Chapter 1 A new life

With a deep breath, Selene takes her first step out of the bus, ready for another challenge.

A ray of sunshine flash before her, forcing her to race a hand to her face, as the beam from the setting sun prickled her skin.

Her heart raced upon glimpsing at the scenery of reddish skies kissing the mountains. Along with the lush forest all around.

Unlike her hometown, filled with buildings, bustling cars, and people. The place was teeming with trees and other plants. Few vehicles drove by the long road, and the highest structures were a three story clock tower, resembling those of olden times.

After having her fill of the view, she reaches for her pocket, fishing out the piece of paper she received from the mail, reading the notes and drawn map on it.

She swallowed hard, wandering her gaze to search for the landmark which was shown there. Nervous that she might be in the wrong place.

A strong wind blew by when the bus left, causing her to let out a loud squeal when the gust lifted her dress up, nearly flashing herself.

Luckily, she was keen to hold on to her clothes before it could go any further. But still it was too late, as part of her legs had already come into plain view, seen by some onlookers standing there because of the ruckus she made.

Selene felt her blood rise to her cheeks, noticing several young men about her age looking her way.

The group gathered in front of the store, just beside the bus stop, so they were the first to see her get down from there.

They ended up grinning from getting a peek at those white long legs, all except one.

Selene’s surroundings suddenly slowed down as her eyes got glued to that single person. As there was this odd sensation of being drawn to the way the guy looked at her.

Among the crowd the individual stood high and mighty, but what caught her sights was the sharp gaze he had sent her, before shifting back to staring into the wood.

It didn’t help that the man’s shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a well-chiseled body, with a tightened chest from having his arms crossed. His denim pants hang low, displaying his abdominal muscles and v-cut sides for all to see.

Selene only ended up evading her gaze when the other men began whistling, throwing winks and flying kisses on her way.

Immediately grabbing on to her suite case, she does a quick pivot, taking the other path in order to avoid the group. Cautiously pulling down her sun hat to hide her face.

Yet, she can’t help checking her peripheral view, wishing to get another glimpse of that guy. But ended up disappointed when the fellow laid down on the bench as if readying to take a nap, hiding himself from her gaze.

She took that as a sign to hasten her steps, scampering to run out of there as the other men continued hollering at her.

It was quite some time before she slowed down, having finally lost sight of them after dashing in one go. She moved so fast; she had not noticed where she was until she rested to get a better view of her surroundings and where she was.

Selene was gasping, sweaty, and shaking from the long sprint before she took another look at her map.

She’d been so pumped up and in such deep thought, she hardly realized she was already standing in front of the house, only becoming aware upon seeing the white picket fences covered in tall grass and flower beds.

All her worries from a while ago instantly disappeared, replaced by a sudden thrust of emotions.

She smiles, even with that pang inside her chest, upon glimpsing at the name written on the wooden mailbox.

‘Hallow.’

A tear escape her eyes, yet she was quick to wipe it off. Not wanting to reminisce on that right now.

After steeling herself and gathering her courage, she pushes the small fence. It let out a soft squeak while being opened, as if it was calling her there.

Her chest throb, panting with each step as she made her way for the stairs. She pauses, needing to compose herself, pulling her dress to remove the crumples and dirt. Once done, she lifted her hand for a knock.

With closed eyes, she repeated her greeting over her head before letting her hands fall on the door. But before it could hit, the thing opens, causing her fist to land straight into a sturdy piece of well-built muscles.

Selene gasped, gaping at the sight of a young man towering over her, his face hiding beneath the shadow of his hoody. Yet she still notices the man’s sharp gaze, along with his gritting teeth that showed out two noticeable fangs from his smirk.

Taken aback, she ended up pausing for a moment as thoughts bombarded her.

‘Was she in the wrong house? Did she make a mistake? Was she sent to another place again just so they could dispose of her?’ These ran through her head as she tried recollecting the picture which she received.

Her pondering got cut short when she hears the man clearing his throat. This immediately garnered her attention, hearing that low, reverberating sound coming from him.

“Can I help you?”

The guy frowned, displaying an awkward smile upon gazing at Selene from head to toe.

The man’s voice was calm, yet strong and full of energy, waking her from the sudden daze. She was quick to close her mouth, shaking her head in order to shrug off all the stuff plaguing her.

After a few seconds of composing herself, she finally gathered her thoughts. Immediately putting on a smile as she gave a nod.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I thought this was my aunt’s house. Penelope Hallow?”

She says, pointing at the mail box upfront.

It took all her control to make sure she didn’t stutter, not wanting to look stupid in front of the guy. All because there was this lump forming in her throat.

She could not stop herself from fiddling with her bag’s strap afterwards, needing to keep her mind occupied. It was the only thing she can do of as the brewing emotions within her would not halt.

She can’t help but think that she got sent some place else to get rid of her.

It was only when Selene noticed how the guy’s face lit up, causing her to pause her judgements.

Upon hearing the name, the man gave out a smile, his tense shoulder relaxing, brandishing a much more welcoming and jolly radiance.

“You must be Selene.”

He says out loud, fingers pointing at her as he let out a chuckle.

That somehow put Selene at ease, as the uncontrolled punching in her gut and drumming in her chest subsided at the mention of her name.

“Oh, so I am in the right place?”

She breathe a sigh of relief, as the idea of being led astray vanished, making things much lighter.

Though this got replaced by another posing question. Who was the fellow and what was he doing there in her aunt’s house?

From what she remembers from the letters, her aunt lived alone. Thus the reason she got invited to stay there, so that she can give the woman company.

“Yes, why don’t you come in?”

The young man moved to the side, opening the door wider. His hand motioning her in.

“Thank you.”

Selene quickly lowered her head, immediately walking into the house while pondering.

The pull of sleep was getting to her, so her mind was now fuzzy, along with her entirety giving away, having travelled for a whole day.

Inside, the smell of roses, old wood, and tea greeted her, making it harder to fight off the heaviness of her eyelids.

If it wasn’t for the man there, she would have sunk in on the sofa, surrendering to her tired body. But alas, she needed to remain poise in front of him, along with meeting her estranged relative who’m she only recently found.

“She hasn’t stopped talking about you since yesterday.”

The guy says before moving ahead to guide her in.

That caused the two of them laughing while making their way inside. It only heightened Selene’s curiosity about the guy’s connection to her aunt. Besides, having other ideas because of her cautious side.

Her interest disappeared when she got a good view of the place. The house was a one floor dwelling, but was spacey.

Furnitures were everywhere, yet everything remained tidy. Old pictures hanged on the wall, some were in black and white, other colored. All well preserved within their frames.

There was nothing out of the ordinary, nor were there any signs of danger around. As she felt oddly calm with the person in front.

She stops at an enormous partition, pasted with small little photographs set into a tree. She was keen to notice a familiar grin on one of them, but its branches did not spread out, unlike the others.

“Sorry, are you related to my aunt?”

She asks, pointing to the mural.

Though she did not get a good look at him. The way the person’s face was shrouded there, showing only his mouth, gave her that idea.

This piqued her curiosity again, as the manner the individual grinned looked exactly like the picture on the wall. Also, this is the only explanation she can come up with that would make sense.

“That is a big nope. I’m just here since to fix some stuff. It’s better if you ask Pen about it, though I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

The fellow was keen to dismiss that, scratching the back of his nape as he let out a forced chuckle.

“Oh, sorry about that.”

She bobbed her head, embarrassed for thinking that. But hearing about the reason somehow shed some light on her questions, blurry as they were.

“The name’s Lucas, by the way.”

The guy finally introduced himself, giving out his hand. She was quick to take it, nodding as they shake.

Warm, gentle, and kind, these were the first thing which came into her mind the minute they touched. Instantly removing her notion of doubt.

“Selene. It’s nice to meet you.”

Was all she can say when she got her wits about. Not wanting to make things awkward again.

If the guy was indeed some far away relative of the sort, that would explain enough why he’d be there.

Also, her sense was not throwing any warnings, instead it was giving out this odd impression of safety while being with the man.

Lucas gave out a chuckle as they let go, immediately turning around and going back to guiding her into the place.

Though it looked small outside, the inside was quite vast, needing to move from a few halls before getting to a room with large wooden double doors.

“Pen, she’s here.”

Lucas calls out after knocking, he pushes the thing open, causing a loud creaking sound to echo through the corridors.

Selene’s heart seemed to have stopped as a sudden rush of anticipation, anxiety, and fear took over her.

She’d never met the woman before. And even during the first time she heard of her, she couldn’t believe someone would take her in after what had happened.

Her eyes grew wide, glimpsing at the red-haired maiden sitting on a large wing chair in front of the fireplace, reading an enormous book.

Aunt Penelope Hallow was not what she expected to be, thinking she was an old lady in her forties.

The woman’s figure remained in shape, hour glass in her loose yellow dress, her round bosom emphasized because of how the clothing hugged her body. Her eyes were like that of a fox, sharp, sensual, and alluring, yet there was this subtleness when she turned to look at them.

A beautiful set of pearly whites greeted them upon her smile, which gave her heart shape face a sort of enchanting glow.

She was quite the opposite of the image Selene had in mind. Instead of a sweet old woman with sagging skin, wrinkles, and white hair, she was facing a person who can be mistaken as someone within her age.

“Finally, come here, you. Let your aunty have a good look at you.”

Aunt Penelope signals her to move closer, as she puts down the book on the side table before standing up with open arms.

Selene took in a deep breath, seeing the welcoming act. There was this dread inside her from the fear of uncertainty, but there was also this joy jumping all over her.

She needed a suitable moment of deliberating with herself before finally having the courage to move.

With her first step, her subconscious began whispering, sending unwanted thoughts of the past, causing her to pant. The thrust of anxiety from old memories creeping into her.

She prayed that somehow, someway, nothing bad would happen.

Her footsteps were heavy, small, and shaky, still adamant if she should approach.

It was only when aunt Penelope moved forward that she got taken aback, suddenly being pulled and then grabbed into a tight and encasing hug.

“Welcome home.”

She whispered in such a gentle manner. It felt like her words were brushing.

Selene ended up grabbing hold too, when the sudden rush of emotions began thrashing about inside of her.

Yet that got kicked aside when a surge of electricity suddenly crawled into parts of her, sending an odd chill and tingling within her.

Images flashed before her: a moon, several beasts looking her way, and then there were large beastly shadows fighting one another. Then the worst, as blood splashed before her sights.

She flinched from the scene, unable to control herself because of its sudden appearance. It was like the entire scenario happened in front of her.

Once her senses returned, she was huffing uncontrollably, eyes widening from the clear memory of it all.

She got dumbfounded that she barely noticed that her aunt was already looking at her. She had this glint in her gaze, together with a meaningful smile.

She wanders her sights to check the room, but the youth who came with her stayed outside, talking to someone on the phone that he didn’t take notice of them.

“What was that?”

She asks, swallowing hard upon returning her gaze to the elder.

Though she was aware of those uncontrolled visions, this was the first time she experienced something so vivid. To the point she can still recall every single image which was shown to her.

She became confused, panicked, most of all afraid, having said her mind out loud.

But instead of fear, all she received was a soft chortle, along with a playful pat on the cheeks.

“I see you also have the gift.”

Aunt Penelope giggles.

Only then that Selene’s gaze focused on the person, as the woman’s eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul.

“You know of it?”

Again, she nearly gaped, unable to believe someone else was aware of her problem. But what truly got her is the fact she did not receive curses and glares from it.

For the longest time, she received the warmth of acceptance from another person besides her parents.

She ended up in tears, no longer able to hold on to the turmoil of emotions in her.

“Come now. I know it had been tough for you, but everything will be okay.”

Aunt Penelope pulled her into her arms, encasing her in a tight hug.

Selene continued to sob as her chest was going to burst, having nearly forgotten what it was like to be held that way.

All she could do was grab hold of the lady. Afraid that somehow she’ll disappear, thinking that all of that was but a dream. As she did not consider, she’d experience such a thing again.

After being thrown out and sent from one family to the other, she lost hope she can ever find anywhere to fit in. With her ability to sense if people didn’t like her at the first meeting, it became easy to understand when she needed to leave. Yet here with her aunt, there was no such warning. It’s such a new feeling that it scared her at the same time.