"Where am I? Who are you people?"
Olivia had passed out on their way from the woods and now she had regained consciousness.
The couch on which she laid was soft, the lights gave a sharp sensation in her eyes causing her to blink repeatedly while she tried to sit up.
"You are safe now, Esther." A lady spoke.
Looking around Olivia realized she was in the company of three other young women all wearing black dresses.
The apartment in which they were wasn't one she recognised but it looked regular only that it was small. It looked to be more of a hide out.
"What? Esther? I am Olivia.." She responded.
"I understand how you feel. You have been through alot but you must protect your mind." The lady said.
"Who are you people?" Olivia inquired confusedly.
"You don't remember me? It's me, Nova." The lady said.
Nova was the tallest of the three. She had long blonde hair and spoke softly.
Her eyes were pretty and her lips defined.
"I don't get how any of it affected her memory. What sorcery is this?" Amanda, one of the young women spoke.
Amanda was smaller in stature and had a voice one would say didn't match her size. Her skin was pale and hair, black. She had pretty legs.
"Do we tell Marlene?" Judith inquired to know. Judith was the cute one.
There was just that child-like innocence about her. She had a baby face and one could mistake her for being sixteen.
"Who is Marlene? What's going on? Where am I? What's this place?
I have to leave. Amy needs me." Olivia said.
"Amy? Who's Amy?" Nova inquired.
"Get Marlene." Amanda whispered to Judith.
"I don't have the time for this." Olivia hurried to the door unsteadily.
Nova watched her in great disbelief but then knew Olivia had to be stopped.
Nova snapped her right fingers and it caused Olivia to drop to the floor instantly.
Silence.
"You say she was delusional?" Marlene inquired of the girls while examining Olivia's face with her long nails.
Marlene was a woman who looked to be in her forties and powerful.
With the help of makeup she had darkened around her eyes to give it the witchy smokey look.
"It was painful to watch. There must be something you can do. We don't just need her alive, we need her sane." Nova said.
"I can't find Esther." Marlene said.
"What does that mean?" Amanda asked.
The ladies became unsettled.
"I mean, she is gone." Marlene replied as she straightened her body and turned to the three.
"No, it can't be. But she- she was alive. She said the things we said she said and did all we told you she did.
She walked to that door. She talked. She isn't dead." Nova'a heart broke into a thousand pieces.
"I don't doubt it." Marlene responded, fixing her eyes on hers. "I am saying it is her body but not her spirit in it.
The one whose spirit is in this body has unfinished business.
Normally it should be a switch but her spirit is furious. She fights this body every second which she doesn't know can kill it." Marlene said.
"So..so Esther is gone?" Judith asked soberly.
"I am afraid so." Marlene replied.
Silence took over. It was like they all mourned their dear friend in their hearts.
"She said her name was- Olivia." Nova broke in.
"Yes and she is not of our world. It will be hard for her as it will be for all of us." Marlene informed them.
"And I believe we all know why the news must not get out." She added.
"What do we do then? We've seen her, she is resilient . She wouldn't give in to this body so easily." Nova said.
"We can't manipulate her mind since it isn't steady yet else we lose all of Esther's memory which is what we must preserve." Marlene stated.
"This is all so confusing." Amanda concluded.
"Word must have gotten to the Alpha by now. I pray he doesn't go mad.
One of you must inform him she is still alive else he will burn this world to the ground." Marlene told them.
"I'll go" said Nova.
___
"Where is he?" Nova inquired from a young man standing outside a large wooden door.
"It's not safe to go in." The young man responded frightfully.
"He needs to hear what I have to say." Nova told him.
"I will not have your death on my conscience. He knows and is furious. His father had us lock him in. He has lost it." The young man informed her.
"Do I look scared?" Nova said with a stern look on her face. She was tired of his efforts in trying to keep her from going in.
"I must warn you-" he went on again but Nova had had enough and with the help of her powers, she made him freeze.
"You should leave." Mitch spoke. His voice was frightening.
Nova could only hear him. The moon light that shone through the opened window was the only source of light in the room.
He wasn't in sight but laying around were bodies of the ones he had slain. The ones who dared to come in.
Their blood had made a pool, she pitied them as they were mostly the ones who saw him as "friend" .
He had lost it indeed. She knew then that it wasn't Mitch anymore but the monster inside of him, the monster even he revered.
She prepared herself in case she needed to fight him. Carefully she walked, her eyes peering about.
"Hmm!" She moaned from the pain she immediately felt.
He had wrapped his claws around her neck and moved her towards the door so violently.
Her back hit against it and it hurt. He had come out of nowhere, so strong and vengeful.
She could see his eyes glow red, he was fully transformed. He was a grey wolf.
His wolf was bigger than any other, she was but a cub compared to him.
He didn't need to speak telepathically. He was different. His beast had a voice, a terrifying one.
She couldn't look at him.
"Just listen to me!" She yelled.
He roared, lifting his right hand in a bid to rip her apart with his claws but she was a step ahead.
She had come with something. His lover's silver necklace. The one he had given to her.
His hand remained suspended and he, still.
He collected the necklace, lost in it, he let her go.
THUD!
She dropped to the ground.
"She isn't dead." Nova struggled to speak. She held on to her neck with both hands as she coughed.
Those words struck his heart. It felt like a healing balm over his injury.
Slowly, he transformed from beast to man and naked.
"Oh" she looked away.
He was perfectly built. Had long coppery hair and an untarnished skin. He was a beautiful one. His barrel chest was tempting enough and now he turned towards her.
"Take me to her." He ordered.
"Yeah. Just put something on." She replied.
____
He melted once he saw her.
She was lying asleep on the couch. She was all he could see in that space. He lowered himself and felt for her pulse with his hand, softly.
He heaved a sigh.
"Didn't think you were going to bring him here successfully." Amanda whispered to Nova.
"Yeah, Amanda kind of believed you would die." Judith added in a cheerful tone which made it feel awkward.
Nova rolled her eyes and folded her arms afterwards. The three watched Mitch not knowing how to tell him the other part of the story.
"I wish someone loved me like that." Judith said.
"Oh Judy, you always end up killing your boyfriends." Amanda replied.
"Only the ones that lie to me. I hate lies plus not all my boyfriends, I didn't kill Lester." Judith replied.
"Yeah , you just crippled him." Nova threw in.
"I don't know, maybe I'm gay." Judith said.
"Something's not the same. I can feel it." Mitch said.
"Shit." Amanda voiced.
"I'm no fool." Mitch said, straightening his body as he turned towards them.
"Uhmm, Nova can explain better." Judith said.
"I think Marlene is in a better position to." Nova said to him.
"Enough of this!" Mitch yelled. "What's going on?" He inquired.
"Let me do the talking." Marlene appeared behind him.
______
"So then she isn't alive. She is dead but her body lives." Mitch stated.
"Yes." Marlene replied.
"And the baby?" He inquired.
Marlene gave no response.
"I will kill him and everyone he knows and when I am done, I will go far and beyond to find everyone that shares blood with him.
I will make a feast of their flesh and crush their bones to powder just for the pleasure of it." Mitch vowed. His tone was proof he meant all he said.
"All of that is less important. He took your child and your lover but destiny has brought you another Esther." Marlene said.
"She isn't my Esther! She is a stranger! Not just to me or us but to this very world of ours.
What am I to do? Love her like I loved the one she replaced? Never!" He spoke angrily.
"You are hurting. I see it but remember there was a reason fate brought you two together.
An heir from the both of you would create the balance this world needs. He would do great things, the gods do not lie." Marlene told him.
"They don't? So why is she gone and an imposter in her body?" Be questioned.
"The ways of the gods are not our ways. They know better. We mustn't doubt their essence." Marlene encouraged him.
"I can't even look at you." He told her and turned to leave.
"Don't you see it? The body is as powerful as the spirit. You can say she is only half dead.
If we can look for a way to fuse Esther's memories into this spirit , it makes her the Esther you love.
We just need to look for a way to eliminate Olivia's memories. So she can stay focused on Esther's purpose." Nova said, having gotten in front of him.
"I am not interested, now get out of my way and let me mourn my lover in peace." He said to her.
Nova slapped him.
"F*CK. F*CK I am so sorry. I- I am so sorry. Just stop being so stubborn. Please.
She is our friend too. We are doing everything possible to bring her back and we need to do this together else we will fail and only then will we truly lose her. Only then will she truly be gone, don't you get it?" Nova told him.
"If you ever do that again, I will forget we are related." He warned her.
"You almost forgot that minutes ago." Nova told him, folding her lips afterwards.
"So then what am I to do?" He inquired unwillingly.
"You are who she loved the most. If you can keep on being you to her, it will give strength to her own consciousness and this will weaken Olivia's." Marlene told him.
"This is insane." Mitch said.
"I understand-" Nova tried to speak but just then he cut in.
"No! No you don't. None of you do. No one understands what all of this does to me. How any of it affects me.
I just lost my child!" He said.
"I'm sorry! But many more can be made!" Marlene yelled.
Mitch couldn't find a better way to express his feelings. He was overwhelmed.
He briefly looked at every one of them and once he was done, he walked towards the door but suddenly stopped.
Everyone noticed.
With his right hand, he signaled that they all remained quiet.
His ears grew out listening to a sound from miles away and after several seconds he voiced,
"Darius."