurel! Where is Jamie? What did you do to your sister?! Did you hurt your poor little sister? You’ve got your life back, why can’t you spare her? You selfish girl, give me back my baby!” I step forward. “Mother, I-“She hisses and spits at my feet. “You’re evil, Laurel! You’re n