He gets close enough to be at the end of the bridge but still be at least eight feet away from me. His smirk only widens when he sees me there looking at him. He looks up at the statue I was standing by in admiration.
"She's beautiful, don't you think?" He points at the statue. "Luna."
As much as I didn't want to react to him I find myself looking alert and curious as he uttered that name.
"Do you know who that is?" He asked. I don't respond. He chuckles as if taking that as an answer.
"Well I guess it's time for a story, don't you think?" He smirks. My heart beats faster in my chest as he gets closer.
Mark.
I'm coming babe. Hang on. Try to keep him talking I'll be there soon.
I try to calm my beating heart but I can't. It's like I'm stuck in this position. I can't move. I can't speak. I'm just there standing motionless as my enemy monologues to me.
"It's said that a long time ago, in a tribe, a child was born under the fullest of moons. The mother who was once stricken as sterile managed to bore one child, a girl, even though males were favored this woman was overjoyed with the fact that she bore a child at all. Even if it were just a girl. You see, she was married to the Chief of their clan. She thought that she could never give her husband an heir. They were both overjoyed at the thought of a child. When the woman gave birth she more than shocked to see that not only was their daughter healthy and beautiful, she was blessed with the whitest of eyes, and the whitest of hair. The girl was loved, her father was delighted to have someone carry his legacy. He raised the girl to be a warrior. To be as strong as any man." He pauses.
"You see most Chief's would have left their sterile wives and gotten another until they bore a boy, but this Chief loved his wife. He could never betray her like that. It's to be believe that his love and devotion to her was the cause of their blessing. Many thought he would have raged at the thought of his only child to be a girl but he shocked them all when he raised and loved that girl like no other. They named her Luna after the moon that she was birthed upon. Luna became the tribes strongest warrior, when her father died, she took over as Chief. No one refuted her as she had proven herself time after time just how powerful she was. When her mother died, she felt alone. She had always dreamed a love like her parents." Finch scrunches his nose at the thought.
"One day out in a hunt she came across another rival tribe. They had been chasing a mountain lion all across the woods. It had crossed lines something they hadn't realized when they stumbled up them. As she was quicker and stealthier than the others she came upon the scene first. She saw as another's tribe's Chief singlehandedly killed the lion. Something she had never witness beside herself done before. The man came to notice her as she stood there admiring him."
He comes to a stop as he studies me as if my motionless body is of interest. His smirk widens when I don't move away from him. I just can't move and he doesn't know that. He crossed his arms on his chest making his shirt hug him even tighter. He starts to pace around me.
"Long story short, they got married. Their tribes joined, to say there was conflict would be an understatement. Many in her tribe believed she should have married one of them instead of mixing bloods. Some followed blindly, they treated her like a goddess. Those that resented her ended up leaving their tribe. They grew so bitter and resentful that they one day returned to their old encampment with vengeance in mind. They slaughtered everyone and anything they came across. They came at dead of night, they burnt most of the homes down, they slit the throats of those who escaped their burning homes. Even children. Luna and her husband awoke to the screams and pleas of their people. They rushed out to help but before they could register what was happening an arrow was flying across the field towards Luna's heart. Without even thinking her husband stepped in front of her, receiving the hate the arrow was flung with. He collapsed in her arms, she held him until his last breath. Anger and sadness filled her every fiber. She reached for her bow and arrow, along with her husband's knife, and went for the blood of those who hurt her. Stupid, right?"
He asked me. I don't answer, as he just chuckles as he relishes on my state. He must think I'm either frightened of him or I like him enough to not run away from him.
"She was over taken of course, she ended up fleeing through the same woods she once hunted. In her escape she came across a wolf, it had gotten trapped in one of the traps she and her people had planted. The wolf whimpered as it was slowly dying. Not having the heart to see anyone else die before her she helped the wolf. Hearing the voices of those who were hunting her down she quickly ran. The wolf followed. Reaching a cliff side as the voices grew to surround her, she turned around to stand her ground. The wolf stood by her side, as it bleed out, clearly dying. She confronted her pursuers with a head held high. She wasn't about to be taken without a fight. The wolf growled as her attackers closed in. An arrow pointed at her heart flew out, she was more than ready to face her fate, she was more than ready to join her husband. She smiled as the arrow flew towards her. Only it didn't hit her. It was lunged on the wolf that now laid before her once again bleeding out. The realization hurt her more than the arrow could have. Falling to her knees she held the wolf just as she had held her husband. Tears fell from her eyes. She had thought she had spared the wolf and had let it live only for it to die for her. The moon shone behind her just as brightly as it had once done on the day of her birth. It grew bright as rays began to engulf her and her dying wolf. The hunters back away as the blinding lights grew. Just as the lights had come they soon vanished leaving behind a sad stricken Luna. Her hands were empty, the wolf had vanished. Anger grew inside Luna as her bright white eyes shone just as brightly. She slowly stood to face her attackers. Anger over took every aspect of her. The rage was so intense her body began to shake. Her bones began to shift, they cracked and bend, she began to growl. Pain seared all through her. Her cries became howls. Where once a beautiful woman had stood was now a great white wolf. Bearing its teeth it lunged at the hunters. It's teeth ripping every last one of them apart. Leaving nothing but their broken remains. Howling at the moon the wolf grieved for those it had lost."
He suddenly stops pacing as he comes to slowly get closer to me. He has been testing how close he can get before I react now that he sees I haven't moved he takes his chances.
"Shifting back was just as painful. With her shredded clothes she walked back to the place she once called home. Blood covered her body as sadness slowly began to engulf her. When she returned she found all of it in ashes and gore. Sadness now fully replaced the anger she once felt. Falling to her knees she wept for her people. She wept for the wolf. A few loyal members came to stand by her as she wept all her sorrow out. Once she had the strength to stand she faced them. With fierce intensity she prayed to the moon. She prayed for it to bless them just as it had blessed her. Soon those before her that once stood as human stood as fierce wolves. The moon had given her a pack. A few months had passed when Luna came to discover she was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy. She raised the boy to be as fierce and as strong as she once was raised. But unlike her she raised him to be just as strong in his human form as well in his wolf. That's how the story of the first shifters came to be."
He comes so close to me I can feel his breath.
"She eventually died and was able to reunite with her husband and parents. She looked after her son as he too found his Luna."
He was now standing right in front of me. "That's why I asked you to join me, to be my Luna."
I finally get the strength to move as I step away from him. My heart is still pounding as smiles at me.
"Our times seems to be up," he says cockily. He smirks the smirk that makes his face look handsome. He knew how to use it. I just glare at him.
He comes closer to just at arms reach.
He kisses his two fingers as he gently reaches to press them on my lips. He smirks as he winks at me.
He was already on his way when he stops to talk to me.
"One last thing, you have until Saturday to decide if you'll join me or not." He takes a few steps keeping his back to me. "I sure do hope nothing happens to you between now and then, don't want you to miss our date."
I just stand there as my heartbeats widely and my body shakes. I shouldn't have come. I just stood there like an idiot. All this talk about paying him back was nothing. It was all talk.
I had an opportunity to make him pay but I didn't. I just stood there letting him tell me a story. A story of a statue.
I hear steps as I just kept staring where Finch had vanished to. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to stop whatever was happening to me. I wanted to be happy.
"Hey," Ander's voice comes from behind me. I'm still frozen in place. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Please, say something."
He was now standing before me looking so overtaken by worry. He looked around to see if I was alone. "Please, baby. Talk to me."
I just looked at him as tears began to fall. He wanted to reach out for me but couldn't. As if I were made of porcelain and one touch would shatter me.
Robb, Theo, and Jay came. They all looked at me in concern. I was just there trying not to break.
"I'm so sorry," Ander tells me as tears ran down his face beneath his glasses. "Please say or do something. Hit me if you want but please don't let it win. You're so much stronger than I'll ever be. Come back to me."
More tears fall from his face.
I sob as I rush to him in a crushing hug. I sob and cry in his arms as he holds me. He holds me so tightly as if I was being pulled away from him. He held me so tightly as if I were no longer porcelain but flesh and bone. As if I were the more precious thing he owned and was not going to let anyone take it.
"I'm sorry." He kept repeating.
"What happened?" Mark arrives. "Where is he?"
"The pack has gone to look," Robb says. "We came to see how she was."
"Where were you?" Mark accuses them.
"We couldn't hear with the music," Robb defends but stops.
"You were suppose to stay with her!" Mark yells at Ander.
"I know, I know," his voice breaks. "I'm sorry."
Mark tries to pry me off Ander but I clutch onto him tighter. Ander wasn't going to let me go and I wasn't ready to let this end. Not right now.
"Vee, we need to go." Mark tells me. "Come on, I'll take you home."
I pull away from Ander as he reluctantly lets me go. I go with Mark as I let him hold me as he guides me away from them. I can hear Ander cry in anger as he blames himself.
I look back at him and the sight I see only breaks my heart.
Mark came running so he offers to carry me but I can't.
"Vee, look at me," he grabs my face as I look at him. "We'll get through this. You and me."
"Why does it hurt so much?" I ask him. I look back as I hope to see Ander but we're already heading towards the front gate.
"It hurts because you love him," Mark tells me.
I shake my head. I couldn't possibly love anyone. "No, I can't love anyone. I'm broken." I sob.
He holds me as a car pulls in. It was Bass, he gets out to hug me as he guides me to my seat. I get in the back where Ash is waiting with open arms. I go to her as I cry some more.