Chapter Two

Clarissa

Talia dragged me out of the room, our drawings were forgotten on the table as the sounds of mom and dad passionately kissing each other filled the space.

Talia continued to giggle while I only frowned, “Aren’t they too much? They behave like they found each other just a minute ago.”

“You look quite hot in the morning, sweetheart,” Dad murmured as he grabbed mom who chuckled, “so do you, alpha Hayden” and returned his kiss with equal fervor.

I angrily yanked the zipper of my bag open and pulled out a rubber band to tie my hair.

“They were fated mates, Clary. And from what aunt Raine has told us about their story, mom and dad were infatuated with each other even before they found out that they were mates. How exciting!!”

My sister gushed and I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I wondered if she really was my twin. We looked so similar yet were so different.

While we had the same brown hair as our mom, Talia’s hair was a deep chestnut and wavy while mine was unmanageable. Her eyes were a distinct shade of brown with flecks of grey while mine were plain gray.

Not to mention that she was filling in on her curves a lot sooner than I who was basically a walking stick.

Long story short, Talia was better than me in almost everything we both attempted. Yet, she never showed off. She just had a natural way of doing things right in fewer attempts that looked effortless.

Yes, we shared our DNA but I was the obedient and thoughtful girl while Talia was bold and reckless at times. She was also more outgoing than I was, could easily talk to strangers, and wiggle her way out of tricky situations.

Seeing my frown, she tried to change the topic. “By the way, where should we go next?”

“How about we run?”

Today being Sunday we were free from training and school.

Talia asked and my expressions betrayed me. We had yet to awaken our wolves but running felt akin to being free and letting go of every negative emotion to calm ourselves. Dad always said that we were practicing too hard but mom encouraged us to give our best.

“You bet,” I grinned and she countered, “If I win the race, you are staying with me until the end of the party tonight.”

“And, if I win, you are letting go of your stupid crush over Kyler.” I challenged.

Talia gave me a thumbs up and we both started the countdown in unison,

“On your mark, get set….go”

We both shot out from our starting point into the woods. Our boots dug into the soft mud as we sent small rocks and pebbles flying around.

Running felt…exhilarating.

I wondered how fast we would become after we would awaken our wolves. We were shy of turning 18 by only a few months. 

And, I hoped that I wouldn’t be a late bloomer like my mom. 

We tore through the woods, jumping over the bushes and fighting our way through the branches that poked into us every now and then. 

The finish line would almost always be the boulder a bit beyond our territory, right beside the river.

That was the place mom had come looking for dad when she feared his life was in threat.

My hair was swishing through the air, bobbing up and down like a spring. Though Talia would always beat me, I was determined to win this time.

So, I pushed myself harder, straining the muscles in my legs until they cramped. Slowly but steadily, I matched her pace and grunted to take a lead.

After what I felt like an excruciating effort, I did take the lead and touched the boulder just a millisecond before her hand slapped against its surface.

My knees buckled under my weight and Talia fell beside me as we were gasping for breath.

Soon enough, we began to laugh in a silly way until our cheeks hurt.

We lay on the ground, looking at the cloudless sky as Talia spoke, “Ok fine, I will not ogle at Kyler but get up we have to go and be ready.”

“Ready for what?” I grumbled.

“I told you what. The party, I will maybe find a nice hot guy for you too.”

“No thanks,” I replied hotly as I pushed myself into a sitting position.

“Why? Are you still chasing the man of your dreams? Technically he is hot coz you always see flames around him, don't you?”

Talia wiggled her eyebrows and chuckled. I quickly looked around to see if there was anyone around us. 

“Do you see him kissing you in your dreams? Or do you want him to break out of your dreams and step into the real world to claim you? Is that why you sometimes blabber incoherently in your sleep?”

My sister’s imagination was crazy. “Will you shut your mouth?” I hissed at her and she looked hurt.

“It was a harmless comment, girls our age can dream of men, you know. And you seem to constantly see just one guy, tell me more about him. Is he tall, dark, and handsome?”

She probed and I bit my tongue. I knew she was right but somehow thinking of the dreams in the waking world always set me on the edge. It was enough to see his stupid back turned to me every single night.

‘‘Just why won’t he show his face to me?” I grumbled. “I see a blurred version of a man with his back facing me but the flames take up most of the space. I can't see much. Though he is definitely tall and does have a good physique. I don't know the rest.” 

For several days I had been seeing that single dream that would always stop at that question like clockwork and abruptly cut off.

I shook my head and got up from the ground, “Alright, let's go get ready” I said to shut my sister from asking about my dream man.

Dream man. That sounded so wrong. 

I didn’t dream of a prince charming, I just wanted to be the best warrior and a runesmith. Just like my mom.

And maybe the head of the Council but that was a far cry.

While I was lost in thoughts, my suggestion perked Talia up and she dragged me to our home. 

I felt something or someone was watching me but when I turned around I saw nothing. The hair on the back of my neck prickled and I threw a wild look around.

“Hey, are you okay?” Talia asked me with concern.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” I smiled to not let my sister get worked up.

‘Was I going insane?’ 

Maybe, I was.

For the next few hours, Talia scrubbed me within an inch of my life. She combed my hair, painted my nails, and applied a dozen things to my face.

“Ouch, you demon”

I yelled at my sister who had tugged at my wild hair with her comb a bit too hard.

Before she could answer, mom’s voice reached us. She had probably just returned from the council meeting and asked in a stern voice.

“What demon?”

Her unexpected question made us think for a second but Talia quickly replied, “Mom, are you sure you didn’t drink a demon’s blood in the past? Clarissa is anything but a werewolf, she is a monster.”

She had expected mom to laugh but mom only took a sharp breath. Talia bit her lip and I tried to cover up,

“Ignore her, mom. She was talking about Kyler, she hates him…like can’t even stand his presence around her.”

My mom’s shoulders which had gone stiff, relaxed visibly and she gave us a small smile, “Oh right? You girls are going to party. Have fun and don’t be late”

Mom said and walked out of the room. Talia began combing my hair again but somehow I had noticed the way mom had gone rigid. 

There was something we didn’t know yet. I felt it in my gut.