Three Days Later...
A gentle cold breeze swept through the short green trees that grew near the cemetery. The clouds were getting dark... the sound of thunder echoing throughout the sky. Even darker than the clouds was the scene that lay before Ashley. Everyone was in black... men and some women were in black suits and most of the women, including Ashley, wore black dresses.
Today was the first time Ashley ever attended a funeral. Today was the first time she was asked to stand in front of everyone and give a eulogy... and a suffocating feeling came upon her whenever she thought of it; a eulogy of Alex, a eulogy of someone dear to her.
Tears were pouring uncontrollably from her eyes but she did her best not to burst into sobs. She stood under a tree and next to Leah, who held her hand tightly and had buried her face into the side of Ashley dress. Ashley could hear the muffled crying of her sister. Alex would, on occasion, babysit Leah. Leah always said she never needed a babysitter and now...
Ashley cupped her mouth, knelt down and hugged her sister and both of them let out subdued cries. Ashley felt fingers on her shoulder. She knew it was him. She ungracefully wiped her face and nose and stood up.
It was Richard. His ocean blue eyes said it all... they were both worried and reassuring. His perfectly curved lips curled into small smile and Ashley couldn't help but mirror it.
Samantha, Claire, Sara, Robert, and Luke later joined them. Luke... Ashley was, of course, happy to see him but she was also surprised as well. With everything going on in his family anyone would have understood if he didn't show up. Luke and Robert's eyes were a bit red but without tears. They both wore the same type of black suit. Samantha was in a black skirt with a black top to match it. Claire and Sara wore black dresses though Sara was of a much darker shade than Claire's.
Luke walked to Ashley and gave her a warm and soft hug. As Ashley hugged Luke, she saw Adrian at a distance standing next to his father. His mother was with Ashley's, standing beside and comforting Mrs. Grainger, Alex's mother. The woman's cries got even louder as the casket slowly began to be lowered into the ground. Ms. Hughes, Ashley's teacher of Physics, was also next to them.
Alex was being put to rest. Ashley could believe she was gone. In all honesty, she still could believe a lot of things.
"I heard she even got a scholarship..."
"The girl had a bright future..."
"How could such a nice girl meet such a cruel fate..."
"They are saying it was some kind of animal..."
Ashley could hear the whispers. Alex's death had changed a lot in the town but Ashley too had changed. She was no longer who she once was. She was now able to adjust her sight to see in the dark, to smell and hear even from the farthest of distances. She was no longer human... she never really was one, to begin with.
"And what was she doing in the woods that night..."
Ashley could feel her teeth lengthening and sharpening. She ignored the stinging pain as her sharp claws tore through her skin when she heard those words. She just wanted to...
A hand gently grabbed her right arm.
Her teeth and claws retracted and she could feel the torn skin on her palms begin to heal as she turned to face him.
Richard. He was right next to her.
"Don't mind them," he whispered. His voice was so low that even a human close to him couldn't have heard it. But Ashley could.
Richard. Ashley still didn't know what he was but one thing was for sure; the blonde guy in front of her wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans was not human. Richard was the one who had found Alex's body that night. He had used his inhuman sense of smell and speed and tracked down Alex. After he found the body, he returned to Ashley and Sara and told them that he had placed it somewhere it would easily be found.
That's right... Sara
Ashley's head jerked in Sara's direction. The girl's brown eyes were red and her hand was over her mouth. Sara also wasn't what she seemed, Ashley thought. All she knew was that Sara was a Hunter, human though, and she was somehow connected to Richard. That night, three days ago, the three of them didn't get to talk and with everything going on, they couldn't talk for the past three days.
In Loving Memory Of
Alexis Grainger
3rd February 2001 - 28th May 2019
A Caring Daughter and Friend To All
May Her Soul Rest In Eternal Peace
That's what was engraved on the headstone. Ashley slowly knelt down and placed a single red rose near the tombstone. Red roses were always Alex's favorite. A picture of Alex leaned against the headstone. Pearl green eyes, a pure bright smile... Ashley remembered when it was taken. It was on the day the Storm Riders made it to the nationals. Alex was the star that day... she saved the Storm Riders by breaking the record and out-swimming all of her opponents. Alex's record hadn't been broken even until now. Ashley planned on breaking that record and she wanted Alex there when she did.
"I'll miss you," Ashley whispered, sobbing. "Goodbye Alex."
I really think she is in a better place if you ask me...
A few days ago Ashley's heart would have stopped after hearing that voice. A few days ago she would have trembled to death and froze in unbelief. However, that's not what happened.
"Where are you, bastard," Ashley said through her teeth.
It was Jacob she was talking to.
"Oh, I am very close darling."
By instinct, Ashley released a small burst of power. She didn't know how but whatever she did... it made her senses sharper. She pictured energy flowing in her veins and leaking out of the surface of her body. Once she released, the energy spread throughout the area and just much like the way echolocation worked, Ashley's power found her target.
Jacob was close alright but he wasn't in the crowd. Ashley moved her head toward the thick trees that grew in the distance.
There
After making sure no one was looking, Ashley dashed at her target. At her speed, any human watching her would have seen her vanish. The wind blew vigorously against her teary face as she charged for him.
She caught him by surprise.
Jacob's eyes widened when Ashley grabbed him by his shirt and took him deep within the woods.
After running for a few more seconds, Ashley stopped and threw Jacob's now weightless body... sending him flying against a tree. Jacob's bones shattered when his back crashed into the tree.
Jacob landed face-down on the ground.
Her breathing was vicious and her claws and fangs had fully lengthened. Jacob's body lay there... dead. She was sure of it. No human could have survived that but when she saw Jacob his fingers move, she remembered what Richard had said.