Chapter 2

2

Fred was embarrassed at his Luna's behavior. It was as if he’d become someone else altogether when Tory clutched her mouth and ran out of the stands after making an excuse. 

"You're unbelievable, Vera! What's wrong with you? Why did you have to do that? Are you insecure? Or jealous? Tell me, which one is it? I am totally done with you and—" Fred faded out when he noticed his son looking their way from the ground. 

Alex looked disappointed on Tory's leave. He was about to start a 400m run and his eyes screamed to ask: Where did my Aunt Tory go? 

"Just think about Alex. How would he feel if he heard about this? Tory didn't come here on her own. Our son insisted on her! Now go and find her. Apologize to her and bring her back before Alex starts his run." 

Vera got up with a red face. And no, she didn't go to apologize, but to confront Tory about the picture she sent. 

She was going towards the restroom area when she heard Tory's voice from the space under the stands, "Where are you going, Luna?" 

The biting sarcasm was audible in her words. Vera went to meet her beneath the stands. 

The crowd was roaring in excitement above them. The stands were shaking. Vera was a little afraid. She thought that the stands might collapse down on them. One look at Tory's face in the flashlight of her phone and her lips twisted in rage. Tory was smirking at her and that felt like she was rubbing salt in Vera's wounded heart. 

"Oh, so you're not really crying. I knew that." 

"But you came here to apologize, didn't you? So apologize!" Tory said with an attitude, escalating Vera's anger. 

Without thinking twice, she delivered a resounding slap across her cheek. 

"You bloody whóre! How dare you seduce my husband! Now I know why your husband left you with a daughter. You aren't loyal or as innocent as you look. You're a monster hiding behind a pretty face. Women like you live off rich men for comfort and a luxurious life. I'm warning you! Stay. Away. From. My. Husband. And. Son." Vera pointed a finger at her, her eyes blazing. "I don't want to see you after today. You'll leave us alone."

"I never had a husband." Tory said calmly, face still tilted by the slap. Vera was taken by surprise. 

"Then the little girl you have. Who does she belong to? Did you kidnap her or adopt her from somewhere?" Vera growled angrily. "You're young yourself. Who would let you adopt a child, it's insane! But the first idea could be possible." 

"I'll choose 'none of the above' to answer your multiple choice question, Professor! Molly is mine. I had her when I was sixteen." 

"Are you kidding me? How can you have a daughter at sixteen? It's illegal." 

"Ever heard about Teen Pregnancy, Professor?" 

"It's impossible." 

"Oh, but it happened." Tory said in a mock sweet voice. "My parents kicked me out when I conceived. They said I better abort it but I refused to. Who would get rid of their ticket to a rich world? My child was the key to my happy life." 

Vera cringed. Only a money-minded woman would call her child a ticket to something. 

"Besides, what did my parents give me other than lectures on religion and faith! They were stupid to think there was a moon goddess who controls the universe. I say you become the goddess of your own life and control it." Tory giggled. "Wait, they did give me something— This young-looking body and an innocent-looking face. I'm 21 but I look even younger. And with a 5 year old daughter, I have the perfect, tragic sob story.

"I lie to men I meet. I tell them that I was ràped and I conceived. But then I was so young that my parents didn't believe me and accused me of whóring around, which isn't wrong, if you ask me. I cry and they run to me to give me their shoulder. They whisper nice things to comfort me but my attention stays more on how their hands hold me. It's what tells me that a man is interested in me.

“When I'm convinced that they are under my spell, I play my next move— I take my daughter to meet them. They instantly take pity because of the age of my daughter and they fall in my trap. That's what happened to your husband, you know. In fact, I didn't have to do much! I just jumped in front of his car with a cleavage-revealing dress and he was smitten."

Tory batted her eyes and asked her if she wanted to know how she bagged the place of Fred's secretary. 

“I've been wondering a lot about that. Mrs. Walls was a reliable employee and PA. I would definitely want to know why Fred fired her.” 

Tory grinned at that and replied, “I told my sob story to Alpha Fred, but also told him that I'm about to leave my daughter in foster care because I can't afford to feed her. He was tongue-tied when he heard that. You see, my daughter looks even more innocent and pitiful. She's smaller for her size and she flinches back when she sees new men I take her to meet. The fact that she never speaks makes her look sadder and more miserable. 

“Fred fell in love with my daughter and offered me a place of janitor in his office. But you see my figure and face, will I look good holding a mop or carrying those smelly trash bins? Nah! So I lied a little about how it would leave me exposed to workplace bullying and give men more chances to take advantage of me. Being a ràpe victim it'll traumatize me more. 

“I swear that's all I said.” Tory pinched her throat. “But the next morning, he asked me to meet him and told me that I'll be his PA and get a good salary so I don't have to give my daughter up. What he did to his previous PA… I don't know.” She shrugged carelessly. 

“You little slút!”

Indignation swirled through Vera like a hurricane. She cursed Tory and hit her again. 

"Whatever! I don't care where you come from and what you want. Just leave my family alone if you love your life."

"What if I don't?" Tory spoke menacingly. 

Vera slapped her again. Her face tilted again by the slap, she grinned eerily. She made Vera uncomfortable. She gave off a weird, unstable vibe like she was a psycho.

"What!" 

"I said..." Tory's face came up with a dark smile. "What if I don't leave them alone? What if they want me?" 

Anger clawed through Vera's guts, "You rotten whóre!" 

She advanced towards her with her palm raised higher, ready to strike Tory again. However, Tory beat her to it. She kicked her in the knee, unbalancing her. Just as Vera sat down on her knees with a wince, Tory outgrew her claws. 

Vera panicked. She tried to crawl away but she was held, pinned down, and struck in the stomach. Blurriness spread across her eyes as sickening pain shot up her belly. The last thing Vera heard was Tory's malicious voice. 

"It's you who should leave us alone, so-called Luna Vera! Your son and husband don't want you either. Why do you think I came here? It's because they didn't want to attend this event alone with you. You make the men in your house repulsive. It's better if you die so I can take your place as Luna in Fred and Alex's lives!"

Tory grew her normal nails back and ran out crying, "Panther! Panther! There's a panther in the restroom. I saw him drag Luna Vera away! Somebody help! There's a Panther. He'll kill Luna Vera!" 

Tbc...