Chapter 1
*They all want me dead*
"I GOT THE DRINKS!"
I heard Iris scream loudly trying to surpass the loud sound of the music's uproar that was hell bent on blowing out my eardrums tonight.
"About time. Why did you take so long!" I tried my best to scream right back at her, taking one of the red plastic cups from her hands. It was my first night here at tropical thunder, the biggest and busiest nightclub in Bournville, basically everyone from our college went here including a bunch of hormonal highschool teenagers with fake IDs and just want to prove to their peers that they are bad enough. Complete idiots wasting their time trying to prove their self worth to other people that couldn't even care less. Trying to live up to others' standards just sounded stupid to me, like why don't you just be you.
"I met a guy" Iris giggled bobbing her head side to side dancing to the rhythm of the music. A guy she said? This was just typical of Iris. She literally changed guys every single week but what could I do with her, she was my best friend and the only one I had. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those awkward and shy types of girls that find it hard to make new friends or have a good time. No, that wasn't the case here. I think I'm actually quite fun to hang with and I bet anyone would love to be friends with me but the real reason I didn't have any friends was just because no one could really stick around to understand my already fucked up life except Iris. She always stuck around. She was more than a friend to me, we had a sisterly bond. To me she was family and the only one I had. Iris and I practically grew up together at the same orphanage home when we were kids, well that was until she got adopted by a loving, rich family and I got adopted by a disgusting drunkard. Welp, that is just my typical luck. It was crappy, very crappy if I may add.
"Who is this new guy that got you smiling like this?" I asked as we both started to dance to the beat that played in the background.
"Remember Landon Brettman? From literature class?" She asked as she turned around while I ran my hands all over her body as we danced rocking our bodies. But wait, Landon Brettman! Of course I remember Landon Brettman, it would be impossible to forget someone as annoying and lousy as him. Landon was a spoiled, proud show off and a big man whore among many other things like showoff, brat, proud, annoying, lousy, overly confident and the list could go on and on.
Out of all the numerous courses we had applied for, sadly we were unlucky enough to share one with him. Landon looked more like one of those stereotypical 90s jocks if I'm being honest. To simply put, a guy like Landon was a total waste to humanity. Facts!
"Ew. I bet he wouldn't even last a day with you" I chortled, expressing my disgust about the thought of her and Landon together. I really hoped this wasn't going to be a long term thing.
"Maybe? Honestly I think so too" we both laughed "you know they all just serve as a fun distraction for me until I find my one true mate" Iris said dreamily. She was really excited about the thought of meeting her mate, destined to her by the moon goddess. Yes, Iris is a werewolf and yes, all those stories you were probably told in the dark or around silly campfires by older kids just to scare the living shit out of you are actually true. Magic, monsters and things you would never ever believe were even possible were very much real and as a matter of fact they all wanted me dead.
Speaking of monsters that want me dead, I have caught the lady sitting by the bar staring at us multiple times, was she also one of them? Was she part of the red circle? No, the red circle couldn't have possibly tracked me, I had made sure those witches could never and whoever did really deserved a medal or something and I'm not kidding. But I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Iris" I turned her around as we danced "don't freak out or anything but I think the girl by the bar is spying on us" I whispered softly into her ears.
"WHERE?!" She screamed, frantically stirring her head around in search of the girl I spoke about, while I instantly regretted that I had even mentioned it to her. Oh goddess, leave it all up to Iris to remain calm in potentially dangerous situations.
"Fuck it Iris! I said don't freak out or she would notice. You're freaking" I whispered, looking at the girl wearing a leathered black outfit with braided brown hair. She had a smugly grin on her face as she sipped from her glass unknowingly. She was unto us now.
"Isabelle--" Iris said in a whispery shaky voice "she doesn't smell... Human" I saw the fear evident in my best friend's eyes. I really felt bad for her, she shouldn't be going through all of this mess that I have been dragging her into for the past fifteen years. The monsters weren't after her, as a matter of factly every monster we had encountered had admitted to be after me not her. But she always remained in constant danger all because of me.
But how in hell did this monster find me? I mean for the past two years it was really hard to maintain a low profile, but I did my best. I did a cloaking spell to make tracking me and Iris next to impossible, I even went as far as putting on a charm bracelet to bind my witch powers and so far it worked, I managed to keep off the red circle's radar at the very least. The red circle is a coven of very highly trained mercenary witches, they have been after me for a lot of personal reasons and luckily I haven't ran into them in a long while. One important reason the red circle was after me is that their leader is my aunt, the one responsible for my mom's death. I could feel my stomach twist into a knot just thinking about it.
"Don't worry so much, I could just be imagining the whole thing. I'll go out through the back and see if she is gonna follow" I faked smiled. I knew I wasn't imagining the whole thing. I was about seventy percent sure that the lady across the bar wanted me dead but I didn't want to worry Iris even more. She's been through enough already.
"Do you need backup?" Iris questioned holding my wrist.
"It's okay, I got this" I quickly navigated my way through the dancing wave of people and then went out the club through its back door which led to a quiet and dark alley.
Where the hell is she now? I asked myself looking around for our stalker monster, I could feel the cold of the night air sting at me as I took out my silver dagger from my boot. I carried it everywhere I went, it belonged to my mom and whenever I held it I could feel like she was still here, watching over me. I quickly brushed off those sentimental thoughts out of my mind.
"Are you looking for me darling?" I was startled by the old British voice that came from behind me. I clutched tighter to my dagger shielding it behind me.
"Oh fuck--" I snapped looking at the lady from the bar up close, she seemed like she was in her late twenties or early thirties, she wore dark makeup and had lots of tattoos and piercings. Her outfit was full on black and I had to admit she looked bad ass.
"What do you want?" I asked a question I already knew the answers to. She wanted one word. Me! And me alone.
"Isn't it obvious darling, I just want you" of course she wanted me too, just like the others. They all wanted me just like my mom warned me fifteen years ago before she was murdered. I winced a bit at that memory that has been haunting my dreams ever since I was a child.
I never really understood why they were all after me, all I knew was I needed to survive and keep running for as long as I had to, oh well that's until I meet the man with the butterfly tattoo, wherever rock he has been hiding in, my mom also mentioned that he could be of some assistance to me. But this wasn't like in the fairy tales where the prince charming suddenly swoops in to save the poor damsel in distress and they ride into the sunset on a magical unicorn, those stories actually sound so damn ridiculous to me. I was no damsel and I didn't have the luxuries of a prince charming. Not like I needed one anyway, I have been taking perfectly good care of myself for the past fifteen years and I'll continue to do so.
"Why?" I asked sizing my opponent up and she clearly worked out a lot because she was a lot bigger than me, well every monster I ever came across was. Compared to them I was little and it always gave me a fair advantage because they always underestimated me and each time didn't live long to regret it.
"I think you already know the answer to that one" she smiled wickedly. But uhm no, I don't know the answer to that. Yes I knew they badly wanted me dead but why did they badly want me dead for crying out loud? Okay change of subject.
"How did you find me?" I inquired, dying to know where I had gone wrong.
"In case you haven't noticed by now, you have a kind of scent, it's different and just simply hard to resist. I'm wondering how your blood would taste'' she spoke in a thick English accent as she inched closer to me. I moved further back of course.
"Poor sweet child, I have been around this foul earth for almost a millennium and not once have I come across someone with a scent as powerful as yours. It's a real pity you are still too young but don't be scared little one, It will be a quick and painless death. You won't even feel a thing I promise, just like snapping a dried up twig, quick and effortless" she laughed out like an evil maniac.
"You know you have lived so long I actually feel a little bad to have to kill you but then again I really doubt anyone is going to miss you that much'' she laughed back at my words then looked back at me with pitch black eyes as black criss crossed veins ran up her neck aimlessly. And extremely long canines shot out from her mouth.
"What in the bloody hell are you?" I felt my heart rate rise up the charts. I really needed to know what I was going up against. A memory of one of the very few lessons my dad taught me struck my thoughts. He told me 'the battle is half won when you realize what your opponents strengths and weaknesses are. Be one step ahead Isabella dear'
"Oh child. Have you ever come across a wendigo before?" She continued cackling "scared? You should be'' I heard bones snapping and slowly she turned into this huge creature looming over me. She attacked me with her claws and I easily slid out of harm's way. She growled angrily as I attacked with my dagger in hand.
We had been fighting for what felt like forever but it was only about ten minutes, guess it's true what they say about time flying fast when you are having fun and it not flying fast when you aren't having fun. It also seems like time doesn't fly fast when your battling for your fucking life.
Every single attack I made against her was futile, she just brushed them off with ease, I knew I was losing and I was losing fast. I was violently shoved to the floor with my dagger thrown only the goddess knows where. The wendigo growled standing in front of me, her breathing ragged like a wounded beast.
"Hey! Get away from my best friend you extremely terrifying giant monster" I turned to the familiar voice to see Iris as she started to shift into her white wolf. No Iris please get away, I would never be able to forgive myself if she got hurt because of me. I couldn't live with that guilt on my conscience. Enough people have died to protect me already, it is enough.
Iris lunged at the wendigo, slashing it with her claws but in no time was roughly blown away, I could hear her whimper a bit. But Iris bought me enough time to grab my silver dagger and with the element of surprise I struck the wendigo right in the heart as it let out a loud shriek while its heart melted. Not kidding or whatever, the heart literally melted to some kind of blue liquid.
According to all the books I read, although they all differed in one way or the other but majority agreed that wendigos were actually once humans with a huge carnivorous appetite for human flesh, well actually monsters weren't ever born, they were made. Long story cut short they messed up with a very powerful witch so the witch cursed them to be monsters with the insatiable thirst for human flesh. Now the folklore also mentioned that the only thing that could kill a wendigo is a silver blade to the heart. Guess it was true after all.
Looking at the ground laid its body. "Is it dead?" Iris questioned me, wearing an oversized brown coat, I wonder where she got it from.
"Yeah," I responded, trying to catch my breath, packing a handful of blonde hair from my face.
"Are you okay? She shoved you pretty hard." I placed my hand on her shoulder, inspecting her closely.
"Nah I'm good, I got tough skin" she smiled making me worry less. She really needed to stop risking her life for me, I would have scolded her but I knew Iris too well, she wouldn't listen. She never does.
"Good. Quick let's take it to the woods and bury it before someone sees us" I suggested, taking the lead.
"Sure" Iris said, joining me to drag the wendigo's lifeless body. After reaching the woods, we buried it six feet deep into the ground. Iris and I went straight to the apartment where we lived. It was closer to campus. I found it difficult to even close my eyes and fall asleep, today another monster found me and I had a surefire feeling it won't be the last I'm going to have to face. More were going to follow as it was only a matter of time.