《Solarite》


 Solarite Volume Guide and Warnings

    Volume One:


    Chapter Zero to Ten


    Content Warning: Self Harm Mention, Blood and Gore.


    Volume Two:If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Chapter Eleven to Twenty


    Content Warning: Blood, Gore and Death of Minors.


    Volume Three:


    Chapter Twenty One to Forty


    Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Child Abuse and Suicide Idealation

 Prologue

    Prologue


    Elusive, the black mamba is wanted by all in heaven¡¯s garden. She is a beast unlike any other, with her delicate scales causing many to fawn over her shapely body. With the charm of a silent killer, one who was too foolish to fall for her trap. Her hunger could never be sated, no matter how much she tried to devour and feast upon the souls of bewitched men. Cursed with this need to feed, the black mamba can never find peace in this world. An outcast for her divine beauty, the black mamba has been cursed to feed on those who are enchanted by her.


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    No one can ever simply fall into love with her. The mamba is a woman who can feel comfortable with one mate, but not for very long. Due to her nature, it will crawl and wiggle within her like a weed struggling to grow. It will infect her no matter what she does and what she craves, the desire to devour reigns above all and towers confidently against anyone who thinks otherwise. A parasite she has become, falling from the protection of the garden and enchanting men with her deceitful body.


    A blossom unplucked, a flower waiting to become anew the black mamba needs to move quickly or face the punishment of those she has bewitched. She may only change form when faced with these lies spun wickedly by her hand. For which her natural-born abilities distorted by god will come forth and burst forward in a shower of blood and decay. Her beautiful form will shed its mystifying skin and bring out a creature unlike any other, so disgusting that a mortal''s mind will destroy itself to escape.

 Chapter One

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter One</h4>


    The serpent''s wake


    Summer break was the time to be alive.


    The entirety of Greenwich High burst out of the school''s front doors, their legs carrying them as fast as possible to the buses lined up to take them home. One specific student chatted eagerly with her friends, lacrosse gear hanging off of her arms as she tried to keep up. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she waved goodbye and ran to her ride.


    Lea was her name. It was a long time ago when this all happened, but her name is remembered above all else that went on that day. She was bright but a little dimwitted and performed her best when playing sports. Her wonder attracted many to her, the way she walked and the look she had on her face said it all. Happily, she ran to her bus ready to go home and relax in her warm bed.


    Greenwich High was a school for the gifted but not wealthy. They were talented students who had great potential but not enough funds to use it. This is why the majority were bused out from afar, partaking in more extra circulars than one child could normally handle. Lea was one of these students who had been chosen to attend such a school.


    Wide-eyed, she found herself glued to her seat window once again. Unable to stop she watched them past large and ancient homes that were worth millions. Every time they passed she felt the urge to stare at them in wonder. All of the homes were funded by the same company that helped build her school. Teachers and students alike lived in them.


    She instead lived hours away, with her extended family. Her excitement only grew at the thought of being with them. It would just be the few of them together, hanging out, watching movies, and eating bakery treats. No more homework and fewer lacrosse practices for the next month or so sounded splendid to the seventeen-year-old.


    Just quality time with her loved ones for months on end. The teen was jittery in her seat, tapping one of her feet against the bus floor. Her hands moved from the window and sat in her lap as she imagined the things they would do together. Her mother would have less work to do and her father would be home working from home.


    Grandmother would already have started preparing for dinner. Vegetarian food for her younger siblings and cousins while a potluck for the rest of the family. Maybe they would even run out to the store together, she always seemed to forget an ingredient for some reason. Then they would arrive home finishing the meal just in time for everyone to sit together.


    "Everwood Avenue this is your stop." The bus driver opened the doors allowing the students to leave. Lea got up, carrying her things with her as she tried not to run off the stairs.


    Everwood was a gated community, with townhouses lining its streets framed by gardens and stone decorations. Orange leaves covered a majority of the brick walkway as the students chatted and laughed with one another. Others listened to music on their phones, the sunlight reflecting off of their screens as they mindlessly texted their parents.


    The population of Everwood was made up of low middle class and upper lower-class families. Each had chosen to go to Greenwich High or another neighboring school. It was common for new families to move in over Spring Break due to the income boundary that was set for residents. One percent over the line and you would have to raise your rent or move away for another family to come to take your place.


    Each house was identical in some way, except for their gardens. Some of the families chose to uproot the growing flowers and make it simply a larger lawn. While others had nurtured the flowers from where they grew for them to blossom and spread across the rest of the homes.


    Everyone within Everwood wanted their kids to grow up in a safe, warm home. A place that allowed transportation to better schools. So they moved to one of its homes after years of waiting on a list with hundreds of other families. Lea remembered it just like it was yesterday, her mother had told her they''d move close to her doctor permanently.


    They would be able to send her to a better school where her health wouldn''t get in the way. After a few years, she was able to start playing sports again. And was allowed to eat foods she loved without feeling light-headed, talk to others without the fear of never seeing them again due to her dizzy spells.


    "Grandmother I''m home!" She shouted, opening her house''s front door and dropping her bags on the floor. "I''m home from school, grandmother!"


    Kicking off her shoes, she looked around the house for the older woman. She looked around with confusion huffing. The house was quiet besides the buzz of television in their living room and the fridge. Normally if no one was home she would check her phone, but it had died during her last period in school.


    Her sibling''s coats weren''t on their racks in the hallway, neither were her parents. She grabbed the remote off of the ground, most likely dropped by her parents, and turned the television off. As she walked further into the house she saw that the vacuum had been taken out but never used.


    The house was more or less the same from when she left for school. Her younger siblings¡¯ toys were left on the floor instead of being put back into their playroom. It looked like nobody had even sat down on the couch or cleaned with the same dirty dishes in the sink from the night before. The trash had only been taken out bus seventeen-year-old house was frozen in time.


    "Why didn''t they tell me they''d be out today? Now I have to clean everything up all by myself." Lea murmured with a sigh.


    The seventeen-year-old went over the dirty countertop and began to clean up after her messy family members. It wasn''t out of the norm for her parents to leave things all over the house. Her parents were always busy and had given up cleaning up after her siblings long ago. The toddlers left things everywhere and so did her older siblings.


    Cleaning the house was usually a group effort before she got home and around the time her sisters went to work. But it seemed like they had rushed to leave from what the house''s appearance said. This was only confirmed when she saw a note on the freezer door, ripping it off to read and dispose of.


    Written in orange-scented gel pen it said the following. ''Sorry for the mess honey. Your brother had a doctor''s appointment and the twins made a mess of the house cooking breakfast.''


    The twins. She groaned at the thought of the identical women who seemed to never clean up after themselves. When they were younger they were worse but going to college had humbled their personalities. Sadly, their cleaning habits only grew worse with their time away from the rest of the family.


    Lea felt her mood simmer as she saw the mess they had left on the kitchen floor. She could feel the grime, slimy bits of what she could only think was dried pancake batter under her now bare feet. Her hands balled into fists as she silently cursed her older sisters and thought of throwing the dirty plates right into their smug, pompous little faces.


    '' I just need to clean up some of it, mom wouldn''t let the twins get away with all of this.'' Lea thought to herself as she wiped off her feet and plugged the vacuum in to start cleaning.


    A house with five children was always going to be a messy house. Her parents weren''t neglectful but they no longer tried to be authoritative to anyone but her brother either. When she''d wake up for breakfast it was common for her feet to meet the dread top of a Lego. Or to crack the side of a play dump truck or crushing the head of a Barbie doll.


    It stressed her out and added to the time she spent in therapy. Her dizzy spells had caused many issues for her in the past, so much so her parents had put her in therapy from a young age. Nobody wanted to play with her in daycare or summer camp due to the fact she could collapse onto the ground at any minute. Her parents were at a loss and desperate for help.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    So, eventually, she went to a bunch of doctors and was put on medication along with mandatory therapy sessions. Therapy at first was harder for her to deal with than her poor health. It was hard for her to even think about or express but in therapy, even group therapy she felt more seen. Out of all the children in her home, she was always in the middle, alone.


    In therapy, she was able to grow her confidence and be better. Along with the medication, after constant mistrials, able to feel better with it. Her dizzy spells went away eventually along with night terrors she had always suffered from since being a toddler. Everything just healed itself.


    "Gross." The mop water quickly turned a murky grey once it hit the kitchen floor. "Those two are disgusting."


    It was hard due to being on the floor for hours but she was able to clean up a majority of the kitchen floor. The mop was disgusting with food clumped in its strings and the water she had made was grey with a distinct smell. Her arms hurt but with how long it took to clean just the kitchen, they would be getting home soon enough.


    ***


    "Bless this meal." The family members dropped each other''s hands and began to eat their meal.


    Their mother had picked upsides from their local farmers¡¯ market to have along with some leftovers and fresh vegetables. The teen had participated in cooking the meal but only washed off what needed to be and helped make some broth. Besides that, she sat down silently watching over her younger siblings and helping them wash for dinner.


    The younger boys were excited to eat, unable to stay still as she helped them get in their seats beforehand. For the first time in months, nearly a year the table was set for five with baskets and bowls filled with food. Steam billowed from them with each option to eat from it is hot and ready to feast upon to their heart''s contents.


    From greens to pasta to buttery rolls had been made. Some of it they had to bake for a good while to become crispy enough to melt in your mouth. Others had taken only a few minutes to make on the stovetop, warm up in the microwave or just cut due to being already prepared beforehand.


    Lea sat at the end of the table, opposite her father as she poured herself something to drink. Before everyone had sat down she had served her younger siblings, ignoring her sisters for obvious reasons. By the time they had gotten home, she had cleaned all the floors and vacuumed the carpets.


    Still, they all had spent a decent amount of their free time cleaning up after the twins, the boys, and breakfast. She was annoyed but kept it to herself to avoid having to interact with them for the time being. Thankfully they were too occupied with their mother to notice. Taking a serving spoon, she put some more pasta onto her plate and listened to her sisters¡¯ talk.


    Both of the women were identical in a jarring way that could not be described as anything but uncanny. Even as their blood relative, born and raised by the same parents, they looked nothing like Lea. Or her younger brothers, not even any distant cousins. They had grey streaks in their hair and lazy eyes since infancy that made them look more mysterious when next to their other siblings. They moved the same and even spoke the same despite being away from one another for so long.


    It didn''t help that they both had equally horrible attitudes, Lea thought to herself with a small shake of her head at the thought of the two nagging.


    "...and then my roommate threw her dirty socks into my hamper mom! I wanted to vomit just from their smell." The younger woman made gagging sounds towards their mother. "And then she tried to tell our RA that I was harassing her ?before I came here! I nearly requested a room change after that."


    "She told me that story a million times over the phone, I think I''ve heard a million versions of how her roommate bothers her." The younger of the twins butted in after taking a drink.


    Red wine and vodka. Lea was unsure of how her sister was even able to talk after drinking five glasses of the mix, but then again she isn''t a drinker. Maybe college had made her become a much heavier drinker. But still, the nineteen-year-old held at her glass for more and the other twin supplied it.


    Taking another sip of the volatile concoction, she cleared her throat preparing to speak. "I missed you guys, being alone in England has been hard for me mom."


    The twins were always studious and both had been accepted into mid-tier colleges in various countries. One had decided that going to school in Europe was her best decision while the other moved to the west coast for college. Overall, both twins appeared to be happy with their decisions months later.


    She remembered the crying and the sniffles when they left. Both twins would be separated for the first time in their identical lives, an event that honestly lifted some weight off of her shoulders. Identically insufferable sisters suffocated and smothered the seventeen-year-old in more ways than one.


    Their mother smiled happily seeing that the girls were chatting calmly with one another. "Well, you both haven''t missed much. Your sister has been going to her therapy sessions more often and your brothers'' are attending a private school now."


    Lea dropped her fork onto her plate with her eyes downcast. Of course, her loving mother would mention that. Therapy wasn''t a taboo subject to her family, not at all. But to mention it to the twins of all people while they were all enjoying a meal?


    Her hands clenched in her lap as she struggled to keep a straight face. Easily she drowned out the rest of the conversation picking up her fork again to start eating her pasta again. Twirling her fork, she stuffed a bunch of it in her mouth and ate quickly.


    The delicious cheese and marinara sauce tasted like dirt in her mouth. Lea knew she''d have to finish her plate to leave or face questioning she just wasn''t ready for at the moment. felt heavier on her tongue the more she swallowed and chewed the food.


    The glass of wine sounded more and more tempting as she drank the cool glass of water. It did nothing to help the dryness of her throat and she continued to eat with tension in her body.


    By the time she devoured every bit of food off of her plate, the conversation had slowed down. A weight lifted off of her shoulders as she heard them once again speaking about their college life. Lea was relieved, she didn''t want her sisters knowing everything about her business and possibly gossip about it as they''ve done before.


    "Oh, Lea have you finished with your food already?" Her mother said as the girl got up and put her plate into the kitchen sink.


    "I''m stuffed." She said hurrying off to her bedroom before her mother could say anything else. Laying down in her bed, with her bedroom door locked sounded like paradise at the moment.


    Down the hallway, far from the kitchen and more near the end of the house her bedroom resided. It was a blessing in disguise having the smallest bedroom in the house as it allowed her to have it all to herself. Once her door came into view, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and pushed it open.


    Almost immediately she was hit with the feeling of fresh air mixed with the powerful fragrances of perfume. The metal of the doorknob felt cold due to the air conditioner in her bedroom billowing out sweet-smelling gusts of hair. Her carpet even felt cold as her toes and bare feet hit the soft fabric quilted beneath her body. It felt good to be in her own space without anyone invading it with rowdiness or a storm of mess.


    She closed her door and locked it with a soft but hollow click echoing throughout the quiet room. Her bags from earlier had been hung up on one of the many racks in her closet, along with her school uniform. Lea sighed as she fell back onto her bed, sinking into its sheets and blankets with a thud. Her bed was covered in not only that but huge body pillows that made her feel as if she had been swallowed up by some sort of cloud or marshmallow.


    Slowly, her eyes drifted around her room. A small study cabinet sat towards the right full of textbooks from various classes from multiple grade levels waiting to be opened or continue to collect dust. Far from that, a bookshelf mounted to the wall held many of her precious childhood treasures. Birthday cards from doctors, family members, and teachers sat in a neat stack. Stuffed animals from her childhood hospital stay and valentine''s baskets sat huddled together staring back at her with empty, hollow eyes.


    If she wanted, she could recall every letter by their date. When she had gotten them, who had gifted them to her along with the soft plush toys. Gradually she got up from her bed and walked over to the stack, taking them into her hands as she looked through them. They were mixed up but she could tell with ease when she had been given them and remember the emotions that came with them. A baby blue card from her fifth birthday, a princess card for her first therapy session, a plain card with ink splotches¡­


    ¡°What is this?¡± Lea muttered in confusion as she flipped over the mysterious, unrecognizable card. No memories floated to the surface with the card¡¯s presence, more so she had never seen any card like it before.


    On the back of the letter, there was an image of what looked to be a bird. It was too sloppy to be anything but hand-drawn with the proportions of the animal unnerving her. Its eyes were purposely made to be large, rectangular, and imbalanced with the rest of the bird. Claws sat angled in a way that they looked bent backward and curled unnaturally to the side.


    The card felt rough in her hands, some parts of it looked to be crumbled up while others had been dropped in something wet. Opening the card, she was unable to understand anything written on it. The words weren''t written in English or any other language she was familiar with. They looked more like characters than letters and merged in certain places as if the writer was in a hurry.


    Immediately she wondered who could have given it to her. Nobody had come over to visit in at least a month, the last time she had friends over was a week ago. But they hadn¡¯t been in her room for more than a few minutes due to going to the mall right after. There¡¯s no way any of her friends would leave such a note either, they¡¯d have to hide it under thirty other cards and put everything back before she found them. Her sisters wouldn¡¯t do it or have time to due to work and her brothers couldn¡¯t even write.


    Plus the foreign language it was written was stranger than anything she had ever seen before. Almost alien. She was getting more anxious the longer she held the card so she put it back on the shelf and bit her lip. Lea pondered calling her mother into her room and showing her the card to see if she recognized it. But she could still hear the older woman chit-chatting with her sisters so she probably wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to what she would show her.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show her later and then she can handle it.¡¯ She thought to herself with one last glance at the card before picking it up again and going to sit back down on her bed.

 Chapter Two

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Two</h4>


    A serpent''s mate


    The next morning Lea struggled to get a word out with her parents running all over the house to take her to therapy on time. It seemed like they had scheduled an important meeting for her mother and now had to find babysitters for her brothers within the next half hour. The twins had already left the house on an impromptu shopping trip with their friends who stayed home instead of going off to college. That just left the teenager stressfully attempting to talk to her mother about the night before.


    ¡°Mom I need to tell you something-¡±


    ¡°Your sisters are going to have to pick you up from therapy today. Your father and I have a busy day,¡± Her mother said exasperated as she interrupted the anxious-looking teen. ¡°I know that you would rather walk home instead but sweetheart your sisters do want to spend time with you.¡±


    Lea nearly dropped her backpack hearing her mother''s words. The twins would be picking her up? It wasn''t like they''d make fun of her for going to therapy, they had become more supportive over the years. But seriously, them of all people? Neither woman was a safe driver, she still struggled to figure out how they passed their driver''s test. She cringed and put her things into her bag with a frown openly on her face.


    "Will their friends be coming with them?" The twins had okay friends in her opinion. Some of them were nicer than others however they all were more or fewer people with the same attitude as her sisters. "Mom, I can just take the bus home."


    The center she went to offered transportation for anyone who had a membership at the facility. She knew the idea of it would worry her mother more, but she did not need any more stress in her life. All night she had spent trying to research the drawing on the card and the language but she had no luck. Everything she managed to find led to suspicious-looking sites and creepier links. For now, she had stuffed it into one of the pockets of her bag, hidden under some snacks.


    Once she arrived at the center she planned on investigating some more. She hoped that today one of her fellow therapy goers had some sort of mental breakdown of some kind to distract the group leader from seeing her on her phone. It was morbid to want it to happen, but right now she was unable to think of anything but the card''s existence.


    Her mother shook her head, grabbing her keys from off of the kitchen counter as she headed toward the front door with the other following. "I''d rather your sisters drop you off with a friend or two on time than have you come home an hour late."


    Damnit. She had completely glossed over the fact that she''d get home later due to the other passengers in her mind. Her stop would certainly be one of the last, just because of how far she lived from the center. It was a two-hour drive on a good day, with traffic making a near three and half hour ride on a terrible day. With stops, she would be lucky if she got home by night.


    "Can you promise that they won''t bring like six people with them? Like last time?" Her jacket sat tied around her waist, the heat outside being too much for her to wear as they walked to the family car.


    "I''ll talk to them about it. Make sure that you have everything with you, we are going to stop at a gas station to get you something for lunch." The car started with a loud stutter coming from its ancient engine and soon they were off.


    ***


    By the time she arrived at the health and wellness center''s front door, the heat had cooled down enough for her body to feel relaxed. She opened the door and was immediately met with bright fluorescent lights gleaming in her eyes. Sunglasses covering her eyes, she could make out some of the usual figures in the room seated or standing around the room phones in hand. Some looked up at her and waved while others nodded their head before going back to what they were doing.


    Some new people had joined recently from the looks of it. A girl who looked to be from another part of the state from her clothing choice sat alone near the back of the room within the circle of chairs. Once she noticed Lea''s eyes on her, the girl looked up at her with a glance. Her face fell when she saw how uncomfortable the new member looked. The glance seemed very dismissive to a degree that the other wondered if she had maybe offended her by staring. Guiltily, she decided to try and privately apologize to the girl.


    Therapy was new for many people and this might have been the other girl''s first-ever session. Years ago when she first came here she remembered all the curious looks that made her way and the anxiety that situation gave her for days afterward. Jeez, now she felt like such an asshole. Sitting down in a chair near a fan, she took off her sunglasses and put them in her backpack waiting for the session to start.


    Even though she had arrived late it looked like the group leader wasn''t even there. It was a tiny bit annoying, especially with the fact she wanted to get home as soon as possible. The card had felt like a weight in her backpack as she rode with her mother. After getting on the highway she had given up on trying to tell her mother about what she had found and why it scared her so much.


    They had instead talked about how her day would go, with everyone being gone again by the time she got home. Her guilt only grew knowing that this was something she should tell her mother. The card was like some creepy stalker letter in her mind and it scared her to know someone had been in her room. They had snuck in somehow or had gotten someone she trusted to do their bidding. She had looked around for what felt like hours that night, trying to see if her window had any possible way of being unlocked from the outside.


    But her mother was already so stressed with their normal schedules that telling her about the card would be like giving her a nuclear bomb. Her father would find out next and then they''d have police officers tearing her room, her bookshelf, her dressers apart looking for traces of evidence. Her parents would never let her sleep alone or go out alone so she''d have to kiss therapy and sports goodbye. If it turned out to be fine then her family would have uprooted their lives for nothing.


    And if it turned out to be something serious, something life-threatening she just couldn''t stomach the thought of it. It made her sick with worry about the possibilities of what may happen if she even thought of mentioning the letter. Frustrated with her mind, she looked away from her lap at the now more full room. While she had been consumed the rest of the participants had come in, with five or so other new members joining the group.


    They were all of various ages, but every single one of them couldn''t be over the age of nineteen. That was just how the group was set up with the youngest age allowed for sign-up being fourteen. That''s when she had joined with any other therapy-type setups beforehand being one on one or with her mother present in activities. She felt bad for the younger ones who looked unsure of themselves no matter how hard they tried to hide it. She could see it vividly in their eyes and the way they held their bodies. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    A clap echoed throughout the room, startling many of them. "I''m sorry I''m late everyone. As you can see we have some new members joining our group today, I would like you to be as welcoming as possible to them." The group leader strutted into the room with her folder containing notes in her arms and her heels clicking on the stone floor loudly.


    She had been the leader of the group for only three years and had integrated with everyone fairly well. When she arrived at first they all had been hostile to her presence. They had been pleasantly surprised with her actions towards them and their problems. Miss Jade was a warm and intelligent woman who cared about them, unlike other leaders they had been given.


    From the corner of her eye, Lea could see the girl from before staring at the older woman strangely. Her eyes were incredibly wide to a point she felt worried that she might hurt herself. Widely, she starred as the woman introduced some of the newsies members, her pierced lips moving as if she was murmuring to herself. Suddenly her target changed and her head whipped around to another part of the room eradicate. Quickly, Lea looked away from the confusing scene and looked back at her lap to avoid being caught by the other girl.


    Maybe she had been wrong about offending the girl, now she wondered if she had scared her in some way. Her face was full of emotion when she starred wide at the warm but commanding women helping them. It was raw rage mixed with terror, a type of terror that Lea had only seen before a few times. Usually when somebody who, in her mind, was not ready for this type of situation was forced to come and participate. They left the same day or by the next week never coming back.


    "This is Momo everyone," Miss Jade the group leader introduced them to the girl in question and everyone else welcomed her in monotone. "She is one of our newest members so I would like you all to be kind to her and open to her opinions."


    Momo looked uncomfortable with the attention being brought onto her and she stayed silent for the rest of the conversation. They moved on once she chose not to respond, introducing the last members to everyone else. Soon the conversation moved on to talking about anything new in their lives and what they had learned from these events.


    One of the younger members talked about a test they got a high score on and how it made them feel more confident in themselves. An older girl talked about how becoming a teen mom had changed her life positively the more mature she got. While others talked negatively about events like funerals, parents divorcing or struggles with their appearance. And the rest stayed silent just like Momo, choosing not to share anything unwanted.


    The session went on more or less peacefully, with only a few people having bad moods and shouting. Everyone else was rather mellow with the way they spoke and acted. Nobody had any energy to cause a scene due to how early in the morning they had to wake up to get here. Soon the talking melded together as she felt her tiredness grow along with her urge to go home.


    Eventually, they reached a break period and Lea excused herself to go the bathroom. Taking her bag with her, she walked into the spacious room and stood in front of the large mirrors lining the wall. Her face looked more tired than she had previously realized. Her eyes were red with anxiety, she looked like a wreck. Stress lines had grown to become bags under her eyes as she briefly rubbed at them to make them disappear.


    She took out some makeup from her bag, hesitating as she looked at the brush in her hand. Covering it all up now would only cause suspicion, she had been here for hours, and only now did she put on anything. She didn''t need any other questions entering her life at the moment. Putting the brush back into her bag she hears the bathroom door swing open with a loud bang.


    Startled, she looked up only to see the blank-faced expression of Momo as she came into the bathroom. The older woman ignored her as she went over to the bathroom sink, turned on the hot sink water, and began to wash her hands. Lea opened her mouth to apologize for earlier but stopped once her gaze caught it. Unknowingly her jacket sleeves went up her arm revealing something familiar. Like a tattoo, what she thought were words traveled up the girl''s dark skin in the color of gold. The same gold that had been on the card, was in the form of the same text.


    Lea gasped unconsciously, her hand reaching to cover her mouth only too late. The girl stopped washing her hands and turned towards her. Her body chilled at the sight of the coldness in the other''s eyes, she looked down on her with an amount of animosity that was unheard of. Lea wanted to ask her about the tattoo, about whatever language it was in, and how the girl had come across it.


    But something in her was frozen. She found herself unable to move with those eyes staring at her. Her mouth felt like it had been filled with cotton as she struggled to get words out. What was this? Why did this woman stare down at her like she was some sort of vermin? It frightened her more than anything, but the idea of not knowing was starting to frighten her even more.


    "Please," She felt as if someone was sitting on her chest suddenly, with those eyes getting harder as the two stared at one another. "Please where did you get that tattoo from? I need to know."


    As she spoke the other girl blinked at her in confusion, her gaze softening momentarily before she saw something. Beneath the surface of her expression briefly, there had been something other than anger. It was hard for her to recognize it as soon as it appeared it was gone. Replaced by a feral creature that seethed and frothed at the teeth.


    The girl chuckled coldly, moving uncomfortably close to Lea. This made her press her body against the wall behind her in an attempt to getaway. The sound of the older woman''s voice frightened her to a point she began to shake. Her gaze drifted down to her trembling hands in shock. They were shaking uncontrollably, her entire body felt like something foreign within the crevices of her mind.


    "So that''s why you kept watching me. I thought you were just some nosy bitch but no," Momo''s voice was dark filled with rage that made her confusion grow. "I can see it on you now. Don''t play dumb with me, you know what this is."


    Quickly, the woman lifted her sleeve to show more of what she had thought was a tattoo. Gold writhed like maggots on her skin. It moved upward endlessly, disappearing beneath the clothing it had previously come from. She still couldn''t make out what any of it meant, the language was too strange to even know what the letters were. Her stomach twisted as she saw it wasn''t the words or letters moving on their own. Her mind was engulfed in terror as she struggled to decipher what was happening, what she could even be seeing.


    "Your skins moving!" Lea screamed her hand coming up once again to cover her mouth, but this time she was fast enough. Her body shook even fiercer as the other looked annoyed at her reaction.


    Momo rolled her eyes, annoyed at her words as she pulled her sleeve back down. Her other arm slammed forward, her hand slapping the wall next to Lea''s head too close for comfort. A cruel smile painted her lips as she stared down at the other girl with glazed eyes. She could still see the tattoo moving on the girl''s skin even though her jacket was covering it. All she could see was the way the skin looked bloated like something was trying to come out of it. The way it was scarred remembered her about what she read in school textbooks about chemical burns.


    "Don''t act like you''re shocked. I know you can feel it too, can''t you? Or are you just that stupid that you don''t even understand what it is?" Her voice was mocking, she knew what the response would be already. "It''s all over you and you don''t even see it. Just look at your hand."


    "What are you even talking about?" Lea''s voice wavered as she spoke, unsure if she could even trust her mind. There was no way that this could be happening, there was just no way. "Get away from me, you''re crazy."


    Momo moved closer to her as she finished speaking, so close their faces were almost touching. The cold gaze of a madwoman met that of someone scared to recognize what was blatantly in front of them. She could feel the woman breathing down her neck as she felt her nerves get the best of her. Using all the energy left in her body she pushed her body forward, knocking the woman away from her as she escaped her grasp. Her shoulder touched the woman''s bare skin with something moving against her body in a way that made her skin crawl with disgust.


    There was no way what she saw was real. There was no way what she felt against her body was even real. But her eyes had seen it, she knew for a fact that she had seen that disgusting display. It made no sense, however. Had she been drugged? Was there some sort of hallucinogen on the card? But wouldn''t she have felt the effects earlier? Nothing made any sense and terrified her. Her stomach continued to curdle as she began to feel ill.


    "Get away from me. Don''t come near me again, I don''t know...I don''t know what''s happening but please stay away from me!" Lea yelled weakly, her throat burning from how hoarse it was. She could hear the sound of someone coming towards the other side of the bathroom entrance.


    Before Momo could reply, the door opened revealing a worried-looking Miss Jade. The woman was followed by two security guards of the center. Lea had no idea how loud they had been yelling at one another but right now she couldn''t even be embarrassed about the fact. She starred at the blank face of Momo with shock. The woman looked disheveled from their brief encounter, but mostly she looked exhausted. Her body trembled as she tried to exit the room only to be stopped.


    "Lea dear god she''s bleeding, we need to get her some help." Miss Jade said taking her hand into her own with wetness suddenly covering it.


    Slowly, Lea looked down at her hand and saw what everyone else in the room had been seeing. Her hand that had been trembling the most was covered in blood. A low buzzing filled her ears as she stared at in disbelief. Had Momo seen the blood on her hand? Was that why she kept badgering her to take a look? The skin looked as if she had taken a razor blade to the inside of her palm, nausea filled her mouth as she tried not to vomit all over her shoes. Dizzily, she starred back at Momo in disbelief only to see the girl gone.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    Serpent''s Strike


    Momo ran out of the bathroom, ignoring the yells to stop by the security guards running after her. Her body was vibrating with rage so much she could hardly contain herself as she burst through the front doors of the building and ran down the busy street. Tears dripped down her cheeks, burning once they hit the unnaturally hot skin of the teenager. Her entire body felt as if it were inflamed as she hid within the crowd, her heart beating unevenly in her chest as she willed herself to stay calm. If she didn''t there would be too many corpses mangled on the ground for them to even recognize.


    "How can something like that even take a human form for so long," Momo wondered aloud as she thought back to the form of the girl. "I''m bursting from the seams and here she is, standing so tall and proud. That bitch."


    Seething, she walked down a road that led to a bus stop. She should get home in case any other issues happen to show up, she was more annoyed than anything. Ever since she entered this town her nostrils had burned met the scent of someone putrid. She had spent months searching for this individual, their scent and powers had leaked everywhere. Their bloodlust was visible like a beacon in an endless night. Momo could hear their message loud and clear. A call for violence, someone had gotten cocky and was devouring everything in their path. She would be included if she didn''t quicken her pace and find the source.


    And when she finally found a lead, that girl had to show up. Thinking of the teenager made her blood boil even hotter. Her smell wasn''t obvious at first but when she entered the bathroom it overpowered her. She was a newborn, maybe no older than a few months or even less. It confused her at first why such a young one would leave their home alone, it was dangerously stupid to do so. And then the girl had the nerve to play dumb and ask about her so-called tattoo? She nearly let loose right then and there but she decided to just slap her on the wrist for now.


    Momo stopped as she reached the bus stop and let her body calm itself. There was no need to be on guard anymore, she was alone. It was going to be difficult to convince her auntie that the interaction had been nothing too serious. The older woman was probably contacted already and if she had bothered to bring her phone she had no doubt the woman had called her in a rage. She couldn''t blame her, the first day in therapy and she had already nearly burned a girl alive.


    ''I could have but I choose not to.'' She reminded herself with a dark look on her face. ''I could have destroyed her but she was already scared out of her mind.''


    It was hard not to feel a tad guilty for her actions the more she thought about it. A newborn misbehaving in any other circumstance wouldn''t be too bad, but that stench was everywhere. She could feel it in the air when she interacted with normal people. She saw its influence spread to unfortunate individuals, children and adults becoming perverted characters of who they used to be. Some stupid teen roaming around with their true form so blatantly strong and fragrant only added to the issue. Her eyes opened as she got onto the bus, her eyes scanning the near-empty vehicle with caution.


    Anyone could be the owner of the stench infecting this town and she needed to be wary. Auntie could only help her so much before it overtook her ailing mind too and then she''d have to rely solely on outside help. Her hand tightened against the large pole she stood against as the bus started to drive away. She had no time to waste, hopefully, auntie wasn''t too angry and would let her spend another night searching. Her eyes worked best when her form was hidden from the naked eye. Darkness under a cloudy night sky served her the best in these types of circumstances.


    Then she''d finally be able to strike. Her teeth hurt at the thought of it, her nose burned harshly as they passed a particularly bad part of town. It was corrupted before she got here but now it was even worse. A normal person wouldn''t be able to see it but she could. Her eyes could see the way its residents were collared to whatever creature was doing this, they were chained to its control. It hurt her chest to be forced to smell it all but she knew if she even tried to take care of the town now she''d be punished. You can''t just massacre hundreds without being caught someday.


    Even if it''s diseased, she had no right to purge it of everything tainted. Auntie forbade it and she needed to stay on the older woman''s good side. So she watched it grow and grow, feeling more helpless as time went by. After all, she was fostering the young girl as family second, disciple first. She had misbehaved enough for this fact to become known, the woman warning her to control her tongue. Their kind could only do so much damage before someone came and silenced them permanently for their actions. Feeling her left arm, she felt the familiar movement of her form writhing beneath her skin sate her urge to feed.


    ''You know I''m here and yet you choose to dangle it all in front of me.'' She starred at the town as they passed through its smog and shitty road.


    Soon, her stop came and the teenager stepped onto the stone pathway leading to her destination. The path was hidden near a trail that led into the nearby forest area, with a sign warning any hikers not to leave its designated location or risk being lost to the terrain. She walked without any fear in her mind up the small hill that was man-made, designed to look like something in the owner''s home country. Auntie had settled in this town years before she had even been born so the land she owned looked like something out of a fairy tale or nature documentary.


    Orange trees with buds preparing to bloom sat in perfect little plotted squares, awaiting a groundskeeper to come and water its thirsty roots. They lined the rest of the path atop the hill before disappearing once the gate of the house came near. It was made of wood, hanging open for its residents to enter whenever they pleased without having to worry.


    She felt at home somewhat in the large, manor-like cabin that waited behind the seven feet tall boundary. It reminded her of her childhood home back when everything was so much simpler and Auntie herself was nothing but a distant relative she had never laid eyes on before. Now, she was staying as a guest in the woman''s rather extravagant home with no other place to escape.


    She eyed one of the home''s many security guards who nodded at her with acknowledgment before going back to acting as if he were a mere gardener. Having stayed with her relatives in the home, she knew all too well that most of the staff here were not just caretakers and maids. They were not to be trusted with too much information, no matter how kind and protective they acted towards her. This was her auntie''s land and she was just visiting in their eyes. No matter she was one of the woman''s few remaining relatives that had what you could call a pulse.


    Reaching the front of the house, she took off her heeled boots and put on the soft house shoes that sat by the door. Pushing open the twin doors, she was met with a warm room with the only light coming from a few candles lit on a dresser. Momo could see that a few pairs of shoes remained, meaning some of her cousins had left before she had gotten home.


    No wonder it was so quiet, she thought to herself warily as she made her way out of the room and down the hall. She knew the older woman wouldn''t be too pleased with her behavior, but she hoped that she understood her rash actions. Her body bristled at the thought of the newborn and their careless actions, her palm bleeding similarity to the girl.


    The house itself was rather large despite its small appearance from the outside. There were rooms for all of its residents to stay in by themselves, along with a handful of guest rooms for visitors. Staff had their private rooms which her auntie had demanded be built before she had moved in, for their comfort and accessibility. Each bedroom was fairly modern with enough room to move most of your belongings into the closet without worry. Still, they had that reminisce of their homeland ingrained in them along with the house values itself weighing heavy on their minds.


    Momo found herself in the hallway near auntie''s bedroom, unsure about whether or not she should just barge into the women''s room to explain herself. The matriarch of the house had the right to punish her whichever way she saw fit, being that she was here on business and not some show of familiar love. Still, her auntie cared for her and had at times allowed her to get away with some of her more bothersome behavior. But never had this behavior been so public like it was now. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "I wouldn''t go in there just yet if I were you" A familiar voice chirped from behind her, Momo whipping around to meet the eyes of one of her eldest cousins staring at her with disappointment.


    Her cousin Kaeo had moved in a few months before she had, coming from Thailand to stay with their auntie due to her failing grades. A beauty like most of their kind, she stood dressed in a simple dress with her long black hair down her back in a braid.


    Her droopy eyes reminded Momo of a dog staring at their misbehaving master in misery, a look that was permanently on her face. She had merged into the system their family had rather easily due to her soft-spoken nature and tendency to act more on her logic than emotions. But this led her to become overwhelmed at times when her instincts desired to forgo all logic and made her a rather depressing person to be around.


    Kaeo had her arms crossed around her chest as she pressed her lip into a thin line. "Auntie and I had to lie to those people about you. I can''t believe you''d hurt a child so carelessly." Her voice weakened as she seemed to become upset at the thought of her cousin doing such a thing.


    Momo rolled her eyes, she didn¡¯t need someone preaching at her about her lack of empathy right now. Kaeo always acted as if they had to keep the same values they once had as normal people. In this house, you had to gain respect from those around you despite being a part of the family that raised it from nothingness.


    It was the same outside the house within their community. Their kind had no morals when interacting with those lesser than them, no matter what consequences may happen from their actions. Her cousin was starting to piss her off from her tone, she wasn¡¯t her mother so she had no idea why she acted as if her feelings towards her actions even mattered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to lie for me, so if you are trying to guilt-trip me suck it up.¡± Momo sneered, feeling her hand begin to sting as her anger got the best of her.


    Kaeo narrowed her eyes staring at her with that same somber expression that she hated so much. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to guilt-trip you. I just want you to realize that your actions are affecting all of us. And I had to lie for you Momo, you''re my older cousin.¡±


    ¡°So? Just because we¡¯re family doesn¡¯t mean we have to look out for each other Kaeo. You and I are just distant relatives boarding at the same house temporarily, after this we¡¯ll never speak to one another again.¡± She said purposely hitting each anxiety she knew the younger had about them never seeing each other after they parted ways from auntie¡¯s home.


    "T-That''s not true and you know it." Kaeo looked hurt as the words crushed her. Her bottom lip wobbled as she continued to try and reach her dangerous older cousin. "You''re just trying to hurt my feelings but I''m not going to listen to you act like this. Auntie''s angry right now so you''ll just piss her off more by going in."


    Shit. Momo wavered, wondering if she should take the fifteen-year-old seriously. She was sensitive to others so in her eyes auntie being missed could just be the woman annoyed by her actions. But she could be right and going into the woman''s bedroom was like entering a lion''s den.


    "She told the maids that you''re on cleaning duty for the next month." Kaeo continued with her hands anxiously playing with her braid. "None of the chefs can make you any food so you have to cook for yourself from now on. She might even take your allowance Momo for the next year."


    "Bullshit that allowance is from my inheritance she can''t take anything." She whispered as a maid made her way past them, pushing a cart of treats most likely for their younger cousins.


    Each cousin had their parents send down money for them to live comfortably. The older ones had the money wires directly to them, so she was unsure how auntie could stop her from getting it.


    Kaeo grabbed her hand, pulling her aside roughly so no one else could interrupt them. "Do you think your parents wouldn''t let her do that? That they would stand up to auntie of all people!"


    Momo didn''t want to admit it but Kaeo had a point. Auntie did favor her in some ways but this was bigger than anything before. "Fine. I''ll talk to her later. Still, just because we are cousins doesn''t mean you have to look out for me. We are predators and behavior like that makes you prey Kaeo. And I wouldn''t like to be the one to have to eat you."


    ***


    That night Lea dreamed of a snake wrapping its body around her neck and smothering her. She remembered the way its eyes looked unnaturally human with an iris and pupils were blown out wide as they stared into her own. Its fangs shone brightly in the nearly pitch-black abyss, becoming the only light basked in silver. She could still feel the desperation clouding her mind once she woke up in a cold sweat, her throat too dry to even let out a tiny shriek. It played with her, letting her claw at it with her small hands in a futile attempt to break free from its grasp.


    With it came the image of a woman, changing places with the snake right as it squeezed the last breath from her throat. The woman towered over with a slim figure that was paler than most, her nails digging into the younger girl''s flesh as her grip tightened. Feline-like eyes became darkened as her resistance began to fade to her horror. Cold, ice blue lips met her own as the woman took it from her forcibly. The gesture wasn''t romantic but predatory, no consent given as she stuck her tongue in the other''s mouth to devour her from inside out. She didn''t recognize her but she could see the way her eyes sparkled with delight as she awoke in a state of panic.


    Exhausted, Lea found herself on the floor next to her bed with someone standing over her with worry on their face. They had long brown hair that touched her shoulder as they tried to shake her awake from her nightmare. The thought of being touched by someone right now was too much for her to handle. Instinctively she moved away from them, a look of worry on the woman''s otherwise gentle face as she pulled away.


    "Jesus christ you scared me, Lea." The woman, a friend of her older sisters named Yaya, sighed with relief once she realized she wasn''t hurt from the fall.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Lea said feeling smaller than ever as Yaya helped her off of the ground and back onto her bed. She had been resting ever since she got her hand bandaged and taken home by her distraught older sisters who caused more than a scene once they heard her side of the story.


    She had tried to tell the center''s leaders what she had seen, stupidly believing they''d listen to her. But they claimed that Momo had no tattoos and that she had cut herself on her own. It frustrated her as she had no recollection of ever being cut in the first place. Still, her palm sat bandaged in her lap, throbbing from how severe the damage was. It made no sense to her why they would believe she''d ever do something like this to herself. She needed both of her hands. There was no way she could play lacrosse with a bum hand, it was near impossible to even flex her fingers without feeling her skin crawl with discomfort.


    Her sisters thankfully took her side in the matter, demanding to know where Momo was so they could talk to her personally. The girl had gotten away from security and ran into the busy street to escape questioning. They had contacted her relatives who repeated the fact that she had no tattoos and never had asked about getting one done.


    The woman they spoke to on the phone sounded horrified with the news, but not convinced that she was telling the truth about it. They also said that she wasn''t violent, making her oldest sister get angry with the implications of what they claimed. Everything became too much for her and she asked to go home before it got any worse.


    She just felt defeated. "Did they ever call back about finding Momo?"


    Yaya shook her head, rubbing her back once she saw how conflicted the teen looked. "Don''t worry about that for now, your sisters and I are going to help you regain your strength. That woman doesn''t matter right now, your health does."


    Lea felt her heart drop, laying back down on her side as Yaya brought her blanket off of the floor and back over her body. She wanted to ask more but the nightmare and the events the day before left her exhausted. She could feel the tiredness in her body with the way her legs ached and her chest felt heavy. Everything felt like it had been flipped upside down and now she just didn''t know what to do. All she knew was that her mind was playing tricks on her and that Momo was the only one who could verify she wasn''t going insane and hallucinating.


    Standing above her, Yaya offered what could only be described as a sympathetic gesture in her gummy smile. Unlike most of her sisters¡¯ friends Yaya was soft-spoken and someone she trusted to be looked after. That''s probably why she had been sent in to check on her, only to find the young girl in such a vulnerable state. She flushed in embarrassment and pulled the blanket up higher to hide.


    It was hard not to fall into a fit of tears and chest-heaving sobs. Her emotions were running wild as she knew her family must be in turmoil with the news of what happened. Her poor mother, she began to fear, would become overwhelmed with finding out she had been accused of harming herself and getting into a fight with another girl out of the blue.


    "Wait!" She cried out weakly, stopping Yaya from leaving the room just in time.


    Lea licked her lips feeling blood from how dry they were on her tongue. "Did my mom come home yet? Does she know what happened?"


    "Amari told her what happened over the phone a few hours ago," Yaya said looking sympathetic as she tried to keep her voice calm. "Your sister said that your mother is going to handle it. Don''t worry about it right now Lea you need to rest." She left the room, closing the door with a soft click.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    Meeting a Serpent Pt 1


    The next few weeks were a blur. Lea had her hand looked at by a doctor who agreed that it looked like razor marks much to her dismay. The car ride back from that was quiet, with her mother trying to calm her down. When they arrived home she went straight to her room and locked the door behind her. Most nights afterwards were like that with her parents trying to talk to her about what happened. But they didn''t believe her about what she saw, her voice was getting hoarse from trying to tell them so many times that she gave up. Now the home environment was tense with her sisters staying out most of the time and her mother was getting frustrated with her.


    She had to get out of the house. Every second in it she felt like she was going insane. Using her money from babysitting the neighbors cat, she went shopping at the nearest mall. She had managed to convince her mother to let her out, stating that if they wanted her to feel better it would help to get some fresh air. Before she left to take a cab her mother had hugged her for what felt like an eternity. It hurt to see her mother in so much pain but she couldn''t explain everything without seeming erratic. The possible hallucinations, the moving skin, the language all of it was more like a messed up bedtime story than real life.


    It was time to just bury everything that happened and try to move if only momentarily. Dressed in a simple and short romper, she walked around the large marketplace connected to the mall. Her body felt lighter with every step she made that led her further away from her house. Shopping wasn''t something she did very often as she was more of a bookstore type of girl but it actually felt nice to survey the variety of things to buy. There were plenty of dresses and shoes imported from all over the world for her to choose from. Honestly she was shocked for such a small town to get a huge upgrade in clothing choices. After she had been dropped off she found herself excited to buy something on her own as meager as a new tee shirt.


    By now, she had about six bags in her arms full of different types of items that peaked her interest. The stores had recently invested into eco friendly packaging so the bags were all reusable and fashionable enough to serve as purses. A few cashiers had offered her free samples from the local lithuanian cafe that delivered to each store in the shopping center for free. Lea felt relaxed for what felt like the first time in years with plenty of money left to spend and her parents were allowing her out for the rest of the day. She quickly moved her train of thought away from them, knowing if she thought about them for too long her guilt would come back.


    Initially when they had shown that they didn''t believe her, she had been angry. She had refused to talk to them out of spite of the situation and barely ate anything with them. Then it turned into pain as she realized that her parents didn''t believe her. They believed someone over her despite the fact she had never harmed herself before. The silence went from just one week to the next four as she felt her heart grow weaker and weaker. Just the thought of what was happening to her relationship with her parents made her want to cry. She thought that they would believe her, but she sounded insane from what little she had told in defense of herself.


    ''??Why can''t they trust me.'' Lea found herself incapable of finding the answer to the question that had burned itself into her mind.


    Shaking herself free from such troublesome thoughts, Lea came across a bookstore. It was large with a metallic outer design like every other store in the market. But it''s windows and entrance had been painted to appear like they were made from real wood, taking a deep reddish brown color. A sign sat on its front door stating that all of its items would be on sale ranging from twenty percent off to seventy five. Her interest peaked immediately at such a generous discount being offered on a large chunk of their novels. Looking down at the bags in her hands, she noted that she had already had a lot with her. However, a book sale was a once in a lifetime experience for a book woman like herself. The thought of missing out on possibly rare comic books and visual novels waiting to be stored in her bedroom made her body tingle with excitement.


    ''??A book always cheers me up.'' She thought happily, deciding that she could need a new book or two to add to her collection.


    Lea opened the door to the shop and was welcomed with the smell of old books. A banner above her stated ''discount novels for five dollars'' written in sharpie that still had a strong smell to it. To her left a bunch of students sat at a table texting on their phone with books in their laps Mountains made out of old magazines and comic books sat on rectangular coffee tables with sale stickers on their covers. Some of the comics were already being picked through by eager shoppers, their free hand holding onto a cart full of other discount items. Next to them were stands half empty with the remaining books being various genres ranging from young adult to biographies. She was amazed by the sheer size of the store, it looked to be an endless maze of books and shoppers surrounding her.


    Certain shelves were completely barren of anything, with dust being the only thing left from their existence. Well known series didn''t even have any signs of being left for sale with their shelves wiped clean and holding unrelated novels in their place. The various lines for checkouts proved this even further with teens and older adults paying for basket worths of books for a third of the price. And for anyone who wasn''t buying books they went to purchase items from the store''s built in cafe. They sat with eco friendly paper bags in one hand with a magazine or basket in the other. It wasn''t hard for her to find what aisle had which genre of novels with a similar banner to the one by the entrance depicting directions for the store.


    After what felt like an eternity of searching, Lea found an item that caught her eye. Propped up by a simple plastic stand, the graphic novel called to her practically as she went over to the grab it before it was gone. The bright red label on it''s cover stating that it was eighty percent off made it even more tempting to the avid bookworm. Reaching out with one of her empty, she tried to grab it only to touch someone else''s hand that had tried to do the same. She flushed having realized her mistake and immediately turned to apologize to whomever she had grabbed.


    A girl with dark hair in a bun stood with her one face rather red from the predicament. She looked young, maybe a middle schooler from the looks of it or a tad bit older from her height. Her face was covered by the brim of the dark colored faux fur hat she was wearing despite the immense heat outside. In her arms she had a few other graphic and light novels that from what she could see were of the same genre.


    "I''m so sorry! I didn''t even see you!" The girl cried out her voice high pitched and soft, she sounded as if she expected Lea to attack her.


    The older teen laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. While it was awkward for them to have held hands if only for a mere second by chance, she wasn''t upset at the girl for it. She was more embarrassed than anything else for running over to grab the book before anyone else could.


    "Hey, it''s fine. I wasn''t paying attention either and I''m really sorry I grabbed your hand. I just really wanted to get that part of the series I have every other book but that one." She confessed feeling relieved once she saw the other girl relax.


    "Me too. I heard that a sale was happening so I basically skipped my breakfast to get here early. I never go to read this part of the series either besides some chapters from the author''s website." The girl said sounding awestruck at the idea of getting her hands on such a rare book.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Lea blinked in shock. This wasn''t just some graphic novel, it was a rare series in a sea of cookie cutter books. The author had written a total of thirty books for the series along with making artwork and character guides to go with certain editions. This one was ultra rare with it coming with not only original art barely seen before, but had the author''s lovely signature on the front page. It took her years to even find out that the author made special editions like this and nobody else that she knew of, not even her friends from school had ever heard of the series due to it being self published.


    To meet someone with such a similar love for a sacred series as the one this novel came from, it had to be a sign that everything would work out. That her family would all take her side and she could find a new therapist that didn''t know of what had happened. She held onto this hope for as long as she possibly could.


    "Did you hear that they''re making a movie adaption soon?" The girl continued with wonder dripping from each word she uttered. "The author might allow some fans to voice act for it."


    "Not only that but I heard we might be able to get a sneak peek soon," Lea added, finding herself taking a liking to this mysterious girl. "I''m on the fan forums all night looking for spoilers."


    "Wow, okay can I have your socials so we can talk about this more in detail because you''re the first American I''ve met who''ve even heard of this book." The girl said taking out her own phone to show her social media accounts.


    Most of them were basic fan accounts for the series and it''s characters. Lea was impressed with the dedication the younger girl had to spreading the news about a more or less unknown series. She pondered about her last few words however. The first two novels were more popular in the middle east and certain parts of southern asia then the united states. The author''s first language was even mandarin due to having spent most of their childhood going back and forth from China to the United Kingdom. Could her new friend be from one of those countries?


    Lea sent her a friend request on any accounts she had that weren''t for her family only to see and follow her from. Curiously, she decided to ask her about what she said before they parted ways. "Are you from Asia? I heard the series is like an underrated classic there."


    The girl nodded her head eagerly, her eyes alight from the question itself. "I''m from Thailand! My old school had the author there as a guest speaker one day and I almost fainted."


    She had never met anyone from the country before. "You moved from a place like Thailand to the middle of nowhere?" She couldn''t imagine why anyone would want to live in a town where everyone knew each other and half the population was related to one another.


    "Nah," Waving her hand, the younger smiled at her, all of the previous anxiety from earlier having completely vanished. "I''m only here for a couple of months to get to know my cousins better. My older cousins are..."


    "...messy, sort of sassy and overall like the cooler version of you that everyone forgets you''re related to?" Lea guessed with a raised eyebrow.


    A groan left the other''s mouth as she nodded her head. "Exactly. It''s like everyone suspects I was adopted because I''m not as outspoken as them, I prefer to be nice instead of a jerk all the time."


    "Okay we are going to get along great. What''s your name by the way, since we are going to be texting about this for the rest of the night?" The older of the two asked, finding herself more comfortable than she had felt in weeks.


    The girl smiled a gummy grin that made her look even smaller in the other''s eyes. "My name''s Kaeo, it''s pronounced like key and the letter oh." Kaeo said slowly, sounding out her name for further help. .


    "??It''s nice to meet you Kaeo, I''m Lea by the way." The two greeted one another and continued speaking about their shared love for the book series.


    ***


    The two teenagers had agreed to let Kaeo buy the book for the time being. When they would hang out again she then would trade it off to Lea for the rest of the month. Both had a fun time chatting about their favorite scenes in the series, what they thought about recent music groups and which colleges they planned to go to. Lea noted that Kaeo while a quiet and reserved person in many aspects had a vibrant personality when it came to fiction. They said goodbye once Kaeo''s relative came to pick her up and soon Lea herself had arrived home with treasures to enjoy for the next year.


    She came into her house to see her younger brothers dancing in front of the television. On it a group of girls around their age danced and sang with what looked to be a large cat. The cat had to be a man in a costume, a cheap costume as she could see the person''s eyes underneath. They had subtitles on the screen as the song was in spanish from what she could hear. Her brothers turned around seeing her coming in and ran over to her with their hands covered in what she hoped was paint.


    "Le Le!" Her youngest brother, Daniel shouted at her smearing the paint onto her legs as he wrapped himself around them.


    "Lea you''re home!" Her other brother Caleb cried out in his soft baby voice pulling on the bottom of her romper with his tiny hands.


    ¡°Woah woah woah you guys saw me here just a few hours ago,¡± She laughed holding her hands up in the air as they became glued to her body in their excitement. Reaching down to detach them from her body, she looked around for anyone else in the house. ¡°What¡¯s on your hands and why aren¡¯t you guys being watched by anyone? Where¡¯s mom?¡±


    The two boys bounced around on the balls off their feet eagerly pulling her over to the couch where they had some of her stuffed animals in what appeared to be a tea party with some action figures.


    ¡°Mommy went to get food!¡± Caleb cheered, handing her a somewhat dirty stuffed bear that had multicolored eyes that were kind of wonky.


    ¡°Chicken nuggies!¡± Daniel added sounding offended that his twin had failed to mention the most important part of the meal.


    Lea was having trouble buying what they were saying, but she had no other answer for why the home would be empty. Still she was finding herself getting more upset with the fact the twins who were toddlers had been left home alone. Her mother could be careless sometimes but never this careless, her father sure but not their mother.


    "Mommy was sad because the meanie called her about Lea." She managed to make out from her brother''s chewing noises, quickly she took the bear out of his mouth before he got sick.


    "Who called her about me Caleb? A doctor? Dad?" The teenager asked picking them both up to sit in her lap with her arms wrapped around their waist in order to keep them steady.


    Daniel wiggled around playing with one of her strands of hair, falling free from the buns she had them in. "Don''t know."


    "Yeah, we don''t know!" Caleb added happily clapping along to the newest musical number on their tv.


    Lea stared down at the two, knowing deep down that what they meant would be bad when her mother got home. She has asked constantly before she became silent about the center finding Momo and talking to her. Her mother had said that the older woman''s relatives didn''t want to cause the girl anymore trauma from the incident. This made her annoyed as Momo had been the one causing the trauma, but when she tried to say that her mother had gotten upset. Apparently, both families had gotten heavily involved in the situation. She stated that from what she had been told by Miss Jade, that the woman had a tough time with the confrontation and refused to go back to therapy if she was there.


    If they had called to argue with her mother, she wouldn''t take it lightly. Yes she was still scared of Momo herself and the things that the woman may do to her if they were alone again, she liked getting therapy. She liked her therapist and the people that communicated with her in group therapy. She had made a few friends from the group and she didn''t think it was fair that she had to give it all up because of what had happened.


    "Toys!" Daniel screeched in her ear, jumping up and down in her lap at the sight of her shopping bags. "Look, toys!"


    Caleb startled from his show and began to pay her chest eagerly wanting to see what his brother was pointing at. "Toys?"


    Lea sighed and tried to put on a genuine smile onto her face to keep the twins entertained until their parents came back. She figured, playing with them and letting them see some of the stuffed toys she had bought for them would pass the time rather quickly.

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    Confronting a Serpent


    Dinner was tense as Lea had stared her mother down, the twins eating a fruit salad and cheese sticks for a meal once the woman came home around midnight with their father. Her father went straight to work, saying hi to her and hugging the twins before leaving.


    It was hard for her to face them as her mother tried multiple times to start a conversation, her gaze always settling on her daughter¡¯s injured hand instead of her face. She despised the way her mother had started to look at the girl in the eye, as if she was too uncomfortable to face her.


    "Lea, the center called to apologize earlier today. I went to speak with them and I feel like you would be safer staying home for the time being." Her mother sighed with a tired look on her face that made her appear twenty years older.


    ''They apologized?'' Lea''s attention grew as she heard her mother utter the words. ''They have to believe me now.''


    "I don''t want any of the other patients asking you questions about what happened," Her mother continued reaching a hand out across the table to touch her own. "And I don''t want you coming into contact with that girl again, even if you were cutting I still don''t believe you started the argument."


    Still her mother believed that she had harmed herself. It felt like getting stabbed in the back with a knife made of hot iron. Tears brimmed in her eyes impairing her vision briefly before she wiped it away with her arm.


    "I never cut myself mom you have to understand that right?" Her voice sounded alien in her ears, it was too tiny to be her own. "She kept screaming at me to look at it and then I did. There was so much blood it came out of nowhere."


    It was all way too much. How could she even think that the thought of grabbing a razor and bludgeoning herself would ever come into her mind. The thought of it was painful, it burned throughout her body like a pit of endless fire. And no matter what she said or how much she silently cried to herself in her sleep it would never go away.


    "Honey please don''t cry, everything''s going to be alright. You are never going back there. We are going to find a virtual therapist from now on." Her mother said attempting to reassure her the best way she could with the situation at hand.


    "I''m not going back?" Lea felt lost, more desperate than before."Did they say I was bann-"


    "No honey, you weren''t banned from the center. I just don''t want you in harm''s way ever again." Her mother interrupted sending her discomfort and she got up from the table to come and hold her.


    The older woman held her tight, stopping her from trying to figure out what had happened. Her mother''s face was cold and wet, she had been crying. Her entire body felt tense so when she wrapped her arms around her, it felt like the woman was trembling from the effort. Lea didn''t hug her back at first and just sat in place letting her mother hold her. Overwhelmed, she thought about the conversation they had just had and how convoluted everything had become.


    The one thing that was the most prominent in her mind was the fact that her mother still believed that she had butchered her own hand. So badly, that the first few days she wasn''t able to move it without bursting into tears. The first night after the nightmare the wound was still bleeding. The doctor they visited stares at her like a charity case. She just wanted her mother to take her side and say she never hurt herself. And the center and it''s staff called to apologize about what had happened.


    So why, Lea moved away from her mother with her blood pumping hotly in her ears, why couldn''t she take her side.


    "Mom." Her voice was frail with her heart beating too loud in her chest for her to handle. "I never hurt myself please, I''ve told you a million times already."


    Her mother looked as if she didn''t know what to say. "Lea it''s okay to admit that you did it. You''ve always been easy to startle as a child and I should have seen the signs that you would take out your emotions onto yourself." Just uttering the words made the woman''s voice hot with tears as she held onto her daughter''s non injured hand.


    Punishing away, Lea shook her head at her mother''s words. Easy to startle? She should have seen the signs? Her gaze became tainted with her avid emotions of anger and pain as she stared heatedly at her mother. She was trying to help but also she made everything worse. Her mother only could see her as fragile and broken, that she had failed in some way to protect her. But it wasn''t true and had never been true, so why couldn''t she just listen to her for once?


    "I don''t want to talk about it anymore." Hollow. Her voice sounded hollow coming out of her mouth which itself was aching and sore.


    Her mother tried to protest but stopped from the look on Lea''s face and let her go. The woman was hurt from the way she held herself, forcing herself to look away from her daughter''s accusatory eyes.


    Full of raw emotion, Lea practically ran into her room and screamed into her pillow. She felt suffocated against the once fluffy bed that had given her comfort hours before. Her skin felt sticky with the amount of sweat on her body from the blankets tangled against her. In her rage she threw every piece she could away from her, not caring that it knocked into anything. Not paying attention to the fact her arms were covered in angry red markings that simply appeared out of nowhere.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The teenager''s desire and drive to care about anything had disappeared in that moment. It all came pouring out of here as she let out cries of frustration at not being believed, at what she had seen and most of all about that stupid card. If she hadn''t found the card none of this would be happening. She wouldn''t have witnessed that horrifying sight of that woman''s skin turning into a mess of convoluted words and flesh crawling actions.


    Her heated stare drifted to the card in question and she moved without realizing it. Her body felt as if it wasn¡¯t her own, she was acting out some sort of autopilot set wihn the crevices of her subconscious without her knowledge.


    Unconsciously, something was shifting, something alien that pumped throughout her body and took its place as the very blood cells that helped keep her alive. Like a feral animal she ripped the contents of the bookshelf off of their designated shelf with her mind captivated by the idea of getting rid of the card once and for all.


    Lea held the card in her hand, blood running down the side of her arm unnoticed out of seemingly nowhere. The blood was dark in color while still being resemblant of the typical red color you saw in tv shows and blockbuster movies. She didn¡¯t pay attention to it or even realize that she had injured herself with her chest heavy with confliction. The card felt like a weight ready to be lifted off of her shoulders as she began to tear it apart. A burning sensation spread, coming forth from the pit of her stomach inching closer with each tear until it bursted free.


    ***


    ¡°The black mamba is the deadliest female in the world, her rage is untamed as she prowls throughout the night demanding men and women bow to her power. Like a demon king awakening, the blak mamba¡¯s lust is for their own beauty and success above all. Her tongue forked and bitter to taste reminiscent of the first bite taken out a raspberry stains your forever red.¡±


    ¡°Powerful unlike any other woman, the black mamba doesn¡¯t like any comparisons. She is a bitter woman from endless betrayals and tribulations desiring nothing but the absolute decay of her enemies. Faceless sutors flurry her mind in the place of her dreams and nightmares, the bitter fruit of the never-ending pit in her petite and perky stomach.¡°


    ¡°Her roar comes from within it, for within the pit lays all of her true emotions unable to be properly depicted by men. For their feeble minds can never appreciate the true beauty and otherworldly being that the black mamba is, leading to her growing misery.¡±


    ***


    The vomit left Lea¡¯s mouth with a bitter aftertaste being left in her mouth as she panted over the toilet bowl in her family''s bathroom. Her body burned with the sign of a high fever being evident with sweat glistening on her bare back. The night before had continued to fall apart after she had ripped apart the card until it¡¯s pieces were too many to count. Her father had heard all the noise as had her mother but both had been hesitant to enter the room.


    When her mother argued they had given her enough time alone and entered her bedroom she was met with a frightening state. Lea was asleep in her bed with her body red with a fever raging throughout her, a thermometer stated she was close enough to need to be hospitalized from how hot she was. All the teenager could remember was the disappointment she felt towards her mother and the feeling of having lost control due to the way everything turned out.


    From outside the bathroom she could hear her parents arguing about what to do about her. Her mother was suggesting that maybe she had caught some type of stomach bug and that''s why she had been acting so unnatural. Lea doubted it as she moved her hair out of the way to throw up again, her throat feeling like it had torn in half each time she reached. In contrast her father sounded more monotone and defeated, saying that he thinks her poor health is returning due to his absence.


    The couple were at their wits end with their conversation getting louder by every word said. She could hear the twins tv being turned up louder by her mother before she really let loose. Sitting on the cold marble floor of the bathroom floor, she had no idea what to do. Her family had been doing better with her health finally healing permanently and her grades becoming the highest they had ever been. Her parents never argued this much, not even when she had to be hospitalized briefly.


    Panting, she stared directly into the bow stained toilet bowl. She didn''t know what was happening to her body. Along with her mind playing tricks on her, she was sick whenever she was at home with her family. Previously it had just been the desire not to eat much but now it was more. She felt like her entire stomach was being purged unt nothing was left, not even it''s lining with the taste of bubbling stomach acid still fresh on her lips.


    Her hair felt like brittle, it''s normal oily sheen gone with the rest of her good fortune. She felt exhausted beyond belief as she flushed the toilet for the last time and leaned back with a shallow breath. Her dreams had more or less the same with the woman from before present in them. With a body that reminded her of some eldritch creature, the woman would appear on top of her every single time. The cruel look in her eyes stayed with her with every hoarse, empty scream leaving her as she woke up unable to speak.


    The woman was deathly pale in a way that would worry her if only she hadn''t faced the woman''s actions so many times in her dreams. In her subconscious the woman would touch with cold, corpse like fingers and bring her pain. And just like Momo and the card this mysterious woman wore the familiar yet alien language she had thought that she had hallucinated. It was on her chest plain with her skin moving just like Momo''s but only worse this time. Even more unnatural to see, it bled as she moved and dripped onto her lithe body.


    Other times, she would find herself dreaming about not only the woman but the encounter with Momo. It would be in a different perspective with it becoming an out of body experience. She was suddenly watching from the sidelines as the woman pressed against her with an animalistic rage she''d never seen before.


    I??n these dreams Momo''s eyes were different too, with the pupils blown out wide and her irises shaped like a demonic creature''s. Just seeing it made her wake up in a ball, curled up with her head above her head in a form of protection.


    When her mother had come across her frail body she had been entrapped in a never ending nightmare. It was hard to remember now as she stood up from the stained toilet and fell against the bathroom wall. But she could still see flashes of what had happened when she closed her eyes. Long wet hair had leaned over her paralyzed body, the owner''s face disfigured so she couldn''t put a name to it.


    They opened their mouth as if to speak to her but with each parting of her lips, she was only capable of focusing on the endless rows of sharp teeth. Their hands felt cold at ice to the point it burned her skin staining it a red color when they finally let go of her.


    Awakening she had coughed and vomited onto her mother causing the woman to scream. The next few minutes were a blur of her body being halfway dragged to the bathroom with her mother talking in half intelligible screeches.


    Soon she was here, her body laying like a bag of rags against the wall with her chest heaving weakly. From outside the room she could hear her mother rummaging through her bedroom sniffling as she tried not to cry loud enough for them all to hear.


    "She''s staying home from now on. I don''t care if we have to lock her in her bedroom from now on, she''s staying here." Her father said as he came near the bathroom only to turn back.


    "We have to get a doctor. There''s someone who can help us right? There has to be." Unable to finish speaking, her mother began to choke up as another sob left her mouth.


    The house went quiet afterwards as the two talked lower, her father attempting to comfort her hysterical crying. The hopelessness and confusion in her mother''s voice cut throughout her body like it was hot iron, she could barely take it. All she could do was try to drown it all out as her parents helplessly tried to figure out a way to help her. Lea felt pitiful as she tried to find out what was happening to her mind as she gave another labored breath into unconsciousness. She welcomed it''s cool embrace as her mind came to a stall and entered oblivion.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six


    Serpent''s Hand


    "Mistress," the guard bowed as he entered the child''s bedroom with his stoic voice contrasting his calm demeanor. "are you alright? You called me sounding rather distraught on the phone."


    Across from the bedroom''s entrance, Kaeo sat on her bed with a blank look on her face. Her hair sat undone on her face, the bangs were uncombed and messy as she looked over at the older man. Exhaustion was evident when the girl finally noticed the man had started to walk over to her. She was dressed in a nightgown with her family''s emblem embroidered proudly over her chest.


    The guard kneeled in front of the nonhuman child and proceeded to bow his head, reaching for her hand in a show of respect. It made her uncomfortable but she pushed those feelings down and let him hold her hand up to his forehead.


    He acted as if he was beneath her despite her many protests over the past few months since she had arrived. The man was more of her dog in more ways than one and unlike the rest of her family members, she didn''t like it one bit.


    Back in Thailand, she was treated the same as everyone else. Even though her kind could kill humans without remorse, her parents taught her differently. Humans weren''t food, they were her friends. She was raised to behave the same as humans and anyone who knew her real identity looked at her like one.


    But now, everyone acted like she was a form of royalty. They looked down on themselves while praising her whenever auntie told them to. And when she wavered against her instincts, they pushed her to embrace them. Even if doing so meant hurting them or worse, desiring to eat them.


    Swallowing the lump in her throat, she managed to give a rather meek smile to him. "I need some advice, Zachary." Even though he tried to hide it, she knew it thrilled him to hear her utter his name.


    And that only added to her mixed feelings about the man being in the house in the first place. As one of her auntie''s lovers and a former newborn of the older woman, he lived to serve. The idea made the child''s stomach twist around on a knot. When she first heard of such of thing it reminded her of some form of modern slavery.


    They functioned as cooks, maids, gardeners and guards to her auntie. Men, women and everything in between walked within the walls of the house serving the older woman. And each of them had an obsession with her that was uncanny.


    Now that she lived with it always blatantly shown in her face, she saw it for what was ¨C a harem. All the staff was involved with her aunt and they served under her to show their gratitude towards being given the chance to love the woman. It was an odd relationship to watch from the sidelines, but she had learned to accept it.


    Kaeo wanted no part of it. Lifting his head Zachary hummed and sat next to her on the bed. He looked surprised by her reasoning, she was only asking due to the fact he was the most knowledgeable on the subject. Still, she felt the awkwardness of the situation with them both sitting with the room dimly lit and completely silent save her phone playing a music video.


    "Whatever you need help with, I try my best to help you with." Zachary said with the child feeling his gaze on her back.


    ¡°Can you tell me what your experience was like being a newborn?¡± Kaeo knew the man¡¯s past was a heavy subject so she made sure to ask as calmly as possible. She didn¡¯t doubt that he would answer truthfully, but still, she knew he wouldn¡¯t take the question lightly.


    ¡°My experience as a newborn? Well, it was everything the old wise tales said it would be. I felt as if God himself was punishing me for some unnamed sin I had committed. My health plummeted with every new change that happened to my body. It came to the point my mother believed had become possessed.¡±


    Kaeo turned to face him, her confusion evident from the expression on her face. ¡°Your mother thought you had become possessed by a demon?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The guard¡¯s voice was solemn as he nodded his head, confirming her assumptions. ¡°I grew up in a religious household and my mother bought into the idea I needed an exorcism. I woke up one night to strange men, priests, standing over me as they tried to hold me down.¡±


    Zachary continued his eyes darkening as his voice became rather heavy from the emotions recalling his past brought to the surface. ¡°I tried to break free, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Whatever had control over my body was terrified of what was happening. I had scratched at them, cursed at their faces, and spat to be let go.¡±


    Chills went down the fifteen-year-old¡¯s spine as she found herself entranced by the older man¡¯s words. If becoming a newborn was full of so much pain and suffering, why would someone willingly do so? And if they had been forced into it, why couldn¡¯t someone stop the transformation from happening?


    ¡°Eventually I was knocked unconscious and when I woke up,¡± He stopped and she was able to see remnants of tears beginning to his eyes. ¡°when I woke up, I had my mother¡¯s blood on my hands.¡±


    ¡°You fed on your mom¡¯s body.¡± She realized with her mouth filling with a sour taste, her discomfort only growing from the revelation. ¡°And that¡¯s when auntie found you after you killed your mother and the priests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kaeo said, unsure of what else to say in the conversation, the man silent as he stared off into nowhere. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked something so personal.¡±


    He cleared his throat before calming her down, putting a hand on her shoulder as he smiled down at her. ¡°No it¡¯s alright mistress. I know you¡¯re curious about the newborn your cousin encountered and how her presence may affect your stay with us.¡±


    Kaeo¡¯s eyes widened as he patted her head in a show of affection. He had changed moods so quickly that it gave her whiplash. And she felt a flush spread across as she realized that her attempt at being subtle had failed so spectacularly. Zachary watched her struggle to speak, sighing at her panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to worry about Momo, Kaeo. I understand that you¡¯re fearful that this newborn will hurt you and your cousin, but please trust us for now and let what happens happen.¡± He said watching the child glare up at him in disbelief.


    Feeling hurt by the man¡¯s cruel outlook on what was going to happen, she resisted the urge to hit him. ¡°You told me you killed your mother when you were a newborn, right? So, how can we let that happen again to a girl with little brothers and sisters?¡±


    ¡°And how do you know she has those things mistress?¡± Zachary asked with curisouty.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Kaeo froze realizing that she had slipped up. Silently, she cursed feeling angry that she had spoken so quickly in her burst of emotion. Now, she had no other choice but to tell him.


    "I think I met the newborn Momo had encountered," The fifteen-year-old whimpered, feeling her body become hotter. Her anxiety grew as she continued explaining her thought process to him. "She was just a kid Zachary. We hung out together and talked about comic books."


    Talking brought back memories of the time the two spent together. While she didn''t know the other teen very well, she saw the humanity in her. It hurt too much to think about letting that die out. To sit back and watch it shrivel into nothingness.


    "I know you''re going to tell me that it''s my nature to let humans suffer. And that, if I want to survive in this world I have to be heartless." Kaeo held her chest in pain. "But it''s wrong. I can''t befriend someone knowing she''ll be tortured."


    "Mistress, you can''t interfere with what''s already been fated to happen." Zachary sounded emotionless to her. "I don''t know what you think we can do to stop the transformation from happening."


    "We can get her before it happens," The fifteen-year-old had a glimmer in her eyes that was unrecognizable. "You could talk to auntie about taking her. Her family could be influenced to make the transition safer."


    She knew it was risky but they could try it. It wasn''t uncommon for members of their kind to take newborns in and train them. Kaeo imagined that they could convince the parents to let them take the girl. And then she would be safe and Kaeo would be able to sleep for once.


    ¡°We can use her,¡± This piqued Zachary¡¯s imterest with the man staying in the room instead of continuing to leave. ¡°We can use her against the creature possessing the town.¡±


    ¡°Using her may be worse than leaving her alone, Mistress. She won¡¯t assimilate to our kind easily.¡± The guard argued seeing the child¡¯s hopeful expression dim. ¡°However, I will talk to her about it.¡±


    ***


    ¡°She has a high fever, but besides that she¡¯s perfectly healthy. I would recommend letting her rest for the next few days along with only eating liquids. Anything heavier will upset her stomach and cause discomfort leading to vomiting.¡± The doctor handed the worried parents a folder containing their daughter¡¯s medical papers. It had any findings listed along with her symptoms.


    "But she can barely stand!" Her mother cried, looking as if she were about to breakdown.


    "I''m sorry ma''am but the tests are telling us she just has a high fever," The doctor looked unsure of himself even stating the result. "We can''t do much more, we''re only a walk-in clinic."


    "Alright¡­" Her parents hesitantly accepted the folder.


    They had rushed to the nearest walk-in clinic when Lea had woken up. She was checked out by a warm looking doctor and was given time to rest during the examination. The seventeen-year-old felt exhausted throughout the entirety of what was happening and hoped that she could go home soon. But everything went on for longer than expected and by time they finished, her body felt awful.


    It was hard to keep her eyes open without getting a headache. The room was incredibly bright with fluorescent lights over her head and the walls being painted neon colors. She rubbed her forehead with irritation as a paper cup full of cool water was handed to her. Immediately she gulped it down and followed her parents out of the room.


    Her mother held out her hand and she grabbed it without much enthusiasm. It felt like ice, her mother squeezing her tightly as they walked. She hadn''t talked to her mother much since the night before, the woman was too stressed. And as they left the clinic she was arguing with her father.


    "Just a fever? I don''t believe it." Her father sighed, opening the door for them.


    "What else can it be then. She needs to rest for now, honey. Then we can seek outside help." Her mother argued, pulling her close as they crossed the street to go to their car.


    The car felt cramped to Lea as she got in. She laid down instead of buckling her seatbelt and sitting, her desire to sleep more than her safety. Everything felt sensitive and made her grimace as they drove away to a nearby fast food place. She closed her eyes groaning when a ray of sunlight hit her, feeling liked she had been run over.


    Her mother reached back and patted her leg to comfort for the ill teenager. Lea could hear the noise from the car pulling into a drive through with the radio playing loudly from the restuarant. She was unable to enjoy the fact that they were getting food due to her nausea. Her stomach still rumbled, begging to be fed anything right away.


    ¡°A smoothie should be light enough for her to eat. Get something for the twins too and I¡¯ll just take a sandwich honey.¡± Looking back at Lea, her mother worriedly rubbed her arm. ¡°Sweetheart, do you think you can eat anything?¡±


    "I don''t think eating is a good idea right now, mom." Lea mumbled wincing from her newest body aches.


    Her mother pulled back, disappointed by her response. "Oh alright. Well, if you''re hungry later just tell me okay?"


    "Okay."


    Her answer satisfied her mother who gave one more tense smile. Then she pulled away to get her food as the car drove off to their house. Lea managed to open her eyes and rolled down her window to get some fresh air. The cool air felt like heaven against her hot body and she leaned into it.


    Outside everything was still way too bright for her to process. A group of students left their bus, walking with one another to a nearby college campus. Seeing this made Lea miss her friends from school and wish everything could return to normal. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone that brought back a distant memory.


    A woman who looked young, with her appearance being petite and plain compared to anyone else on the street''s. The woman looked back at her with eyes that resembled a feline''s. She waved at the teenager, a smile on her face. It wasn''t a kind smile, it was predatory.


    Lea moved back from the window, nearly hitting her head on the roof of the car as she felt her heart drop. Her mouth became dry as they drove past the woman who disappeared into thin air. When she leaned forward to look back, she couldn''t see anything besides a sea of cars behind them.


    The woman was gone. Chills went down her spine as she remembered the way she had looked at her. Like the woman had also recognized her and waved also if they were old friends. Curling into a ball in the car''s backseat, she tried to calm down before her parents noticed.


    ''How, how is she even real?'' Lea was conflicted as she held herself, shutting her eyes as she silently willed herself to remain rational.


    A slow realization hit her, sweat pouring down her back as shivered and groaned to herself. Was the woman real the entire time? Or was she just a hallucination as she had previously suspected? Lea bit her lip as she thought everything over and batted it all away.


    She felt too sick to be dealing with all of this. The possibility that the woman in her dreams was actually a real person, who recognized her was terrifying. She had dreamt about a living, breathing person she had never met. Her stomach ached with discomfort, mainly from what she had witnessed.


    ''I''ll just have to find out more about her later.'' The seventeen-year-old couldn''t remember ever speaking to a woman with her appearance or seeing her anywhere else.


    The woman also just didn''t seem human to her. A few weeks ago she would have dismissed the thought but now she knew something was happening. Every dream with the woman turned into a nightmare or she was brought back to the confrontation in the bathroom. Not only that, but she reminded her of Momo to a scary degree.


    ''She could be working with her,'' It was a theory better than anything else she had come up with. ''Or maybe that''s who she was talking about before?''


    ''Either way I can''t let myself have another nightmare or else mom will lose it.'' It wasn''t hard for her to see that her dreams had an impact on her family. Nobody had been sleeping, not even the twins.


    Her parents had been moving hell and earth to try and help her but nothing worked. The doctor said it was just a fever, but no fever had ever felt this bad before. At times it was if she was being boiled alive by her blood. It hurt to do much, to the point they nearly had to get a wheelchair for her.


    Lea''s expression darkened the more she pondered on her current situation. Everything had not only started with that letter, but meeting Momo. She had her first dream about that woman who she now knew was real enough to wave at her. Could everything be connected to the nineteen-year-old? Was she the answer to the illness that suddenly infected her?


    She felt pitiful at that moment. ''And destroying the card might be a reason for this too.''


    Her recollection of that night was blurry at best. It was hard for her to remember what happened besides ripping the card up and being woken up by her mother. The nightmare was something she could barely recall but the emotion from it still remained. And now, she felt even more helpless than that night knowing nothing.


    Deep down, she was scared. She knew that her health was only going to get worse. The idea of being hooked up to a ventilator made her squirm. She couldn''t let this beat her, she had to get better or else...she wasn''t too sure what would be waiting for her on the other side.


    Not being able to remember anything was just the start. The gaps in her memory hinted at something more. Walking was a chore, eating only made her throw up and sleeping was horrific. She was lost in a nightmare she didn''t know how to escape. Her life had become an endless maze of pain and torment in such a short amount of time.


    ''I have to find out what''s happening to me,'' Lea turned her gaze to her frail arm, distraught by how sick she had become in such a short amount of time. "Before whatever it is kills me. I can''t die, I just can''t.''

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven


    Meeting a Serpent Pt2


    That night, Lea had spent most of her time trying to find out what she could. She took out her phone and wrote down everything she remembered in a notes app. The parts of her dreams she could piece together were included along with anything she thought was important. When she finished the note she had a plan set in her mind for the rest of the night.


    The woman in her dreams would come no matter what she would do, so she had to confront her when it happened. She didn''t know how to lucid dream so that wasn''t an option but she had another trick up her sleeves. Scrolling on her phone, she had five alarms set for later that night. They were set right after one another, ranging between one to five minutes long.


    If one alarm failed, another would be ready to wake her up after it. And if all of those alarms failed, she had her old alarm clock from elementary school. With her aching body, she made sure the batteries were new and that they worked properly. Once she was positive it worked, she turned it on cranking it to wake her up on time.


    ''There''s no way she can trap me in my dreams,'' Lea drank the rest of the medication she had been given by her mother, it was for sleeping. ''This should knock me out in a couple of minutes.''


    She was still scared from earlier but her desperation made her brave. All she wanted was answers and this was the only way she could get them. It was extremely risky and only based on a theory she came up with on the fly, but she had to do something. And if it meant getting hurt in the process she would just suck it up.


    The medicine worked quicker than she expected. She felt the effects and laid down with one of her stuffed animals in her arms. Yawning, she prayed silently for not only her safety but the safety of her family and anyone else involved. Her eyes slowly closed as her body became sluggish and groggy, darkness surrounding her as she fell asleep.


    Within her dream, Lea opened her eyes and was met with the woman from before. This time, the woman wasn¡¯t attacking her or even near her. She stood far away, with her face peaceful which surprised the seventeen-year-old due to her previous actions. Her pale skin looked sickly, it was so bad that Lea could see her veins bulging against her skin.


    Not knowing what else to do, she cleared her throat and walked towards her. Her feet didn¡¯t even touch the ground, she assumed that maybe it was because they were in a dream. Still, she felt the air of the room they were in hitting her skin from a nearby window. Lea didn¡¯t know where they were exactly, it was some large ballroom from what she could tell.


    Chairs and tables covered in plastic sheets surrounded them. Large windows with lace curtains pulled aside to let in cold air that felt alien to her skin. The floor was cracked and uneven, making it difficult to navigate. Suddenly she felt something on her back and she wanted to squirm. It felt like someone was touching all over her body but she pulled through and continued.


    The woman raised her head, revealing an even worse-looking face as she moved. Her dress dragged on the floor, revealing blood stains near its bottom to her horror. Unconsciously, Lea stepped back when the woman walked closer. Only she sat down on an uncovered chair, crossing her stick-like legs over one another. They resembled toothpicks more than legs with how skinny the woman was.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Lea asked the mysterious woman. her voice shook, her anxiety grew more with the environment she was in. ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    The woman was silent, distractedly staring off into the distance. This gave Lea the chance to see how much the woman had changed from their first meeting. Before, she had been strong enough to pin the teenager down and force herself on her. But now she looked like a child in her size and the way she held herself. That predatory smile was also gone, replaced by nothing.


    Now, the ghost-like woman displayed no emotion. She wasn¡¯t being domineered or animalistic but weak. Her arms which, similar to her legs, had taken on the appearance of being extremely thin were hugging her body. They almost seemed to be the only thing holding her together as she sat eerily still and silent. Lea was shocked by what she was seeing, her mouth agape.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± This wasn¡¯t the woman she came to confront. This was someone who was clinging to life by a single thread.


    ¡°My identity isn¡¯t important anymore,¡± Her throat was nearly see-through, forcing the words to come out in her pain. ¡°since we¡¯re dying.¡±


    "What? We can''t die, this is just a dream¡­" The seventeen-year-old trailed off as the gravity of what she was seeing hit her. "How are you even here? I saw you outside when I was coming home. But every time I go to sleep, you''re here waiting for me."


    "If I told you, you wouldn''t believe me. And what I said about both of us dying is the truth. Your body is weaker than I was told, it can''t contain me properly." The woman looked offended by her comment which only served to confuse the teenager even more.


    "My body is weaker than you were told? What are you talking about?" Lea pressed the woman harder, wanting this game to stop and to be told answers. She knew that one of her alarms would be going off soon and then the opportunity would be gone. "So, you''re the reason why I''m so sick. Because you''re in my body?"


    With a satisfied hum, the woman nodded. "I thought your kind recognized the signs of possession, it looks like I was wrong. Your body is very weak, weaker than expected. But then again, this is only a dream so why do you bother listening to me?" Seeing the way Lea gritted her teeth in agitation she smirked a tiny bit. "If this is just a dream then nothing I tell you matters."


    "This is my dream," To her horror, Lea said the words hesitantly. If this was just a dream then how did she know if the woman wasn''t repeating her thoughts? How would she know if the woman was even there? "But I never thought I was possessed, so this isn''t just a dream."


    "What are you?" The question hung in the air as the tension between the two grew.


    Sighing, the woman tapped a bony finger against her arm impatiently. She didn''t want to talk to the girl, but she acted as if she had no choice. "Well I have to be a demon, right? How else could I be able to possess you?"


    "Angels can possess people, so can fairies and ghosts." Lea countered her claim recalling the books she had read as a child. A mythical creature would possess a sickly child or a human would take on the body of someone in another world. It felt strange to know it was possible.


    "Darling, I''m no angel. And I''ve never met a fairy or a ghost in my lifetime," The woman batted the notion away with a wave of her hand. "You''ll find out what I am soon enough. I noticed the little snake that day, I should have killed her when she awoke me from my slumber."


    A feline-like eye glinted at the memory of the confrontation. "It was a surprise to see another one of my kind so close, I wasn''t prepared for her attack." Her tone sounded apologetic but her smirk said otherwise.


    "Momo was talking about you that day," Her hands shook as the familiar screech of alarm filled her ears. "You''ve been in my body this whole time."


    The room began to peel from the walls, revealing a beacon of light. The longer the alarm went off the more the walls fell apart with the ground beneath them starting to crack. White light melted anything it touched, leaving ash behind. Sheets blew off of the furniture they were covering, going into the air with a gust of wind. Chairs and tables shook as they fell through the cracks or disappeared into thin air. Startled, Lea struggled to stay on her feet as the room was torn apart. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Before her eyes, the woman disappeared into thin air along with everything else. It was a slow process starting from her face to her lower chest. Witnessing the entire event left Lea traumatized, with the woman''s body stripping itself apart from the light. The bone from her face came away as she gave one final glance at the teenager.


    It was horrific to watch, she wanted to wake up faster than ever. It looked like a knife was being used to peel everything away, in slow motion, her stomach sour. Still, the woman watched her with a foreign look. It was unrecognizable. Her flesh was visible as Lea found herself being pulled back with the dream coming to an abrupt end.


    Her eyes opened with her body jumping up in shock. She panted holding her chest as she struggled to process what had happened. The possibility that demons, ghosts, and angels could be real, was too much for her to bear. But she had no other ideas and the dream felt too real to be fake.


    "Fuck," Lea held her head in her hands. "What do I do, what do I do?" She didn''t want to die, but she wasn''t told if there was any way to stop it.


    While the dream had answered a few of her questions, it left her feeling terrified. Lea was unsure of what step to take next. She couldn''t tell anyone about this, they''d think she''d gone crazy. She was completely on her own and worse, she knew her time was running out fast. All she could do was stumble in her effort to run away from her fate.


    It was hard not to cry as she sat in her bed. Her body felt heavy with her heart aching at the thought of dying. She hadn''t thought about death too much since she''d developed spectacular health, but now that had disappeared. Her mind was filled to the brim with imagery. It depicted her funeral, her parents grieving at the sight of a husk they''d call her corpse.


    "It was her the entire time," Lea felt a sick version of relief knowing that maybe, she hadn''t been hallucinating. That every single thing that happened since the encounter with Momo wasn''t her fault. But the relief was short-lived. "Nobody even knows it wasn''t me."


    The realization that her body wasn''t under her control anymore sickened her. She was uncomfortable with the idea of the woman forcing her to do things. Her mind was no longer her own and nobody even knew. Even in her decayed state, the woman still had to have control over her. The gaps in her memory proved it and no one would ever learn the truth.


    Lea was violated by the woman possessing her body. The way she had pinned her down could have been the beginning. She did know what else the woman had done to her over the past month. A finger touched her upper lip as she recalled the woman kissing her, the gravity of the truth too much to bear.


    Painfully, she forced herself to stay still. She wanted to go back to sleep and demand answers but it was impossible. She was lost, violated, and alone. No one could ever help her and no one would believe her. And just because she wasn''t forced into doing something in one dream, didn''t mean it wouldn''t ever happen again.


    ***


    Staring into the koi pond with a peaceful expression, Kaeo wondered if she had done the right thing. Everywhere she looked, she saw Lea. She saw the girl being forced into becoming one of the auntie''s lovesick mates. She imagined the teenager hating her, that she would harm the child upon recognizing her. Kaeo knew if it came down to the newborn striking her down, she wouldn''t fight back.


    The fish in the pond played with one another as she observed them. She wanted to say that she had saved the teenager out of goodwill but she didn''t. The child felt like a monster, she was selfish enough to choose how the girl would live for the next century or two. Kaeo didn''t want Lea to die or live with the fact she killed her own family out of hunger. But, she was scared of the fact she had offered the girl as a weapon so easily in desperation.


    ''Auntie wouldn''t hurt her too badly,'' Kaeo had a hard time believing herself her gaze wavering. ''I could protect her.''


    The doubt remained though. Kaeo wasn''t a savage like Momo or calculated like her auntie. She was squeamish when near blood despite eating people to survive. She hated harming others and everything made her shed a tear. It hurt to be so weak, especially now.


    "Zachary." She broke, calling out for the man who had been hiding within the forest.


    It was odd. The man never left the fifteen-year-old alone ever since their talk. It scared her sometimes because he would get a look in his eyes. It wasn''t predatory like before or as submissive as she would expect, but possibly territorial. She tried not to think about it much but he handled her with care since they first met.


    Now, he was more blatant with his favoritism towards the child. At first, she thought auntie sent him to protect her from Momo''s rage but that wasn''t rational to believe. And she relied on his knowledge of newborns daily so she tried not to appear ungrateful to the older man. So the girl remained quiet and let him dote over her.


    He walked towards her, the bridge creaking under the added weight. Zachary came over to the child and watched her silently. His hand reached over to hold her own, startling her.


    "Did you hate that auntie made you eat your mother?" Kaeo was weak and she hated herself.


    "No. To survive, I would have to kill someone to eat. I ate my mother in my last shred of humanity." The child peered at him in shock.


    "But you hate yourself¡­"


    "If I let my mother survive, she would have to live knowing I was a monster. Killing her was the lesser of the two evils," Zachary let go of her hand to pat her head. "I miss my mother but I know she''d forgive me for what I''ve done."


    "I feel horrible Zachary," Kaeo watched the koi fish disappear into the murky water. "I don''t want to be like auntie or Momo. What if I become like them?"


    "You''re different from them, mistress, your humanity is still intact. You fear me and yet you pleaded for its protection to me. Even now, you hate when I touch you but you ever complain." Zachary''s monotone voice had a dash of warmth to it.


    Kaeo was surprised by his words, she hadn''t thought the man could be so kind. The Zachary she knew acted like a robot towards her, only living to complete tasks. But he spoke in a way towards her that showed approval and pleasure. She flushed when he mentioned he noticed her discomfort, embarrassed at her lack of subtlety.


    The long hair man peered down at the child with that twinkle in his eye she saw previously. The predatory nature was gone, but she felt unnerved under his gaze. Her arms crossed over her chest in a form of protection from the man''s eyes. She didn''t like how even with his attempts at being kind to her, the man still desired to harm her.


    "I talked to the others and they''re still deciding what to do. For now, you should play it safe and act as if nothing is out of the ordinary."


    "Does Momo know about it?" The fifteen-year-old was worried about how her cousin would react. She didn''t want to get into a fight.


    "I''ll be by your side, Mistress. If Momo finds out I will make sure she leaves you be. Your safety is my utmost priority with the stir you''ve created." He reached out, beaconing her to hold his hand as they walked back inside.


    She was hesitant to grab his hand but she knew she had to. The man was going out of his way to protect her, the weakest one in the manor. If Momo came around the corner, crazed with blood on her lips, she''d crumble. They wouldn¡¯t fight on even ground, the other girl would destroy her. She¡¯d have to watch every corner, every hallway to stay safe. Bringing her cousin¡¯s ¡°prey¡± to their home was like spitting on her face and she hadn¡¯t even realized.


    Taking his hand, she felt him immediately squeeze it tightly. Kaeo had to let him take the lead, even though it revolted against her. The idea of using the man as a guard dog made her skin crawl but she was too scared of the possibility of Momo knowing. Not only Momo, but she wondered if anyone else would be displeased with her actions. Did they think she was weaker than before? Did they doubt her standing in their family, in the household?


    Kaeo looked down at his hand, seeing a gold tattoo wrap around it. It identified his standing as something nonhuman. She could see the form he hid beneath his human body and it was earth-shattering. Its size was hard to take in but it was even worse seeing what his form was made of. Still, it reassured her that if anyone tried to hurt her he would easily take them down.


    ¡°Mistress, you''re not as weak as you think. Sometimes our kind struggles to accept the fate set for them,¡± They walked through the orchids leading to their house. ¡°I know that you¡¯ll be able to accept it soon enough. We all did.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people and I hate eating them. I just wish there was another way for us to survive.¡± Since she was an infant, she had fed on to humans. But not at the rate that auntie and the others wanted to. Almost every day they forced her to eat no matter how much she protested or cried.


    ¡°Exactly, if you were like your cousin you would delight at the idea of eating humans and ask me to help you hunt one down for a feast. But you want to be human so bad that you¡¯ll fight against being served one for dinner.¡± Zachary stopped abruptly as they neared the gate in front of the manor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be human.¡± She tried to deny the truth but she wavered before giving up on a retort. He was right, she wanted to do human things like hanging out with friends and eating too much candy at sleepovers. She wished she could have friends again, that she could reside with humans in peace.


    But she would never have that and it hurt. Kaeo cried at the loss of the life she never had, the life she had lost centuries ago when her kind came to life. A hand caressed her face and settled on her chin, lifting it so the two were face to face. His hand felt like ice against her skin, making her grow uncomfortable the longer he touched her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to desire a piece of humanity,¡± He smirked briefly, lost in his thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s why this newborn is so special to you. She has that bit of humanity you can take for yourself. Become her savior, Mistress, and let her imprint on you.¡±


    Her eyes grew once she heard his plan. He wanted Lea to imprint on her? That would be her taking advantage of the girl at her weakest moment. It would allow her to have the teen stay by her side, to watch over her for centuries and onward. But, she was terrified of taking someone¡¯s free will to possibly protect them from a worse fate.


    ¡°The imprint would allow you to feel her pain and control it. You wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her being used or Momo being able to harm her. Her life would be happy, even if you dictated it. She would become your property and automatically be regarded as a part of our family. You¡¯re strong enough to commit this one sacrifice.¡± He said watching her conflicted expression finally settle.


    ¡°I could stop her from harming the ones she loves,¡± Kaeo hated herself but she didn¡¯t know what else to do. ¡°Would her imprint be like yours?¡±


    ¡°No. It would be however you want it to.¡± Zachary reassured his hand against her cheek in a show of emotion.


    ¡°Then...I want you to teach me everything about imprinting.¡± Kaeo hoped that maybe Lea would forgive her. This was the only way the transformation would be painless and she could guarantee that no one would harm the newborn.

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight


    Kaeo sat on her bed with a large textbook in her arms. For the last two hours, she had been researching newborns and imprinting. Zachary had given her the book, telling her to keep it hidden, from his library. She was grateful for his guidance and quickly started to read the book''s contents.


    It was written in the language that covered their skin, a black light in her hand to see all of the text. She guessed it was this way to keep out any unwanted readers from taking an interest in its decisive information. The book detailed eyewitness accounts of possession which always led to a traumatic transformation. Each more gruesome than the next in its description and imagery.


    ''A newborn will imprint on the first person they see after their full transformation. After the imprint happens they have to stay near one another for several years. If not, the imprint will break and cause mental health issues for the newborn. This may lead to a desire to enter a relationship with this person or worse, an obsession. This always brings up the question of whether or not the power imbalance is appropriate for young members of our kind.''


    ''In the centuries we''ve existed, there have been a few crucial cases where newborns were being abused. Sexual slavery was extremely common from the late 1700s to the 1900s. Only when these newborns began to revolt in mass causing humans to notice did this come to a stop. Our kind relies on primal desires such as sex and pleasure, but our survival matters more than these desires. If newborns alerted humans of their true identity, it was appropriate to end their suffering.''


    ''It is sad to acknowledge, but in the past, we now realize our kind didn''t know how to properly care for a newborn. Much like actual infants they stumbled without proper guidance and got into trouble. This led to more incidents of slavery in the form of forced prostitution or worse, breeding to help strengthen each clan''s bloodline. Eventually, we had to change our ways for our livelihood. This is a stain on our history that has started to mend itself in the mid-1930s to 1940s with movements started by humans, but for everyone.''


    ''Once you''ve properly gotten a newborn imprinted, you are their caregiver. They are to be regarded as your child first, property second. As your property, you are free to use them as you see fit. They can become your mate, your weapon, your pseudo parental figure. But as your child, you have to weigh the consequences of your actions for both of your futures. They can protest only as much as you allow them until they break and others have to step in.''


    She took a quick picture of the section of the book before closing it. It was a lot to take in and she hadn''t even gotten to the modern parts. The fifteen-year-old was overwhelmed with the possibility of being allowed to abuse someone without protest. It made her sick but she knew it wasn''t much better than what her kind did now. That''s why she needed to prepare properly for Lea''s future with her for the next few years.


    If Lea imprinted on someone else, she could lose herself to lust. Kaeo struggled with the urges to feed every day, it haunted her whenever she neared a human. But she had her mother and father to guide her for fifteen years. And Lea would have no one but Kaeo and possibly Zachary if he was kind enough to help. She didn''t regret her decision to save the other teen, but she was worried she''d fail and Lea would become a mindless killer.


    ''I have to learn everything I can to save her.'' It felt odd to want to save the girl so badly, they barely knew one another. But Kaeo knew for a fact that Lea would have been her close friend in another life.


    If she has been born human and not just in a human body, they would hang out nonstop. They wouldn''t have to worry about someone eating the other. Or Kaeo changing out of her human form to feed on an unlucky stranger. She wanted to befriend the girl genuinely, but that just wasn''t her nature. It was impossible with the current situation they both had been thrust into. She had to gain her trust and betray it for the sake of the humanity of the other.


    In another life, where her kind didn''t corrupt others and steal their bodies, she would confess her plan. She''d tell Lea everything and apologize for making such a rash decision. They would scheme away together in her imagination ways to outwit the process of possession. There would be some loophole Kaeo could access and use to become a hero, a good person.


    "She''ll forgive me." Her chest tightened at the future. They wouldn''t be friends or even family but master and pet. "I need to do this for her."


    People''s lives were on the line. A family mauled to death in suburbia wouldn''t be easy to hide. Police and media would get involved, especially if Lea disappeared afterward. When she came to her senses, she''d have to live with the fact she ate her mother. That she had torn her little brothers into shreds like a savage monstrosity. And Kaeo would be forced to acknowledge the fact she did nothing to stop it out of cowardice.


    The only person who had treated her with genuine care in months would hate her. She was a selfish being made to harm others, but she cried at the thought of actually doing it. It was murder. Even if she didn''t eat the human family herself, she would be an accomplice. The child envisioned the taunts Momo would give about her only friend abandoning her. How weak she''d be by sitting there and taking it like she always did. Even if she felt her heart crumble it ash from the gravity of it all.


    Speaking of Momo, her older cousin had been acting weird. Whatever punishment she received from auntie had made the older woman unhinged. Kaeo didn''t doubt she would try to kill her if she found out. They barely talked and when they did Momo was trying to intimidate ate her. And every time she tried it worked because Kaeo couldn''t handle the pressure. She didn''t want to fight Momo because she would lose. The woman was raised differently with better tactics and instincts miles ahead of her own.


    If they almost fought, she made sure to back down. Run far away and pretend she was totally fine with getting threatened daily. The fifteen-year-old was scared enough so nearly getting attacked after an argument was the icing on the came. She hoped that Zachary was telling the truth about their arrangement, she needed safety. Even if it was temporary it was better than nothing.


    ''Momo should be partying so I''ll just leave the house now.'' She had come up with a plan hours ago but she wanted to make sure the coast was clear.


    Her cousin was incredibly nosy and would squeeze the truth out of her if they were face to face. She got on her things and hid the textbook under her bed beneath some school books. It would be too risky to bring it with her and she didn''t want to risk losing it either. The walk wouldn''t be too long, her phone gave easy directions to the location. And she wouldn''t be going into the house exactly. More like hiding behind a bush to watch the family interact with one another.


    She felt insane but she had to try. If she was going to be scheming to save Lea''s life, she had to go all the way. So while she hated the idea of stalking her friend she needed something. If her condition had deteriorated more than she theorized that meant they had less time. And having less time meant she''d have to act fast with getting the imprint to happen.


    The worst-case scenario would be the transformation has already occurred. Kaeo was terrified of the possibility she''d witness a crime scene unfold. Her body wasn''t strong enough to fight and subdue a newborn. They''d end up using more harm if she got into the middle of it. And if anyone else got involved Lea would just attack and devour them before they blinked an eye. Leaving Kaeo to watch as her chance slipped right through her fingers to her horror.


    The door to her room closed silently as she walked down the hallway to the entrance of the house. It was freezing with how late it was, besides the candles lighting her way it was pitch black. She was incredibly thankful for the rare time her nonhuman existence. It was a tad bit easier to see where she was going as she walked at a quick pace. Her vision was somewhat better than a human and if she had eaten that day it would be even better.


    For now, it would do. No maids or guards were near as everyone was resting for the night. This was out of the ordinary as everyone tended to be on guard twenty-four seven. But for this week auntie allowed them to have a break and spend some quality time with her. Zachary was included so the man couldn''t come with her on this journey. She saw it as a blessing in disguise, that way he wouldn''t touch her for what felt like eternity again.


    Slipping out the door was easier than she expected as she ran down the driveway and hit a wall. She came to a stop, knowing that she''d have to climb the gate to avoid causing too much noise pushing it open. It wasn''t too high but the fall would be a nasty one. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Carefully, she pulled herself up onto one of its horizontal poles before climbing upward. Her grip was strong with each move she made, her focus solely on reaching the other side. Fingers wrapped around the cold metal when she dropped onto the ground. She wore running shoes for this exact moment, her hoodie zipped up tight to avoid getting caught.


    With a small slap from her feet hitting the ground, she landed without injury. The visit would have to be brief so she could climb back without any close calls. Kaeo swallowed her nerves and looked down at her phone. The directions said that the house was a few miles away and didn''t have any security in the neighborhood that would bother to question her. She knew that this was risky and stupid but she needed to see Lea for herself.


    It wasn''t too hard to find where exactly the older teen lived. On Lea''s social media account she had her location turned on. It was an easy mistake to make, especially on such an active account. So after some looking, she decided to just look up where the street on the account was. A cozy place with the whole backyard and picket fence setup you''d see in movies. Knowing that within a few weeks Lea would never see it again made the house look somber. Still, she tried to become confident with her choice.


    ''Her parents would hate me.'' Kaeo had also taken the time to look at any photos Lea posted. A good portion of them included her family.


    They looked like they loved each other. Would they look for Lea for years? What if they looked until they died of old age? What if they even looked beyond that? Kaeo hoped they didn''t, she knew she would have to come up with something to explain their daughter''s absence. She couldn''t just stage a scene that made it look like Lea ran away, her life seemed too nice for that to happen.


    A small part of her thought of asking Zachary to influence them. Have their minds simply gloss over Lea being missing until the two got away from the town. But then others would notice and she had no other ideas to come up with. And when Lea found out she had asked him to do that to her family, she would hate her for eternity.


    So, for now, she''d go back to the drawing board on that part of the plan. The house came into her view along with the rest of the neighborhood. The fifteen-year-old took a breath, readying herself for the feet she was about to attempt. She didn''t use her natural-born abilities too much due to being raised near humans for so long. But when she did it used too much energy and she would have to eat within the next hour to avoid collapsing.


    ''This isn''t about me.'' She silenced her fears and closed her eyes, honing in her senses. If she wanted to make it to the house in the next couple of minutes she''d have to be fast. Fast wasn''t an issue, but the landing was. Their house was near a cluster of trees she could land on and then use to slip into Lea''s bedroom no problem. But, if she landed too far she''d crash through the window and injure herself.


    This could easily be solved by breaking out of her human form but she liked having clothes to wear. So, she would just have to risk it and launch herself at the home full throttle.


    ***


    The manor was silent as Momo entered its west wing and went into the dining room. The nineteen-year-old had been out for what felt days, gathering information and a late-night snack. There wasn''t that big of a community of nonhumans in the small town, but the group she did find was feral. She fit in somewhat but she kept them at bay disliking their habits. Times like these made her sneer at the sight of humans but she held her tongue for her sake.


    At the manor, she had stripped down from her more formal wear to something casual. She had a glass of wine mixed with human blood in her hand, sipping a bit as she walked around. They had eaten without her though it wasn''t like she''d join in the first place. The whole perfect family charade was irritating her, especially with the staff acting as if she was their blood. The woman wasn''t interested in their relationship with her aunt but she didn''t like it shoved down her throat either.


    "This fucking family." She scoffed at the word. It was hard to see them as anything like that, even if they were all blood-related.


    Her personality clashed with the others. She didn''t like to follow directions, to obey her elders, and showing affection was annoying. Her childhood was a necessary one and she was thankful for how she was raised. Still, it was rather old-fashioned causing conflict with her relatives.


    Kneeling to humans and their traditions sickened her. They were made to devour them, it was their nature to cull the weak and challenge the strong. Having to assimilate felt wrong. It made her skin crawl when she had to attend their schools, eat their tasteless food and listen to their annoying voices. To be forced to act like they were on her level was disgusting.


    ''They''re nothing but scum under my shoe,'' The wine tasted bitter with the addition of blood. It filled her mouth with one final gulp before she set the glass down. ''I could crush them.''


    Unstable. That''s what her cousins saw her as whenever they met eye to eye. Kaeo hid from her whenever she was near which was amusing. Their other cousin never bothered to come to visit. And when he did the teenager tried to lay his hands on her one way or another. She loved to fight, to get her knuckles bruised and bloody so she welcomed it. And knowing that Kaeo finally realized her standing next to the woman, gave her a rush of adrenaline.


    When they were younger, she would pin the girl to a wall. She would look at her frightened eyes and whisper about sweet nothings in her ear. At the time she didn''t have the resources, but she acted as if she did. Each word promised actions so unspeakable once her aunt and uncle heard they gave her a label. A bitch, a devil child, an unstable little brat. Momo had heard it all and over the years she got used to it.


    This world was killed or be killed. She had too much pride to allow herself to show mercy. Squeezing her younger cousin''s throats at age nine was the start. Infants and a toddler can''t fight back against her animalistic rage. Her parents began to struggle with her anger. It was hard to contain her needs and she was pissed off she even had to. Every year it became worse to live with, to contain.


    Eating someone wasn''t as easy as it sounded. It was an intimate act that she became engrossed in. You had to properly prep your meal and savor it. She learned this through a slow climb of trial and error. At age five she realized she could snap a neck by being too rough with her cat. At age ten she pushed a classmate too hard and dislocated her shoulder. At fifteen she was kicked out for the first time after taking a bite out of her father''s leg.


    A smile came onto her face as she began to make herself dinner. A gallbladder tasted weird to her at first but she grew to enjoy the treat. It was even sweeter to eat when you took it out yourself. Licking the blood off of a person''s face before sinking your forked tongue into their eye was exhilarating. You had to position your body perfectly above theirs to suck it out perfectly.


    Her smile stayed on her face smelling the meat. It was fresh, free of disease hopefully, and served on a platter just for her. She''d have to thank the maids later for leaving it out for her. She hated having to walk to the kitchen for a simple meal. A meal was to be worshipped momentarily when you feasted on it. You should explore every sensation, every feeling, every texture it brings to you.


    She grabbed a knife, a small kitchen knife perfect for carving meat. Each sliver of flesh would melt like butter when it touched the metal. It would feel amazing to slowly, effortlessly cut into the platter set before her. The handle of the knife sat in against her palm comfortably as she smiled. A rush went through her as she envisioned the plump meat going down her throat. She was excited, near shaking as she walked closer to the feast.


    "We need to talk."


    Growling, she stabbed the knife into her meal ignoring the muffled cry it made. Turning around, she was met with a familiar face. The man stood near the room''s entrance, towering over her from afar. His gaze was dark and hard to read but she knew deep down what he wanted. They were both predators prowling in the wild, licking at their wounds before awaiting their next battle.


    Zachary was someone she didn''t particularly like or enjoy being near. She found him to be predatory in various ways and incredibly manipulative. He acted as if he hated her guts which maybe he did. However, there was more to his standoffish behavior towards her and she was interested in finding it out. She licked some blood off of her hand, rolling her eyes at his coldness.


    "Momo."


    "Yes?" She raised an eyebrow at him, tracking his movements from where she stood.


    Zachary looked down at her meal, disdain clear at the mess she made stabbing it. "Your behavior has escalated recently. Your aunt has found it to be a concern."


    "There''s nothing to be concerned about, Uncle," Inwardly she smirked at the discomfort he shows from the label. "I''m just having a little fun while doing what you asked of me."


    "That fun has caused trouble for the family, Momo. You aren''t a child anymore, your actions have consequences so you need to think them through." He looked her dead in the eye.


    "I''ll think about my behavior some more if it bothers you that much." Momo groaned, waving dismissively at the older man. It pissed her off that he would try to tell her what to do.


    "You need to fix it now."


    Her gaze became hot as she heard his threatening tone. He came closer but she stopped him with what she said next. "And how are you going to make me fix it?"


    Hearing the way he tried to force her to obey him was sickening. She resisted the urge to spit on his hardened face and wrapped her hand around the knife''s hilt. If she was angry enough, she could yank the knife out of her meal''s skull and slash at him. Everything told her to do so but she wavered knowing how the others would react. From an outside point of view, her reaction appeared overwhelmingly out of place.


    But she knew Zachary and she could tell what he wanted to do. If needed, she would swing at him and face the consequences. But for now, the older man backed down, his demeanor softening momentarily at her reaction. He stepped away from her, watching the woman begin to tighten her grip on the knife. Her teeth were bared in a snarl, daring him to come forward once again.


    "Momo¨C"


    "Oh, fuck off Zachary." She hissed not wanting to deal with the man any longer.


    He looked away, sighing at the way she acted. "I won''t be asking you to behave again, Momo. Take this as a warning."


    Before she was able to bite back, he left with a swift turn of heel out of the dining room. The interaction left her exhausted and irritated, her stomach growling loudly. She didn''t have the energy to sit and eat after being threatened so openly. Growling again she stamped her feet, struggling not to run after the man. She needed to wipe the look off of his face one way or another.


    "That bastard," Momo punched the table, causing the glasses on it to topple over and break. "Fuck."

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine


    Lea was alone.


    The woman never returned after their encounter in her dreams. She didn''t dream about her anymore, she never saw her spirit outside or even think about her that much. It was as if someone had taken her by the throat and ripped everything out of her. Her chest felt like it was a shell, she wasn''t sure her heart remained. The world moved without her, leaving her to fall to her knees and weep.


    She didn''t respond to her parents the following morning. She barely got out of bed and when she did, it was only to use the bathroom. Any food she was offered she left to rot on her dresser. Soon it led to a mess of stale meals being left to stink up her bedroom and be thrown away by her mother. Her mother tried to communicate with her but the seventeen-year-old felt hopeless. She didn''t have any answers to her mother''s concerns because nothing would make them better.


    Lea knew she was going to die, she could see it. Her arms were now stick-thin despite her illness only starting a few weeks before. Her lips were dry and cracked to the point the skin peeled off of them on its own. If you were to pick her up she''d weigh nothing. She was losing too much weight for her body to keep up with. It was impossible to comprehend and her family was distraught at her appearance.


    Early that morning, she overheard her mother in an argument with her sisters. They urged her to call an ambulance, to go back to the clinic, and demand help. It got to the level of nearly getting physical when her mother told them what happened hours before. She sounded dead inside almost when she protested that there was nothing they could do. Her mother expressed the fear she felt and that she didn''t want to disturb Lea from resting.


    Lea curled up after that and went back into a state of silence. It was getting harder to think in full sentences without losing focus. She gave up eventually when trying to gain control gave her a headache. She was going mad, unable to even escape into her imagination for comfort. The entire situation terrified her and she wanted it to end. If she was going to die, she wanted to die quickly. She wanted someone or something to end her pain if even for a moment.


    She felt like she had been trapped. Her body was a custom-made prison designed for her torture. Her once soft skin was now rough like sandpaper and ghostly pale. The honey undertone she had only the day before was gone. Now, you could see her veins bulging from underneath. Lea sniffled as she shed another tear at the sight of herself. She didn''t want to leave her room. If she did then everyone would see what she had become.


    The dark-haired girl only saw herself as a monster. You could poke and prod at her hours and be unable to find every messed-up part of her. She didn''t dare to take off her pajamas, she knew if she did there would be nothing. Her thighs had shrunken down into being nonexistent. Every bit of fat on her bones had vanished overnight and she wanted to throw up. Lea had turned into a walking corpse figuratively and physically.


    Her phone had gone off multiple times but she ignored it. None of her friends had heard from her in days and she left all their group chats. It pained the teenager to see them chatting about lacrosse scholarships, band practice, and the vacations they were on. She was forced to see their posts where they skinny-dipped and snuck alcohol under their parent''s noses. They lived carefreely, she didn''t have the strength to tell them.


    So, she shut them out. Unfollowed all of her friends and classmates that she knew. Left every group chat, closed open direct messages, and logged out of her account. Turned off the notifications on her phone, and put them on her messy desk. If anyone had tried to contact her after all of that she didn''t know as her eyes were closed. She felt like she''d been hit by a truck, her body so tired that thinking was near impossible. She was completely and utterly defeated.


    Her house was silent when she managed to wake up. The sun had already set with her bedroom pitch black save for a lamp light she left on. A blanket had been pulled up to cover her body, most likely from her mother. Her mattress felt damp from how much she had sweat in her sleep, her arms sticky and hot. Yawning weakly, she heard her body crack and groan from moving. Being inactive for the entire day had left her sore, stiff and uncomfortable.


    Lea didn¡¯t hear anyone¡¯s television on or even her sister¡¯s talking on the phone. She realized that she had slept the entirety of the day, now being awake in the middle of the night. She sighed, a hollow feeling sinking in deep within her body from the action. It sunk deeper and deeper into her bones before settling into a dissatisfying emotion. Hopelessness, misery, discomfort. All of it she was feeling at the same time, overwhelming her senses.


    Raising a hand hesitantly, she felt her forehead and grimaced. Her skin was hot at the touch meaning not only had she become a skeleton, but she had gotten a fever. The entire world was throwing itself to fight against her and she was suffering. Lea sat up careful not to hurt herself any further and looked around her bedroom.


    The once neat and meticulously clean room had turned into a nest. Her sweat-ridden clothing sat by her bed in a pile. Shoes, bags, and purses were strewn across her entire floor most likely from throwing things out of her closet in her previous tantrum. The tantrum itself was one of the memories she was having trouble remembering clearly.


    Knowing that her mind had large gaps in it terrified her. She suspected that the woman possessing her body had something to do with it. Just thinking about the fact she was possessed made her disgusted. Her mind was in a fog from the confrontation before, her focus on the fact the woman denied being a demon. She could only think of a demon taking her consent so quickly to torment her. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®I¡¯ll wither away and she¡¯ll get off scot-free.¡¯ Lea knew it would be impossible to prove she was taken advantage of by a demon and it made her conflicted. She wanted to demand answers but her fear of the woman worsening her condition made her waver. And with the woman being missing, it wasn''t possible.


    The woman was no longer present in any of her dreams. Her presence was gone but she still felt like someone was watching her. In the darkness of her room, there was nothing but the teenager struggling to breathe. Her chest was heavy as she imagined someone watching her from the shadows, slipping in and out of her reach every few seconds. That their arms, invisible to the human eye, were on top of her chest pushing down until she suffocated.


    Every intrusive thought you could imagine infiltrated her mind. In an uncomfortable silence, she sat on her bed with her eyes slowly coming to a close. She figured that the only way to escape the things that bumped into the night she should rest for a bit. Going back to bed would save her another few hours of pain from her body tearing itself apart.


    ***


    Kaeo landed on a tree branch nearly crashing to the ground from how thin the wood was. She balanced with her hands planted firmly on the tree trunk next to her. The tree was large but all of the branches were skinny and thin. Seeing this, she swallowed her anxieties and jumped towards the open window. She slipped up a bit, nearly missing the windowsill and falling to the ground.


    Thankfully she was strong enough to grab it and sink her nails into it. Her fingers wrapped around the small section of wood and clenched at it as she pulled herself up. It hurt to do so as her fingers burned and ached from the stress. The skin on her fingers turned red from the strain she put on them, using all of her weight to fall into the bedroom. She fell onto the floor with a small grunt, careful not to make too much noise.


    Hair falling in front of her face, she moved it back to see where exactly she was. The bedroom was messy and cluttered but it wasn''t hard to find who she was looking for. On a bed in the corner of the room, curled up in a ball with her face scrunched up in pain, was Lea. Kaeo ran over to her, briefly touching her shoulder before pulling back.


    The older teenager was thinner than she thought was possible for the human body. Bones poked out from under her skin, bulging just like her veins. She was scared to know exactly how this happened, her eyes widening in horror. The fifteen-year-old wanted to hold Lea close and stop this cruel transformation from happening. She wanted to turn the clock back and stop her from encountering her cousin. She felt her guilt resurface and she trembled above the frail from beneath her.


    Kaeo was frozen in shock at what Lea had become. This wasn''t the seventeen-year-old who had laughed with her about their favorite comic book series. Or the girl her cousin had ranted and raved about. This was a skeleton, a shadow of what she used to be and she couldn''t stop it. It felt like it was all her fault and she hated herself for it. Right there in the room with the girl who would soon be trapped with her, she wanted to run away.


    ''It''s too late to back out now,'' Kaeo got onto her knees to hug the sickly girl close. ''I don''t think you''ll ever let me do this to you knowing what I''ve done.'' She hugged her with a gentle grip, struggling not to tear up.


    She was scared to hug the older teenager too tight. Her chest felt like a bag of bones, her body so slim that she was terrified she''d vanish into nothing. Lea was colder than she had expected to the point she felt like she was frozen. Newborns lost control of their body''s and the heat was included, but to witness it in person was unnerving. It made her feel guiltier by the minute knowing that she could have warned the girl in some way. Even if she didn''t believe her in the end, she could have tried.


    ''I''m so sorry.'' Kaeo carefully laid the teen back down with a conflicted look on her face. She had gotten what she needed and soon someone would be looking for her.


    Abruptly, she stopped and listened to the silence in the room. It was an unnatural silence that added to her discomfort. She looked around the room to see if she had missed anything out of the ordinary. Or worse, if someone had woken up during her time in the house and was nearby. But the longer she waited the more it became apparent that no one else was there besides the two of them.


    Still, Kaeo felt like something was going on. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she gave one glance back at Lea. The seventeen-year-old was still asleep, breathing weakly against her small mattress and comforter. Her eyes narrowed, staring at the closed bedroom door. Against her better judgment, she left the bedroom and headed into the house''s main hallway. Almost immediately she was hit with a strong smell of blood.


    Her stomach dropped once she realized what she had come across. A numbness spread across her body as the smell became stronger the further she walked. Her shoes had become wet, the floor was sticky with familiar red stains and wet patches. Kaeo looked down to see that the splotches were distinctly footstep-shaped. This only served to confirm her fears, her gaze shifting to the bloody walls. They had become stained so badly that she couldn''t see their original color.


    The fifteen-year-old wondered if she should go any further with her exploration or leave. But she dreaded the idea of leaving Lea in what was most likely the location of her family''s death. She wouldn''t be able to live with herself knowing that she had left without checking if anyone was still alive either. So, she continued with the hallway becoming nastier with more blood on the ground and splattered all over the house''s walls.


    She wasn''t sure what would wait for her when she''d arrive at a corpse. She was fearful that there would be nothing but gore in the place of a body. Or that the family would still be alive but traumatized from whatever Lea had done to them. They would probably accuse her of knowing something and demand she tells them what happened to their daughter. And Kaeo just wasn''t able to handle that type of pressure, knowing what she did know.


    Her eyes began to water from all of the smells hitting her. It was like someone had spilled their guts all over the place. The ground was damp with blood and what she hoped wasn''t flesh. All she could think about was Lea. How she would react once she woke up and was left in the middle of such a disaster. It made her feel worthless, knowing she didn''t do anything to stop it.


    Her nose was overpowered with the smell of something putrid, so vile it made her nauseous. Her hand covered her mouth as she stared at what she thought was a hand. It was on the ground with blood all over it and a mess of gore. Kaeo trembled unable to go any further. She had seen enough and she needed to go back. The family was probably torn into pieces and Lea would never be able to forgive herself for it.


    Thinking of the girl was enough for her legs to work as she turned back and ran. Ran back from the massacre she wasn''t strong enough to face. She ran and entered Lea''s bedroom, seeing that the teenager was still fast asleep. It scared the fifteen-year-old to know that without control Lea had most likely eaten and tortured her family. But she knew she needed to get the both of them out of there or else the situation would worsen itself.


    Gathering up her remaining willpower, she gazed down at the sleeping teenager and decided what she needed to do. She had no other choice, but to take the girl with her.

 Chapter Ten

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Ten</h4>


    Standing in the seventeen-year-old¡¯s bedroom, Kaeo acted more on instinct than on common sense. She knew that someone would notice the smell sooner or later and that they would check out wherever it was coming from. They¡¯d have to get out of the house before that managed to happen, or else she¡¯d be in the back of a police car being questioned. No one would by any story she¡¯d come up with and the truth would make her sound insane.


    ¡®Whose hand was that? God, I don¡¯t even want to know.¡¯ The fifteen-year-old shuddered, fearing that she¡¯d find the answer herself if she stuck around. ¡®This shouldn¡¯t have happened.¡¯


    Every piece of information given to her on newborns showed her that this was a strange occurrence. While it was common for newborns to attack and feed on any human near, that was when their transformation was complete. Lea was still human and she had been able to kill her entire family with her limited strength and collapsing physical form. The girl had become a living corpse, her body was extremely frail and yet she tore a handoff.


    Once she got Lea safely to the manor, she¡¯d have to tell Zachary what she found. She didn''t doubt he¡¯d scold her for sneaking out but he needed to know what happened. This was a huge development and she was scared that Lea would awaken bloodthirsty and violent. She might attack Kaeo in an attempt to feed and then the child would be forced to subdue her friend. She didn¡¯t want it to ever come to that.


    Grabbing some of Lea''s things, she threw them into a nearby bag. She knew it would be too risky to try and come back later for them so she grabbed what she thought would be needed. Jackets, shirts, shoes, etc were thrown into the bag. She looked around and saw that the older teenager had her phone out. Fearful, she threw it into the bag with everything else in her reach. They could worry about what exactly she was grabbing when they were safe, she was running out of time.


    ''Hopefully, I''ll be allowed to go get some new things for her to wear.'' Kaeo doubted that she''d get away from this incident punishment-free.


    It would be hard to explain why she snuck out without revealing her plan to the others. She hoped that they would overlook what she did and focus on the important part. A newborn killing their entire family so quickly was lingering in her mind. What if Lea was uncontrollable? What if she attacked Momo or Zachary? Kaeo was too afraid to even imagine those scenarios happening.


    If Lea ended up attacking one of her family members, they would harm her. They would hold Kaeo back and take out their rage on the newborn. Even if she was Kaeo''s, she feared that they wouldn''t respect the fact and hurt the girl in any way possible. Just acknowledging the fact that Lea was her "property* disgusted the fifteen-year-old.


    Owning someone was something that sickened her. Just the idea of being able to hold somebody''s life over their head was gross and immoral. It was a form of modern-day slavery in her eyes but it wasn''t like the child had any other choices. She had debated this with herself enough already and there was no way she could back out now. Wordlessly, she promised to never treat Lea as a lesser person. That she''d make it clear that she tried everything in her power to save her.


    She stuffed as many pieces of clothing she could into the bag, zipping it closed. Carrying both Lea and the bag would be a struggle, but they needed to leave. Kaeo would just have to use the front door. Jumping out of the window was too dangerous with the extra weight and her lack of energy. The lack of food she had eaten was starting to affect her, she moved slower than before.


    Kaeo carefully picked the seventeen-year-old up, holding her tight but not too tight to cause her to awaken. It was freakish with how light she had become despite the teenager being taller than her. It wasn''t like she was holding a nearly grown woman, but a younger child. Taking note of this, she made sure to be as gentle as possible with the girl in her arms.


    If Lea had been normal, she may have died from such a rapid waste loss. The child believed that the possession was what kept her heart beating and her lungs full. Whatever member of her kind that took over her body was refusing to let her go. She was unsure if she should be thankful for what that meant or horrified that Lea was most likely in even more pain than previously known.


    The bag weighed more sitting against her knees as she walked. Lea shivered in her arms and Kaeo considered taking off her jacket to cover her up. But she was scared that in doing so, she would wake the sickly girl up and frighten her. It bothered her to do so, but she left her uncovered, feeling her trembling every few seconds as she left the home.


    It was hard not to stare at the mess the home has become. Lea''s family hadn''t gone down without a fight, there were clear signs of a struggle all around them. Chairs toppled over or thrown aside, there were tracks of blood near the front door itself and a bloody handprint on the doorknob. She wished none of it had happened, but newborns were careless heartless creatures. They never were given a chance in this type of life. But, she would give Lea a chance no matter what, even if it was only a chance in the life of immortality.


    Immortality was something Kaeo didn¡¯t like to think about. Nonhumans like herself would live multiple centuries, moving around in the shadows to avoid suspicion. They could go to school with humans, but eventually, they would have to disappear and move on to the next town. Subjecting Lea to a life like that shouldn¡¯t have been her choice, but it was.


    Her heart was in pain, seeing the way Lea curled up into her chest in her dying human body. If she had been like her cousins or even her parents, she didn¡¯t think she''d make the right choice. Leaving the seventeen-year-old to be consumed from whatever was possessing her, would be heartless. Allowing Momo or someone else to kill her, may have been misery.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    But Kaeo was selfish. The words spoken to her by Zachary repeated in her head, sinking deep into her mind and influencing her actions. ¡®She has that bit of humanity you can take for yourself. Become her saviour.¡¯ It was strange to think of it like that, but with Lea in her arms safe and sound, his words started to make a lot more sense.


    ***


    ¡°You aren¡¯t in trouble, Mistress.¡±


    When the fifteen-year-old heard the man¡¯s voice, she looked up, her face covered in a faint blush. She had been staring intensely into the room they both stood in front of, her hands clenching at the ends of her sleeves anxiously. It was easy to tell that she had been crying previously with her eyes slightly bloodshot and her nose runny. Weakly, she wiped at it and struggled to meet his gaze.


    ¡°You may imprint on her once she awakens,¡± Zachary walked over to her with his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. He was dressed properly, having been busy with business before coming to check on the small teenager. ¡°Are you alright, Mistress?¡±


    ¡°I feel like a monster, Zachary. She¡¯s hooked up to all those tubes, she looks like she¡¯s already dead.¡± Kaeo watched as a few of the maids helped prepare the bedroom for the newborn when she woke up from her hibernation. It was scary to watch from the sidelines while they tried to make the unconscious teenager comfortable, her body so frail that her bones were breaking.


    She wanted Lea to be left alone, but her state was so rare that they wouldn¡¯t allow it. Every maid with some sort of medical knowledge was on staff. They took notes for future reference and made sure to watch over from afar in case of an emergency. It was hard to watch, Kaeo wanted to help but she was struggling to build up the courage to even ask.


    What would she even do? Standing around, waiting for Lea to wake up served no purpose besides worsening her mental health. But Kaeo didn¡¯t know what else to do. It made her feel lost, she felt like a murderer. She hadn¡¯t done anything to the seventeen-year-old but she had lied to her. Even if it was by omission, she had lied to her.


    And now, an entire family was dead because of her lies. It didn¡¯t take long for a neighbor to notice the front door ajar and when they investigated the disturbance, the whole neighborhood heard their screams. She was forced to watch the broadcast detailing what was thought to be a brutal story of a teen going feral on their loved ones.


    People were looking for Lea everywhere. They had sent dogs out into the nearby woods and farmland, hoping that it was just an animal attack. That the teen would be found alive and not be the one responsible for such a tragedy. She had to turn off the television, seeing the tear-filled eyes of Lea¡¯s relatives who were contacted was too much for her to handle.


    In one night, their worlds had been destroyed. College roommates, cousins, ex-boyfriends, everyone offered their condolences for the family. Kaeo hated herself hearing the twin''s daycare release a statement about how this had affected every toddler and teacher that worked with them. A small part of her had hoped that somehow Lea would recognize her baby brothers, that she¡¯d allow them to live.


    To her horror, it appeared she got to them first. The twins were found in their beds, they were fast asleep when their older sister had started to eat them. The police deduced that the parents heard the twins screaming and they ran to try to get help. Only, this made them an even bigger target for their executioner.


    "You aren''t responsible for her actions Kaeo. You did what you could and because of that, you were able to save her life." Zachary touched her arm, holding it tightly to comfort the panicking child.


    "She wasn''t in control of her actions either. Lea would never hurt her family." She whispered, feeling exhausted and torn from what had happened throughout that month. Everything in her screamed to run away from this, to walk away from what she had done.


    "You are only a child," He touched her chin and lifted it so they were forced to look at one another. "You have to think of the future from now on. Lea and the clan are going to become your everything for the next few years."


    "My everything? But my parents are coming back¨C" No, he had to be lying. She felt her human form fracture bit by bit as she became more stressed. The possibility of not returning to Thailand with Lea, to be here forever destroyed her. Her parents had promised this stay would only be temporary.


    A lesson to teach her to work harder for what she had. They had to take her back, it wouldn''t be safe for them to stay with the rest of the clan. They were violent and power-hungry while Lea was too weak to even fight back. They could take Lea from her and they would never see each other again.


    And then who would protect her? No one would bother. They wouldn¡¯t see the newborn for who she was beneath the killer instincts and feral behavior. They¡¯d treat her like an animal, sick her on any human they wanted to feast upon in their disgusting form of training. Nobody would tell her about her parent''s deaths or worse they¡¯d warp what happened into lies.


    Going back to Thailand wasn¡¯t their only option, but it was the best. Her parents raised her as a human with their values and morals instilled into her upbringing. Their home was in a wealthy area that was safer than any place with the clan. Her mother would treat Lea like a daughter and so would her kind-hearted stepmother.


    The two women would accept the teenager with open arms. Any harm directed towards them would be thwarted and dealt with swiftly. After a while, the seventeen-year-old could pick up some basic phrases from their language and go to school. She would be allowed to heal for as long as she wanted to and Kaeo would be relieved.


    "They said that you should stay for another seven months and then they''ll take you back." He grabbed her shoulders, the teenager paling. She felt nauseated from the revelation that her parents weren¡¯t letting her come yet, despite the danger they were in.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re upset about what''s happened, Mistress. But your parents have requested your safety and weekly reports on what you are doing from me. Along with anything on Lea¡¯s condition.¡±


    Kaeo wiped at her eyes, feeling tears blossom and fall on her cheeks. ¡°Thank you. I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without your help, Zachary.¡± Even though the man had made her increasingly uncomfortable in the past, his sudden protectiveness was appreciated for the matter at hand. He was strong enough to protect Lea whenever she wasn¡¯t near him.


    Watching the maids leave the bedroom that housed the teenager, she felt her chest tighten. She placed her hand on the window¡¯s glass, sniffling. Lea looked like she was dead from afar. There were more tubes in her small, decaying body than the fifteen-year-old could count. She was breathing with the help of some sort of machine, her chest moving up and down weakly.


    No one deserved to live like that, a life of constant pain as you wait to meet your maker. She was a corpse and if she had just warned her, maybe it wouldn¡¯t have happened this way. Now, she could feel the blood all over her hands from the family¡¯s death. Kaeo¡¯s bottom lip trembled and she made herself look away. Her body was heavy as she tried not to cry so openly in front of the older man.


    ¡°Please,¡± Her voice was a whimper of what it had been minutes earlier. ¡°Please take me to my room. I can¡¯t watch her suffer from my mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mistress.¡± Zachary held her close as they left the hallway, closing the blinds to the window giving them an opening to the room they looked in.

 Interlude: The Authors Reflection

    Hello, everyone.


    I want to do this after every part of Solarite is completed. I''m proud of myself for making it this far in only a month. I started writing Solarite randomly, a few weeks before my eighteenth birthday.


    It has morphed into something I enjoy writing. It was meant to be a dark, superhero serial but now it''s changed for the better. I know I don''t have a lot of people following the story, but I''m happy I have some who do. I feel overjoyed with the progress I''ve made currently. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I do feel scared that no one will notice Solarite due to its current state. It isn''t very sexual or litrpg, which are huge genres for web fiction. I have tried in the past when I was 12 to 15 and it didn''t work.


    Hopefully, we keep rising. On Royal Road at least I saw that this story is ranked in the low 8900s. That''s amazing, I teared up a bit from joy and shock. I''m so happy, excited, and worried. I''m worried I might fail with my quality and fall apart.


    I will work harder for this next part. I am still a high school senior, about to commit to a college, and searching for a job. So, I will make sure to bury that to write better.


    Love, Kaia & thank you for the help

 Chapter Eleven

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Eleven</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re such a buzzkill, Momo. I thought you were going to fuck me or something not preach to me like my nana.¡± The red-haired woman snickered at the other woman¡¯s irritated face, taking another drag from her cigarette with a smirk.


    She laid sprawled on her bed, laying upside down to let the smoke burn her lungs. The two were in the redhead¡¯s bedroom with loud music booming from the party going on outside of it. It was as lavish as the bedroom itself, cups of alcohol on the ground by their feet along with some tiny jello shots. An ashtray became smudged with the woman putting it out with one quick flick.


    The bedroom was incredibly messy, due to people constantly going in and out. The house had changed a lot since the last time the other woman had been there. More people lived within its walls, sleeping everywhere from the couch to the living room floor. Still, everyone knew Momo well enough to move out of her way when she arrived.


    ¡°Fuck you, Sonya. I¡¯d rather keel over and die.¡± Momo countered, paying attention to her phone rather than her friend. She glared when the other woman stuck her tongue out at her.


    ¡°Well, you have in the past so excuse me for assuming.¡± Sonya flipped over so she was laying on her stomach, throwing a pillow which the other easily dodged. ¡°Anyway weirdo, care to explain why exactly you decided to crash my house party?¡±


    Momo stared blankly at her for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. Her shoulders and chest had been bombed in body glitter by the other woman earlier. Surprisingly, she hadn¡¯t bothered to wipe it off or show her anger from it, simply walking past her with a growl. The glitter glowed in the dimly lit room, clashing with her neon sweater dress.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just want to see you?¡± Momo asked, moving some of her hair away from the front of her face. She looked exhausted, having gone on a drinking binge the entire car ride over. Afterward, she had decided to forgo any weed offered to her and continued to get drunk.


    Frowning at the tone of her friend¡¯s voice, Sonya leaned forward to try and pull her into her arms. ¡°Yes, you can but you aren''t a very social person. You haven¡¯t bothered to visit me in how many years and suddenly you show up, in my house clearly out of it, threatening my friends.¡± She succeeded in getting the woman up, only for her hands to be batted away. Glumly, the redhead gave up and sighed, sitting back down with more toned-down energy emitting off of her body.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t threatening them,¡± Her eyes were dark with an unreadable expression coming onto her face. She wondered whether or not coming to visit the woman was such a good idea. But she didn¡¯t have anyone else to go to at the moment or that she could open up to. ¡°I¡¯m not in the greatest mood right now. My family¡¯s pissing me off.


    Pissing her off was an understatement. She wanted to pummel the bastard who dared to threaten her so openly, but she decided to just leave. She wasn''t interested in playing a hand in his sick game. Zachary was someone she disliked for multiple reasons but had respected him as a kid. And seeing the weird behavior he had towards Kaeo irritated her.


    He could pretend to her little cousin''s face blatantly with no problem, but she wasn''t like that naive brat. And speaking of her cousin, Momo felt a little surprised hearing from the maids what she had done. It was odd that the fifteen-year-old was meddling with human affairs, but it wasn¡¯t her problem anymore. Downing another shot, she felt her body loosen up despite how angry she still felt.


    "My uncle has decided to fixate on Kaeo and it''s fucking weird. He tried to scare me off from confronting her about going behind my back." Momo left that hellhole as soon as possible, not wanting to deal with whatever Kaeo had done to get such protection from her. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It couldn¡¯t just be the fact that the girl had tried to interfere with Momo¡¯s prey. Zachary would never give a damn for something so meager to the immortal man. But, she didn¡¯t bother to think about it too much especially after he interrupted her meal. Plus she was so drunk that it was getting hard to focus on anything too complicated to try and figure out.


    "Fixated how? Like, he''s training her for her parents all of sudden?" Sonya asked, looking confused by Momo''s disgust at the subject.


    "No. He won''t leave her alone, he''s following her like a puppy and got my aunt to make him her mentor." Momo deadpanned.


    "Why the hell do you think he threatened me? Normally, he''d shrug it off and let me scare her every once and a while. This time he acted overprotective towards her."


    ¡°That¡¯s disturbing. Isn¡¯t Kaeo like, thirteen now?¡± Sonya grimaced her buzz disappearing completely from the conversation.


    ¡°She¡¯s about to turn sixteen and he¡¯s married to my aunt. There''s no way in hell he¡¯s interested in her for that. Or else my aunts would rip his balls off and my uncle would be rolling in his grave.¡± The nonhuman woman said with a monotone tone of voice.


    "Still, you aren''t close to her. I remember how you treated her when we were kids so you really wouldn''t know if that''s what he wanted. We do live for hundreds of years meaning he might have some sick, fucked up idea about aging." She groaned, looking grossed out by her assumptions. "Okay, yeah sorry I think I''m just projecting my childhood trauma because I''m drunk as fuck."


    "I''m not your therapist, Sonya." Momo rolled her eyes and fell back on the piles of pillows she was sitting on. She wanted to fall asleep for a century or two, but her body hated resting.


    "I''m well aware. I know you don''t like your family for obvious reasons, but you shouldn''t just let whatever''s happening to Kaeo happen. It isn''t right." Damnit. Mono recognized that far away look in her eyes and she despised it.


    "That brat isn''t my problem. Her parents made that clear to me years ago," Thinking about her childhood made her feel nothing but repulsive. Her teeth hurt as she felt her human form struggle with her emotional state. "If she gets hurt by Zachary, she''s to blame."


    Sonya didn''t bother to look shocked by her cruel, dismissive words. "And if whatever happens causes her to go nuclear and threaten your life? Your aunt''s life? Your father''s?"


    Momo knew what she meant but she couldn''t bring herself to care. When they went berserk, it wasn''t very pretty. She didn''t see Kaeo being much different than any other member of their kind losing their shit over something. The fifteen-year-old would have a tantrum and stomp her feet, maybe eat a person or two before calming down.


    And she doubted she''d even get that far before getting all insecure like she always did. Anytime the teenager came close to blowing a gasket, her conscience would kick in. Then she would be a blubbering mess that looked anything but a bloodthirsty, unhinged beast. She waved dismissively at the worries the woman voiced, knowing they were ridiculous.


    "Momo, I''m serious."


    "And I don''t care." She shrugged.


    Sonya may be a bleeding heart now, but she wasn''t. In this house, she was a predator prowling in a cage. She didn''t give a damn about anyone who she could recognize as prey. If she had known she''d be getting preached to, she wouldn''t have bothered visiting. The waste coast had plenty of communities of their kind who shared her point of view.


    "Fine. Let''s just cuddle, okay?" It was odd to hear her so raw, so weak. If Momo didn''t know her so well, she''d slash her face into pieces for even trying to play the victim.


    "No." Touching one another was the least of her worries. Her head was aching from how loud the music was along with a hangover.


    "Did you come over to just ignore my concerns and act like a psychopath?" The redhead hissed, holding her face in her hands momentarily with a loud sigh. She moved her hands showing bloodshot eyes with heavy bags under them. "Seriously, I''ll shut up about your family but you need to at least try to act as if you want to see me."


    Momo stared back at her glaringly, wanting the conversation to end already. "I''m not a psychopath." It was infantile to even think of her as something so blatantly rude.


    The nineteen-year-old hated the sympathetic way Sonya looked at her. It made her want to attack, to pounce on her and sink her teeth into her neck. She wasn''t a pity party or a little kid led astray by some big bad man. She was someone who just didn''t give a damn about humans and their stupid morals. Morals that made them weaker than a dog and landed them on her dinner plate. If she was a psychopath for that, then she''d proudly bear the name.


    "Sorry...let''s just sleep." Sonya didn''t get an answer as Momo became silent.


    Soon enough they both went to sleep, with Sonya getting up to turn off the lights once everyone went home. The house was finally quiet as the windows were locked along with the doors. While the two women slept in the room, someone peered up at them from down below with malice.

 Interlude

    Interlude


    Somewhere, a man with his eyes glued to his laptop. A reporter droned about the recent murder and how it affected the community at large. Its gruesomeness caused a neighbor watch to be formed to help the police. The man had a disinterested look on his face seeing the chaos caused. Everyone was at a loss after the murders, wanting answers. Even the reporter looked exhausted from what was happening. He held his chin in his hand, leaning forward once the scene changed.


    On the cracked screen, a news report blared from its dingy speakers with a somber tone. A group of students gathered together on the screen. Some had started to hold on to another in tears, while others stood alone stony-faced. They were surrounded by banners with the dead family''s picture plastered all over them and balloons. In front of them an older man, most likely their teacher, spoke to an eager-looking reporter. The reporter held a microphone up to his mouth waiting for him to speak.


    The man looked like a wreck, with greying hair and wrinkles obvious on his face. He cleared his throat once he noticed how close he was to him and quickly began to speak. Some of the students looked away from him while others cried openly with the cameras on them. Parents walked away with their children, missing posters clenched in their hands. His voice sounded dead, the events that happened to take a heavy effect on his everyday life.


    "I was Lea''s teacher," His face began to become conflicted as he tripped over the teenager''s name. "Our school has been destroyed by the news of her family''s murder, coupled with her disappearance. We are begging anyone who has information to come forward."


    "Please, Lea if you''re out there come back!" A student interjected, their eyes red from crying so much. The students next to them nodded and let out similar cries for their missing classmate. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "We just want to know that she''s safe." The man finished handing the microphone back over to the reporter as the news channel switched over to something else.


    Chuckling, the man in the room closed the laptop and kicked his feet up onto the table. He smiled into the darkness of the room, his gaze directed towards someone similar. Far away, a door stood in front of him with nails and chains bolting it closed. He imagined walking up to it, wrapping his aged fingers around the doorknob, and throwing it open. To meet the ire of the being causing all of the current issues in the world.


    ''Oh, what trouble you have caused.'' The man thought to himself, knowing that who resided in the room was seething knowing he knew what they had been up to.


    With long white hair that covered their face, the being behind the door remained silent. They had no physical body, having lost it years ago before meeting the man. Full of rage, the creature''s cat-like eyes were glazed over. The man got up from his chair and made his way over to the door. He told in front of it, feeling the ground tremble threatening him when the creature felt his movement.


    They bared their teeth despite knowing he was unable to see them at their current state. Hate boiled in their blood hearing the man nearing the room they were trapped in. He looked down at the floor with shock momentarily before stepping back, away from the door, and turned around. This left the creature alone, their teeth broken and bloody as they hissed despising him.


    Becoming warped, their web of a body was visible only to those who dared to enter. The creature¡¯s depicted as a woman with an angelic appearance. Her skin was beautifully pale reminiscent of a princess you¡¯d read about in a storybook. Her hair was a milky white unlike any human¡¯s, the same with her strangely heart-shaped lips. Like a collectible, the man had successfully stored her away, until now.


    He had opened the laptop again, having reminded the video to focus on one specific detail. Smiling as if he had been in a dream, his fingers grazed the frozen image. Laid bare in front of his century-old eyes, the man marveled at what was witnessed. Behind the door, he could hear the woman realizing she had been found out. With her yearbook printed on a flyer and the word ¡°missing¡± written under it, he saw her. He trembled with excitement at the thought of touching, her being with her again. Even in this form, nobody would stand in their way ever again.

 Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Twelve


    Kaeo walked through the halls of the manor with a troubled expression on her face. The house was animated with everyone congratulating her on her so-called success. They looked at her differently, with an aura of respect and pride. It wasn¡¯t a small amount of pride either but pure, extreme admiration. The news of her newborn creating such a fuss for humans made some of the maids giddy. The guards bowed lower when she walked by and her little cousins begged to see Lea, wanting to meet their new family member for everyone else.


    Her head was downcast, her eyes hooded with guilt. She was ashamed to feel a small glimmer of happiness for finally being treated normally. She didn¡¯t hear whispers about how she was a disappointment anymore but instead praises her plan. They figured that this entire time she must have been waiting to do this. When really, Kaeo did what she did out of desperation. She closed her eyes at times and saw the dead bodies of the family.


    was impossible to be okay after what she had seen. She looked down at her arms and saw how bad they had become. Any meals offered to her she refused, ashamed to indulge in human flesh. And now, her body was beginning to feel the effects of starving herself fully. Her human form wasn¡¯t going to last much longer but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to eat. Every time she was shown a body prepared for dinner, she saw Lea¡¯s parents instead. She would see their body torn apart, with their faces frozen in a scream of agony.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do it.¡¯ Terrified, she had pushed the plate away and had excused herself. Tears dropped down onto her nightgown as she gave up trying to stop them. What had happened the previous week was too much for her, she felt like a piece of glass about to shatter into pieces.


    Her arms throbbed at her sides when she hurried to her room. She wanted to curl up in her bed and imagine she was back home with her parents. That she would open her eyes and see her mother cooking her breakfast before she headed to an international school. She¡¯d hear Korean music on, from her stepmother as a byproduct of the Hallyu wave. When she got back they would gather in the living room and rewatch horror movies from the nineties.


    Did they even miss her? She hoped that they did, but she knew that they were still angry. Her parents were in shambles when she walked away from the airport. She could remember her mother¡¯s words perfectly and the way she held herself. The tightness of their final hug as her mother promised softly that her stay would only be temporary.


    And when she got back, they would let her go back to school and continue to pursue her dreams as a human. Not a monster who ate humans to survive, not a predator who had to hide her true nature constantly. As a fifteen-year-old girl who liked sweets, skipping school, and going out to the movies. But now, she was scared that she would never be able to go back to that life.


    Entering her bedroom, she locked the door and fell against it. She stared down at her feet, shaking as she tried to contain and pull herself together. Tomorrow, she could visit Lea and see how her health was improving. Tomorrow, she would be able to go into town with Zachary watching over in case anything happens. No one would be talking about her involvement or romanticizing it to her face. It would just be her, alone, free from the pressure suddenly being put on her.


    The textbook Zachary had given to her was pulled from beneath her bed as she got down on her knees to retrieve it. The book had been her solace for the past few days, telling her what to do now that everything was happening. She was in a horrible situation, her family wasn¡¯t getting how much this was affecting her. They thought she was overjoyed and that her tears were that of joy.


    She had proclaimed out loud that she was worthy to be their blood. But that wasn¡¯t what she wanted and now she was suffering. Kaeo held the book close to her chest as she let out a silent scream. Everything burned, she was being destroyed from deep within her soul. She wanted to run away from this house, this town. Seeing Lea, connected to machinery as the town searched for her furiously was like a slap in the face.


    And the book itself was no help. The answers it did give were basic enough but offered no substance to her current predicament. She was truly on her own until Lea woke up from the comatose state she was in. The isolation and the memories were beginning to drive her mad with guilt. She was a monster and helped commit a cold-blooded massacre.


    ¡°Kaeo are you alright?¡± A knock or two followed, Zachary appearing out of nowhere startling her out of her troublesome thoughts. ¡°You ran into your room while I was calling for you to stop.¡±


    What? Kaeo tried to remember if anyone had called out for her, but she hadn¡¯t heard anything. Had she been sucked so deeply into her thoughts she hadn¡¯t heard him? It sounded plausible and only served to make her anxiety worse. She was fearful that maybe, she had attacked worse than she thought when running off from dinner.


    Throwing the book back under her bed, she tried to compose herself before answering. If he heard a single whimper in her voice or crack she knew he¡¯d demand to come in. The older man was taking his job very seriously now that they had gotten Lea under the authorities'' noses. He tried to watch the fifteen-year-old twenty-four-seven, but she needed to be alone right now.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you. I¡¯m not hungry right now.¡± The child responded, her voice soft as possible to avoid giving her true feelings away.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just worried about you and so is your aunt.¡± Her palms began to sweat at the mention of the woman. ¡°She wants to talk to you about your parents and how this is affecting you, Kaeo. She cares about you even if she can¡¯t show it right now.¡±


    She took a breath, feeling the urge to run straight to the toilet and hurl what little food she ate into the porcelain toilet bowl. She was so tired of everyone saying they cared about her but never bothering to show it openly in front of others. ¡°Can I talk to her later? I have to help garden tomorrow and we have to go early.¡±


    ¡°You should get some rest. I¡¯ll send her your way when you get back.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard for her to hear the disappointment in his voice as he walked away. It rang deep within her mind, filling her with a whirlpool of despair she was scared to try and handle.


    Talking with her aunt face to face was impossible. The woman favored those who were outwardly strong and calculated with their actions. The type of person who would say everything they disliked about you to your face. Who would take down their enemy even if it meant dying a horrible, gruesome death? Kaeo was the opposite of all of those things.


    She felt like a mouse stuck between a cat¡¯s paws when interacting with the woman. Her feelings were never taken into account when her aunt spoke about her. Instead, she¡¯d lay games with how she spun her words and it hurt to be their target. Over the years, it had gotten worse despite Kaeo trying her best to stay out of the woman¡¯s way.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for dad she¡¯d probably eaten me by now.¡¯ The only reason she accepted her was because of her dad, the woman¡¯s baby brother. Thinking about her dad brought back pain she thought was gone. Her father had died after centuries and it tore her aunt apart.


    No one had seen his death coming, the man was virtually immortal. Her mother had lost her husband while her aunt lost a twin. So, she put up with his daughter. She saw him sometimes with her way of speaking and her hobbies, so she sucked up her displeasure with the arrangement and treated Kaeo like she mattered. When in reality, Kaeo had a hard time feeling loved by her.


    So, for her to want to talk about everything that was happening made her feel terrified. She didn¡¯t think the woman would harm her knowing both her mother and stepmother were involved. And with Momo being gone, her older cousin couldn¡¯t influence the woman with her dislike for the fifteen-year-old.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ''Maybe I can wait it out.'' If she came home late, then the woman might be asleep and the conversation could be avoided. But still, it was a risk she doubted would work. Sighing, she fell onto her bed and tried to go to sleep before she upset herself.


    ***


    Momo was uncomfortable with showing her skin in the eyes of humans. The nineteen-year-old brushed her hair, with her curls falling onto her collarbone. She was going to have to show her breasts to catch the eye of the individuals who¡¯d give her decent information. She disliked doing Zachary this one last favor, but if she got what she needed then she could return home.


    They had only called her to live with them for this one thing, finding out what entity from their kind was polluting humanity. By humanity, she supposed they meant the humans who lived near and around them in the hundreds. If too many humans became possessed then who knew what would happen to their family. Once she gave that bastard the crumbs leading to the person doing this, she would leave.


    Her home was on the road. She wanted to be free from everyone¡¯s watchful eyes for once in her life and just let loose. To eat every human she wanted to eat when wanted to eat them and how. She desired to rip off her human skin and finally take on her natural form in public. Momo grabbed a tube of lipstick, banishing her thoughts back into her subconscious mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you,¡± Sonya said from the bathroom as the nonhuman put on a layer-on lipstick, her discomfort evident as they both got ready to leave. ¡°I¡¯ve gone to this club before so if you¡¯re with me they¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    Momo raised an eyebrow at her words, finding that the redhead had a point. ¡°How often do you go clubbing?¡±


    ¡°Every weekend when I¡¯m not working or studying for an exam,¡± Coming into her bedroom, Sonya was met with a rather blank-faced looking teenager staring back at her. ¡°What?¡¯


    She shrugged. ¡°You drink a lot more than you used to.¡±


    Sonya looked confused by what she said, opening her mouth to respond only to close it right after. She was at a loss for words, choosing to walk away from Momo to avoid any further conflict. Watching her walk away made the nineteen-year-old feel something she struggled to identify, her face falling. The entire time she had been staying with her former friend she felt like something was off between the two.


    At first, she thought it was due to the time they spent apart. Neither woman was the greatest deep down, but Momo felt like she was being treated like a criminal. Over the years she had become less patient with humans and grew to despise everything about them. A lion didn''t play with zebras or act like they were one of them. That would be insulting to even suggest for the lion to do. Instead, the lion stabbed the zebras in the back and tore their children to shreds before their dying eyes.


    She wasn''t here to pretend to be a good person for Sonya''s human friends. It was weird to even ask her to do, playing nice wasn''t her thing. Every word they spoke to each other felt like an attack and it was making her increasingly unnerved. Her stomach rumbled as she rubbed at her temples, her hunger growing. When they got to the club she''d have to remind herself to grab a snack.


    Despite hating fashion, Momo looked good with what she had. Their kind already had a natural allure that drew humans to them at times, but her appearance strengthened it. She did however feel that she added a bit too much makeup, but it would do. Her shirt showed her nipples which bothered her but she knew that she needed to come off a certain way.


    The place they were going to was an underground type of establishment. Humans mainly went there to fuck around with the no humans who ran it. She found it disgusting and demeaning to reveal her true form for a couple of dollars to a bunch of crackheads and losers. But, some people were so desperate for money they were willing to risk their lives. And who would believe a crack whore saying she had seen a winged creature stripping on a pole?


    Playing with these fetishes made her feel gross, but she had to get this over with. So looking like a whore and shedding some of her skin for a few scummy humans for information was a necessary sacrifice. She gathered her things and dropped them into her bag before heading into the living room where Sonya waited for her to finish. The woman had her hair done nicely in a long braid with hair clips in it and her makeup looked breathtaking. Her heart-shaped smile blossomed as she saw the younger woman come over to her.


    "Oh, you''re done!" Sonya stood up and looked Momo over nodding her head in approval. "You look great, my massacre makes your eyes pop."


    "Thanks," Momo replied unsure how to take the compliment.


    "Anyway, we gotta get going soon. They''ll probably pat you down to make sure you aren''t hiding any weapons or phones?" Sonya said as they left the house, heading to her car.


    "They have to make sure no one records anyone out of their human form right?" The nineteen-year-old theorized. It made sense to her, they had to be extra careful mixing so closely with humans in an intimate manner. If someone managed to sneak in a phone and snapped a picture, it wouldn''t end well for them.


    "Exactly! We''ll get our phones back when we leave," She unlocked her car seeing Momo''s fallen expression from the news. "Don''t worry, I know a guy who can sneak us our phones when we get to the bar."


    "Clubbing got you some connections." Momo wondered aloud as the two women looked at one another, her companion rolling her eyes with a small huff. The redhead waved her hand dismissively at the comment, finding it ridiculous.


    "I used to work as a bartender for a month and the bouncers took a liking to me," Sonya gasped at the way Momo reacted to the comment, the nineteen-year-old sucking her teeth in distaste. "He didn''t sleep with me, you asshole."


    It wasn''t like she was trying to be a bitch, the older woman had a wild love life in the past. She couldn''t help the fact that she thought she was having sex with everything that walked. Sonya appeared to catch her assumption and it pissed her off quite a bit. Her body language was closed off and aggressive. For now, she would drop the subject to avoid losing her ride and pass into the club.


    This continued for the majority of the car ride. Sonya kept her eyes on the road, looking down once or twice to change the song from her playlist they were listening to. The calmness of the silence was unnatural, Momo knew her comment had hurt the woman deeply. She found it hard to feel bad for what she had said, it was the truth. Everyone knew the redhead was a loose person when it came to sex, partying and the people she hangs out with.


    And it had gotten worse from what Momo had seen at the house party. Random men, Sonya would take the woman to bed, sometimes with multiple others. This forced Momo to leave the room and interact with a bunch of gross humans. It felt a bit disappointing to see someone she had considered an ally in the dislike for humans bowing to them like a dog.


    Thankfully, she was smart enough not to voice any of these feelings. She needed to use Sonya and her remaining skills to get this information. Then, she¡¯d deliver it to Zachary and tell the bastard to kiss her ass on her way to a five-star hotel with her allowance. Thinking of the man¡¯s failed threat made her heated, he had some nerve speaking to her that way.


    She had no problem slamming him against a wall and strangling what little humanity he had out of him. It had been a while since she was able to engage in a difficult fight and the man should offer a decent opponent. Imagining his screams of pain when her teeth made contact with his bloody skin, tearing into it and sinking deep enough for her to rip out a chunk. Her mouth began to water, her body tingling with pleasure as she envisioned smelling his fear.


    By the time she awoke from her pleasurable thoughts, they had arrived at the house that contained the club. It was a normal-looking townhouse in a low-income area that made it appear fancier than it normally would, with the houses near it being rundown or ancient. They got out and were met with a small pathway that was paved by dull red brick and a flimsy metal gate. Sonya pushed the gate open easily, the metal lock falling to the side from how rusty it had become.


    ¡°It¡¯s here?¡± Momo asked as they walked onto the house¡¯s porch which had potted plants and wind chimes hanging above their heads. It didn¡¯t look very club-like and stood out instead of blending in with the rest of the neighborhood.


    ¡°Yup! All we have to do is knock and wait.¡± She replied grabbing the knocker connected to the front door and slammed it against the wood beneath it.


    They waited for a second before someone came to the door. She was surprised by how fast they were, opening the door to meet the two women face-first. Not bothering to check for who they were or ask for their names. It screamed amateur to her, whoever was running this club hadn''t been doing it very long. This left her less than impressed when they were met by the wide gaze of a human man. He was dingy in appearance, reminding the nineteen-year-old of a wet rat.


    "Sonya, I''m surprised you''re back." He sounded high to both women as he looked behind them too obviously. Suddenly, he focused on Momo and looked confused. "Who are you?"


    "She''s my friend from school. Don''t worry she won''t snitch on you guys for running this place." Sonya said, nudging her with her foot.


    Momo stared straight at the man watching as he was intimidated by her. Which was unusual for someone who spent hours a day with her kind. He was terrified of her and wilted under her judging gaze. This meant there was no way he ran the place to the girl. He was probably just the person who greeted guests. The owner had hired a coward to keep monsters out, it was idiotic.


    This made it more fun. The man was trying to figure out what she was if she was human or not. Before they went to the club she would play around with him for a bit. Twist and squeeze his neck for some fun. That way, he''d shrivel beneath her feet and scamper out of her way. Momo licked her lips feeling her hunger grow from the smell of fear.


    She grinned, making sure to show all of her teeth. Her voice was soft and fragile despite this blatant display of bloodlust. "I''m a bit new to partying. That won''t be a problem, right?"


    He flinched when he saw how many rows of teeth she had, her mouth resembling a shark¡¯s if you looked close enough. Momo was unimpressed by his subdued reaction, but it would do for now. She still had plenty of time to feast at the party. Quickly, the man shook his head feverishly ushering the women in. "Not at all, if Sonya trusts you, we trust you."


    ¡°Good.¡± She replied nonchalantly as they walked into the house. It was mundane looking but as they went further in she could see that it was pretty empty. Everything was a mask for the club that was beneath their feet.


    Eventually, they rounded a corner and her nose was hit with an array of smells. There was an old laptop on the ground that lingered with the smell of someone nonhuman. These smells only grew stronger as they came closer to the basement door. Any other doors they passed were nailed shut which piqued her interest but she¡¯d have to ask about them later. Her senses tingled as the basement door came into view. There were non-humans behind it, she could smell all of them at once. It nearly overwhelmed her completely but years of training kept that from happening.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± The man said dully, turning to look at them one last time. ¡°Are you ready ladies?¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Thirteen</h4>


    The manor was quiet as the three left its gates. Kaeo followed the two maids out, her hands gripping the bag of fertilizer tightly. In the back pocket of her shorts sat a phone and what looked like a charger cord. She was nervous, unsure if her plan would work. Earlier that day she had realized keeping Lea¡¯s phone would be a risk, so she decided to bury it with the flowers.


    Volunteering in the garden wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary for the teenager, she loved nature. Her mother went to school for agriculture and she taught the fifteen-year-old everything she knew. Digging in the dirt and planting flowers brought her comfort in times like these. It made her reminisce about her days at home and reminded her of the joy she felt. It pained her to use what her mother lovingly taught her to commit a crime.


    But she couldn¡¯t let Lea be found by anyone. She had nightmares about the police knocking on her door with a search warrant in their hands. She would wake up in a cold sweat, her stomach rumbling from lack of food, and cry for hours. The murders were eroding her mental health in ways she hadn¡¯t really thought about. She imagined their faces, judging her as she got down on her knees and began to dig into the earth.


    No one would know she had been involved. All she had to do was hide in evidence she had. Her clothes had been bloody, along with her shoes so she washed them and hid her shoes under her bed. She was scared to throw them away in case the police found them and the blood had soaked into the insides so washing wouldn¡¯t help at all. Lea¡¯s clothing she planned to bury the next time they gardened, hopefully under a tree or shrub.


    The shovel picked up mountains of dirt as she dug as deep as possible. Kaeo¡¯s mind was tormented by the news reports on the radio and social media. People had started search parties for Lea, fearing she had been sex trafficked or coerced into helping harm her parents. The search parties had combed through a good chunk of the town and even looked near her family¡¯s orchard.


    This was why she had to make sure no one would find the phone. She tried to break it by throwing it against the wall a couple of times and only managed to crack the screen. Before that, she was relieved to find it didn¡¯t have a lock and felt her stomach drop. She wasn¡¯t foolish enough to use the older teen¡¯s apps but she saw the messages.


    Her body had trembled as she saw notifications appear in the hundreds. People were asking for Lea to reply and called her over a thousand times. Others accused whoever had the phone of being a pedophile who targets teenage girls from middle-class families. There were so many accusations, Kaeo felt like they had been directed at her. She wasn¡¯t a predator or a serial killer, but everyone would think she was if they knew she was hiding evidence.


    It took a while for it to fully hit her, but when it finally did the impact was hard. Technically speaking, Kaeo had kidnapped the seventeen-year-old. She did it for the right reasons but she was a criminal now. And this led to her realizing she had to destroy everything she took with the seventeen-year-old for their safety. She dropped the phone into the ground, making sure to turn it off before leaving the house, along with its charger.


    It sunk deep into the ground, buried under the muddy earth. She felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders seeing it slowly disappear. From what she could see, the maids had already started planting flowers into their holes. Not wanting to draw attention to what she was actually doing, she buried a small plant into hers. It was harder because of how deep it was, but she managed it.


    Kaeo reflected on the past few days and everything that would happen now that the evidence was gone. She had buried everything, even her own feelings on the matter. But now she had to focus on protecting Lea and herself from any other consequences they may face. To distract herself, she tried to listen to what the maids had been talking about since they left.


    ¡°We should make poppy seeds for the cake, Aya.¡± One of the two maids said, carefully picking some berries from the garden the family had amassed.


    The garden was huge, spilling into the orchard and forest that surrounded the manor. Most of it was man-made, planted by staff and family members over the years. The rest came before the family moved to the house, leftovers from the wildlife that used to roam on their grounds. They were careful to dispose of any plant life that was dangerous to humans as they built the manor. Along with this, pathways and bridges were crafted to transverse the large area.


    As a child visiting, Kaeo had thought that the garden was the only safe part of her family¡¯s property. Beautiful oak benches were nestled between large bouquets made of peonies and daffodils. Over your head, you¡¯d be able to relax knowing that wildlife was kept out through various precautions. The gates were built with animals in mind instead of human intruders.


    This allowed you to watch them from afar, safe on a bench or standing on a bridge made of durable material that kept you above water. Beneath you, koi would swim around playfully with one another in a breathtaking display of color. As a child, she felt like she had walked into a fairytale. All she needed was a gorgeous gown and a crown crafted out of roses to complete the fantasy.


    ¡°Poppy for a coffee cake?¡± Aya said with a sour look on her face. ¡°I think we should stick to something easy and delicious like a red velvet cake.¡±


    ¡°Red velvet for a party so late in this season?¡± Eliza, the other maid scoffed, offended at such a suggestion. ¡°Poppy fits the flavors of a cup of coffee, not red velvet.¡±


    Kaeo wilted as she realized what they were arguing about. Her family had planned events to flaunt their wealth for years. This came in the form of charity balls, dinners celebrating donations they had made, etc. The fifteen-year-old assumed that because of the predicament they were in, the party would be canceled. She felt sickened realizing that they were still going to have it.


    "Then we might as well make something more traditional," Aya argued, sounding offended by the older maids'' condescending tone. This was when Kaeo decided to interrupt the conversation before the two got physical.


    "I think we can have both cakes at the party. The guests can choose which cake they want then they arrive." Both women seemed to like the idea, even though Kaeo found it to be a rather obvious compromise.


    Now knowing the party was still happening, her anxiety had returned full force. How was she going to face all those people, knowing she had a missing person in her basement? What if someone wandered and found the room Lea was in? Would they have to kill everyone or worse? Her head spun as she struggled to figure out what to do with this new information.


    There was no way her aunt would let her miss the party, either. Their reputation was something she loved and if one of her nieces bailed there would be gossip. Momo was already going to bail and her other cousins present were toddlers. She had to go even if the idea of dancing in a ten thousand dollar dress, laughing with the wealthy as she held someone¡¯s life in her hands revolted her.


    ¡°Mistress, that¡¯s a splendid idea!¡± Aya cried a little too enthusiastically. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Eliza tsked, staring at the young girl quizzically. ¡°Will you help us prepare both cakes the evening before?¡± She still appeared hesitant to try out the idea, but she didn¡¯t risk objecting.


    Kaeo was unsure whether not to lie or answer truthfully. She could cook a decent pan of stir fry but most things she made ended up burnt or on fire. Baking was fairly easier to do, she found it more fun so she put in more effort when doing it. But this was not a step by step type of deal. All the cooks in the house with the help of maids created all their meals from scratch.


    The task sounded daunting but it might be a good excuse to use for avoiding the party. Her auntie would have a stroke if she saw her cooking and cleaning in designer heels. Plus, it could help take her mind off of things. Spending twelve hours cooking and cleaning was better than what had been doing the past week. She smiled having made her decision and answered with the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to help,¡± Kaeo replied, earning herself an approving hum from the old maid. ¡°When should I go to the kitchen to help?¡±


    ¡°Well, the party is next weekend so please be ready by Saturday morning. You can come with me and the cooks to grab some things for the surplus.¡± Eliza said looking the girl up and down before adding. ¡°And wear something that you won¡¯t mind getting dirty.¡±


    ¡°Eliza! You have to watch how you talk to our Mistress. Watch your tongue for once.¡± Aya mumbled urgently once they heard Eliza¡¯s tone. Her hands were nervously playing with the gardening gloves she had briefly taken off.


    Kaeo flushed, the older woman was serious about her work. ¡°It¡¯s alright Aya, I will make sure to dress properly next time.¡±


    She was dressed a bit out of place for gardening. It was nice to finally have someone treat her like a human being instead of a princess or goddess. She could tell beneath the woman¡¯s harsh words, she was grateful. If she had refused to help the woman would just have to take it since the fifteen-year-old had more power over her. Kaeo could tell the maid to jump off of a bridge and she¡¯d have to obey her.


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± The old maid made sure to address her properly after hearing the warning. Soon both women suggested they go inside for brunch and the fifteen-year-old agreed.


    ***


    When they entered the house, Kaeo felt the energy shift. Anxiety brewed in her chest as they rounded a corner and were met with her aunt. The woman wasn¡¯t intimidating her appearance, more so her personality. If you didn¡¯t know her very well you might say she¡¯s a sweet woman. But Kaeo knew her too well to fall for the illusion. Her snake-like eyes met the child¡¯s and a shiver went down her spine. There was nowhere she could go, running was foolish to even consider. The maids were enraptured by her, bowing her heads almost as if they were in a trance.


    Her body was heavy, keeping her from moving any further once she was in the woman¡¯s sight. She hated it, the weird and invasive influence her aunt had over her body. It crawled into her subconscious, nearly nestling in if she hadn¡¯t closed her eyes and looked away. Their kind had a pull that drew humans near them, but it was limited to females. You used it unconsciously most of the time but her auntie was skilled enough to maintain some control over it.


    She used it against Kaeo more than she liked. It felt gross like someone was groping her. The teenager tried to walk past but when she took a step she felt her. Some invisible hand wrapping around her leg, daring her to move a step forward. It licked at her skin, searing her inwardly. Another gripped her arms which were already in bad shape from not eating. This also added to the control over her body, she didn¡¯t have much energy to fight back.


    ¡°I would like to speak to my niece privately, darlings.¡± Her aunt¡¯s voice was reminiscent of honey but it tasted bitter on the teenager¡¯s tongue. The maids fell for it, but she didn¡¯t.


    Kaeo was violated. She wanted to fight back but this was the way things were. Her mother had used the same pull against her the last time they were face to face. It hurt, her entire body was aching to a point she thought she¡¯d break. This was her punishment for scheming and trying to do the right thing. If she had been human she¡¯d be screaming already, but her voice was gone.


    It wasn¡¯t mind control or hypnosis. You were being pumped with smells and sensations no human had ever tasted or enjoyed before. Imagine eating a bowl of some frozen dessert, topped with chocolates you¡¯ve never even heard of. Your mind is overwhelmed with the new tastes and flavors, you can¡¯t even comprehend how it tastes so good. When you finish the dessert, you are left with a desire to eat it again. This desire soon forms into infection for your mind, making the memory of the treat greater than it ever really was.


    The honey of her aunt¡¯s voice stuck to the walls of her mind like glue. Kaeo grit her teeth as she watched the woman sigh, her pull ending within minutes of it starting. Her gaze softened once she saw how hurt Kaeo looked. The fifteen-year-old felt dizzy, a headache coming on from what had happened.


    ¡°I spoke to your mother and she isn¡¯t happy with what you¡¯ve done,¡± Her aunt gestured for her to come closer but she remained where she was. ¡°She was disappointed finding out you repeated your mistakes here.¡±


    ¡°She would¡¯ve killed herself if I didn''t convince you to let me imprint on her. Imprinting will save her, then mom will get over it.¡± Kaeo was shaking as she tried to convince herself she meant what she was saying.


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t want that girl because she reminds you of her?¡± The words made her choke up, her eyes widening in shock. Her mother had told her no one would know, so how could her aunt say such bold words?


    ¡°I understand having a crush I was your age once. But I don¡¯t understand lying to me about why exactly you saved her. I get you to feel for humans and you hate what your cousin did to her. But Momo has threatened other girls before and we¡¯ve met newborns countless times. However, it seems odd that a newborn that looks exactly like that human is the one you save.¡± Kaeo had covered her face with her hands, trembling as she tried to deny what was being said.


    ¡°I know you wanted to protect her family from her hunger. I just wish you had thought it through. You will be stuck with her for life Kaeo. Your mother is hurt knowing that you are following the footsteps of your father. Saving a newborn and binding her to you for eternity isn¡¯t going to make your mother forgive you.¡± The older woman continued as Kaeo stared in shock, silently denying the truth. ¡°You felt hunger when you met that girl. You want to consume her because that¡¯s what our kind do. So you took her and now she can never rejoin humanity.¡±


    ¡°I tried to help.¡± Kaeo looked away out a nearby window, she felt so selfish. ¡°I did feel hungry seeing her and she did remind me of the human girl I had a crush on. But I just wanted to help, I didn¡¯t know her family was dead when I went to her house. I didn¡¯t know mom would be angry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you, I¡¯m just warning you about your future. I feel some pride in what you¡¯ve done. You do remind me of myself when I was your age.¡± A smile blossomed on her aunt¡¯s face as she reminisced about her past. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to take her if I was upset. I have done something similar as a teenager, though the newborn I stole didn¡¯t have an entire country looking for them.¡±


    Her heart pounded in her chest as she processed the conversation. She wanted to cry but that would only feed into her selfishness. Lea did remind her of someone from a long time ago. And that did play a part in why she had nightmares after meeting her. Because she never intended to meet the girl her cousin had nearly fought. They happened to be at the same bookstore trying to buy the same book.


    And then they started talking to one another. Lea was open to her, it was hard not to feel something that wasn¡¯t even there. She heard her hopes, her dreams in that small time they spent together and Kaeo felt it every word. She was so lonely and finally, she had met someone who really understood her in this foreign country.


    Only for her to be a ticking time clock. Learning from Zachary what Lea¡¯s future would truly be broke her. A possible friend was going to die and she had the power to intervene. Someone who could be a piece of humanity to her for the next few months was dying. It hurt to read Zachary¡¯s book and learn the gravity of Lea¡¯s situation. Before, she never really cared to learn about newborns and their transformations.


    Now that she knew how horrific they truly were, she had to stop it. Standing in front of her aunt she began to rationalize what she had done. Lea would be her friend forever and be saved from a life of pain and suffering. But that suffering would be caused by the constant reminder of her family¡¯s fate. A fate she had failed to stop due to being so weak and careless.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, auntie.¡± Kaeo whimpered, her voice weakened by her thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wish you had disposed of the bodies before running to me but you are a child. And since you¡¯re a child, I will be teaching you how to properly care for your pet.¡± Hearing her aunt refer to the other teen that way made her ill. ¡°Your mother accused me of not being able to take care of you. She disrespected me and cursed on my brother¡¯s grave. Because you got a pet with my permission and not her¡¯s.¡±


    She nearly apologized again. Her mother was hurt and lashing out because of her. Kaeo felt like a horrible child hearing all of this. She didn¡¯t think her mother would be angry if she heard about the hand Lea had been dealt. The seventeen-year-old didn¡¯t seem to be the type to willingly give their body up to a creature akin to a demon. But her mother was told about Lea and was still furious.


    ¡°I will be watching over anything you do with that girl, Kaeo. She¡¯s family now so I have to make sure she¡¯s worth being with you. And if you can¡¯t handle her, I will. I have no problem using my skills to punish her severely if you fail to train her. Do you understand me?¡± And just like that, any sympathy her aunt had offered was gone. Nodding, she hoped that the woman wouldn¡¯t hurt Lea too badly for her mistakes.

 Chapter Fourteen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Fourteen</h4>


    The club was futuristic in its design. In every corner, humans and nonhumans drank under neon lights that dazzled onto their bodies. It made them glow, along with the bracelets they wore showing that they paid to be let in. Both women were stopped as they walked in and told to hold their arms out. Soon, the same bracelets were slapped on their wrists and began to glow in the dark.


    ¡°Phones, ladies?¡± The woman who gave them their wristbands asked, holding out her hand.


    Momo sighed and forked over her phone, not wanting to fight over it. She hoped Sonya was telling the truth about them being able to get their phones back. A recording of her target giving her information was more valuable than her word. Plus, she hated the thought of someone looking through her phone without her knowing. Her phone was locked into a nearby safe along with Sonya¡¯s which was quickly locked.


    The safe wasn¡¯t a combination lock or pin so she was unable to figure out how to open it. They were ushered into the bar area soon after, someone else gaining the woman¡¯s attention. Looking down at her wristband, she noted it was custom-made, bearing the language that was on her skin. This irritated her as while humans wouldn¡¯t be capable of seeing it, the idea was still incredibly risky.


    Sonya turned towards her, determination on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll get our phones while you look for the guy.¡± The redhead nodded over to a guard who was eyeing her with lust in his eyes.


    Typical. ¡°Got it,¡± Momo replied watching the older woman walk away and press her body onto the man with annoyance.


    She walked past humans who were drunk and dancing with one another. This caused her to bump into more than a few of them, the poor lighting above them not helping. Her nose was burning from all the scents she was taking in. There were members of her kind centuries-old partying and hooking up with newborns. It was a mess to try and seek out a singular person with everything presented to her all at once.


    Growling under her breath, she rubbed at her nose and looked around. There wasn¡¯t much to do in the club with the space they had. A few stripper poles were mounted allowing people to play around with them drunkenly. Some had decided to throw cash at the patrons trying to pole dance, shouting at the top of their lungs. Besides that, a bar with tables had been set up with two bartenders serving drinks and chatting with those who weren¡¯t already drunk off their ass.


    ¡®I might as well get something to drink while I¡¯m here.¡¯ Momo walked over to the bar, pushing past anyone who got too close for comfort without care. Her outfit caught the eye of a few people, her skin showing to help draw the person she was looking for out.


    From what she managed to strangle out of the last nonhuman she chased after, this guy liked women around her age. He was a drunk who constantly partied and hooked up with girls in their late teens to early twenties. Momo had to tweak herself a bit to fit his direct fetish, a woman with no problem showing some skin and being aggressive. He¡¯d want to be manhandled and would try to trigger a violent reaction from her once they met.


    As far as a physical description, she was given the bare minimum. He was in his late forties with balding hair and a dad body. Was most likely going to tower over her, especially if she had forgone wearing heels. She was disgusted to learn some of his teeth were rotting, so if it came down to it she¡¯d bite his lip if he tried to get a kiss. She made sure to look around the bar as she took one of the last empty seats, the stool feeling like wood beneath her as she sat down.


    Almost instantly she was blown away by how bad it smelled. She could tell some of the nonhumans sitting near her weren¡¯t eating. When her kind forgoes meals, their smell became bitter and left a sour taste in her mouth. It stuck to the back of her tongue as she suppressed a grimace, keeping her act together to avoid suspicion. She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand before a bartender came over to her, smelling healthier than the others.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you here before,¡± The bartender asked, giving the man next to her a drink that looked like a heart attack in the making. ¡°Are you friends with Sonya?¡±


    Momo nodded, making sure to ignore the men looking at her ass. It made her uncomfortable but the urge to punch them balanced that discomfort out. ¡°Yeah, she recommended this place to me. I haven¡¯t gone out since my graduation.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a college graduate?¡± There was disbelief in his words.


    ¡°High School.¡± A head turned, a man with a dirty bird and bloodshot eyes.


    The bartender raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything about her possibly being underage. She could feel the man still looking at her from afar and thought of what to do. Talking to him out in the open would be too risky, someone could interrupt. Or worse, they might hear something they shouldn¡¯t which would cause her to become violent. The nineteen-year-old watched from the side of her eye as the man began to walk towards her.


    He fit the description she was given perfectly. It grossed her out how unkempt he was. His belly hung from beneath his shirt and his teeth were bright yellow. The nonhuman would enjoy roughing him up. She could see the hunger in his eyes, he was eyeing her like a piece of meat. Her nostrils burned as he stood near her, smelling like rotting meat.


    "Can I buy you a drink?" Momo felt revolted by the way his breath smelled.


    "No thank you, I''m just waiting for my friend." She answered dryly.


    The man huffed, looking annoyed. "You''re friends with Sonya, right? That little whore?¡± He pushed closer, making her crawl as their bodies touched. He was slurring his words as he spoke.


    She growled and pushed him back, the man falling on his ass, drawing the attention of the other sitting near. "Fuck off."


    Quickly, she got up from her seat and started to walk away. As she left the man stalked behind her, cursing at her back. He stumbled after her, knocking into someone as he tried to keep up. It was clear that he wanted to touch her but she wasn''t interested. Her heart was beating fast as she spotted a bathroom and shoved past a few dancers to go to it.


    The man had pissed her off by calling Sonya a whore. She wanted to knock his teeth out. But she had to wait. He kept following her even though she had started to enter the bathroom. Purposely she kept it unlocked, seeing that there was only one stall. It was incredibly small in size with the toilet being close to a sink with a suspicious-looking rusty faucet.


    She sniffed the air and groaned. ¡®Here we go¡¯


    What happened next was fast. The door slammed open, nearly hitting her as the man came in and locked it behind them. Momo glared at him, her annoyance rolling off of her body. She knew she was his type, but this was ridiculous. She decided to forgo playing along with him and simply get down to business. He was taller than her, but she was planning to hit what she could.


    He leaned forward, spitting on her face. It was hot and dirty, making her teeth come out full force in all its glory. This made the man jump back, his face showing his disbelief as he quickly sobered up and realized what he had done. A hand reached up and grabbed at his beard, yanking him downward with a cry of pain leaving his chapped lips. Bloodlust pumped through her veins as she struggled not to tear him into shreds.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I need you. Otherwise, I¡¯d fucking eat you.¡± Momo hissed, tightening her grip to begin pulling some of his hair from his chin.


    The man began to sob as he watched his hair be ripped out. Drops of blood fell onto his shirt as more were pulled out. ¡°Please let me go. I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t eat me.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Momo laughed in his face hearing his pleas. ¡°I will kill you if you don''t do what I say.¡±


    Desperately, the man sobbed harder, begging as she tore out a chunk of his hair, skin, and blood included. She dropped it to the floor before stepping on it. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything. Please stop. Please!¡±


    ¡°Who is possessing all the humans in this town? Newborns are popping up every day and your little friend told me you know who. So, tell me what you know or I¡¯ll rip your balls off.¡±


    "I don''t know! I don''t know!" The man screeched as she twisted his beard harder. "Okay, okay! I don''t know who''s doing it, they just ask me to help cover up the mess!"


    "And I''m supposed to believe you are working for someone you don''t know?" She laughed at the despair filling his eyes.


    "It''s the truth they pay me under the table. I didn''t know that it was going to get this big, it was just a favor at first!" He sobbed, unable to continue as she let him drop to his knees, becoming a blubbering mess.


    If she wasn¡¯t waiting for Sonya to show up with her phone, she¡¯d have already killed the bastard. The redhead¡¯s scent was strong so she had to be close. Staring at the crying man, she wondered if she should beat him up a bit more and see if he cracks. Just by twisting his arm for a couple of minutes, he had become terrified. She cracked her knuckles and snickered when he flinched.


    It was pathetic that he was able to work with people willing to body snatch humans with no problem. But when someone confronted him about it, he acted like a little bitch. Maybe they didn¡¯t give a damn about him, since he was so fragile. Wanting to test out her theory her expression became dark. She cleared her throat to gain his attention, smirking done at him.


    ¡°If I killed you would your boss give a damn?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No no no don¡¯t kill me!¡± He screamed right as her jaw unhinged itself, prepared to take a bite.


    ***


    ¡°The search for the missing seventeen-year-old is still ongoing despite the trial has gone cold. Police have stated that the girl is most likely still alive without any life-threatening injuries, with a possible captor. We are asking anyone with any information on the murder of the Mitchell family and the disappearance of their youngest daughter to come forward.¡±


    Silently, Kaeo listened to the news report being broadcast on the television set above the two. She was losing her appetite, pushing away the dessert the older man had bought her with disinterest. The entire time they had been at the restaurant the news was on. Each broadcast was the same as the previous one. It was an endless loop reminding her of Lea, of her lifeless body in her arms.


    The town had taken to having a sick fascination with her disappearance. It led to them getting the most press they''ve had in years, hundreds flocking to join the search parties. Lea''s extended family had contacted private organizations for help too. This made everyone obsessed with the idea of saving her and bringing justice to her family''s death.


    Kaeo felt like her head was going to explode with all of this happening around her. Everywhere she turned, their faces stared back at her. They were judging her for not seeing if they were still alive when she entered the house. They asked silently, in their still frozen forms if she had thought about them at all or if she just wanted Lea for herself.


    She sipped from the curly straw given to her by the waitress, stabbing into her diet soda without a care in the world. Some of the ice splashed around and caused the liquid to fall onto the table but she didn''t pay attention to it. Instead, she looked over at the older man in front of her, eyes focused on his brooding figure that seemed to be lost from the depression on his face.


    Zachary had comforted her after her encounter with auntie. He told her that the woman wasn''t mad and simply was upset that it happened this way. No one has ever expected Lea''s change to happen so quickly and Kaeo had panicked leading to evidence being left behind. Evidence, he had called their dead bodies that. She knew he didn''t care for humans but it still sickened her.


    Unlike herself, he had been human once. But he acted as if he never was and the bloodlust he showed when killing them frightened her. Everything about the man was frightening in his calmness and gentle behavior that contrasted his predatory nature. Still, Kaeo remained silent as he was one of the few people on her side about Lea. She didn''t want to anger him so she accepted his invitation to lunch for that afternoon.


    The fifteen-year-old still had maintained her refusal to eat any human meat. This led to her arms weakening, with a long sleeve sweater dress having to be her outfit to hide it. She was worried about how bad they had become but she couldn''t eat. She found it impossible to bring herself to take a single bite knowing that they could be found out due to her stupidity.


    It had been drilled into her head by auntie that she should have disposed of the bodies. It made her sick to think that way, but her aunt was right. By leaving the bodies she left Lea more pain to deal with once she awoke. And the police weren''t able to say the family ran away or left in a hurry because she hadn''t done anything. She just ran away like a coward, knowing Lea would ask about her family''s fate once she regained consciousness.


    The glass began to shake in her hand as she tried not to see their dead bodies in her mind. Zachary noticed her growing turmoil and put his hand on the glass, slowly helping her put it done. She looked away from his face, not being able to meet his eyes out of disgust in herself.


    ¡°We can leave if this is hard for you.¡± His voice was gentle, careful not to say something that would set her off.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get to eat your food.¡± It was hard to recognize her voice under the pounding in her ears.


    ¡°Kaeo, you look like you¡¯re about to throw up. The food doesn¡¯t matter, I can ask them to get us a to-go box. You¡¯ve been shaking for the past five minutes and you need to lay down.¡± He argued, leaning over to hold both her hands. He was right, she was shaking uncontrollably.


    A waitress started to come over, some of the people sitting near them staring at the two. They stared behind their menus, while others ate their food awkwardly. She looked worried for the young girl and glanced at Zachary sourly. Kaeo flushed not realizing that her freak out was so noticeable and buried her face in her hands.


    "Is everything alright, sweetheart?" The waitress talked in a calm tone, careful not to come too close to the panicking child as Zachary tried to diffuse the situation.


    "She''s been frightened from the recent disappearances in town. We thought getting her out of the house would help but the news was on and well¡­" Hearing this the waitress nodded with a sad expression.


    "My younger brother went to school with the missing girl. Everyone''s lending a hand to help find her and the other people that were taken. Everything will be alright, I''m sure that she''ll be found safe." Kaeo was unable to speak, staring at Zachary frozen as he engaged with the woman so boldly.


    ¡°They started another search party already?¡± His voice sickened her.


    ¡°There are too many people who want to join not to. I have never seen anything like this happen before, it¡¯s like the entire state¡¯s come down to help. I can give you the phone number of the family members of the girl who is leaving the search tonight. It might make her feel better if she could pitch in.¡±


    She wanted him to tell the woman to leave. Hearing more about the way everyone was mourning the family¡¯s death sickened her. And more people had gone missing? The idea of hundreds of other bodies, mangled and torn into unrecognizable chunks at her feet. Were they even alive still? She hadn¡¯t heard that news yet, but now that she had it was too much to handle.


    Teary-eyed, the fifteen-year-old stood up from the table with her glass being knocked over onto her plate. The commotion drew everyone¡¯s attention to the girl¡¯s pale face, her emotions running wild as she struggled to breathe. It felt like the world was crashing down around her and she was trapped between its debris. Her lips moved as she gave silent apologies, the guilt hiding within the dark crevices of her mind coming forth.


    All of this was her fault. If she had checked and called the police when she found Lea¡¯s family, then maybe they could have been saved. She didn¡¯t know whether or not that was possible but she should have tried. If she had done something, anything else they would be alive. They didn¡¯t even have the choice in a proper burial, there was nothing left. Staring at her hands, she imagined blood covering them as she walked through the house.


    Kaeo had just wanted a moment of peace. Her aunt had confronted her when she was with the maids ruining it. Zachary had tried to help but he forced her to sit and listen to them speak about what she had done. The entire town thought she was a monster and she knew deep down they were right. She was selfish. A waste of space who had made such a detrimental mistake that costs so many lives. When Lea woke up, she¡¯d never forgiven. When she went home, her mother would hate her.


    There was nowhere for her to run. The blood was splattered all over her hands and she didn¡¯t know what to do. And despite this, her body craved human flesh. She was so hungry even though she had committed an unspeakable crime. She had to eat someone or else she¡¯d fall apart. But, it hurt too much to even think about. All that came from it was a wave of dread that overcame her. The urge to vomit overtook her senses as she began to hyperventilate.


    Everyone was staring at her, a slow but heavy panic setting in around her. A particular pair of eyes pierced through her soul almost as if they knew what she had done. They were alien but familiar enough that they terrified her. Her throat became dry as their gaze met her own as she imagined the accusations that would follow. The cat-like eyes were gone when she blinked, scaring her as a familiar voice came from behind.


    ¡®It¡¯s all your fault,¡¯ Her mother¡¯s voice echoed in her head mockingly. ¡®If you had just stayed in your place, known of this would have happened. They¡¯re dead because of you.¡¯


    Kaeo cried when the older man¡¯s eyes landed on her shaking form. Something was wrong but she was too worked up to notice it. ¡®Everything will always be my fault, no matter where I go or what I do. It¡¯s always going to be my fault.¡¯


    Her body was taken into someone¡¯s arms as Zachary hurried to leave the restaurant. He didn¡¯t bother to pay, shouting at the waitress to stay back once she came to close. The fifteen-year-old felt like she was freezing in his arms, chills going throughout her body as she cried. It had been months since she had a freak out this bad and it was worse than she remembered. Her body was fighting her, plunging its claws fangs into her flesh and stripping it from her bones.


    ¡°You need to eat, Kaeo. Your body is unstable.¡± He hissed the last sentence out as too many humans were near the two. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you home, I don¡¯t give a damn if your aunt gets upset you nearly showed your true form in front of humans.¡±


    It was then that she realized he was right, her arms were bleeding. The sweater dress¡¯s sleeves had begun to darken as the blood-stained its fabric. This was bad, she hadn¡¯t even realized her human form had started to tear. By now, the two were making their way out of the restaurant. From behind Kaeo could hear the waitress shouting at them to stop before she called the cops. They received looks of shock that only grow once people noticed that Kaeo had started to bleed.


    ¡°We have to pay for the food or else the cops will come.¡± She muttered as the man pushed her towards his car, ignoring off the employees who had started to follow them. She felt a strange calm come over her body that frightened her as she fought its approach. Her body wasn¡¯t in her control anymore, she was moving under something else¡¯s control.


    ¡°The police will listen to us before they ever listen to humans, Mistress.¡± A frown formed on Kaeo¡¯s face as he unlocked the car doors and helped her get into the passenger seat.


    She looked at his calm demeanor with utter confusion. ¡°What do you mean the police will listen to us first? And why did you call me my name all of a sudden?¡± The man had never called her name, not even when she was a toddler and he visited. And she was sure the police would side with the employees at the restaurant first, they had essentially dined and dashed.


    ¡°We can talk about it after you''re fed a proper meal.¡± before she could open her mouth to protest he turned to look her straight in the eye. His face was still relaxed but she felt the intensity of his stare force her into silence. ¡°This isn¡¯t something to talk about in public.¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Fifteen</h4>


    Sonya handed her phone over to the security guard, smirking inwardly when she felt the eyes of someone on her back. The twenty-year-old hoped Momo wouldn¡¯t mind if they brought a few people back with them to party, the atmosphere of the club was exhilarating. She could see that her presence had been made known, familiar faces watching her with interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get our phones back while you look for the guy.¡± She smiled at one of the other guards, seeing him slow his walk down the perimeter of the room once he recognized her.


    Momo saw the way the two were looking at one another and her face turned sour. The teenager had grown irritated by her games but Sonya was having too much fun to give them up. ¡°Got it.¡± Her voice was heavy with poorly hidden distaste as she walked off, disappearing into the crowd.


    Years ago, she would have felt hurt by her friend¡¯s obvious dislike for her promiscuity. The redhead found it hard to get people to listen to her reasoning for what she did. After years of constant explanations, she stopped giving them and just went with the flow. The rumors that followed her wherever she would go meant nothing when her efforts paid off.


    Her fingers drifted upward to the top of her top, unbuttoning it enough that at first glance it would look like a mistake. Her hair was pushed to the side, allowing her breast to be seen. Skin peaked from beneath her clothing as the lights and music faded with her instincts purely guiding her actions. The security guard bit his lip, his hand on his walker holster as she walked over.


    It had been a couple of months since the two had last seen each other. He had flirted with her constantly when they both worked at the club. When she left, he was at her heels begging for a conversation. So for a while, they messed around with each other. He had started to dislike her habits from what she had heard, and he pushed her to the side. It didn¡¯t hurt her feelings but she would enjoy playing it up as it did.


    ¡°Sonya, what are you doing here?¡± He looked her up and down, swallowing thickly when he saw that she was dressed provocatively.


    ¡°My friend wanted to have some fun before she went back home, so I decided we should get drunk.¡± She answered, shrugging her shoulders.


    While it had observed her, she had also made sure to check his appearance for any information. He had a ring on but it didn¡¯t look like any wedding ring she had ever seen before. It must be something for one of the organizations he is involved in, possibly an inheritance. His body had also gotten extremely fit since they last spoke, he had more muscles than protrude through his shirt. They didn¡¯t look like they were natural but from a drug such as steroids.


    She wondered if he held her in his arms, would she break. His strength would become unstable when clashing with her deepest desires. She enjoyed danger but seeing how bulky he had become made her hesitate. If she continued to flirt and it led to the two of them alone, would the pain be worth it? Sonya sighed and leaned towards the man as these troublesome thoughts swam in her head.


    ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s just a friend?¡¯ He looked past her at Momo moving throughout the crowd of club-goers dancing with one another. ¡°Or is she your fuckbuddie?¡±


    ¡®He actually isn¡¯t far off.¡¯ She glared at him, feigning anger. ¡°She isn¡¯t one to settle on that type of relationship. I¡¯m just having fun with an old friend.¡±


    ¡°An old friend who happens to be a part of one of the richest families in this state? Who happens to have a distinct sense of smell?¡± Sonya cursed under her breath, he knew about the nineteen-year-old without her having asked.


    ¡°And so what if she is a part of that family? That shouldn¡¯t make my relationship with her so questionable to you.¡± He laughed at the way she hissed the words at his face, her body growing tenser by the seconds that passed by.


    ¡°Calm down Sonya, I''m only warning you. Word has gotten around that her family is getting greedy and will lash out on anyone who isn¡¯t their blood. The newborn issue has really pissed them off as it¡¯s spilled into their territory. You shouldn¡¯t be jumping into bed with someone like her to play with her feelings. Her family might kill you if they find out.¡±


    Sonya narrowed her eyes, confused by what he meant by Momo''s family and the growth in newborns. She had heard that there was an increase in possessions but she didn''t know it was getting that bad. Momo came from a very traditional family who held their kind values to the highest degree of importance. So it made sense they''d get angry but they''d never harm her.


    "People will look at you differently if they know you''re fucking with one of them. I know you''re a horny bitch but this girl isn''t someone you should play around with. Especially if you guys are more than just friends with benefits. Get her out of here before someone else recognizes you both." The man was worried for her well-being, making sure to pull her close out of anyone else''s view. His voice has also gotten lower so only she heard what he was saying.


    "Momo will kill anyone who even tries to lay a hand on her." She said knowing that if a fight broke out the nineteen-year-old would win or at least kill someone before they harmed her.


    "But they won''t just go after her. They''ll see that you mean something to her, even if you''re just her side piece and use that against her. I can''t help you if someone decides to come after you after tonight. Whatever you have planned with her needs to end tonight." He looks around the crowded room before continuing with his rant. "I don''t care about her but I care about you. So, I''ll give you both your phones as long as you leave."


    She shut her mouth, realizing he had known her intentions the entire time. If things were as bad as he really said, they should leave as soon as possible. A fight in the club may end on their side winning but then the backlash may not. She wasn''t interested in having her body beaten and bruised for something she wasn''t involved in.


    Being able to get Zachary off of Momo''s back over her behavior? It wasn''t worth risking their safety over. It wasn''t worth risking Momo''s health over. Fifty or so non-humans against the two of them were difficult to think about. Sonya was willing to march up to the manor herself and speak to Zachary if needed. One cranky non-human was something she could easily deal with.


    "Fine. Come over to my house later tonight. I want to know what''s going on with these newborns and how they relate to Momo''s family." Sonya said, receiving a look of confirmation before she moved in the crowd to look for the nineteen-year-old. What he told her weighed heavy on her heart as she began to wonder if they had made a mistake by coming that night.


    She looked around for the other non-human woman but it was hard with all the other people in her way. A few of the parties recognized her and waved her over to join them but she held up her hands in a way to decline. If Momo''s family had rubbed someone the wrong way and they happened to be here, she wanted to get to them first. Thinking about the other being in danger angered her.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Walking by tables full of people, she didn''t see Momo anywhere. When she saw someone with a similar outfit on they turned out to just be a look-alike or a trick caused by the room''s poor lighting. Eventually, she headed over to the bar after failing to find any trace of the nineteen-year-old anywhere. All of the seats at the bar were taken, but she caught the bartenders'' eye when she came closer.


    "Sonya! Your friend was just over here getting herself into a bit of a tussle." Sonya cursed under her breath at the news. Of course, she would get into a fight with someone at the worst time.


    "Did security escort her out?" She hoped they didn''t try to calm Momo down, the woman would probably start to fight anyone who got in her way.


    The bartender shook his head as he served someone their cocktail. "Nah, she ran off somewhere with the guy chasing after her. He''s a nasty bastard, calls girls a few names to get them rowdy."


    "That motherfucker," She sighed and thanked the man for his help. "I''ll try to find them before it becomes an issue."


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sonya. That guy was drunk off his ass and they ran off so fast I couldn¡¯t call them back.¡± This comment annoyed her more than anything, the man is worried about an incident he could have easily stopped.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call for security when he chased after her?!¡± He flushed fumbling with the glasses he had in his hand when he saw the look on her face. It looked like he was about to come up with an excuse for his actions but she held up a hand stopping him. ¡°Nevermind, thanks anyway.¡±


    ¡®So some pervert is with her, great.¡¯ Sonya hoped the bastard still had his limbs when she found the two. The music screeched around her as she pushed through the crowds of dancing people and tried to see where Momo possibly went.


    ***


    Keao felt like a disappointment sitting in the car with Zachary. Her arms weren''t bleeding anymore but they burned whenever she tried to move them. She worried about facing the man since he had acted so strangely when they left the restaurant. She was thankful he had helped and protected her when they were leaving, but she was also conflicted by it. What he had said was confusing and when she asked what he was talking about the shut her up.


    He was acting too protective. She appreciated all the help he had given her but she knew he was hiding something from her. However, asking him about these secrets could only make it worse for her. And she needed his help when auntie began to mentor her in taking care of her newborn. It all was so confusing to her, in a way that made her body feel tense and her chest tight. A hand moved upward to hold it and she winced instinctively gaining his attention.


    Driving, Zachary noticed her discomfort and gave a sympathetic glance to the child. "When you feel better we''ll talk about everything, okay? I just want you healthy before I get you involved in this."


    "Get me involved in the fact that you might be bribing the police? Or that somehow they know we aren''t human?" Kaeo was small when she spoke, so small that her voice sounded muffled.


    "We sway the police to our side when things get complicated. If we let the police run around knowing the truth they could expose you. Or worse, they might try to blackmail us with the information they have." Zachary watched as the child wilted and curled into herself. "That can never happen so don''t worry about it, Mistress. You''ll be protected by the boys in blue as long as they value their lives."


    "You''ll kill them if they turn me in." She felt conflicted on how to take this news. On one hand, is protected by so many people made her feel safe. But one the other, knowing that people were being threatened to do so made her feel sick.


    "Of course I will." She knew the answer beforehand but hearing it made it all sink in.


    The thought of humans being murdered in cold blood for her was sickening. She wanted to argue that what he was doing was wrong. But she couldn''t because what he was doing was for her and to help protect them all. Due to the fact she had made a selfish mistake that could put their entire family at risk and possibly ruin the way they had been living for years nonexistent.


    How would they explain having Lea? They couldn''t just come out and say, hey we''re actually a race of non-human entities that eat humans to maintain our form! And the human girl you''ve been looking for so badly isn''t actually human anymore but a flesh-craving creature like ourselves! A reservation in a mental ward would be put in place for them along with a couple of electric chairs.


    And where would they go after everything came to light? Thailand was a safe bet but her mother and auntie were mortal enemies at the moment. There was no possible way she''d ever let the other woman step a foot on her land. The household was too big to even sneak away from the states without any notice. They had family in California but she wasn''t sure they''d be willing to risk their safety for distant relatives.


    Her arms hurt as she held herself together in a hug, wishing that it didn''t have to be this way. "I''m sorry that I didn''t do a better job. I just saw all the blood and the flesh and I ran away."


    "That''s okay, Mistress. You are so young and you''ve had to deal with things that people ten times your age haven''t yet. I wouldn''t expect you to know how to properly dispose of a corpse or how to clean up a blood trail. You did your best with what you had and you shouldn''t beat yourself up about it. I''ll handle everything." Zachary came to a stop as they hit a red light near their house.


    The wait for the light to turn green was an eternity. His words weighed heavy on her heart, cracking it into pieces when she realized how caring he sounded. He actually wasn''t disappointed in her and he spoke to her like she was on his level. This entire journey with meeting Lea and confronting Momo and hiding from the truth he had stayed by her side.


    He was protecting her with everything in his power and she knew that he did it because he wanted to. Auntie hadn''t commanded him to watch over her with warm glances and a helpful hand. Sure, he was meant to protect her but he was never taught or commanded to actually value her as a person. To others, she was just another potential heir who failed at pleasing the family head.


    But to Zachary, she thought that he actually saw her as Kaeo. A fifteen-year-old girl who loved humanity and had a place in their family. She wasn''t a waste of space to him, but his niece. He even called her by her name when they left the restaurant and barely anyone did that. They just said yes Mistress or of course Mistress like a slave. His voice uttered her name like it was a warm hug.


    "You''re important to me, Mistress. You remind me so much of your father but you don''t have his callousness. Or his desperate need for power. You''re more than a decent person. With everything you do, it shows me that you''re someone I can feel good about worshipping." He continued with his rambling as if she wasn''t there.


    "Your aunt is hard on you because to others you look weak. You aren''t bloodthirsty and you don''t crave destruction. You can''t hold your own in any fight, no matter how weak your opponent is. She''s ashamed of it at times, but I know deep down it pleases her to have you on her side."


    "Pleases her? She hates me and she hates my mom." Kaeo was in disbelief at his words. It hurt to hear him describing her as weak but she knew it was true. She was weaker than ever with her refusal to eat human flesh.


    "She doesn''t hate you. She wants you to get stronger and your mother is a topic that I can''t discuss with you right now. "


    "Auntie lets Momo threaten me all the time and she doesn''t do anything. She looks at me like I''m a mistake because I''m not like my dad." She sighed. "If I really am someone she loves, she should treat me that way."


    "Our kind love differently. Eventually, you''ll see things her way and understand the choices she made regarding her treatment of you versus that of Momo''s." He reassured her as they pulled up to the gate of the manor which opened upon their arrival.


    The car came to a stop as they parked and Kaeo unbuckled her seatbelt. Her arms hurt from the action but she didn¡¯t want to ask Zachary for more help he had already given her. By the time their conversation finished the bleeding had finished and the blood on her skin was dry. She stared at her ruined dress sleeves with discomfort, feeling her spine tingle at how much blood she had lost.


    ¡°We¡¯ll clean up your wounds after I feed you,¡± Zachary said, opening her door for her as she hopped down with a little grunt of pain. He saw how bad her injury was as they walked towards the manor. ¡°Are you alright, Mistress? I know what happened was a lot to take in.¡±


    Was she ever okay? She bit her lip unsure of how to answer. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for telling me all of that. I guess the way I was taught to love is more human than I really should.¡±


    ¡°In a way you¡¯re right. Your mother¡¯s way of bringing you up conflicted with what we all wanted. But I believe it was a success at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°But it made me weaker than everyone else,¡± She felt her chest ache from admitting something that was a dark thought for years openly. ¡°And that¡¯s why auntie can¡¯t show she cares about me. Because I¡¯m too human compared to you all?¡±


    ¡°It''s more complicated than that, Mistress. ¡± Zachary replied, sounding as if he wasn¡¯t sure of the answer. "As I said, this is something between your aunt and mother. You shouldn''t worry about it."


    "Sorry." And with a blink of an eye, the loving uncle was gone, replaced with her cold-hearted security guard. She silently wished he had stayed longer as they entered the manor and were enveloped in its cold exterior.

 Chapter Sixteen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Sixteen</h4>


    ¡°You have to be more careful with your emotions,¡± The man¡¯s hands felt gentle as they cleaned her bloody arms, the cloth quickly darkening from how much had left her body. It burned when it came across her open wounds but he was careful not to hurt her. ¡°Your human form is fragile without any flesh to maintain it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I heard everyone talking about the police and the missing people. It just made me lose control,¡± She winced as he finished disinfecting her wounds. It looked like someone had taken a razor and continuously dug into her arms until the cuts were beyond help. This was a normal sight for their kind but it still scared her every time it happened to her. ¡°Are the missing person cases the same as what happened to Lea?¡±


    About thirty people had gone missing over the last four months. After Lea, another ten were added to that list making the town¡¯s panic worsen. A curfew had been set for any children under the age of eighteen and cops from all over the state were pooling into the town. Kaeo was scared, she didn¡¯t understand how this could have gotten so bad and how they would escape if any leads traced to their involvement.


    This wasn¡¯t normal. Humans were their food but that didn¡¯t mean they could treat them like a buffet. She was frightened with the realization that Lea may have been possessed to serve a similar fate. Her eyes teared up some more as the thought of so many innocent people being eaten or worse, losing their control over their bodies filled her mind.


    ¡°We¡¯ve theorized that they are. Your aunt and I have been in contact with the other clan leaders in town about the recent disappearances and if it continues we¡¯ll be forced to intervene.¡± Zachary helped her out of the bathroom as they walked to her bedroom.


    Her eyes darkened as she felt her conflicted feelings grow. ¡°I thought the other clans didn¡¯t like to be in contact with us? And what do you mean by intervening? What can we do without the others in the town noticing.¡± Each clan was selfish and greedy like the rest of their kind. Hearing that they were willingly working with Zachary and auntie was too insane to believe.


    ¡°If humans continue to disappear, we lose the ability to work in the shadows to catch our prey. And without any prey to eat our forms will fall apart. They have less hunting ground with the authorities making their neighborhoods a crime scene, so they need us.¡± He answered, watching her carefully for a reaction.


    The news that the other clans, otherwise known as families, might get closer to them made her feel ill. They were ten times worse than Momo, her mother, and her aunt combined in terms of aggression. It didn¡¯t help that her family in particular were awful at maintaining a decent relationship with the groups.


    Neither side liked one another. She was surprised no one had tried to kill someone in one of the many petty squabbles they had. Kaeo hoped that it never came to that, but with the situation, they were in it just might.


    They needed fresh flesh for the best boost in agility, strength, and durability. They looked like humans but were crafted from some depth of hell to crave their insides. She wished there was some other way but she knew the clans had to work together. Not everyone could stomach human food like she could, almost vomited from the smell. And knowing that there would be authorities from all over the state made leaving the house to hunt a struggle.


    ¡°They¡¯ll only speak to me if they ever come to our home,¡± She flushed realizing that she must have shown her fears without knowing. ¡°The clans know that children are off-limits in any event that we have to get physical. And if they come here it¡¯s only because things went south.¡±


    Kaeo frowned, looking down at her ruined arms with her heart pounding in her chest. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have to go that far. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt because of something that doesn¡¯t even involve us. We didn¡¯t kidnap those people.¡± If things went south, she could only think that meant a bunch of armed humans shooting at them and pinning them to the ground as they were handcuffed.


    ¡°But we do have to make peace with the clans who are more involved with the kidnappings. Whatever or whoever is doing this needs to have their power taken from them. It''s our job to keep humans unaware of our kind and remain in contact with the clans.¡± She sighed knowing he was right.


    ¡°You should rest, I¡¯ll come to get you when your meal is done.¡± He helped her go to her room and wait for a meal of flesh which she dreaded. But she felt too weak to protest this request, the man was trying to help her after all. It would be cruel to deny him this when he had spent the past month or so watching over her with care and dedication.


    Hours later that following night, she stared at her phone with a broken expression. A video played showing people from outside the town reporting on the cases. Some of their comments were insensitive, calling the victims nothing more than country hicks in a backwater town. A lot of people hadn¡¯t ever heard of the area until the disappearances hit the news. Others asked if the FBI would start to investigate and if it was actually someone trafficking the victims.


    She set her phone down, unable to watch the comments pile on about the victims. It was hard for her to sleep with everything she had seen. When she turned on her phone the first thing she saw was a headline stating that another teenager had gone missing. A fourteen-year-old had gone to walk their dog during the morning before their mother served breakfast. When they weren¡¯t home by the time everyone had eaten, their mother grew worried. Neighbors heard her screams minutes later when she found the family dog¡¯s corpse.


    The poor pit bull had been torn to shreds, their guts spilled onto the trail a few feet from the house. There was no sign of her child anywhere in the gore, besides a blood-soaked shoe. It was torn just like the dog with bits of its fabric strewn across the grass. Terrified the mother had her youngest child call the police as she ran around screaming her daughter¡¯s name. No one had seen anything, not even the girl leaving her house with the pitbull in the first place.


    Kaeo was sick seeing the pictures of the crime scene that had been leaked onto true crime forums by a neighbor. She had never seen a dog turn into a mess of flesh, ears and guts and eyeballs piled up as if its killer was waiting for the mother to find it. She cried when hearing that the poor woman was hospitalized from everything she had seen. They connected the fourteen-year-old to other missing person¡¯s cases easily and now the hunt was on.


    The girl was so small, she could crush her if they encountered one another. In the pictures they showed of her this empathized. School dances, family holidays, and every photo her family had were used for the missing person''s posters. Her lip trembled as she tried to control her emotions. She feared for her, knowing that whoever took her would harm her.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t much older than me,¡¯ The pictures became too much and people began to demand they be taken down for the mother¡¯s sake. Kaeo was too disgusted to do anything but report them. ¡®They took a middle schooler. A baby.¡¯Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    She paced around her bedroom wishing that the disappearances would stop already. It was disgusting to her, the way they were taking people from their families without care. Children were losing their parents, mothers were losing their husbands and friends were losing their lives. The streets ran with the blood of innocents and no one knew what to do. She knew her kind saw humans as lesser but this was something she had never witnessed.


    Everyone could be found out due to this. Before Lea could wake up they would turn apart by the body count that continued to rise. Kaeo sniffled as she went into her bathroom and was faced with the sorry sight that was her body. She was growing increasingly thin even with the meal Zachary had force-fed her. It was an awkward situation with his hand feeding her despite silent protests. She had been too scared to reject his offer and simply sat still as he prepared the food.


    Touching her arms, she winced from not only how skinny they had become but from pain. She was healing slowly, the flesh not enough for her broken body. It was hard to stomach but it was a worthy punishment for her failures. The pain would only be temporary and her appearance could be worked on with time. Shivering she turned away from her mirror, catching sight of her thinning hair as she did so. The lack of nutrition was attacking every part of her body, including her mind.


    Everything was becoming a weight on her shoulders that was impossible to bear. There was no way she could run away from what had happened, Lea was in the manor comatose. Visiting her left no feelings of relief or remorse. Instead, she wanted to fall to her knees and cry until someone finally closed the curtains. Seeing the seventeen-year-old full of tubes days after her rescue was like a slap in the face. No one knew when Lea would wake up, the transition period was irregular for a case like her¡¯s.


    It could be months or even a year before Lea woke up. And then, she doubted them reuniting would go any better than the teenager¡¯s encounter with her cousin. She wanted the screaming and hatred to come as soon as possible. Having to wait every waking hour for the news of the girl¡¯s state was like a ticking time bomb. Her emotions wanted to erupt but she found herself unable to no matter how hard she wanted or wished. All she could do was sit and wait.


    Kaeo wondered if she should communicate these thoughts to someone, but there wasn''t anyone there. Her mother was still giving her the cold shoulder. She refused to speak to her and didn''t bother to read her messages, even her emails. Her stepmother acted more or less the same no doubt wanting to appease her mother with her actions. Zachary cared for her but she doubted he''d be able to help her properly deal with her emotions.


    Still, she had to urge to vomit the words out before curling into a ball. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she grabbed her phone and held it to her chest. No amount of self-help forums and teen-friendly mental health groups could heal her pain. She wanted to text someone, anyone. She just needed to vent out her emotions and cry and throw up. All she wanted was for the guilt she had been bottling up to finally be free.


    But she doubted she¡¯d ever been free from the blood on her hands. The meal Zachary fed her had been a living, breathing human being. She had eaten someone¡¯s family member that her family had butchered. Livestock. That¡¯s what her father called them apparently. She was incapable of remembering them as anything but human. The others were so used to it by now that it didn¡¯t even phase them to kill someone for their dinner.


    Even Zachary, who had been human once, wasn''t bothered by it. This frustrated her as she thought of the missing girl and Lea. What would they feel if they had been treated as nothing but livestock? A meal waiting to be slaughtered, given no sedatives but a gag and restraints. And for all she knew, this girl had already been devoured. Her mother would never find out what happened to her.


    ¡®The last memory she has of her daughter is linked to that gruesome image.¡¯ Kaeo prayed that night, but she knew no one would answer.


    ***


    When she woke up the next morning everything felt ten times worse. Her bedroom was dark save for the sunlight coming out of the window. Sitting up she looked around, feeling unnerved from the dream she had just been in. They type of dream that could also be seen as a nightmare. A dream full of flames and ash clogging her throat and sinuses. The flames had licked up her dress, catching fire instantly.


    She had been trapped somewhere, with someone¡¯s arms around her. A person with long, white hair draped over them and went over her shoulders. Their hair was also on fire as she fought to escape. Her skin was hot as she panted, remembering the mysterious figure in the fog. Whoever they were, they refused to let her go even as the chaos consumed them both. She rubbed at her eyes feverishly trying to push aside the memories of such a troublesome dream.


    The dream was even worse as she remembered the night before. The crime scene photos, Lea being comatose still, her mother ignoring her. The blood that was on her hands and the news of the other clans. It was too much to handle, making her feel sick to her stomach. Stumbling, she ran over to a nearby trashcan and vomited into it. She could feel all her anxiety bubbling over as the taste of stomach aside sat on the tip of her tongue uncomfortably.


    And with this, she tasted ash as she finished vomiting. This scared her as in her dream the smoke had filled her lungs as she screamed. Her mouth had become sore and black as she was forced to inhale. Eventually, the smoke became too much in her dream and she lost consciousness. Kaeo coughed into her sleeve, snot running from her nose as she felt ill. It wasn¡¯t just physically but emotionally she was drained of any energy she once had.


    ¡®I need to talk to mom.¡¯ Even if her mother was enraged with her decision, she¡¯d have to answer her messages if she realized how much pain she was in. Right now she just needed her mom. Her mother was the only one who could comfort her.


    She hacked up some mucus, spitting it into the trash can as she got up to clean her face. She didn¡¯t need to look in a mirror to see how far she had fallen. Her body ached while she debated going back to bed momentarily. There was a part of her fearing another nightmare but another was practically begging to rest. Her muscles were sore from tossing and turning the majority of the night, along with her throat hurting from getting sick.


    The two sides entered a fearsome debate as she grabbed her phone. She hesitated to turn it on, knowing that the situation could have gotten worse. And texting her mom was also a risk. Her mother wasn¡¯t cruel but when she felt betrayed she made sure you knew it. So she might continue to ignore her messages by not bothering to check what she said. This would destroy her if it happened but she had to try and tell her mom what was going on.


    Turning on her phone, she began to text her mother but was forced to stop. Her notifications flooded in with more news on the missing person case. Her fingers trembled above her incomplete sentence as she tried to catch her breath. She was frozen from all of the notifications added with an update on the whereabouts of the girl by the police. She decided not to look at it, quickly finishing and sending her mother the text.


    As soon as the text was sent, a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She imagined her mother hopping on a plane to the states and rushing to help her. Taking her into her arms beaming her signature protective motherly aura as she held her close. Then they would be back home with her stepmother kissing her forehead, doting on her with a home-cooked meal. Thinking of them nearly distracted her from the flood of notifications.


    Looking back, she wished she had thrown her phone on the ground and destroyed it. The messages she saw, the frightened comments people made was sickening. They would help lead her into completely losing herself to the doubts and fears that resided in her mind.


    ¡®Child¡¯s body found.¡¯ ¡®Missing teen¡¯s body found in a horrific state.¡¯ ¡®Family releases statement on daughter¡¯s kidnapping and murder.¡¯ ¡®Town tore apart by another life loss this month.¡¯


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Kaeo was at a loss for words at the sight of the breaking news. The world had suddenly gone dark as a live statement began by the police. The girl¡¯s mother looked broken behind the officer who was speaking, her face was ashen and she was trembling. ¡°Dear God.¡±


    No one''s body had been found before. She stood frozen incapable of looking away from her phone. She eventually dropped it, the gravity of the situation hitting her like a punch. The breath was knocked out of her as she whimpered, the news report playing loudly in her room. The mother was crying as she spoke about the state her daughter was found in. The ground slipped from beneath her as she stumbled and fell to the side of her bed.


    ¡®They allowed her body to be found? It doesn¡¯t make sense! None of it does!¡¯ Anxiously, she bit her nails as she looked at her now discarded phone. The screen had dimmed but she could still hear and see the video that was playing. It was like an endless loop in her ears. ¡®They would never leave evidence. Oh god, is she even considered evidence now?¡¯


    The possibility of the poor girl being in bits and pieces made her fear rise. The mother spoke of wanting answers, but Kaeo knew she¡¯d never get them. How many mothers would go without answers? How many mothers may end up being dead from this? She knew nothing about who these kidnappers were, but she knew her kind very well. The only way they saw mercy was to use it as an investment for their future endeavors. And that girl wasn¡¯t worth anything in their eyes.

 Chapter Seventeen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Seventeen</h4>


    Many years ago


    Momo came into the classroom disinterested, her fingers absentmindedly tapping at her school bag. She hadn¡¯t attended a charter school before, having been homeschooled then passed around from various public schools until now. Still, the prospect of being able to play around with a bunch of wannabe privileged humans intrigued her. It was their actual bodies that disgusted her. They tried to look wealthier than they were but to someone who was raised with wealth, it was cheap and fake to her.


    Knowing better, she kept her sneers to herself and started to pay attention to what her new homeroom teacher was saying. The woman was dressed plainer than her classmates with a modest skirt that reached her ankles that were plaited. For a shirt, she wore a uniform polo shirt that fit her body poorly, along with thinly framed glasses. She directed Momo to introduce herself and with a tense moment of hesitation, she obeyed.


    ¡°Hello everyone, My name¡¯s Momo and I¡¯m this year¡¯s exchange student. I hope you treat me kindly for the remainder of this school year,¡± As she spoke she watched their eyes judge her and heard a few students begin to whisper. More fun. ¡°Thank you for accepting me into your class. Let¡¯s be friends, everyone.¡±


    Her homeroom teacher clapped with a small grin as Momo finished her introduction. The teenager wondered if her old age had made her less perceptive. ¡°Thank you for such a warm introduction! You¡¯re our first exchange student so please feel free to ask around for help. Our school is now your new home.¡± She patted the teenager¡¯s shoulder eagerly.


    The class was silent now, but she could tell that they¡¯d show their true colors once they were alone. So, she kept quiet, simmering internally as she waited. ¡°Please, take a seat next to Sonya. Right in the back sweetheart.¡± The woman pointed to an empty desk, a dark brown-haired girl chewing on her pencil next to it. Momo had heard her whispering about her when she came in, but suddenly she was as quiet as a mouse.


    As she walked to the back of the classroom she sized the other teen up. With every step she made the girl¡¯s smell grow stronger. A small simple graced her lips briefly as she came to a realization. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t the only non-human in the classroom. Her scent was distinct from a human¡¯s, full of blood lust and a growing addiction. An addiction to the meat on a human¡¯s bone that she kept at bay biting anything near.


    And the other girl had realized it to be the way her eyes widened in disbelief. Their eyes met as she neared the desk, her gaze confused and Momo pleasantly surprised. The girl, Sonya, had probably encountered mostly humans throughout her life. She was surprised the teen hadn¡¯t noticed her earlier, her scent was thicker than most. And Momo made sure to carry herself in a way that reflected that. This made this school even more intriguing to play around with for the next few months.


    The two stared at one another briefly before Sonya looked away. She looked down at her desk nervously clenching her pencil in her hand. This made Momo smile, she had gotten under her skin without speaking. Her mere presence was startling to her. It wasn¡¯t because of her appearance, which was what upset the humans. To this stranger, the blood that coursed through her veins was enough to make her rethink the gossip she had spread.


    She sat down, with her chair making a loud screeching noise as she moved it. Heads turned as she set her school bag down and waited for class to restart. Next to her, she could feel everyone¡¯s eyes watching her like a hawk and gave a small grin. This would be interesting.


    ***


    Present Day


    ¡°You went too far with him,¡± Sonya glared at her as they hurried out of the bathroom with blood on their hands. Both had to hide the man¡¯s body rather quickly, leaving no time to work on extreme cleanup tactics. ¡°I told you not to eat him!¡±


    They made sure to avoid suspicion, keeping their pace in that of a fast jog instead of a run. Momo could feel the rage emitting off of her companion from what happened. She wanted to admit that she had lost control of her hunger. Blood had been split and the other woman had to get her hands dirty helping her. Despite looking and smelling pathetic, the man had been difficult to subdue once his adrenaline kicked in.


    He was so desperate to survive, he attempted to strangle her at some point. His weight and stature proved difficult for her even with the fact she wasn¡¯t human. It was such a rough tussle that when Sonya came in she had already cracked his skull. Killing him was never part of the plan and would make going after any other leads much harder. However, his death had given them information that could be used to their advantage.


    "He squealed about the people who hired him." She argued, watching the guard from before come over to where they stood.


    "But we got zero names! Just physical descriptions and phone numbers." The dark-skinned woman huffed at the comment. Momo found it incredibly ridiculous along with her tone. Even without names, they had gotten something out of the man.


    "It''s better than nothing," The guard came closer, his demeanor changing. He gave her a mean glare that confused the nineteen-year-old. As far as she knew, the two had never met and she hadn¡¯t done a thing to him when coming in. "What''s up with your boyfriend?"


    Sonya flushed, gawking at her with disbelief. ¡°He is not my boyfriend! We''re just friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a happily married man.¡± His voice was deeper than she had expected. He avoided looking at her, choosing to hand Sonya something before walking off. It was their phones. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two later.¡±


    Momo looked at the two of them for an explanation. She had no opinion on the redhead being the mistress to someone. It wasn¡¯t her problem when the truth came out. However, it really wasn¡¯t a great time for a quickie when they just murdered a man. ¡°Seriously.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t having sex. He¡¯s got the information,¡± The redhead handed her, her phone sounding annoyed with her assumptions. Momo checked to see if anyone had been on it while they had been separated. A passcode kept it locked and from what she made out no one had attempted to figure it out. ¡°And besides I¡¯m not worried about sex twenty-four seven.¡±


    ¡°And he decided out of a random act of kindness to give us that information with no price?¡± It was an obvious lie that she was confused about why Sonya would spin. Maybe he wasn¡¯t the best in bed and she was ashamed? To be found out to sleep with a weak married man would be rather shameful. Especially if he wasn¡¯t that great in bed.


    The nineteen-year-old¡¯s nose wrinkled. He smelled pretty bad too. Underneath all that cologne and body spray Momo could smell something foul. Worse, she could still smell the pig they had killed earlier making her stomach turn sour. She hated having such a keen sense of smell at times like this.


    The two hurried out of the club, throwing their wristbands in a nearby trash can as they left. It was dark outside, crickets chirping loudly as they left the house and headed towards their car. The night air felt hot against her skin, the temperature having risen despite their short time being in the club. Checking her phone she noted it was later than she had anticipated.


    ¡°No. As I said, he¡¯s a friend.¡± Sonya muttered hopping in her car and starting in a rush. Both women wanted to leave before someone noticed the body and began to investigate.


    Momo tsked and held her tongue before voicing her thoughts. She wondered if this man would ask for a favor in return for the information. She wasn¡¯t interested in being anyone¡¯s lapdog or a booty call. But she wouldn¡¯t try and deny the free information given by him when it came. Linking names or aliases to the tips she had would be a bonus.


    Then she could simply buy the rest of the resources she needed before handing it off to Zachary. Thinking about the man-made her teeth clench as she tried not to growl. He was lucky she didn¡¯t want to waste her time fighting the entire family. Otherwise, she would have said fuck him and fuck his orders to get the information or else. She also wanted her money from her aunt before anything else hindered her efforts.


    ¡°This ride¡¯s going to be awkward if we don¡¯t talk.¡± Sonya sighed, looking conflicted.


    The other woman shrugged, feeling disinterested with the idea of chatting. If they started talking it would only lead to her questioning her relationship with that man. And the questioning would turn into an argument or worse, more blatant lies. She was exhausted from attacking the man earlier so she had no energy for any shenanigans. Everything ached, her eyes struggling to stay open.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Just turn on the radio or something. I¡¯m too tired to talk.¡± Momo gestured to the car¡¯s old-fashioned radio with knobs and dials. The nineteen-year-old laid her head against the car window as she heard the other woman grumble. With a soft click, the radio turned on.


    It buzzed loudly as Sonya changed through the various stations until something caught both of their attention. It was a news report, live with some woman who was sobbing. There was a lot of chatter behind the woman as the reporter comforted her with a gentle tone. Confused, Momo put her full attention to the broadcast.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, ma¡¯am. The police will find the man who took your daughter¡¯s life,¡± Sonya looked over at Momo, frozen from what they both were hearing. It was something they all knew all too well. But something was different, something crucial. ¡°A candlelight vigil will be held in her honor by her school. We are all sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My daughter¡¯s life was taken from her so suddenly. She was only supposed to be gone for fifteen minutes.¡± The woman choked up as Momo cursed. ¡°That monster stole my baby! That creature snatched her up and wouldn¡¯t let her come home even when she tried to call me.¡±


    ¡®Those fucking bastards let her see them?¡¯ She felt like she was about to blow a gasket. Not only were these assholes ruining the hunt for everyone for being greedy and grabbing attention. Not only had they meddled with the resources for beings like her to feast upon. Not only did they enter her ¡°family¡¯s¡± territory, but they also allowed their prey¡¯s mother to see them?


    ¡°Creature? Ma¡¯am, you not only saw the individuals who took your daughter but she tried to call you afterward? Are the police aware of this?¡± There was disbelief in the reporter¡¯s voice as she fired off the questions rapidly, her desire for answers bombarding the woman.


    ¡°My daughter has or um had nightmares often before she was taken. She ran into my bedroom one night, claiming to have dreamt of a woman trying to save her from monsters. It took so long for her to calm down and when she finally did it happened.¡± A loud sob left the heartbroken woman as she struggled to continue. ¡°Our poor puppy, the way she was found. It was all things she told me and that I read from her journal.¡±


    Rubbing a hand through her hair, she groaned aloud. This was the worst thing possible, besides the mother running around screaming about creatures to strangers. Which in all honesty would be ten times better than doing it on a live broadcast to thousands. The police she knew was in her family¡¯s pocket so she had no idea why they would let this happen.


    How did this woman even go on an interview without someone watching what she blabbed about? While having the person interviewing her hint that the investigation hid this information. It was so careless, it was almost as if they wanted their corruption to be found out. And the idea her daughter somehow had visions about her kidnapping made her anger grow.


    These guys were definitely amateurs being puppeteered by someone with nothing to lose. Someone who had no qualms with using humans as bait for any nonhumans searching for answers. She did not doubt that some of the phone numbers would be changed by the time they contacted the owners and that the radio broadcast would have them on edge. Which would lead to more slip-ups for the henchmen to run around, trying to fix to save their own asses. As long as she got them, she¡¯d be fine with leaving their master in Zachary''s hands.


    People with nothing to lose could be less willing to give up. When you had a family, children, and lifestyle to maintain you ran on paranoia. Momo wondered who exactly this mastermind was and how they slipped under her family¡¯s radar. She was enraged at the way they had let their prey get into someone else¡¯s vicinity. It screamed that they had stumbled, obtained a weakness and she¡¯d rather die than be seen as the same.


    ¡°I told them about her dreams and her journal! No one listened! My baby was murdered after writing about those creatures, that hellspawn, and no one cares about what she saw! Everyone, even my family, believes it¡¯s all a coincidence. But my baby wasn¡¯t lying and those bastards tortured her!¡± The woman was unable to continue with her tirade as she broke down into a fit of tears.


    Sonya turned off the radio quickly, her face ashen from the entire conversation. ¡°Christ.¡±


    ¡°Their lackeys are shit but whoever¡¯s doing this has some balls,¡± Momo looked down at her nails, there was some blood under her nail beds. ¡°Kidnapping a kid in broad daylight and gifting the mother their body half-eaten is sadistic.¡±


    ¡°And risky. I can¡¯t understand why they''d take the girl if she saw them coming. Could she have been one of us?¡± The question was something both women wanted an answer for.


    ¡°I doubt she was one of us, she would have fought back easily. Probably had better sight than most humans and was able to see our forms or something. Eating a meal with those genes does sound exhilarating.¡± She watched as her companion considered the theory.


    ¡°But if she was someone gifted with a sixth sense or whatever, why did she walk right into her death? Wouldn¡¯t she just expose our kind to her family when they tried to snatch her?¡±


    Momo snorted. ¡°As if they¡¯d believe a word she said. And besides, when we catch our prey we have to sink our teeth into them or else. Whoever their boss is wanted her and they made sure to get her despite the obvious risks. And a child with a sixth sense is still a child.¡±


    They neared Sonya¡¯s home as Momo sighed. Both women had a million questions that the broadcast had only worsened. Momo knew the general public would just think the mother was delusional from her grief and sympathize with her. If that was all there was, she''d be fine. But hearing her claim the police ignored her pleas was a nail in the coffin.


    ¡®One cop blabs their mouth to the press and our asses are public enemy number one.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t exactly sure how her relatives had gone about paying the authorities off, but she knew it could be exposed. While they were above humans, they could still be double-crossed when reputations were at stake and prison time was on the table.


    ¡°Are we going to pay the police a visit?¡± Sonya stopped the car as they came to a red light.


    ¡°Not my problem. If any cops get in the way of finding these imbeciles, I can just remind them who signs their paychecks. And besides, the other clans are already on their necks.¡± She had no doubt they were on thin ice with the other families. Some of them could behave like children when pressure was put on them by meager humans.


    ¡°Still, we should try to verify that they¡¯re still loyal to your family. I don¡¯t want to spend a night in a jail cell with some butch creep eyeing me.¡± Momo rolled her eyes at her comment, the woman worried about someone wanting her number more than a child murderer.


    ***


    ¡°When will she wake up?¡±


    Zachary looked over at the fifteen-year-old, his expression softening briefly once he saw the bags under her eyes. It was obvious she hadn¡¯t been getting much sleep. ¡°Hopefully she will be ready to wake up in a week. It depends on how fast the transformation completes itself.¡±


    Sullenly, she nodded her head in a weak show of acceptance. She held the unconscious girl¡¯s hand, feeling how dry her skin had become. If you had taken just a glance at the teenager you would think she was holding onto a corpse. But despite it all, Lea was living and breathing.


    The room looked washed out and reflected the state the seventeen-year-old was in. The walls were bright, hurting Kaeo¡¯s eyes as the bright lights above her clashed with them. She was careful not to touch anything besides Lea when Zachary took her to see the girl. When he found her early that morning, she had already decided that needed to see the girl no matter what.


    This was despite her stress-induced illness and fears for her family. It seemed like the world was determined to find who kidnapped Lea and murdered that child. Her social media was bursting with messages from old school friends asking about what happened since she lived in the town where the time took place. Nervously, she lied to them about everything. Her stomach still felt sour but she shakily swallowed her discomfort and watched Lea breathe.


    ¡°She¡¯ll grow to understand what you¡¯ve done. While tragic, the recent murder has worked in your favor in earning her trust back. We can explain to her just how fortunate she is to still be alive.¡± Kaeo whimpered and wiped at her eyes with her free hand. She had started to tear up as he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared she¡¯ll tell me she¡¯d rather be dead,¡± Her voice was a whisper as she sniffled. ¡°Her family¡¯s dead, Zachary. And everyone she loves thinks she¡¯s been kidnapped by a psychopath. Someone who wants to use and abuse her. They¡¯re right.¡±


    How many people were still looking for Lea? How often would she have to watch news reports with the seventeen-year-old¡¯s grandmother sobbing as she pleaded for her to come home? It was endless mourning and pain that she was forced to confront. And worst of all, her mother hadn¡¯t replied to her message, she hadn¡¯t even seen it which crushed her emotionally.


    ¡°Mistress, you aren¡¯t a psychopath. You¡¯re a savior compared to the people she would be with if you hadn¡¯t intervened. You don¡¯t have a bone in your body that takes pleasure in abuse.¡± It was hard to listen to his pleas for her to calm down and stop blaming herself.


    Kaeo was appalled with her species and the way they were treating the humans of the town. They wanted to toy with them and the death of that child was only the beginning. She had no doubts that it would only get worse for any human child they desired. Her family treated the news of the murder like a mosquito, they wanted to get rid of it without considering why it appeared in their lives.


    Her grip tightened around Lea¡¯s limp hand, she was terrified of being numb like the others. She had to feel or else she¡¯d become heartless. ¡°What if auntie commands me to hurt her. I can¡¯t disobey her or else she might kill Lea. I can¡¯t let Lea get hurt but I also can¡¯t bear the thought of hurting her instead. I don¡¯t want to be her master or owner. I just want to be her friend.¡±


    The older man walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Zachary sighed, she felt his eyes on her and wilted as her shame became too much to handle. ¡°I¡¯m the same as those murders, Zachary. I¡¯ve killed people. I¡¯ve stood by you and Momo and auntie slaughtering humans.¡±


    Kaeo knew she sounded ungrateful towards her family but she had to get it out. ¡°I¡¯ve helped you all and now I¡¯m supposed to sit back and watch you guys hide monsters.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t human, Mistress. You can¡¯t expect your aunt and cousin to uphold morals made by them. I understand you¡¯re scared but you are not a monster or the same as us,¡± He sounded sympathetic but she knew he was tired of this constant conservation. Her hands began to tremble as she swallowed the rest of her tears. ¡°I think we should go get some fresh air.¡±


    She nodded, realizing that the room was becoming claustrophobic to her. ¡°Yeah, um can we visit her later?¡± Kaeo was worried about leaving the other teenager alone again. All of the drama happening in her life was making her paranoid.


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll come back after a quick walk in the garden, it¡¯ll cheer you up.¡± It was hard not to smile at the mention of the family¡¯s large garden. Just thinking about walking around and picking flowers and fruit made her feel somewhat better. With one more look at Lea, she let go of her hand and let it fall onto the bed.

 Chapter Eighteen

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Eighteen</h4>


    ¡°I was seven years old when my father gave me my first kiss goodnight. I was ten years old when my mother gave me my first knife. And I was nineteen years old when I told them both goodbye.¡±


    ***


    ¡®We all have different paths we must take head-on in life. All of us suffer the pain of loss, of abandonment when we try to break free from our goals. Many of us fear the light but at the end of the day, it is our only ally when the darkness consumes us all.¡¯


    Kaeo read the block of text with a sigh before closing the book once more. She had a busy day full of her aunt¡¯s attempts at training her, preparing for the party, and reading up on familiars. She sat in the corner of her bed with a relaxing but expensive-looking tracksuit on, sweat drenching it from her anxiety. The fifteen-year-old had been worn out by her aunt¡¯s careless words as they both kneeled in her personal training room. The floor had been cold as the teenager withstood the mental lashing the older woman gave her.


    She knew if she remained meek as her auntie wanted, she could go back to her room until dinner. Then they would all have to eat together and the verbal beating would start all over again. So for now she felt exhausted hiding the textbook back under her bed with a weak grunt leaving her body. The hiding spot had been working well with none of the maids had found it when she allowed them to clean her room. Knowing this helped lessen the twisting of her stomach.


    ¡®I hope dinner goes by quickly,¡¯ She chewed anxiously on a nail as she grabbed her phone. ¡®I really don¡¯t want another argument.¡¯


    Her family was getting sick of her strike on eating human meat. The meal Zachary had fed her gave the servants the idea she had gotten over her trauma from the month before. So now they tried to give her salads with slivers of thigh meat and nachos with chunks of arms. If she didn¡¯t accept the offers they¡¯d sick her little cousins on her, who hadn¡¯t gone back to ignoring her, with their hands full of chocolate flavored with human and pig liver.


    She felt like a brat rejecting meal after meal but she just couldn¡¯t do it. It wasn¡¯t just Lea anymore either, but every human that she ever watched be slaughtered. The past few months had been full of regret for her past refusal to take a stand against her family¡¯s actions. She knew they needed human flesh to survive healthily but the way they did it was inhumane. Her dreams were filled with the dead eyes of every human the cooks slit the throat of. Of every human, she had turned a blind eye to in their final moments.


    Being unable to save Lea¡¯s family was her karma. But she would redeem herself by working hard to properly protect the older teen. This desire was something she would have to get used to, years of being a pushover weren¡¯t going to instantly be erased from her mind. ¡®My instincts aren¡¯t weak though,¡¯ Kaeo thought of everything she knew about the genes that made her. ¡®Deep down I can be as strong and ruthless as even my father. But I don¡¯t want to be a killer. I want to just keep her safe.¡¯


    From the lessons she had completed with her aunt, this was what the older woman expected her to be. She never spoke of Lea as a person and it hurt Kaeo so deep it burned. The woman directed her on how she would watch over Lea and keep her out of the wrong hands. But Kaeo wasn¡¯t dumb, she knew that the compassion she had for the seventeen-year-old would be used to manipulate them both. She would have to work on conquering her instincts on her own to use them the way she wanted and not how her auntie commanded.


    The teenager stared into space as the feeling of being trapped suffocated her. This newfound spark of rebellion was scary. It could be snuffed out by her family with the exceedingly cruel lessons they had in mind. She had read the textbook Zachary had given her with the dread in her stomach sinking in the further she went. Her aunt would no doubt try some of the old-fashioned training tricks on Lea, the only way she saw to break her spirit. They had no use for someone in their family who wouldn¡¯t comply with their way of life, even if by force.


    Kaeo felt as though she miscalculated how easy Lea would be accepted. She would no doubt be welcomed as blood, but she would be regarded as lesser until this all was blown over. Her presence was a burden and blessing wrapped in one bloodstained gift. They could find out who was ruining their territory with her knowledge and deal with them permanently. But they also would have to hide her until she was healed and trained enough to be shown to the other clans.


    A shudder went down her spine as the thought dissipated. The other clans had begun to communicate with them more openly. Things were getting heated and people wanted answers. It was clear to her now that the dinner party was meant as a peace offering instead of a distraction. The maids gossiped in the laundry room about how the other clans had gotten into a scuffle. This scuffle had ruffled a few feathers, including some of their family''s business partners. Kaeo had no idea who these partners were or that they even had any in the first place. Once they noticed she was near, they stopped talking, leaving her to ponder on who these new people were.


    It brought back memories of being a young child and hearing the adults in her life argue behind her back about her parents. About the way she was being raised and how it went against their traditions, how her mother was putting her hatred before her daughter¡¯s wellbeing and how this would hinder Kaeo into adulthood. It made her feel as small as a mouse, watching shadowy figures bicker back and forth before finally her mother stormed out and took her back home.


    ¡®The other clans will be taking any gossip they hear at face value.¡¯ Kaeo swallowed thickly as a lump had formed in her throat. She knew that soon the maids or Zachary would be calling for her to come down for dinner and to talk about the busy week ahead of them. Her younger cousins would be running around asking to help cook and taste test any food she got her hands on. Zachary would watch over all of them like a hawk and give her updates on Lea¡¯s condition.


    The fifteen-year-old felt incredibly grateful for the man¡¯s help. Even if his protectiveness had tightened due to the other clans'' presence. She was too nervous to ask him about what exactly was going to happen if things went awry so she¡¯d keep her mouth shut for now. For all she knew, he was being overprotective due to a threat one of the clan leaders made. Some were hotheads when it came to issues with the territory and outside interference.


    ¡°Might as well go down before they call me,¡± Kaeo mumbled opening her bedroom door to the thundering footsteps of her cousins running past with a maid chasing after them.


    ¡°I told you to stop running!¡± The maid screeched as Kaeo realized her cousins were in fact naked, most likely from escaping a bath. It was a nice bit of normalcy that helped with her anxiety. A small smile that had started to grow on her face fell as she realized that this was just a distraction.


    Soon enough, her cousins would be in her place. And any children or nieces and nephews that she had would also be given the responsibility of throwing their humanity away. They wouldn¡¯t have a normal childhood, she even didn¡¯t and her mother tried her hardest to give her one. It just wasn¡¯t possible for her kind and the way they had to survive. No child should have their childhood taken away to become a killer. Her hands tightened into a small fist briefly as the maid finally got a hold of one of her laughing cousins and carried them right back into the washroom.


    ¡°Kaeo!¡± Her little cousin whined, reaching out towards her in a plea for help. She shook her head, managing to put on a playful smile for the toddler.


    The smile on her face remained as her cousin smiled right back at her. It was the sweetest thing she had ever laid her eyes on and made her heart sing. With her entire stay at the house, her cousins and Zachary were the only ones who ever smiled at her. A smile that was real and had genuine, loving emotions behind it when shown to her.


    ¡°Go take a bath for your auntie,¡± It would be better to refer to the woman as such. After all, she was one of her auntie¡¯s lovers and cared for the child as a mother in some ways. ¡°Then we can go play together in your toy room.¡± The child pouted but stopped trying to escape the inevitable.


    Kaeo loved her younger cousins and treated them all equally. They wouldn¡¯t be heirs due to the fact they were so young and their mother would step down in a few years. Along with this, a woman typically took the position of heir and their baby sister was an infant. So, she made sure to distract them from all this interpersonal inheritance drama with games and snacks from Thailand. Some hadn¡¯t recognized her when she arrived but by now they called for her specifically at times.


    Their big brother was away and Momo hated children so she was the only one showering them with love. The fifteen-year-old sang nursery rhymes in her mother tongue, helped comb their hair before a nap, and let them sleep in her bed from time to time to escape nightmares. Since Lea, she had stopped a good deal of these things but made sure to tell them it wasn¡¯t their fault. They believed their loving ¡°big sister¡± was just tired from school work and training with their mommy.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®If only they knew the truth.¡¯ The thought weighed heavily in her mind as she turned away and went downstairs towards the kitchen. She had promised to help with cooking for the party so she needed to get there soon. The promise was a risky one as she¡¯d have to be near sterilized and packaged human flesh they¡¯d disguise as beef for the guests.


    The fifteen-year-old had no idea why they did this, only being told that the smell of human food would repulse her relatives. So as she walked towards the family¡¯s large, restaurant-sized kitchen, the smell hit her full force with its putridness. Deep down she knew if she was in a different mindset that disgust bubbling in her stomach would be replaced with hunger. A primal hunger that was only halted by the teenager¡¯s overwhelming guilt.


    When entering the kitchen, the first thing she saw was a maid helping a cook cut slabs of meat. Both were dressed appropriately for the matter with gloves and masks on as they noticed her entrance. The kitchen was empty besides the two as she stood awkwardly by the door leading towards them. It was modern in design with professional-looking equipment hanging about. Slowly the maid handed the cook the knife to continue, disposing of the gloves before walking over.


    The maid seemed pleasantly surprised to see the fifteen-year-old willing to help them. The teenager wondered if anyone besides family had been told of her plans to help at all. Kaeo recognized her as one of the few human staff members who happened to live in the house. This surprised her as the humans tended to avoid the kitchen like the plague. Seeing the blood and guts of someone they had could have been hours earlier was unnerving to them.


    ¡°Kaeo, I honestly thought you forgot! I¡¯m glad you came early to help out.¡± The maid was careful not to touch her with her hands. Some meat had managed to get on them, making Kaeo shiver.


    Looking away from the woman¡¯s hands, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m really excited to help prepare for the party. I was always at school when my mother had them.¡± Small talk was the only way she was going to get through this without throwing up.


    ¡°Great! Well, we¡¯re going to make the stew right now. Unless you want to help me with the salad instead of as an alternative for any human guests.¡± Hearing that she had a choice not to work with human flesh was beyond relieving.


    Making the salad was more difficult than she had thought. It was a bunch of dressings she had to mix into various types of lettuce. The maid handed her leaves to wash off, then she was instructed to chop each batch of leaves into equal-sized slivers. It was a mixture of green, purple, and somewhat clear lettuce with some broccoli added to certain portions. Kaeo carefully deposited the cut-up lettuce into the bowl of dressing-free lettuce, while the maid worked on those with dressing.


    The meat was thankfully not added to the salad, with it being their ¡°vegan¡± option for the human guests. On the side, they also made some tuna salad sandwiches for an appetizer for them to snack on while dinner was being made. They were extremely careful not to contaminate anything with human flesh, gore, and blood. Another maid came in to take them to serve to those who had arrived early. Apparently, some of the human guests had come hungry, so the sandwiches started going fast. This caused them to start prepping plain sandwiches as an alternative. Everything was running smoothly until there was a knock at the door and Zachary appeared.


    ¡°Mistress, it¡¯r\s urgent.¡± Both the maid and chef looked at the young teenager with worry. The man¡¯s tone was serious and left no room for questions. Quickly, Keo cleaned off her hands and ran over to him, trying to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°Zachary wh-¡± He shushed her with a dark look on his face. Her body became rigid as she froze in place, not knowing whether to run or hide from how he was acting.


    ¡°Lea has woken up from her coma. She¡¯s belligerent, screaming and fighting against the restraints holding her down to the bed. You have to get downstairs and make her familiar.¡± He talked slowly as he grabbed her arm roughly and hurried to take her down to the girl¡¯s confinement.


    She struggled to keep up with him, nearly tripping over her own feet as they went down the stairs. Her head was spinning with the knowledge that not only was Lea awake, but she was in immense pain. She probably didn¡¯t even know what was happening or where she was. Hell, Kaeo feared the most that maybe the girl wouldn¡¯t even remember who she was. All she knew was that Lea wasn¡¯t going to be herself and she¡¯d have to make her calm before the party began. The walk to the room made her heart hammer in her chest, her throat tightening as she grew more anxious once they came to a stop.


    Hesitantly, she grabbed onto the door''s handle but was stopped by Zachary''s arm. He blocked her from going any further and lifted her chin so they were looking eye to eye. His gaze was claiming as she sniffled, beginning to openly cry as she heard Lea''s agony grow the longer they waited. He began to speak in a comforting tone ignoring the situation they were both in. Everything he said hit her like a slap in the face, her legs wobbling with anxiety. Her hands felt sweaty against the door handle, slippery as she tightened her grip.


    "Are you ready? You know there''s no going back after this." Zachary sounded worried for her, something she had started to get used to. Even now, when they both stood in front of their last chance to become free of this burden he was asking if she was okay. He wanted to know how she felt about what was happening and moved to put his hand over her own on the door handle. This was a touch she had grown used to over time.


    "I''m not," she whispered with a shake of her head. She had figured they''d still have time with the party and Lea''s body healing more every day. The fifteen-year-old was unsure how she could explain to the girl what had happened and why she had done what she did. She knew Lea would neer forgive hr for the pain and survivor''s guilt she had made her bare. But it was too late to back out now, she had to do this. "but I can''t leave her in there. She sounds so scared, Zachary. It hurts to listen to her screaming and sobbing. I have to go in there."


    ***


    In the void of her subconscious mind, Lea was alone. She had given up on trying to figure out where she was, simply resigning to sit on the ground with tears in her eyes. Her body ached from how heavy her earlier sobs had been, her entire being paralyzed with fear. There was nothing out there in the vast darkness beside the sound of her beating heart. No footsteps or the echo of someone else¡¯s voice responding to her own. No one could help her.


    All the girl could think of was her final moments with her family. She missed them dearly and craved human contact with any of them if only for a second. The teenager wondered if she had passed and this was purgatory or if the woman possessing her had finally walled her away. That she had taken control of her body and effectively killed the teenager once she took her place. Her family might not even know that she was gone. It wasn¡¯t fair and it was tearing her apart to realize fully that her life had been stolen from her.


    So, feeling as if she had lost everything, she cried out to the demon and asked. ¡°What is this? What are you doing to me?¡± If her throat wasn¡¯t hoarse from crying she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs. All she wanted was answers. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t a demon. You said you weren¡¯t a ghost, but only something monstrous could do this to me. You¡¯ve dragged me to hell.¡±


    Shakily, her hands clasped together in a form of prayer. Her family wasn¡¯t extremely religious but they did hold a bit of faith in their hearts. They prayed before meals and went to church every few months. She felt the need to ask any god out there for help and guidance in her situation. That somehow they¡¯d be able to swoop in and save her from eternal damnation.


    But it was never going to happen. And this thought sunk deeper as she felt someone¡¯s arms wrap around her back and over her waist in a tight hold. It frightened her and she wanted to fight back, but also she was desperate for any form of human contact. However, the knowledge of the person that held her was the one trapping her, filling her mouth with vomit.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± She tried to fight but she had no energy left in her failing body. It was terrifying how utterly powerless she was in the situation. ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡°Stop moving or I''ll have to put you under again. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± Lea fought the woman weakly in her confusion. What did she mean by putting her under? Knock her unconscious? And why didn¡¯t they have time when the woman appeared out of thin air? All of these questions made her head spin and her stomach even sicker.


    The woman gripped onto the teenager tighter, to the point her nails dug into her skin. It made Lea cry out in pain at how sharp the fingernails felt as they brushed against her arms. Long hair that felt like straw went over her shoulder and scratched her body as the woman moved even closer. From what she could make out, the woman¡¯s clothing smelled like mold, liquid pooling from under her stick-like legs with the same odor. Lea wondered if the woman had turned into some sort of corpse.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here in your mind with me for nearly two months. Slipping in and out of awareness, fighting me before succumbing to my pull. I wanted your body but it appears you¡¯re going to be in control for now.¡± The woman had a sickly sweet smirk on her face as if she had won some game. ¡°That girl is one of my kind. An infant compared to me, but her bloodlust for you is overpowering. I¡¯ll let you deal with her for now.¡±


    Wide-eyed, Lea tried to kick at the woman. To bite her boney harms, to pull and struggle as much as her body would allow her. What the woman was saying scared her into near hysteria. She had been trapped in her own mind for months, with a gaping hole in her memory. The frantic seventeen-year-old wanted to sob her heart out, but the need to find answers was too powerful.


    ¡°Who are you talking about? What the hell even are you?¡±


    The woman chuckled without any emotion. It was just empty, a lifeless noise that filled the emptiness that surrounded them with an echo. ¡°I¡¯m talking about that strange girl you met who just so happened to be at the same bookstore as you that day. She hid rather well when she recognized you. I underestimated the lengths she would go to capture and keep you all for herself.¡±


    To her horror images flashed throughout her mind like a projector before the twp. A girl who she had seen as naive and innocent came into view with large eyes and friendly small. Her hair framed her heart-shaped face as the two spoke to one another. Lea¡¯s eyes watered pitifully as the girl¡¯s soft, child-like voice played over and over again. The girl glowed as they talked about their favorite series, a shared passion that helped the two exchange contact information.


    She had given the girl a way to learn about her. Her social media showed images of her family members, of her lacrosse team, of her college campus tours. She had let the girl look into her life and now she was learning she helped snatch it away? Images flashed in a hurry as the girl¡¯s figure stood over her in a strange room, the younger teen¡¯s expression distraught. Soon it went back to that fateful day when they met, how she missed, for a split second, clear recognition in the girl¡¯s eyes.


    It was all too sickening to even process. The way this girl introduced herself was so kind. In a time where she was at her mental lowest when no one would listen, this girl appeared. A possible new friend she had thought was lost along with any semblance of her normalcy. And it was all a lie. The girl looked at her with a friendly smile on her face that made Lea¡¯s stomach sink. She wanted to call the woman a liar but memories that terrified her for some reason kept appearing.


    Flashes of her bloody house. Of the girl being present one minute and then vanishing into thin air the net. The images melted together into an entirely new scene. One that the girl wasn¡¯t initially present for, but somehow it was connected to her. A gasp left her mouth as she felt her throat tighten and her body freeze. It was the scene when she encountered Momo at therapy when she saw the strange tattoos on her body. How was the girl connected to Momo?


    ¡°Her cousin tried to kill you and so will she,¡± The woman whispered in both of her ears. On the screen, she rewatched her attack from the older teen and tried not to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t you see their resemblance?¡±


    ¡°Momo and Kaeo are sisters?¡± No, it was too horrible to be true. But it would make complete sense. The younger girl had found her after her confrontation with Momo and tried to enter her life. And now she had strange memories of the girl in her house with blood splatter everywhere. She was scared to find out whose blood the girl was surrounded by.


    The woman hummed as the room began to darken into utter blackness. ¡°Maybe, my kind do run together like wolves. You¡¯ll find out soon enough on your own.¡±


    <h4> </h4>

 Chapter Nineteen

    <h4 align="center">Chapter Nineteen</h4>


    Kaeo was hesitant to walk into the room, hearing the sounds of someone¡¯s cries. She didn¡¯t know what she would be faced with when she saw Lea. She didn¡¯t know what the woman would want to say to her or how she would react to any of her answers. There were too many unanswered questions and possibilities for her to process. But she had to walk forward and confront the issue born from her negligence. She put on a brave face with her eyes meeting Lea''s wild gaze.


    The seventeen-year-old looked awful. She was trembling, her body tired from screaming after waking up from her coma. On her pale face, you could see streaks from her tears which continued to fall down her chin. Kaeo wanted to throw up, she had lost so much weight since the day they had first met. She felt like a monster, the girl pressed herself into the wall next to her bed as she pulled on her restraints. Kaeo could see that she had pulled so hard that she started to bruise and bleed.


    Venom came from her lips as they faced one another. ¡°You bitch. You fucking bitch!¡±


    "I didn''t want it to come to this," The apologies started to pour out without even thinking. Kaeo saw the betrayal on Lea''s face and she began to choke up. She didn¡¯t know what she could ever say to earn her forgiveness."I didn''t want to chain you down here but I had no choice. I''m sorry."


    ¡°You kidnapped me.¡± Lea sounded sick as she spoke. Kaeo could barely hear her, by how weak her voice had become from weeks of silence. ¡°You hurt my family. You lied about who you were when we met. You found my house and chained me up in your basement. ¡±


    ¡°I lied to help you! I tried to help your family too but I was too late. I''m so sorry. Please, you have to listen to me, Lea.¡± The other teenager turned her head away, her face full of rage. Kaeo kept going despite this feeling as though it was the only thing she could do to try and share her side. ¡°I lied to you about who I was but I¡¯m not lying about trying to save your family. They were already dead when I found you!¡± Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried not to hyperventilate.


    Horror flooded onto Lea¡¯s face as Kaeo screamed at her. Quickly, she moved a hand to point at the girl as much as her chains allowed her. It looked like she was struggling to believe what the younger teen had said, shaking her head back and forth. She began to cry even harder, letting out an agonized scream.


    She was trembling even harder now, her lip curling into a fearsome scowl as she spat out a disgusted scream. ¡°Dead? You...you killed my parents. You killed my siblings and came crying to me when I woke up?!¡±


    ¡®Please god no.¡¯ Kaeo didn¡¯t want to tell Lea the truth, she couldn¡¯t do this. She needed to go back and get Zachary¡¯s help. She wouldn¡¯t be able to take control and turn her into her familiar after this. Frantically she ran towards Lea, words flying out of both of their mouths as they argued.


    ¡°Lea I didn¡¯t kill the¡± She started only to be spat at, saliva landing on her face as she froze. A hand slowly rose to wipe it away as she stared wide-eyed at her attacker.


    ¡°Then who did? Momo? Did you team up with her to kill my parents as some sick and twisted game? Or was it the woman with the white hair who put you up to this?¡± Every accusation hit the dark-haired girl like a slap in the face. She wanted to cry but now she had just started to feel numb. She hated herself more than ever. All the guilt, all the fear, all the disappointment in herself hit her all at once.


    ¡°Momo had nothing to do with this. I tried to save them. I tried to put them back together.¡± Memories of that night flashed in her mind. Of crying from nightmares from the blood and carnage she had witnessed after sneaking out to see Lea. Of the days she wondered if she was to blame.


    ¡°Then who killed my family, Kaeo?! Who has their blood on their hands? Because in my mind all I saw was you.¡± The last word was spat out with an amount of disgust she didn¡¯t even know was possible. She had to back out, she had to run far away But she couldn¡¯t and Lea was going to kick and scream but she had to do it for her sake. ¡°All I can see is you in a room full of blood. So, who killed my parents, you lying bitch?!¡±


    This was worse than she had imagined. There was no room for her to try and explain herself. Whatever nightmare Lea had woken up from had unlocked some memories from that night. When she thought that the girl had been unconscious and safe from the carnage. And as she feared, these memories framed her as the one to blame for everything that had occurred. Deep down she felt the same but she knew it wasn¡¯t right to dwell on that at the moment.


    Kaeo looked down on the ground unable to look Lea in the eye. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. Please, don¡¯t make me do this to you.¡± She could feel her insides tearing apart as she smelled blood. She had balled her hands into fists and scratched her palms so badly that they were starting to bleed. ¡°You were going to die if I didn¡¯t save you.¡±


    ¡°How did you save me? I¡¯d rather die than be in the presence of a murderer.¡± Lea hit her where it hurt and she struggled not to run out of the room. Silently, Kaeo sniffled and choked on the hot tears that fell onto her face. All she wanted to do was scream, to pull at her hair and fall to the ground.


    That wouldn¡¯t do anything for her. Her hands bled openly as she felt the numbness spread deep inside her soul and take control. Her mind was crowded with a jumble of thoughts that destroyed any bit of self-esteem she had left in her. Weakly, she finally told her the truth with it is hard to even see from how hard she was crying.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one here who murdered someone. You killed them and I saved you from being locked away with your face plastered on every TV in the country. You ripped your brothers apart first and ate them piece by piece before going for your mother¡¯s throat!¡± By now she was able to hear Zachary asking if she was okay and to open the door but she wasn¡¯t going to stop now. Her throat hurt from how loud she was screaming and she wondered if she¡¯d vomit.


    She began to pant as she continued, ignoring the way Lea recoiled back. ¡°Every single night I¡¯ve had nightmares about the pictures of your family¡¯s corpses all over my timeline. All of your followers? All of your internet friends in the fandom? They think you were kidnapped by a pedophile that you fell in love with online. They think that some old, creepy man scooped you up and convinced you to help murder your parents by beating them into a bloody pulp!¡± By now she was too lost in her emotions to realize how much her words were affecting Lea.


    When she would log onto her social media and check on Lea¡¯s account the comments would make her sick. Accusations filled to the brim about her being a murderer obsessed with the occult. That she had killed her family to run away with some man she had met on the internet. Others offered their condolences and spoke as if she were dead. Lea was being used as a media cash cow by the internet. True crime podcasts had already caught wind of her case along with conspiracy theorists. In the end, nobody really cared about the people involved but the mystique of it all.


    The seventeen-year-old had vanished into thin air, her family made sure of it. And now, she couldn¡¯t let her go. If she let Lea go the authorities would arrest her the moment she was sighted and interrogate her for hours on end. They would demand answers, especially if they were police from out of the state who her family couldn¡¯t control. Who they wouldn¡¯t be able to bribe or threaten to keep her arrest out of the news.


    Kaeo could stop Lea from being dragged through the streets to be forced to reggae through her trauma over and over for the news, her family members, her classmates, etc. Being chained to a bed to heal was better than going back lost and damaged to the human world. It made her sick knowing that she¡¯d have to keep Lea locked away until everything quieted down. But it was for the best. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She cried realizing what she had just said. She reached out slowly but pulled her hand back when she was met with silence. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I was angry. I''m sorry for saying that to you Lea. You¡¯re right, I lied to you and I helped hurt you. You would have been better off dying.¡±


    It hurt so much to say it. Imagining Lea in her bed, so frail and tiny as her family died around her. Looking down at her body and leaving her to be found by the police. For them to rush her to an emergency room where she¡¯d slowly die, withering away until she looked like a skeleton. Her skin was yellowing and becoming necrotic as she struggled to breathe as they incubated her. A dying, ticking time bob as whatever nin human possessing her taking hold of her mind than body.


    Lea wouldn¡¯t have wanted that, even at her lowest she wouldn¡¯t have wanted to go through that pain. To wake up in a strange place with cops interrogating her about the corpses in her house as she changed. Changed into a new form that craved human flesh and could live way past her years. She winced as she knew what would have happened next and she didn¡¯t want to ever cause it.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave me with them?¡± Lea sounded so deviated, all of her energy from earlier had disappeared. She wasn¡¯t an angry viper anymore screaming for vengeance but a scared teenage girl huddled in a corner forced to be in chains. Kaeo knew she probably looked like a monster to her.


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t deserve to die like that. You have to believe me, I only wanted to help. If we had known that your transformation had started we would have contacted your parents and explained.¡± Her hands wrinkled together as she sniffled, she faces a wreck from how much she had been crying. She felt exhausted but she knew she had to calm Lea down and give her the full truth.


    "You knew I was¨C" Lea started to say only to be interrupted by a solemn-looking Kaeo.


    "My cousin could see it on you. And you smelled really strong apparently." The seventeen-year-old looked tired so she didn''t have to worry about anymore screaming. Still, she hesitated with whatever she said in case it triggered her.


    "Momo is your cousin...that means those tattoos were on me too?" Lea seemed to be overwhelmed by the revelation. Her face crumbled as new tears poured down her cheeks.


    "Tattoos?" Kaeo realized she must have been talking about the markings on their skin. "Yeah, you could call them that, though they''re more like birthmarks in my case. Since I was born this way."


    Lea''s facial expression turned sour at Kaeo''s comment. "You were born like what? A monster?" Her anger was still evident but the fifteen-year-old could tell she was too fragile to fight with her.


    "I don''t blame you for calling me that," The fifteen-year-old had called herself that daily since she saw those bodies. "To humans, we are horrible creatures that go bump in the night. But not all of us are bloodthirsty murderers."


    "My mother raised me to respect humans as we look the same and we can feel the same. I''ve gone to school with your kind and I try not to eat human flesh as it disgusts me." She felt like her excuses weren''t good enough but she kept trying to explain her mindset.


    "So, your family eats people but you don''t because you have human friends?" Kaeo winced at how dumb she must sound to the girl.


    She sighs in defeat and nods her head. "Yes."


    ¡°What are you going to do with me?¡± The question was simple enough but Kaeo found herself struggling to come up with an answer.


    Hearing how defeated and beaten down Lea was made her trip over her own thoughts. She wanted to give her some time to breathe and process everything she had been told. But she wasn''t allowed to leave without making Lea her familiar. She had learned just enough about the process to know once she started, there was no stopping it. She might even have to pin Lea down throughout the entire process to keep her from getting hurt.


    She couldn''t run out and say no either. That was the deal she had made to save Lea¡¯s life. It was the only reason she was standing in front of Lea in the first place. If she didn¡¯t hurry, Zachary might have to intervene and take matters into his own hands. She was scared of what might happen if she didn''t. She had no other choice in the troublesome matter but still, it made her feel disgusted.


    "I have to help your transition finish. It won¡¯t hurt, it might be uncomfortable but it will all make sense once we¡¯re done. Then you can get something to eat, a warm shower, and maybe even watch tv.¡±  Kaeo knew that her lies weren¡¯t enough to convince the seventeen-year-old but she wanted to do this the right way. So she forced a smile and started to move even closer to her.


    Lea stared at her with a feral look coming into her eyes. Underneath them, her eyebags looked bruised along with having already gotten puffy from crying and straining her body to try and break free. ¡°And what if I don¡¯t want you to help me? Will you stop whatever you are going to do?¡±


    ¡°I don''t really have a choice.`` She started walking closer, biting the bottom of her lip anxiously. ¡°Even if I want to stop, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t have a choice?¡± Lea whispered, pushing herself back as Kaeo came closer to her. It was beginning to set in that something was about to happen whether or not Lea consented to it. The chains clinked together as she tried to move further away from the non-human girl.


    ¡°I had to make a deal, to save you. And this deal requires me to take control over you.¡± Kaoe came closer, bending downward until she was on her knees next to Lea. She swallowed thickly, feeling the atmosphere shift. The hair on her arms stood as she felt something within herself change. Her cuts burned as she shed a bit of her human shell. She wished there was some other way. ¡°Please, don¡¯t scream, Lea.¡±


    She stared at the teenager with empty black eyes, grabbing her arms forcefully. It wasn¡¯t hard to pin them down as Lea began trying to fight her off. The fifteen-year-old felt sick as she watched the sheer terror on the other girl¡¯s face grow. She wanted to stop but she had no other choice. Lea had to bond with her or else they would hurt her. She thought back to her training sessions, to the girl on the news who had been tortured to death.  She had to show she was strong by making the girl her¡¯s. If she couldn¡¯t protect her properly, no one would.


    ¡°Please stop!¡± Lea screamed hoarsely as Kaeo straddled her body. The seventeen-year-old was forced to see the younger girl¡¯s mouth open to rows of teeth. The sight nearly made her pass out from how terrified she was.  ¡°Stop, stop, STOP!¡±


    ¡°PLEASE NO!¡± With every cry Lea made, Kaeo sobbed harder. She was a monster. ¡°NO!¡±


    Everything after this started to become a blur to Kaeo. Her nails dug into Lea¡¯s arms and they began to bleed from beneath her hold.  It revolted the fifteen-year-old to do such a thing to someone she cared for. The girl screamed so loud Kaeo thought her eardrums would explode. It was guttural, sounding more like an animal than a teenage girl¡¯s. Lea screamed as if she was being murdered with her face becoming red and her eyes wider than she thought was possible.


    ¡°HELP ME!¡± Legs kicking usually, Lea fought with everything she had. Kaeo felt her heartbreak and tears drip down her face. It was tearing her apart to do this but she couldn''t stop. Instead of stopping, she forced herself to bite into the girl¡¯s naked neck. Her teeth dug into her like positioned barbs as Kaeo tasted her fresh blood. ¡°AHHHH!¡±


    Sweaty hands pushed against Kaeo¡¯s head as Lea tried to get her away. The chains holding her down banged loudly as she moved feverishly, screaming out in agony. Her flesh was being ripped apart as Kaeo drank from her ferally. Unintelligible moans that resembled begging left the older girl¡¯s mouth as she cried loudly. Kaeo had read that to her lea this would feel like sheer torture. Her insides would be burning and her skin would feel like it was on fire.


    ¡°NGH!¡± Lea coughed up blood, droplets falling onto her chest as her eyes glazed over. Her hands robotically pushed against the girl on top of her. If she had been human still she would have died from the amount of blood she was losing. Instead, she was helpless to the changes Kaeo was making to her body, unable to die even if she was begging silently.


    The teenager began to seize from how overwhelmed her body was. Her screams continued even if the girl was losing her awareness of what was happening to her. Kaeo slowly ripped herself away from the girl''s neck as she gurgled a bit. A large gash that had already started to heal itself was left, blood dripping onto the sheets under their bodies. Knowing she had no time to waste, she grabbed Lea¡¯s chin and forced their lips together. Not only was Lea tasting her own blood but her own flesh mixed with Kaeo¡¯s raw lips. The fifteen-year-old felt extremely uncomfortable doing something so intimate.


    The non-human girl felt filthy forcing her tongue down the other girl¡¯s mouth. She pushed her tongue in so forcefully Lea nearly choked on it. To make Lea her familiar she needed to feast from her and vice versa. Lea was fed her blood mixed with bits of skin and meat being shoved down her throat with every kiss given to her. The girl tasted sweeter than Kaeo had ever imagined, but the thought of enjoying what was happening made her ill. She knew what she was doing wasn¡¯t consensual and that she was assaulting the older girl. But if saving her meant doing this, she¡¯d suck up to her disgust and see it through.


    Drool dripped down Lea¡¯s chin as the girl completely zoned out from the assault. Kaeo figured this was for the better, she was going to have nightmares from the girl''s panicked screams. Pulling back from their kiss left a bloody spring of saliva which Kaeo wiped away. The girl trembled beneath her with glazed eyes as her mouth moved in a silent plea. There was a wet patch showing the smaller girl that she had peed sometime during it all.  Kaeo covered her mouth quickly but it was too late and she threw up onto both of their bodies.


    It was all too much, Kaeo thought as she quickly finished vomiting onto the floor. She was disgusted in herself, every bit of self-hate she ever felt hitting her full force.  She¡¯d have to clean them both off later as the ritual wasn¡¯t done yet. There was one more stop they would have to complete and then it would be over. Cautiously, she bit into her own arm and pulled her head back quickly, yanking out a sizable chunk of flesh. Doing this left her dizzy as she panted loudly and struggled to remain calm. Everything in her wanted to give up and cry but she couldn¡¯t stop.


    Weakly, she held the flesh to Lea¡¯s mouth. Forcing it open she slowly put it in and forced the girl to swallow it. Now, both of them had ingested a piece of one another and were bound as one. Master and familiar, Kaeo thought with tears pooling down her face as she held herself and cried.

 Chapter Twenty

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty</h4>


    Lea¡¯s heart stopped when she saw Kaeo walk into the room. She didn¡¯t want to believe what she was seeing but it was too real to be a dream or illusion. The younger teen looked scared, she had lost a large amount of weight and paled once she met Lea¡¯s eyes. Tears dripped down her face which showed her bones making Lea shiver. The girl walked forward slowly, treating Lea as if she were going to jump up and attack her. The seventeen-year-old felt so angry, so betrayed by her presence.


    The entire time, she had been befriending something wearing a human meat suit. Some creature that posed as a small, meek human teenager too shy to speak most of the time. Whoever¡¯s body Kaeo was wearing no longer existed, trapped as she had been in an endless memory. Or, she had never been human and instead was the product of a shapeshifting demon that preyed on her. That worked with Momo, who had appeared in her therapy session, her safe space to harm her.


    Thinking about it now in her delirious, weakened state it all made sense. Kaeo was someone she barely knew but had started to trust. They had similar interests and were around the same age. From what Kaeo told her about her life, they had gone through a lot of the same issues as children and Lea empathized with her. She had played into the girl¡¯s hand and now was trapped in a room, chained to a hospital bed wearing clothes she didn¡¯t recognize.


    This only meant someone had touched and seen her naked body while she had been unconscious. They had felt her skin as she sat open to any sort of assault they wanted to perform on her. If she hadn¡¯t felt sick already Lea would be disgusted by the implications that revelation left her. Before she knew it, the two were arguing and Lea could only lash out. It was hard for her to describe everything she was feeling, it was becoming a blur.


    She felt her blood boil at the sight of Kaeo¡¯s lips moving. But she was terrified with the knowledge Kaeo could break her, could destroy her body inside and out if she wanted. No one would even know if the girl chose to torture her. She felt her heartbreak bit by bit at the news of what the public thought of her. No one even wanted her to be found, they despised her. The rumors made her head spin as she was frantic to know what had happened and how much time she had missed.


    A monster like her didn¡¯t deserve to be free but selfishly she craved it. She wanted to be let out and to face the rumors, the press, and the reality of her situation her way. Desperately, she fought as the memories of her life flashed before her eyes. She had killed her parents? Or was this all a ruse to make her give in to whatever game they were playing? It hurt so badly for her to struggle with figuring out what was the right answer. Lea was scared to trust her mind with the demon who lurked within it. Blood was on her hands because of the other woman. So much had happened to her and it was all because of the woman taking control over her.


    Still, the feeling of guilt came with the waves of horror. If she had been smarter and fought with a better plan to stay in control none of this would have happened. She had been too weak to fight back and now her parents'' blood was in her mouth. Lea could hear her brother''s screams as they echoed in the back of her mind. Forgotten memories from that night she still couldn¡¯t see properly. All she remembered were their screams. Her family would be safe, she would be able to live a normal life and Kaeo would be far away from her. Lea would be safe if she had been stronger.


    The non-human girl felt her mouth open as she screamed. Her neck was being torn apart by someone¡¯s teeth as they bit into her body. It was hard to remain lucid with all the pain she had pulsing through her body. There was blood all over the white-haired woman¡¯s hands as she stood over her sisters. All she could hear was her voice screaming out to the lifeless bodies.  Lea wanted to make her stop but everything grew hazy and she snapped awake to being ripped to shreds. Someone was biting her and she was begging for them to stop, clawing at their face.


    It was terrifying and she screamed so loud her mouth began to bleed. Blood was all she tasted; the world spinning around like she was on an amusement park ride. Lea was so tired, she wanted to go back to sleep and never wake up. Would her life be like this forever? Fighting to stay alive, fighting to stay in control, as a monster tried to eat you alive? The seventeen-year-old fought until her chest heaved with exhaustion and her lips broke from being brittle. She heard her skin break into tiny shreds as the teeth gnawed at her flesh and savored it strand by strand.


    It was something that would be laughable if she wasn¡¯t paralyzed from shock. Her body was ripped to shreds and she felt every little shred without any relief. No matter how much damage her body was going through it refused to die. It kept pulling through the torture, forcing her to wheeze weakly with every breath she took. She could feel the blood filling and spill from the back of her throat. It would suffocate her but her screams caused it all to fall out of her mouth with her lips becoming tinged a darker shade from her naturally soft, baby pink.


    Her mind was being consumed by unimaginable terror, tears blinding her into she saw nothing but red. The seventeen-year-old found herself desperately wiping away them in a futile attempt to see what was happening but this made things worse. A sticky, wet liquid smudged onto her cheeks from the rapid movements of her fingers and the pressing other palms. It smelled strongly like her sweat tinged with a bit of iron. She had smeared her blood and saliva all over her face, worsening her overall state. She felt herself become ill and she wanted to vomit from the sheer overload of emotions.


    One minute she felt nothing but fear, the next she was enraged by the act of betrayal from someone she trusted. She wished she could go back in time and stop this all from happening. But it was hard for Lea to even identify where it all began. They could have been watching her that day when she found the drawing in her bedroom. Watching her become curious and struggle with the reality she had been thrown into. When she went to therapy, they knew she¡¯d be alone and Momo had cornered her. She couldn¡¯t run anywhere, she was backed against a wall literally and figuratively.


    And she hated herself for it, as her weakness got her loved ones killed. She wanted her mother to swoop in and save her from this nightmare. To listen to her cries with a loving rub on the back to silence her.  She wanted her father to hug her close and tell her it would all be okay. The both of them would comfort her while reassuring her it was all a dream. They¡¯d stay by her side until she calmed down and fell back to sleep.  Hell, she even wished desperately that her younger brothers would interrupt the three, loudly begging for a playdate with her sisters snickering at her dismay.


    She would never hear their voices again. They were corpses in caskets, mauled to the point they were unrecognizable. Her pain sunk deep into her bones, tears drying as she found herself unable to cry anymore. Lea became numb, her body shaking as she slowly closed her eyes to try and disappear into a dissociative state. The seventeen-year-old desperately wanted to disappear as her eyes became heavy and her limbs paralyzed. She had read about this before, in health class. Sexual assault was something that could make you freeze up and shrivel from fear. Your mind was stricken with terror and your body wouldn¡¯t move no matter how much you tried.


    So, she lay there frozen in disbelief as someone else¡¯s lips met her own. It wasn¡¯t soft despite the other girl¡¯s appearance but rough and feral. It felt like someone was biting into her skin as their lips touched and mashed together. The other girl was inexperienced as their teeth banged atop one another and soon Lea¡¯s mouth was filled with blood. She felt no lust as they made out with one another - she hated herself even deeper for automatically kissing back. Kaeo was a child, she was a kid even if she was a monster internally. And it felt gross for this little girl to be acting so vile with her tongue depositing itself into her mouth and playing around for a bit.


    Lea was distraught, she felt like a monster, a predator for kissing back. Her lips were crushed against a 10th graders and she wanted to curl into a ball and vomit. If they went to school together, everyone would see her as a little kid. She was so tiny when they met, barely eighty pounds in her eyes and now she was even smaller in size. Barely more than a middle schooler in intelligence level compared to herself, a near-adult woman. It made her skin crawl as she was forced to look at her distraught, traumatized face peering down at her defenseless form.


    There was no love behind what Kaeo was doing to her but pure desperation from the look in the younger girl¡¯s eyes. She wanted to beg her about why she had to do this to her but her voice was gone. As those lips touched hers, she felt everything fade away from her body into the nether. Her mind was falling into pieces of debris as it was assaulted from all directions. She felt like she was drifting somewhere and it couldn¡¯t come fast enough. ¡®Is this what giving up feels like? Or am I finally dying?¡¯ At this point, she wouldn¡¯t have cared if either answer was right or wrong.


    Lea¡¯s hands began to shake uncontrollably as her thoughts began to mix and become incomprehensible. There was a low ringing in her ears, too low to be her voice or Kaeo¡¯s. It felt like the room was closing in around her as her vision continued to fail her. The blurry figure went in and out with every blink her eyes made until the girl was nothing more than a blob. Time was hard to properly identify, she wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been. She could have been trapped for hours or days, she struggled to comprehend what was happening. Like sand, her awareness was slipping away with every heartbeat until she felt herself choke.


    Terrified, she closed her eyes hoping this was the end. That she had been right and the girl was killing her in some twisted act of mercy. Without her family, living held no purpose.  She saw no reason to live when her siblings'' blood was on her hands. If she had just spoken up if she said something maybe she could¡¯ve stopped their deaths from happening. Being locked away in a mental facility where everyone thought she was manic was better than being possessed and finding out her family was dead. Anything was better than having to continue living with the guilt of their deaths weighing heavy on her mind. It was worse than the assault than the possession itself just knowing they were gone.


    ***


    Momo looked at the laptop screen with displeasure. The news of the missing girl¡¯s mother¡¯s interview spread like wildfire online, with local newspapers releasing articles questioning the woman¡¯s words. People were unsure whether or not the woman was telling the truth about what her daughter said or that she was losing her mind from grief. The police had offered no comment on the matter which led to citizens taking the law into their own hands. The inhuman woman was annoyed with the way humans were getting in the way of matters they had no business being in. She had enough on her plate with coming to the town in the first place and she now had humans crawling all over the trail.


    Who knew a child could cause such an uproar with humanity. Momo wondered if this was a part of the kidnapper¡¯s initial plan. Grow the distrust between the media, the public, and the family of the missing girl to use for an advantage against the police. Have the town become overrun with out-of-state search parties to not look out of place when encountering locals. Her nose burned as she wiped her sleeve against it, all she smelled was their foul scent. If she had been weaker-willed, she would have gone mad with rage from the situation. Instead, she decided to get what information she could and await her meeting with the man from the nightclub.


    She didn¡¯t like relying on the man for information, but from what Sonya had told her he was the real deal. The woman had been flustered ever since their encounter becoming extra sensitive to comments she made. Whatever connection she once had with the man was strong enough to make her show genuine emotions and not just a fake ploy for seduction. It was sad to see the woman she once had a relationship with care so much about some weak little human.


    Momo dealt with less harsh words than usual and a few snide remarks here and there. Sonya was loyal to her but she didn¡¯t doubt the older woman would rage if she prodded her too much. She had no qualms with slitting the man¡¯s throat if he became an obstacle, he smelled weak to her despite his history. If she had to crush him beneath her feet she would, there were more important things at hand. The stench of human body odor made her nauseated and the decay was spreading rapidly.


    ¡®It¡¯s all so revolting,¡¯ The woman sighed and closed the laptop with her gaze twisting into something foul. She could try her best to clear her sinuses but no matter what she did it would always linger in the back of her mind. ¡®Gross.¡¯


    Her appetite was gone by the time she finished her research so she didn¡¯t bother touching a bit of human garbage. It was for the best as compared to regular human food she was surrounded by, whatever Sonya made was ten times worse. It was messy and slopped down the side of the spoon, drying up Momo¡¯s mouth and forcing her to cover her mouth in disgust. It smelled too heavy, overloaded with various spices and seasonings that made her feel sickened. Just the thought of the meal made her head throb with a new migraine and her stomach twist as she sat with disgust.


    She had no idea why the woman wasted her energy engaging in such activities when she fed nearly every single day they were together. Once she noticed Momo¡¯s displeasure, her mood became even stranger with a frown coming onto her face. She put whatever it was she was eating down and walked over to the agitated woman. Sonya sighed, watching Momo wrinkle her nose in disdain.


    ¡°If the smell was bothering you, why didn¡¯t you just tell me?¡± Sonya asked, looking at the now-closed laptop with a bite of her lip. She looked exhausted, the other woman realized as they became face to face for a brief moment. There were bags under her eyes allowing her skin to be noticeably yellowish as she wiped at her face. ¡°Did you find anything useful?¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Momo shrugged. ¡°If you find articles that cost ten dollars to read useful, then yes. It looks like the internet is running wild with what the mother said and how the police are acting.¡± A sniffle left her nose, it was beginning to become inflamed. ¡°And it¡¯s more than the food, I can smell the rat doing this. They reek like shit, to put it bluntly like they haven¡¯t showered after a two-month-old kill.¡±


    It was hard to find a proper way to describe the aromas she was smelling. Like a bloodhound, she could pick up scents that not many others could. And one of those scents was that of the person who was causing all of this to happen. They were old and left a bitter taste on her tongue when they met one another. Physically, they hadn¡¯t crossed paths but mentally she knew them like the back of her hand. She could recognize their scent from miles away, from the past and the future. Smells told her whether or not someone is one of her kind and things that she had trouble identifying at first. Their body odor sickened her, making her skin crawl as she was mentally enclosed in a tight space and forced to take everything that the rat had to give her.


    That¡¯s why Zachary had sent her to investigate and take care of what she could. No one else in the clan had the gift of enhanced senses and she was the first in decades to be born with it. Her kind had strange quirks sometimes, little abilities that were clan-specific or genetic. How some women could use their bodies and whims to attract people to them, how familiars were made and how some of them managed to feed. Momo didn¡¯t bother to research or dive deep to find information on why this was possible, it just happened. She just happened to be born this way and it led her to become stronger and far deadlier than anyone realized.


    ¡°They smell like death which makes a lot of sense seeing as they kill so brutally,¡± Momo confessed, looking down at her nails briefly before continuing. ¡°They¡¯re a lot older than us, most likely centuries-old from all of the decay they carry with them. It''s like someone has shoved a rock up my nose sometimes when I try to take a breath of fresh air.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, it¡¯s gotten worse than when we were teenagers.¡± Sonya gave her a sympathetic look as she anxiously picked at her shirt sleeves. ¡°Are you sure you want to meet with him today? If your nose has gotten that bad it may affect your health in other ways and you¡¯ll need to rest. I¡¯d rather talk to him alone than have you coughing and retching the entire time.¡±


    In the past when the smells were too strong she¡¯d vomit and become dizzy from how powerful the fragrances were. It was common for her mood to worsen from the massive headaches she would get afterward, something that was already starting. She rubbed at her forehead, foregoing pain medication as it only worked for so long before the smells overpowered it. Her gift was a blessing and one hell of a curse. She would have to power through it as when news spread about that pig being murdered, getting information would get much harder. The little rats working for the bastard would act more cautious and lay low, covering their tracks from the cops and anyone else who wanted to find them.


    Momo thought briefly about the security guard¡¯s stench that night and felt like retching. ¡°Talking to him alone is a recipe for disaster.¡± Even while sick and slightly nauseated Momo found herself able to recognize an ulterior motive.  ¡°You¡¯re worried about that gossip he told you about me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sonya looked off to the side when the other woman¡¯s accusation hit her full force. ¡°It¡¯s not just gossip once people start to connect the dots. We¡¯ll have both of our families¡¯ histories and actions on display if we don¡¯t take what he told me as a warning.¡± There was a slight dip in her voice that made Momo stare at her for longer than usual, noticing the stress that had grown as she shook her head. ¡°I think after we get whatever intel he has, you should tell Zachary that this shouldn¡¯t just involve you.¡±


    Continuing, the older woman looked over at her laptop with a stony glare. ¡°Multiple people have been killed in various ways that are obvious messages to our kind. To humans, it¡¯s just a gruesome crime scene but to us, it¡¯s someone attempting to steal marked territory. And that could lead to them trying to harm you or some other clan who caught wind of their behavior. You can¡¯t handle this on your own, the others have to step in to help.¡± It was rare to hear Sonya, the childish party girl, being serious but Momo was thankful that she knew what was to come.


    This explained how odd her companion had been acting since they got back from the club. Neither liked the idea of other clans having to get involved or their family¡¯s becoming entangled with it. But, Momo had to admit it was more than likely to happen, it was going to happen if it wasn¡¯t already. Clan business was too political for the nineteen-year-old¡¯s comfort and always seemed to end up screwing everyone but the big fish over. Still, they had to maintain some form of order and this bastard was causing humans to involve themselves in their territory and hunting grounds. And they couldn¡¯t pay off the entire human government to hide their true nature.


    ¡°I planned to ever since we heard that interview in the car,¡± She admitted, thinking back to the shock of the woman¡¯s hysterical words on live radio. ¡°I¡¯m sure some of the other clans in the area are going to bang down my aunt¡¯s door in a few days. I¡¯d just rather not involve myself further in this bullshit, it¡¯s irritating knowing some idiot is doing this all for attention.¡±


    ¡°It has to be more than that if they¡¯ve gone far enough to gain so much attention from the media,¡± Sonya replied as she got to walk towards one of the room¡¯s windows. ¡°He¡¯s late.¡±


    Momo looked over at her briefly before looking down at her phone. It was half-past noon already, the time had passed within a blink of her eyes. She had to have been sitting on her laptop since around six in the morning. ¡°He might have had second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°But he said he was coming,¡± Sonya muttered before holding the palm of her hand to her forehead, grimacing. Her cheeks were flushed as she continued to stare out the window.  ¡°All of this is giving me such a headache. The clans coming, the murders and now he decides to just bail on us.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t show up by two we go and kick his ass for wasting our time,¡± The nineteen-year-old watched as the other woman¡¯s mood failed to change and shook her head. Allowing a human man to mean so much to her that she foolishly trusted his word was pathetic. However, she decided now was not the time to scowl at her and simply rolled her eyes at her back. ¡°Or we can try and see if any other of your fuckbuddies have intel.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Momo wasn¡¯t surprised by the lack of a reaction she gave, the woman¡¯s attention was solely on waiting for the man to arrive. She wondered if her theory about their intimate relationship is more than a fling was correct and scowled. To become so close to a married man who barely contacted you or spoke to you after your chance in his bed was done was sad.


    Both women waited for what felt like an eternity with the man never showing up or calling to explain his tardiness. It was starting to become strange to Momo who watched Sonya¡¯s expression become more upset the longer they sat. She wondered if he truly had backed out of the conversation and just decided to ghost them. ¡°I¡¯m going to call him.¡± Sonya reached for her phone, a worried look on her face as she once again looked at the time.


    ***


    Kaeo found herself frozen as the maids stripped her of dirty clothing and helped her walk into the warm bathwater. It was hard to see with the seam in the air and the blurriness leftover from her tears. Her skin tingled as one of the maids helped her in the water on a wooden stool, moving her limbs so she wasn¡¯t kneeling or pulling a muscle. The older women had given up in trying to convince her to talk or to respond to any of their questions. All the fifteen-year-old could find the energy to do was cry and shake her head to their worries as they tried to communicate with her.


    She was too ashamed to tell them what happened. The thought of admitting to what she did make her feel sick. The staff would judge her, they would be ashamed to be related to her and everyone would turn their backs on her. Kaeo covered her mouth with her hand as she began to feel nauseated. Thinking about everything was making her stomach twist and turn with whatever remained in it sloshing around uncomfortably. She wanted to beg for forgiveness, to say she didn¡¯t know it would happen but nobody would care to hear her excuses.


    A bucket of warm water was poured over her head, burning her nostrils and causing her to gasp for air. Soon she felt one of the maids take a bar of soap and begin to scrub at her body while another whispered for her to calm down. The words were quiet enough just for her to hear as the hands scrubbing at her body became softer and moved a tiny bit slower. It was hard to recognize who was cleaning her, everything around her made her feel as if she were in a daze. She felt dizzier the longer they sat in the bathhouse with the fragrant soaps and heat causing her to pant.


    ¡°She¡¯s out of it completely.¡± Someone whispered from somewhere in the room. They sounded angry which made her whimper and sink deeper into the water.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s in shock from whatever happened with that human girl.¡± Another voice appeared out of the fog of her mind, like a snake¡¯s fangs becoming poison as it sunk into your skin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s human anymore¡­¡± The voice from before tailed off as she felt someone wiped under her chin with a rag that was cold and damp.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think they had her go through with it?¡± The rag moved under her arms, wiping over and over her skin until it became close to becoming tender. ¡°She¡¯s too young for that.¡±


    ¡°A child sent to do a man¡¯s job. I wonder how our mistress feels having to lay down with a coward.¡± The words stung as Kaeo felt one of the hands gripping her tighten and someone gasps in shock from what the other voice had proclaimed so boldly.


    ¡°Watch your tongue!¡± More warm water was poured over her head with soap mixing with it forcing Kaeo to close her eyes to avoid any suds getting into them. ¡°That so-called coward is still your boss, young lady, and mistress¡¯ husband. You have to remember your place when speaking so boldly.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re talking about Zachary?¡¯ Almost immediately Kaeo felt herself wit in shame, the man must have told the others a lie about wanting Lea to be his familiar. It was obvious from their reactions that it was to help her gain sympathy for the horrible crime she committed. ¡®He¡¯s getting insulted because of me.¡¯ She wanted to protest but after everything that had happened, she knew to keep her mouth shut. If she said anything, they might accuse her of eavesdropping and covering for him.


    The fifteen-year-old felt she owed a lot to the older man. He had comforted her after finding her in such a horrific state and told her to go rest. Her aunt would just congratulate her on doing something worthy of a future heir for once before scolding her for being weak. The older woman had done the same to Zachary and the maids and the guards but Kaeo doing it once made her want to cry. She didn¡¯t know how the older woman could stomach it, for decades nonstop and expected her to do the same once she reached adulthood to continue their family line.


    In the book, they described it as painful as ripping off a bandaid. Afterward, you would feel relief as the wound started to heal and you could move on from the action easily. But Kaeo never saw herself moving on from what she did. Not for a very long time and she knew Lea would feel the same if she was even considering forgiving her. It was an assault, even if she had no sexual intentions, she wasn¡¯t a toddler, she had been taught consent many times. She shuddered as the maids carefully helped her stand out from the tub and into the cold, fresh air.


    She had pinned someone down and kissed them. Kaeo remembered their tongues twisting together, it wasn¡¯t like anything the book described and she was so confused. She knew it would be bad, that it would hurt but she expected it to be easy. All Lea needed was her saliva, to see her first in her new form and accept the bonding bite. But she had screamed, she had fought and Kaeo found herself panicking with her. The flesh in her mouth tasted bitter and tangy like raspberry as the fresh, newly tainted blood flooded her senses with its flavor and overwhelmed her. It was shameful to think about and find her mouth salivating at its remnants.


    ¡®I shoved my tongue down her throat to stop her from screaming,¡¯ Kaeo gave a weak smile to one of the maids whose own smile wavered before becoming watery. She wanted to curl into a ball while they wrapped her in designer towels and patted her hair dry. ¡®Everyone¡¯s going to be disgusted with me if they found out what I did.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m a disgusting fuck.¡¯ If she wasn¡¯t numb, Kaeo knew she¡¯d have collapsed at this point. The insults her damaged mind conjured for herself weren¡¯t anything compared to Lea¡¯s. The way she looked at her, the shift from disbelief to distraught to rage within seconds of her entering the room, the way her lips curled into a snark when she came nearer.


    It was like a nightmare came to life and she never was going to wake up from it. She closed her eyes momentarily as the maids doted over her small form and praised her appearance. It made her feel like a doll being prepared to be paraded around for the highest bidder. The guests would be dazzled, they said with grins, by how shiny her hair had become. She felt them use a detangler brush and pull it through gently while applying foam and cream to her ends until it all became full of beautiful curls. It framed her face which she heard one of the maids call adorable, making her wilter unconsciously.


    If they knew she was a predator, they wouldn¡¯t be so eager to brush and style her hair. They would shut their mouths and balk at the thought of calling her adorable. All the designer dresses, the thousand dollar towels, and hair care products would never touch her body in a million years with the knowledge of her actions. She was being treated like a sweet doll by them when in actuality she was worse than Momo and just as bad as her aunt. Her eyes opened to meet their approving smiles as they marveled at their hard work and she felt horrible.


    ¡°Are you alright, Mistress? Is the product making your hair too heavy? Do you need anything?¡± One of the maids asked as she helped put her dress on. ¡°We can help you lay down for a bit and ask your uncle to bring you down something to eat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯d just like to sit down for a few minutes,¡± Kaeo muttered, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of them sending Zachary down. The maids already seemed to dislike him for her mistakes and she didn¡¯t want to cause even more distrust to seed in the household.


    Her words only made them fawn over her harder, their eyes glowing as she fidgeted in the outfit they were currently styling her in. She was uncomfortable staring at the way the dress''s sleeves looked to be purposely tailored to cover her wounds and scars. The fabric was soft against her skin and smelled like perfume once the dress¡¯s collar was buttoned.  It was made out of lace and covered most of her but its thinness allowed her tan skin to peek through. If she were to look in the mirror, she was sure she¡¯d look like a barbie from how much eyeliner and lip gloss they dabbled on her face.


    The guests at the party would be dressed similarly, she realized. In their finest outfits, they would come to their house dining on fine wine and human flesh. She would be someone they would scrutinize, they would judge her by her appearance and how she behaved. Kaeo anxiously swallowed the lump in her throat as she knew she¡¯d have to hide her pain for the entire night. The fifteen-year-old knew she would be unable to show an ounce of fear or they would judge her aunt heavily. And if she did that, Lea would be the one to suffer along with her under her new social standing.


    ¡°You look just like your aunt when she was a teenager,¡± One of the women said, her voice becoming lighter as she talked about the head of the clan with respect and care. ¡°You both wore dresses like this, they make your skin shine along with your doe eyes, Mistress.¡±


    ¡®Both of us are awful people.¡¯ Kaeo thought with her face becoming ashen at the comparison. It was one thing to hear it in her head but to be told the same was scary to the teenager.  ¡®She¡¯s dressing me like the woman who manipulated, harmed, and assaulted her. Or was it consensual and I was just the only one who''s crossed that boundary in this house?¡¯


    The comparison made sense, her father was her aunt¡¯s twin and she resembled him. Her aunt had told her this on numerous occasions and so did her mother once or twice in the past. She wondered if she would become a mirror image of her aunt as she grew older. She could see their faces resembling one another, their body types becoming duplicates of one another. Sometimes, their voices even sounded in the same tone when they spoke to one another. And possibly, her greatest fear was that their way of thinking would become identical.


    A twisted mindset, where humans were not only prey but pets to play with. It had disgusted her when she first came to the manor and even now it sickened her. She hadn¡¯t been able to understand the stark contrast in how familiars were treated with her extended family and why this was even allowed to happen. But by taking Lea, she somberly realized she wasn¡¯t any better than them. Kaeo wanted to deny it but she knew it was a slippery slope and she had fallen headfirst into new territory but she wouldn¡¯t continue any further.

 Author Reflection: The Sexual Assault Scene In Ch19

    Something I have wanted to talk about is the sexual assault scene at the end of chapter nineteen. I have mulled over it and wondered if it was necessary for me to write. Kaeo and Lea were originally meant to become romantically involved by the end of the third but I want to make my thoughts clear. I don''t want it to seem that I wanted to lean into the popular trope of sexual assault morphing into a "consensual" relationship.


    Especially since Kaeo and Lea are both women, young girls really and I know how bad it would look to a reader. To see two characters, one revealed to be into women, assaulting a seemingly "straight" character she has a crush on would make many uncomfortable. This has bothered me the author. I wanted to get across Kaeo''s naivety and possessiveness caused her to hurt Lea, her friend, and crush.


    Kaeo was forced through manipulation, but she still has blame to take. I want to show how dark this world can be without fetishizing forced kissing. So, if the two ever do get together this scene is not their first kiss. This is a dark day for Kaeo where she gave in to her instincts and allowed herself to be led astray. Both girls will be negatively affected by this and it will lead to volume three''s inner monologue.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I had friends read over the scene to make sure it wasn''t sexy or hot in any way. They found it uncomfortable to read and disturbing. I hope that came across well, for example, I had Lea pee herself out of sheer fear as anyone would when being assaulted. And, many women are told to vomit, pee, or be gross to freak out or disgust their would-be assaulters in social media she''s defending herself unconsciously.


    I''m unsure whether the scene will be kept in the second draft or will be rewritten into full sexual assault or kept a kiss. Either way, I just wanted to reflect on this scene separately from the rest of volume two.

 Solarite: Book One - Vol 1 Summary

    Episode one: Chapters 0, 1 & 2 DONE


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">We meet a seventeen-year-old girl named Lea who has a rowdy family and a history of health issues.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea finds the mysterious card in her bedroom after the encounter with her family at dinner which quickly turned sour with her older sister''s involvement.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea is taken to her routine group therapy and meets a woman with tattoos similar to the card she found.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Unexpectedly, Lea finds herself in a confrontation with the woman, who is named Momo, and the two scuffles before Mom runs off leaving the teenager alone and injured.</li>


    </ul>


    Episode two: Chapters 3 & 4 DONE


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea has family issues due to the encounter with Momo as everyone mistakes her wounds as self-harm and begins to clash with her parents.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea meets Kaeo, a young girl from Thailand at a bookstore and the two instantly become friends from their shared hobbies and interests. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea and Kaeo befriend each other by talking and soon Lea returns home, only for the day to turn strange with her changing body and mood.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Momo gets in trouble with her family, revealing she isn''t a human woman at all and that Lea appeared to be nonhuman to her or at least possessed at the time. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Momo reveals she has been sent to live with her family due to another nonhuman causing trouble and infiltrating her family''s territory. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo is revealed to be the cousin of Momo, confirming she also is not human and that she knows about Momo''s encounter with the older teenager.</li>


    </ul>


    Episode three: Chapters 5 & 6 DONE


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea argues with her mother about everything that has been happening, unsure how to react to her family''s accusations and assumptions towards her changed behavior.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea gets sick from possession, beginning to realize something is differently wrong with her after encountering Momo and the card.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo discusses with Zachary, her uncle and a once human man possessed and kidnapped decades ago, about his past and how being possessed as a human changes you.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo pleads with him to discuss taking in Lea, feeling worried for the girl''s family after becoming close with her and seeing them on her social media. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea is taken to the doctor who doesn''t; see anything wrong shockingly which puzzles not only Lea but her parents who are watching their daughter whither away.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea hallucinates the woman from her dreams while with her parents out in public and realizes the woman might be supernatural in nature and not just a nightmare.</li>


    </ul>


    Episode four: Chapters 7 & 8 DONEStolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea plans to confront the woman who takes control over her mind within her dreams, fearful for her life if she continues to allow the woman to slowly kill her.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea confronts the woman possessing her and is met with a decaying, white-haired woman.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The woman explains that Lea''s body was given to her by someone she trusted, confusing the girl as the dream slowly turns into a nightmare before she wakes up.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">She¡¯s woken up by the alarms she had previously set in case she became trapped and feels lost, knowing she has more questions than answers.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo regrets her decision and doubts whether or not involving herself in Lea''s life is the right thing to do.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zachary offers the idea of imprinting when someone takes a familiar and essentially is responsible for the others and Kaeo agrees to it in order to save Lea.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo is given a textbook about the history of their kind, their abilities, and how newborns are made in secret by Zachary.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo sneaks out to visit Lea, wanting to make sure she''s safe from any harm along with her family.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Momo is threatened by Zachary as he sees the way she mistreats Kaeo and the two exchange threats with one another before walking away from one another for the last time.</li>


    </ul>


    Episode five: Chapters 9 & 10 DONE


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo finds Lea sleeping and is shocked by how thin she has become, the teenager resembling a corpse more than the girl she met at the bookstore. Exploring the house some more, Kaeo finds her family dead having been torn to shreds and massacred in the night. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea falls asleep hearing her family suddenly go completely silent, exhaustion taking hold.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo runs away with a dying Lea in her arms, terrified of what she has found and what it means for the seventeen-year-old.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zachary helps Kaeo set Lea up to heal while knowing Lea will never forgive her for her part in her family''s death. </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo feels guiltier hearing reports on the family''s death and Lea going missing all over social media and the news. The case goes wild and sensationalized as the fifteen-year-old realizes she''s in over her head with everything and the volume ends.</li>


    </ul>

 Chapter Twenty One

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty-One</h4>


    Lea opened her eyes to find herself sitting at a familiar patio table, the warm summer breeze disturbing her from her slumber. A safe space as she had been sleeping for days, her mouth tasting like cotton and her eyes feeling fuzzy. It was hard to move but she remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness and she was terrified of staying vulnerable. She sat up, finding her foggy brain growing confused as she remembered everything that had happened, her stomach twisting as she looked around.


    What she ended up seeing made her eyes widen in disbelief, she nearly fell from her seat in shock. The room was a replica of her grandmother¡¯s old garden with the smell of the older woman citrus perfume filling her nose and the large table that sat above it all. She was positive that the coaster on the table was the exact one from when she was a baby. Her hands touched it, feeling grooves from when her toddler self had chewed on it.


    She wondered if the outside of the house, the garden, the land was the same. But when the teenager looked down, her eyes widened in shock as she saw nothing but darkness. The entire house appeared to be floating in the air, and she wasn¡¯t sure what sat beneath the waves of darkness below.


    ¡®Is this another dream,¡¯  Lea twisted her body in the chair only to see that the room had no doors or windows. Instead, there were the bland orange walls with chipped paint from her childhood visits to eat brunch with her grandparents staring back at her. ¡®Or is this just some nightmare that woman made to torture me?¡¯


    ¡°You have to give yourself credit sometimes Lea, this is all of your makings.¡± Within a blink of an eye, the woman in question appeared before her eyes. Crossing her legs, she leaned over towards the seventeen-year-old with an expressionless look in her cat-like eyes. She gestured around the memory with a disinterested flick of her now healthy wrist, it was almost like the woman had never decayed before the teenager¡¯s eyes. ¡°I guess that old crone¡¯s home is what humans would describe as a safe space.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call her that!¡± Lea blurted out without realizing, gulping nervously as she saw the woman¡¯s eyes narrow dangerously. This had to be a dream if she was here, meaning the older woman was in control and she was just a pawn again. And with everything she had just gone through, she didn¡¯t have any time for games. ¡°What do you mean, I made this? You¡¯ve been controlling my dreams for months to torment me.¡±


    ¡°I was controlling our dreams for your sake whenever needed,¡± The woman said slowly as if she thought the teenager was having trouble understanding her. If Lea had felt stronger mentally, she would say something about her tone but she just bit her lip. She wasn¡¯t able to sit comfortably, fidgeting as she remembered the torture she had just gone through. ¡°But this time, you made this all by yourself to hide away from the ritual. I expected you to fight back but you just let it happen.¡±


    ¡°They had me chained down. I couldn¡¯t fight back, I tried to escape even as she ripped me apart so don¡¯t blame me when you were probably watching it happen.¡± Lea whispered bitterly clenching at the table with her hands. Her stomach turned sour as she smelled her blood burn against her sore, worn skin. ¡°How was I supposed to get away when you kept me locked in my mind as they bound me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to humor you, Lea. I would have loved for you to die a nice and peaceful death as I was promised. I could have taken back this body but instead, we are stuck in this together. Serving some spoiled brat for eternity, all thanks to your naivete.¡± The table began to shake as the woman became emotional, her voice full of venom as she continued. ¡°I have to sit back and watch you waste this body away crawling after some child for decades. It¡¯s insulting to be scolded by you when I gave you multiple chances to just give in.¡±


    If she wasn¡¯t dreaming after such a traumatic incident, she¡¯d fall over and laugh. It was unbelievable, the first time the woman showed vulnerability and human emotion was because she lost. Somehow, she couldn¡¯t just take her body it seemed. In a sick way, Kaeo helped her by doing whatever sort of ritual she had that day and kidnapping her. What she said about her body made no sense to the seventeen-year-old but nothing did mean anything was possible. She felt like she was going insane with her heart pounding in her chest.


    Grimly, she looked at the woman with a dead-eyed stare. ¡°You were killing me, those weren¡¯t chances it was torture. And you can manipulate my mind so why can¡¯t you make my subconscious disappear or something to get my body all for yourself?¡± Lea had nothing to lose, her parents were dead, her siblings were brutalized and the whole world thought she was a monster.


    The woman glared her cat eyes glistening with what she knew weren''t tears. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for your ignorance. I explained to you what I am, what she was, and what I was promised. You had a choice and you chose to fight. I can¡¯t force you out of what¡¯s already mine but if you had just gone as promised I could have stopped it.¡± Her last words hit the teen like a sledgehammer, sickening her.


    ¡®I can¡¯t back down now, I¡¯ll wake up sooner or later chained in that room.¡¯ Nodding along to her inner thoughts, the teenager continued to push. ¡°How could you? I was tortured, with her hands pinning me down when I tried to fight back.¡±


    ¡°You think an infant is strong enough to bind me?¡± The woman asked but Lea knew she wasn¡¯t waiting for an answer. The chair felt brittle beneath her body as she smelled something strong, something disgusting in the air. It was like something was on fire however there was no smoke in the air and the room was still the same temperature. ¡°I¡¯m decades older than the both of you. I could kill her easily, then and now.¡±


    Lea swallowed thickly, unsure whether or not she wanted the younger girl dead. That part of her morally was just dead to the world the moment she learned of her family¡¯s suffering. If she had the energy to, she''d break down into tears all over again. Wiping at her eyes, she looked away from the woman feeling her pain resurface. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you just kill me if you¡¯re so powerful?¡±


    The woman appeared to have expected the question as she answered almost instantly. Her mouth formed into a strange smile, the wrinkles on her face becoming uncomfortably prominent. It was unnerving to see even if it was out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I did, you said it yourself. I was slowly killing and destroying your body. That human, weak part of you is dead and the better, stronger part that was meant for me is alive.¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean. Stop with the open-ended statements and riddles, why didn¡¯t you finish? Why didn¡¯t you just kill me when you had the chance and erase me from existence?¡± Lea pushed the woman, her legs beginning to shake from all of the emotions she was feeling.


    Weeks ago, she would have fought tooth and nail to survive against her. But now all she wanted was to have died with her family that fateful night. It would have saved her so much suffering and regret to have just died in her sleep. If she was free from this torment Lea was sure she¡¯d be able to be at peace for once. Instead, she was stuck fighting against possible enslavement from the people or rather creatures she hated the most in the world. And the only person who knows it is a monster like them.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t have your permission. My kind has silly rules about possession, we only possess those who give us permission which can be voluntary or by accident. And typically during the process, the host simply merges with the human mind and becomes one.¡± The woman sighed, seeming annoyed that she had to explain this all. ¡°But, I gave you the choice to die peacefully and allow me to control this body for eternity. Instead, you chose to stay with me and merge.¡±


    ¡®A merge? This sounds crazier by the second but we¡¯ve already established demons are real, so I guess merging with one is too.¡¯  Lea shook her head, disagreeing vehemently with what the woman was saying. ¡°You aren¡¯t giving someone a choice when it¡¯s between death and torture. I didn¡¯t have a choice the moment you jumped into my body. And even after, you never told me I could permit you to do anything, instead you gave me endless nightmares.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just jump into your body, Lea. An invitation is needed and I was given one to take over this body when the time was right. You may think you didn¡¯t have a choice but you did the moment you found that card in your bedroom. You hid it from your parents, you approached that woman in the bathroom, you acted out and you destroyed the card. I didn¡¯t force you to do any of that, you wanted to.¡± Lea opened her mouth to argue but the woman wasn¡¯t finished.


    ¡°Even before then, the choice was made that allowed me to even meet you and be given the invitation to enter your mind. It may have not been directly yours but you made it at the end of the day, subconsciously or not. I never acted without permission and I never did anything that would force you to give in to my desires or interfere with your mundane affairs.¡±


    The seventeen-year-old felt as if someone was slapping her across the face with every word spoken. The room began to feel smaller as the only sound was the woman¡¯s voice growing louder, stronger. ¡°Whatever effect it had on your human life is not important as of now.¡±


    Lea frowned, feeling sick as she realized the woman was right. No one would find her in someone¡¯s basement and even if they did she wouldn¡¯t be human. She could never go back to school without being terrified of harming someone or being attacked. People would see a monster walking among them whenever she appeared, her life was over. It was ruined and nothing could fix it no matter how angry or bitter she felt about it. The bitterness consumed her as she replayed everything that had happened to her in the back of her mind.


    Whatever choice she made from now on seemed pointless. It didn¡¯t matter anymore as she would never see her friends, her siblings, her parents again. ¡°So, I¡¯ve become a slave to Kaeo¡¯s family? And after the merge, you¡¯ll be fine with that?¡±


    The woman hesitates before answering but if you blinked you¡¯d miss it. ¡°Our memories will live together but you¡¯ll take on some of my attributes, my skills, and personality traits but I will be gone. And you will go through the same until the merge completes.¡±


    ¡®That sounds terrifying.¡¯ Lea sighed, looking down at the table imitating her grandmother¡¯s with a blank stare coming over her face. This all was a lot to take in but she had all the time in the world to get answers. ¡°And how long will the merge take to finish?¡±


    ¡°Normally, it can take years to complete. But for others the merge can go for decades, often causing one or both the participants to slip into despair or madness.¡± The seventeen-year-old gulped down the lump that had been growing in her throat. ¡°Our merge will be the latter, of course.¡±


    ¡°D-Decades?¡± The idea of being forced to play second fiddle to her mind within what used to be body sickened her. ¡°So...I¡¯ll or we¡¯ll be immortal? Will my body age normally or am I going to be seventeen forever?¡±


    ¡°If you mean physically, then yes you will look as if you are in your late teens to about twenty years old for eternity. For some, you age for a few more years while for others you stop the moment the deal is set in stone.¡± It all sounded so surreal, like a book she would read after school.


    ¡°Everyone I¡¯ve ever known will be dead while I¡¯m trapped here.¡± It was sickening but she had to say it herself for it to sink in fully. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a teenager forever, I¡¯m never going to go to heaven or meet my family again if there is another life. I¡¯m stuck for eternity...unless I can escape.¡±


    The idea of escaping whatever slave contract that had been forced on her was ridiculous but she had to hold onto the hope it was possible. There had to be some way she could break free from her chains and get far away from these psychopaths. She would have to go into hiding due to the media coverage of her disappearance but she¡¯d rather live on the streets than become someone¡¯s pet.


    ¡°Is escaping possible?¡± Lea asked, feeling her heart beat faster at the possibility of the woman saying no and damning her to decades of hell. The bitterness of it all was consuming her, she felt her chest squeeze around her heart as she hoped that her thoughts were wrong.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You can escape by playing the game. I have no intentions of staying a slave in with this body so you need to use everything you have to break that infant and her family.¡± The woman had a pleased look on her face as if she was proud of the teenager for not giving up.


    ¡°They have no idea whose body they¡¯ve branded and what can be done with it. You aren¡¯t human anymore and they will use that to control you. They will try to break you down as they know everything about your past life.¡± Her voice was dark as she made sure the teen heard everything.


    ¡°So, to escape I can¡¯t be myself,¡± Lea said slowly understanding what was being suggested.


    ¡°They can only control someone they hunted down and marked as their possession.¡±


    ¡°But they can¡¯t control you since they aren¡¯t even aware you exist,¡± Lea muttered agreeing with what the woman was saying. ¡°And since you¡¯ve already shouted it at me enough I know that means they can¡¯t control my body.¡±


    ***


    When she was younger, Kaeo had been to many parties at glamorous mansions. Her mother would allow her to explore briefly with whatever children were already there. They would play together and chit-chat before she was called back to stay by her side. With all the people that would surround them, being with her mother made her feel safe and protected within the crowd. Now, she felt that rush of anxiety return but this time she was on her own and her mother was miles away.


    Soft, darkened hair framed her ashen face as she gave a fake smile to the guests that passed by. She made sure to behave appropriately, the etiquette classes she had taken as a child being a guide as she made her way through the small crowds clustered together. Some of the faces she was able to remember from when she was younger and others she had never met before. They were business partners, family friends, local celebrities, and foreign strangers. All of them had enough money and secrets to fund an entire country with a sliver of their bank accounts.


    Kaeo bit her bottom lip, feeling anxious as she watched a few come closer. They weren¡¯t unfamiliar faces but they couldn¡¯t be called friends. She looked out the corner of her eye for Zachary but the man was occupied by old friends catching up with him. She cursed under her breath and grabbed a glass that had some liquid in it, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was alcohol or simply club soda. Quickly, she downed it as the faces came closer and she was met with three other teenagers greeting her.


    She had to play the sheltered, rich girl role to keep her sanity. If she didn''t, the cracks that were growing in the back of her mind would cave in and consume her. ¡°Wow, I haven¡¯t seen you two in a while,¡± Kaeo muttered at the two women before sparring a glance at the older man. She had no idea who he was and by the looks of it, he was just a date coming along for the ride.


    One of the women laughed. The teenager noted she couldn¡¯t call them women as they were only three years older than her and looked only a tad bit older than that. Both girls were from what she remembered, heirs to their clans as she was. The ditzier of the two was from old money and easily passed for your average southern bell. All she really could note as important was her family controlling oil and steel in the past, funding her parents'' lifestyles.


    The other was someone she had visited often as a child, at least visited her mother¡¯s summer home in South Africa. Her mother from what she recalled was a no-nonsense businesswoman who had launched multiple fashion lines, had a salon in New York and allowed her older cousin to model for her winter line of boyswear. Nandi had always been kind despite their mother¡¯s not getting along very well due to clashing belief systems.


    That kindness from their childhood appeared to remain as she let out a soft air of laughter. With a dimple blossoming onto her face, the girl leaned over to give Kaeo a one-armed hug. The other was occupied being held onto by her date, the man staring at the fifteen-year-old weirdly. It made her skin crawl and she wondered if maybe she should¡¯ve kept her mouth shut. He was probably some trust fund baby that hadn¡¯t heard the best about her.


    ¡°We would have seen each other earlier but my mom sent me away to Italy for school,¡± The girl she remembered was named  Nandi, smiled warmly as she spoke to the younger teen ¡°I heard that you and Momo had returned to the states so we had to come to visit. Jolene wanted to see how much you¡¯ve changed since we were all kids being watched by your older cousin.¡±


    The other girl, who had been absentmindedly staring at a nearby platter of snacks chimed in when mentioned. Her jewelry swung around loudly as she gestured while speaking animatedly, her voice cheery despite what she was saying. ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about how you have finally hit puberty, hun. No more playing around in human schoolyards and entertaining their grimy hands.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Kaeo was lost for words, unsure whether to agree for the sake of it or ask what they meant. Thankfully the two girls moved the conversation forward allowing her to drink anxiously.


    ¡°What Jolene means is she¡¯s excited that you¡¯ll be more involved with clan business. We heard you were going to an international school full of humans and then some sort of science academy or something?¡± Nandi asked as the fifteen-year-old wondered how they even knew that information.


    She hadn¡¯t even gone to a science high school but had talked about applying to one in private, preferably one still in Asia. The sudden move to live with her aunt changed all those plans and now she was doing online school. No one outside of her family should even know about her schooling. So to find out that they knew about such a thing made her uncomfortable. ¡®I¡¯ll have to ask Zachary about any rumors being spread about my arrival here.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone was worried you¡¯d lose touch with your roots by doing so. Humans can only be ignorant to your aging for so long and everyone knows that training is awful when rushed.¡± Jolene bemoaned as the only man in the group looked confused by the conversation. ¡°But who cares about all that gossip! You¡¯re here now and clearly, you¡¯ve taken on the proper attire of a lady of your status.¡±


    Kaeo blushed at the mention of her appearance. ¡°I¡¯m still just a member of the clan for decades or centuries until auntie steps down. I haven¡¯t trained much either so I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for all of that responsibility.¡± ¡®And I have a familiar now to take care of, who despises me.¡¯


    Jolene shrugged, having snagged the tray of snacks somehow, and ate a slice of hummingbird cake off it, her mouth full as she spoke. ¡°Still, hun you¡¯re a future heir from one of the biggest clans in the coast, more so the state. You gotta show some pride in your culture and show off a bit.¡± She shoved the tray to one of the servers, a maid who gave the girl a side-eye before walking away.


    Nodding, the dark skin girl continued from where her friend had left off. She looked directly at Kaeo while placing her hand on the others briefly grabbing her full attention. ¡°People talk and everyone wants to know what¡¯s up with you. Momo is well known for being a hothead and your other cousins are the children of the clan¡¯s head so everyone knows what they bring to the table. But you are the baby, the heiress who was raised as if she were human by her mysterious mother.¡±


    The smaller teenager paled, her stomach dropping at the news. No wonder the other girls knew so much about her school life, everyone did. She felt like a piece of meat surrounded by wild animals, the comfort she had gained briefly was gone as she panicked inwardly. She should have known better about who she was related to and what position that gave her. It felt like there were one million eyes on her and there was nowhere she could hide. Instinctively she downed some more of her glass.


    It burned as it went down her throat, feeling as if it would come back up if she didn¡¯t drink it as quickly as possible. She wondered if all alcoholic drinks tasted like this or if it had been mixed with juice by the cooks to keep the guests from becoming sloppy drunks. It tasted watery but it packed a punch as she finished it with a chill going down her spine. Almost instantly was given more by severs eager to please the heiress.


    ¡®I¡¯m not even the head of the clan yet and people are treating me differently. They¡¯re never going to leave me alone as long as I¡¯m here and if Lea was ever revealed, they¡¯d be put into a frenzy.¡¯ Struggling to maintain her joyful demeanor she shakily laughed at Nandi¡¯s words. She tried to sound playful but her tone conveyed how anxious she was becoming. ¡°So, I¡¯m the community¡¯s newest chew toy until what? I''m the head of the clan or get married off like it¡¯s the middle ages.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Nandi said looking worried, her voice full of regret once the mood between the four shifted negatively. ¡°No one is going to chase you down for information about your past.¡±


    ¡°Everyone goes through it at first, the clans are like a stay-at-home mom¡¯s book club. They only gather to gossip about each other while claiming to be the best of friends.¡± Jolene added, looking between the two girls warily. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think this would upset you so much.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, you two have done enough scaring the kid.¡± All six pairs of eyes went towards the older man who had seemed to be lost for the majority of the conversation. He was staring at the two older teens with annoyance, scolding them as if he were their older brother. ¡°I may not be up to date with this clan bullshit but I know enough to see that you¡¯ve overwhelmed her.¡±


    The strawberry blonde clicked her teeth with agitation, her mood flipping when addressing the man. Her eyes darkened as she gave Nandi a glance that Kaeo couldn¡¯t decipher before she began to mutter so the people near them couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Sweetheart, your human is talking.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he''s human?¡± Kaeo whispered her eyes growing wide as she felt her anxiety grow by a mile at the shocking news. Instinctively she moved away from the man which caused him to look back at her with surprise. They stared at one another in disbelief and she felt her hands begin to shake.


    The blonde nodded while giving the man a heated glare. ¡°Yeah, her mom took in this little rat and won¡¯t say why no matter how much she asks. So now, we have to deal with a parasite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my mom said we had to keep it under wraps but someone didn¡¯t get the memo.¡± Nandi sighed, staring at Jolene momentarily with her glare before shaking her head in displeasure. ¡°Kaeo this is my human stray, ignore anything he says because not only is he human but an asshole.¡±


    The man in question seemed disgusted with the conversation. His hands shook and he took a deep breath before speaking up for himself. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about me being human? You all look and act human despite being immortal.¡± He sounded insulted by their comments, his lips forming into a frown as he looked at both of the girls pointedly.


    ¡®He¡¯s bickering with people who can rip him into pieces without any remorse.¡¯ The display of emotion sent a chill down the fifteen-year-old¡¯s spine as she watched the man restrain himself from going any further. Kaeo wanted to warn him, to tell him that their bodies were simply a shell for a monster that slumbered beneath their skin. That Jolene could rip his throat out without spilling a drop of blood on her glamorous gown. And that Nandi, while kindhearted and charitable, had no qualms with using her fingernails to claw away at his face until there was nothing left but bone marrow.


    ¡®He¡¯s their toy to bend and break.¡¯ The teen nearly cried at the thought.


    But instead, like the coward she felt she was, the teenager remained silent. She watched the three argue with another as her palms grew sweaty and her stomach sour. She wondered if what she had drunk was champagne or was it something much stronger. Her body felt like it was covered in fuzz, her skin didn¡¯t feel like her own and she wanted to vomit. Shakily she handed her glass which had unknowingly been refilled by someone to a server, it nearly falling onto the ground as she moved. Her throat felt clammy as she gained the attention of the trio once again.


    ¡°Kaeo you should sit down,¡± Nandi suggested, her voice heavy with worry as she took in the younger girl¡¯s panicked state. She turned to her friend who was already reaching over to grab Kaeo¡¯s arm to steady her balance. ¡°Let¡¯s get her somewhere quiet until her panic attack finishes.¡±


    Jolene cursed as she found herself holding the teen¡¯s body close. ¡°Ah shit, that¡¯s what¡¯s happening? I thought she was just having a bad reaction to the drinks.¡± She looked down at Kaeo but to the fifteen-year-old, her face looked a tad bit blurry. ¡°Hunny, how many did you have?¡±


    How many did she have? Kaeo couldn¡¯t remember but it wasn¡¯t like she had been knocking them back over and over again. ¡°Maybe three of those huge glasses that tasted like really strong wine? And one that tasted like it was sink water mixed with whiskey.¡±


    Both girls looked confused by the younger teen¡¯s description while the human man pushed people out of their way. There were some words exchanged but they managed to find an empty table out of view from most of the crowd. ¡°Why is a thirteen-year-old drinking anyway?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not thirteen, she¡¯s sixteen and we age differently than humans.¡± Jolene scowled at him, speaking the words slowly as if he were an idiot to not know how old Kaeo is. ¡°She¡¯ll look young for centuries to come while you fade away into a pile of dust.¡±


    Nandi shushed her before she could say anything else to the man. She helped the younger girl sit down and moved her head back, along with her hair that was falling all over the place. ¡°Keep her head back in case she starts to throw up, we don¡¯t need her covered in vomit plastered all over the news. Jolene, come with me to look for her uncle or someone who won¡¯t snitch on us for letting her drink.¡±


    The blonde scoffed, shaking her head as she sat down beside Kaeo and rubbed her back. All the movement had made the fifteen-year-old feel woozy. ¡°And leave her with a stranger who is unreliable and accident-prone? No thanks Dia, I¡¯ll stay with her while he goes with you to search for something to help with her hangover.¡±


    ¡°Unreliable? Seriously, I¡¯m the unreliable one here with two ca-¡± He started only to be slapped upside the head by the dark-haired teenager before he could begin his rant.


    She sighed, looking at Kaeo one last time. The teen could see the regret in her eyes as she bit her lip and nodded in agreement with Jolene¡¯s words. It was rare to see someone besides her mothers or Zachary look at her with that much care. ¡°Fine. But make sure to text me if anything happens while we¡¯re gone and say she has food poisoning if anyone asks what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha hun.¡± The two left, with the man staring at Jolene with evil eyes earning him a middle finger as Nandi pulled him away. She then turned her attention right back to Kaeo who was struggling not to dry heave as she moaned in pain.

 Chapter Twenty Two

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty-Two</h4>


    Nandi walked through the crowd with ease, the only trouble she had was keeping her attention on Falen. The human man would draw looks from how out of place he came off as being. Even with the designer suit he wore and contacts in his eyes, he still had an aura that made him stick out in the crowd of nonhumans. The suit was tight against his body, the top button on his collar ready to pop. He had a nervous jitter to him that displayed itself in the way his face crinkled and how he stood.


    Anyone in the human world would regard him as a possible junkie with the sniffs he took and the shakes he had. Her kind saw it as someone with something to hide.  You could just feel in your gut that you needed to be wary of him. She tightened her grip on his hand, pulling him along with her as she gave pleasant greetings to everyone whose attention she managed to catch. If she had to play up their relationship for his safety, she would do it in a heartbeat.


    ¡®Kaeo wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about his true nature,¡¯ The eighteen-year-old gave a small wave to a couple who looked their way with interest. It was obvious they were searching for someone to gossip about. ¡®She¡¯s sympathetic to humans and their cause.¡¯


    Even though she hadn¡¯t spoken to the younger teenager in years, Nandi had heard gossip about her behavior. People saw her as weak for being kinder to humans than her kind and cursed her mother for raising her in such an unconventional way. But Nandi was thankful to know someone in power with such a mentality now that Falen was under her protection. She hoped the girl would be alright. She hadn¡¯t realized how much pressure was being put on her as an heiress.


    But clearly, the pressure was way too much for someone so young. Kaeo had been pale most of the conversation and by the time it ended she looked like she was going to cry. Nandi knew Falen had wanted to say something but Jolene kept speaking over him. He was quiet as they walked, she knew by the look on his face that the conversation with Jolene had hurt him. He could pretend to snap back at her with confidence but in reality, he was scared of the nonhuman girl.


    ¡°Are you just going to stare?¡± Falen whispered as they walked away from everyone else and headed towards the kitchen. The smell of roasted meat hit their noses almost instantly as they moved.


    Nandi tightened her grip on his hand. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what I can say to make up for Jolene¡¯s words.¡± She felt like a coward allowing her best friend to belittle him. But there was nothing she could do without drawing attention to the four of them. ¡°I know I should have said something.¡±


    ¡°You should have but I know that your mother warned you not to. And besides, I''ve dealt with girls like Jolene my entire life and they never have the bark to their bite.¡± Hearing him say that about the strawberry blonde who was essentially her other half hurt but she knew he was right.


    While they grew up together and were sisters in spirit, Nandi knew that Jolene was cruel to humans. She saw them as something that she could not trust and she was extremely hostile when they invaded her space. Most of her kind was, it was easy to see them as lesser when you lived for centuries with eternal beauty on your side. You start to treat people who don¡¯t have the same privileges as you like they aren¡¯t even people and more or less like they are vermin.


    She had done the same for years, it was ingrained in her from birth and sometimes she made harmful comments unintentionally. They both used to listen to stories about humans being the ones struggling for power back when their kind lived elsewhere. She had looked at them with pity because they¡¯d die so easily and had no idea what life could offer. And it made her sick to her stomach seeing firsthand how this behavior was hurting someone she loved with her being unable to defend him due to how her world worked compared to his.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Falen. I know you aren¡¯t used to politics outside of the human world yet and our cultures. I should have warned you how humans are treated by my friends.¡± She felt like dirt, like utter garbage having to excuse their actions as just how the way things were meant to be.


    ¡°I kind of assumed it would be rough but I can¡¯t exactly get on board with watching your mother and these people brag about eating humans. And the way you spoke to that little girl about her position, her place in this society showed me I don¡¯t even know a sliver of how fucked up this all is.¡± Falen confessed as they finally reached the kitchen and were greeted by chefs from who Nandi quickly asked for some pain pills, lying that she had a hangover.


    ¡°Should we call your mother-¡± One chef started with a nervous tremble in their voice only for another to interrupt them.


    ¡°-or help you find somewhere to lay down?¡± Quickly both teenagers looked at each other with Nandi flinching at the mention of her mother being called to help them.


    ¡°Just the medicine would be fine but thank you for the offers.¡± Falen interrupted as Nandi looked at him anxiously as the chefs gave him a brief, suspicious stare before agreeing.


    They quickly scrambled to get her what she needed, ushering them to wait by the entrance as they shut the doors once again. Nandi sighed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders now that they had some time to be alone together. She had expected them not to listen to someone who from what they knew wasn¡¯t linked to a clan commandeering them like that. Thankfully, they listened and now they would be left alone to themselves.


    It was quiet, with the only noise being the bustling coming from the kitchen. It was soothing to not feel someone breathing down their backs. They hadn¡¯t had any alone time since her mother found out about their relationship and ¡°took the human under her care¡±. They would grow confused and dig for more information. And if they found out about him not only being human but being her boyfriend with an ability that showed him who they were it would get ten times worse.


    The party came next and she just felt like a living doll. She had to act calm and pleasant to keep Falen and her clan¡¯s reputation safe. She had been constantly traveling back and forth between Italy, China, and the states with up to 72 hours of no sleep. Then she had to worry about her mother finding out about her boyfriend¡¯s existence or him finding out about her. And when it happened, god, she felt like she would never stop hearing his parents'' screams. They haunted her dreams as the gargled noises they made repeated in her mind over and over again.


    ¡°Nandi you¡¯re crying.¡± She looked up, becoming aware of the blurriness that had taken over her vision. Quickly, she wiped at her cheeks fearful of what someone would say if they saw.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking about and it¡¯s not your fault. Your mother isn¡¯t watching us right now, she won¡¯t be able to hurt us with that girl¡¯s clan in control of this town. Or else people will begin to ask questions that she can¡¯t answer. Remember when you told me that on the flight here?¡± He whispered, pulling her hand closer briefly before letting go. ¡°You told me that it wasn¡¯t our failures that caused their deaths but your mother¡¯s jealousy.¡±


    She nodded slowly recalling the conversation they had while her mother slept. The eighteen-year-old had felt so much guilt for what happened but she pushed those feelings aside. Once she saw the look in his eyes and heard the trembling in his voice she buried that guilt deep. And she lied, she told him it wasn¡¯t in their culture so they needed to stay strong no matter what happened. Even if her mother tried to separate them she would find a way to turn him into her first familiar.


    ¡°But it would be my fault if my mother drains you dry by using your powers.¡± Her throat hurt as she started getting emotional knowing the danger she had put him in by simply forgetting to wipe her text messages. ¡°I saw you looking at Kaeo, I know you were using it on her.¡±


    ¡°I could see that she wasn¡¯t human without trying. She¡¯s powerful but her true form is breaking on her arms despite her clan hiding it well for normal people.¡± Falen admitted, which alarmed Nandi to hear. Having your form crack in public was worrisome and she wondered why Kaeo wasn¡¯t in bed recovering from whatever trauma caused that severe of an injury.


    ¡®Have they been forcing her to train while in this bad of an emotional state?¡¯ Hell, she had only felt her check crack when her mother confronted her about Falen and it healed by now. ¡°Are the cracks large or are they just like the ones you¡¯ve seen on me?¡±


    The man winced as he let out a sigh with his answer angering her at the younger girl¡¯s mistreatment. ¡°Pretty big to the point I see her true form shifting around through it, there are even blood stains on her skin that they must have tried to wash off.¡± A chill went throughout her body from shock as she frowned from the obvious lack of care Kaeo had for herself. Once they got back to the girl she¡¯d feed her with as much human flesh as possible, she must be starving to death if she was so fragile.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible for someone her age. She must be harming herself intentionally for it to have become that severe. We aren¡¯t meant to be, well, fragile.¡± She muttered hearing footsteps as she sunk deeper into her thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.


    ¡®Once we get to the clan meeting I¡¯m going to share this with her uncle.¡¯ Nandi thought to herself in disbelief at how sick the girl had gotten without annoying noticing or becoming suspicious. As she opened her mouth to speak, the chefs came back, with a glass of what looked to be water with ginger roots in it and two pills in one of their hands. She quickly thanked them as they gave her a warm smile before they hesitantly gave one to Falen before leaving again.


    Carefully she carried the glass in one of her hands and handed the medication to Falen as they prepared to reenter the crowd. They hadn¡¯t heard any commotion about someone vomiting or gotten texts from Jolene about taking Kaeo to the bathroom so they were in the clear. Everyone would just assume they had gotten a custom drink courtesy of being related to a powerful clan and would leave them be. And if anyone came up to them she was going to lie through her teeth and push through.


    Because by now, the sky had darkened as the night came closer to an end and everyone was either tipsy, tired, or ready to just get onto the important parts of the events. Besides drinking and catching up with one another, they needed to have a few speeches about what the families have been up to. Some of them came with offers to join charitable organizations while others had new real estate endeavors they embarked in, their child was going to a t20 school, etc that they just had to share.


    So, while they moved through the smaller crowd she could hear someone standing in the room, discussing the new business move they had made or something like that. Truthfully it all began to fade into the background as she focused on guiding Falen and texting Jolene to make sure Kaeo was okay. She couldn¡¯t tell her what Falen had said as she was still in the dark about his actual reasoning for being with her clan, so she passed it off as something she noticed when hugging the girl. Almost immediately the southern belle replied that she saw the scars and was going to ask the girl what was going on.


    ¡°Jolene says she¡¯ll talk to her about the injuries,¡± Nandi said as they neared the two teenagers sitting at the table, hidden away from everyone else. ¡°I guess that will be something else to worry about while we are here.¡± She added already imagining herself going gray from all of the stress.


    Falen scoffed. ¡°As if we don¡¯t have enough on our plate already.¡± A waiter zipped past with a full tray in their hands, ignoring the two as they discussed with one another.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°The plate¡¯s broken by now but I can¡¯t let her pain go unnoticed. Especially since we¡¯ll be here for a few weeks to discuss clan business with her.¡± Nandi retorted, knowing that Falen was probably annoyed with her declaration of needing to help the girl.


    But she¡¯d feel bad not stepping in, so she¡¯d at least mention it to Jolene and make her keep it a secret from everyone else. The teenager had a liking for Kaeo since they had met the girl and she would keep her secrets close. They needed every ally they could get when Falen was revealed. She knew it would happen eventually, their world had spied on all sides. She couldn¡¯t protect him all on her own against hordes of older, stronger nonhumans who could destroy her.


    He didn¡¯t argue with her, keeping the rest of his sassy comments to himself. She was thankful for this as she felt like someone had started to watch them. As they got closer and closer to the two teenage girls the more this feeling grew. It was like they were being followed but when she turned her head slightly to look without anyone noticing, they were gone. No one was visible to her but she had been trained from childhood to watch her back.


    While someone could be gone in front of the human eye, they were most likely watching from the shadows. Whoever was following them was doing this, when she moved Falen a certain they moved with them. They were probably nonhuman curious to see what an heiress was doing when everyone was distracted by the event. When she weaved and ducked under a waiter¡¯s tray she could hear the echo of shoes slapping on the marble floor behind them.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the confusion on Falen¡¯s face growing. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a finger to her lips, shushing him. They moved further away from the path that would lead them towards the two and back into the crowd. She stopped hearing the footsteps as she dragged him with her until people surrounded them. The footsteps were both heavy and light, being from multiple people of various weights.


    She was unsure if she could fight off a duo or trio of vermin with Falen to protect herself. He was only human, so very fragile and oblivious to combat. The teenager tightened her grip on his hand and ran. It was hard to do so without drawing attention to themselves but she managed to avoid anyone''s eye. They were now pressed back into the crowd they worked so hard on escaping with Nandi panting. She had run with the man in tow, the person tailing them getting closer and closer until she lost them.


    ¡°Someone was following us,¡± She whispered, moving closer to him as she looked behind them again only to see no one there again. ¡°Another nonhuman maybe or a sneaky human.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s someone working with your mother to spy on us?¡± Falen whispered back immediately,  becoming on guard as the speeches rammed up in front of them.


    She took her phone out to text Jolene what was happening. The blonde would need to watch her back as Nandi had no idea if someone may be after her too. ¡°No, they moved weirdly. Everywhere I went they followed after and it sounded like they started running.¡±


    ¡°But I didn''t hear anyone behind us?¡± He cursed seeing the implications of what they were saying. Someone had been running after them and only a nonhuman would be able to identify them before it was too late.


    It was puzzling that she hadn''t heard them before, that she hadn''t been able to sense them. She didn''t have strong abilities like Falen but she was trained. ''If I hadn''t been so worried about my mother I could have noticed them earlier.'' The teenager stood staring off into the crowd, ignoring her lover as she mulled over the situation.


    ***


    Momo watched the man walk into the house with open arms towards Sonya who accepted his hug. She detested the relationship Sonya had with the human man but she kept quiet and focused on the matter at hand. There was a stench that clung to him like chains, it made the hair on her body stand up as she stared. A feeling of nausea swamped her senses like a wave once he came closer, sitting down across from her on a nearby lounge chair no doubt trying to stay away from her.


    There was something wrong and she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. It lingered in his scent so she stayed unusually quiet as the man began to explain his lateness. His wife had gotten off of work early and came home to him preparing to leave. This caused an argument to start as the woman became upset from his sneakiness. She questioned him intensely, Momo suspecting the woman believed the man was having an affair before finally allowing him to go.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved you¡¯re able to help us out. I know you have family issues so we won¡¯t put too much pressure on you with this.¡± Sonya said sitting next to Momo with a smile on her face. The nineteen-year-old could tell this made the man¡¯s skin crawl and she had to repress a smirk.


    He was jealous of the way Sonya trusted her and treated her like an equal. She knew that he probably heard rumors about her family and the power they had. Of the murders she committed, the tortures that turned her on and filled her with hunger once she finished. He resented the fact that the woman was so close to someone like her. It made her simmer with amusement knowing this and watched his mouth twitch at the way she moved closer to Sonya. The nineteen-year-old might as well tease the man for a bit before he cracked.


    "It''s no problem. I want to get all of this off my chest before anything worse happens. Things appear to have gotten out of hand." He said, picking up a now cold cup of tea that had been made for him hours beforehand. There was a noticeable shift in his tone as he began speaking again. "I''ve learned some disturbing information about the man you two murdered and the people he worked for."


    "We didn''t murder anyone," Momo said with a blank expression on her face as he glared at her with anger from her blatant denial.


    Sonya sighed, crossing her legs over one another. Her hands were clenched on the hem of her tee-shirt as she added to the conversation. "We only killed that man because he tried to kill us. And I''m sure the information you got shows that he won''t be missed."


    ¡°He tried to hurt you? Or were you cleaning up her mess?¡± He glared at Momo, earning an eye roll. ¡®What are we in kindergarten? His jealousy is so obvious.¡¯


    The older woman frowned and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need to cover for her. He was ready to harm me due to having his ego bruised by our rejections. She was cornered by that creep and when I came into the room he turned his anger onto me.¡± The lie was incredibly believable, with the way her voice trembled as she spoke and the way her expression became watery.


    The man nodded, seemingly accepting Sonya¡¯s explanation. Even if he didn¡¯t, Momo didn¡¯t give a damn. He was just a dog running with a wagging tail desperate for Sonya to give him a lick of attention. She was focused on getting the intel he claimed to have. She wanted to know what pig was causing all this trouble for her clan. They were drawing the attention of nosey humans and she wasn¡¯t interested in having to slaughter hundreds to get to them. No, the nineteen-year-old wants to come for their throat, rip it out and watch their skin tear as blood bubbles out.


    ¡°The man was a pervert as you said but more so an internet predator. He targeted human pre-teen girls for years before the people you are interested in hiring him. They helped him make a little extra cash and he gave them the product.¡± There was disgust in his tone, his teeth clenching as he appeared to remember graphic details he wasn¡¯t explaining to them.


    Momo nodded her head, having already deduced the man was a pedophile. ¡°So he was meant to capture the girl on the news and sell her as some sort of sex slave. But she was aware of our world and targeted because of her knowledge, right?¡±


    ¡°I was getting to that,¡± He growled at her interruption before taking a sip of tea and continuing with what he had been saying. ¡°From what I learned they began to blackmail the humans unaware of your world to start moving onto bigger fishes. Non-humans raised by human foster or adoptive families are missing. Teenagers that can see the future or your true forms suddenly become runaways once their spies find and target them.¡±


    ¡°Why are they after our kind now? Is there a market for non-human children to be brutalized by human filth? Or are they just being groomed?¡± Sonya turned to Momo with an ashen look on her face. The information was hitting her harder, she looked like she was going to be sick. ¡°How the hell hasn¡¯t any of the clans spoken about this?¡±


    The nineteen-year-old wanted to ask the same question. The clans weren¡¯t the small secluded entities they had been fifty or so years ago. They influenced smaller government bodies such as police forces, militias, political organizations, and church systems. They did this through donations, planting moles in the group to plant ideas, or worse, just taking complete control and breaking down anyone who thought of resisting. To have a group of human worms who can kidnap some of their own sounded utterly embarrassing to the teenager.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t fault the children themselves. While she held firmly onto the belief their kind was naturally stronger than an average human she wasn¡¯t able to say a child could fight off a human man. A man that was huge and essentially a big ball of lard, may she add. So instead she found herself pitying the children and their unsavory fates as mere playthings for humans to defile. They would never reach their full potential as immortal beings that could rule the world. If they stopped bowing to humans and playing pretend as the clans instructed this would have never been possible.


    "Because the clans are a bunch of cowards who''d rather play pretend than face the real world. They probably don''t even know any of this." She muttered back, taking note of the way the man instinctively moved closer. When she turned to stare back he instantly acted as if he hadn''t moved a muscle and glared back heatedly.


    ¡®This guy is such a goddamn weirdo.¡¯ Momo bemoaned in her head, allowing him to continue onward with what he was saying. She needed to know everything she could before they started to rub each other wrong enough for an actual fight to break out.


    ¡°Your kind are working with the organization most likely.¡± He finally said after what felt like an hour of staring at one another with annoyance and rage reflected on both sides. When he bent over to set his cup down the teenager noticed there was dried blood under his fingernails.


    Sonya hummed, biting her lip as she considered what he was saying. ¡°I guess that would make sense but why would anyone do such a thing? No amount of money or greed would convince someone to risk being found out and punished by the clans. And the families of the children would rip them to shreds or worse when their identity is revealed. It just sounds too obvious of a possibility.¡± A strand of her hair fell on her face as she shook her head. ¡°There has to be more to the story.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you. There has to be more to this as it¡¯s a deeper issue but I wasn¡¯t able to get much else due to my connection with you, Sonya. Word is spreading fast about you being involved with someone like her. A spy for murderers. People even saw you speaking to one another and have been harassing my coworkers about what your relationship is.¡± His hands tightened into a fist as he spoke, growing agitated once again but this time with the both of them.


    Momo wasn¡¯t surprised by everything she had been told by Sonya. Her family was known for being strong and her parents had a more brutal reputation. She had walked into a human club that acted as a safe place for the two species to hang out and then killed a human man. They were shaking in their boots, sweating at the thought of what she was there for and the sick realization of how no one recognized her. The teenager had burst the bubble they had become complacent in and now they wanted to know why.


    ¡°Our relationship isn¡¯t important to the matter at hand,¡± Sonya huffed, having taken note of the man¡¯s mood swings. The room began to fill with an uncomfortable amount of tension as the two women put their guards up. ¡°Tell them to back off or I¡¯ll give them a piece of my mind.¡±


    ¡°How can I tell them to back off when you¡¯re parading around town with her on your arm?¡± He snarked, the venomous feelings he had for Momo coming out full throttle. She wasn¡¯t shocked, but Sonya was with her mouth slightly agape as she instinctively moved backward, away from him.


    It was clear as day that both women were uncomfortable with the way the conversation had turned. But Momo knew she would have to be the one to vocalize it as the man was someone Sonya was close to. She had no emotional attachment to him so in comparison telling him to get the fuck out would be rather easy. The nineteen-year-old looked over at the front door quickly before shifting her gaze to the room¡¯s windows. No one was outside beside a child walking their dog and the door was locked from the inside.


    If they had to fight, the neighbors wouldn¡¯t hear much. There wouldn¡¯t be any witnesses outside to potentially witness anything from afar, the blinds could be shut. She remembered the blood under his fingernails, the erratic way he behaved and licked her lips. The man wasn¡¯t as innocent as Sonya had tried to lead her to believe but instead a liar. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was hiding more information about the disappearances from them. Or more annoying, he lied about everything.


    Momo cleared her throat and stood up from her seat. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to leave. You have an issue with me and I don¡¯t know your relationship with Sonya, but it needs to be respectful when you¡¯re in her home.¡± Seeing a human huff and puff in the home of someone she knew could snap his neck easily made her nose burn with his disgusting scent. ¡°You gave us all the intel you have and we are thankful for that. But this conversation is over with.¡±

 Character Guide [CONTAINS SPOILERS]

    Character¡¯s With Chapter POVS


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lea</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Main Character</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">All volumes (one to three)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Momo</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Side Character</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">All volumes (one to three)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kaeo</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Main Character</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">All volumes (one to three)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sonya</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Side Character</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Volume 2</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Nandi</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Side Character</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Volume 3</li>


    </ul>


    Character Ages


    Lea - seventeen (volumes 1 to 3) eighteen (volume 3)


    Kaeo - fifteen (volumes 1 to 3)


    Momo - nineteen (volumes 1 to 3)Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Sonya - twenty (volumes 2 to 3)


    Nandi - eighteen (volume 3)


    Jolene - eighteen (volume 3)


    Character Sexes/Sexualities


    Female - Lea, Kaeo, Sonya, Momo, Nandi, Jolene, and Auntie.


    Male - Zachary and Falen.


    Homosexual - Momo.


    Heterosexual - Zachary and Lea.


    Bisexual - Sonya, Auntie, and Kaeo.


    Named Characters


    Lea (volumes 1 to 3)


    Jade (volume 1)


    Yaya (volume 1)


    Momo (volume 1 to 3)


    Sonya (volume 2 to 3)


    Zachary (volume 1 to 3)


    Auntie (volume 1 to 3)


    Nandi (volume 3)


    Jolene (volume 3)


    Falen (volume 3)


    Character Species


    Nonhuman - Momo, Sonya, Kaeo, Nandi, Jolene, Zachary, and Auntie


    Human - Yaya, Falen and Jade


    Fledgling/Newborn - Lea

 Chapter Twenty Three

    <h4 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty Three</h4>


    The man laughed at Momo¡¯s words, the sound echoing in the room as they all stared at one another. ¡°I don¡¯t follow orders from you, murderer.¡± His voice sounded wrong like someone else was speaking through him. The way his mouth jerked as he moved was even more unnerving to witness, it just made Momo¡¯s skin crawl in pure disgust.


    Sonya looked at him in shock. ¡°Well, you better follow mine, get the hell out, and lose my number.¡± She spat the sentence out at him with his expression becoming unhinged as he attempted to move closer to her only for Momo to block him. Her arm stood between him and the smaller woman as the teenager prepared to launch her fist into his throat.


    ¡°Move.¡± He hissed with spit hitting her skin. It wasn''t clear but instead a murking brown color. It was filthy, the man¡¯s entire mouth looked like it was decaying now that he was in her face. Momo felt the realization of what was happening hit her like tons of bricks and she pushed him back with both of her hands hitting him square in the chest.


    He fell back just enough for her to grab Sonya¡¯s hand, pulling her close as she hissed low enough for only her to hear. ¡°Your boy toy is a living body bag, he¡¯s been possessed this entire time.¡± Disbelief colored Sonya¡¯s face but as she faced the man the despair set in.


    "Oh, god." The Russian woman whispered, her face crumbling.


    The rotten smell he emitted, the blood under his fingernails, his erratic behavior. It all was clear signs of a human undergoing the process of possession. He was sent to destroy their plans and kill her from how much he displayed towards her, contrasting his love for Sonya. It was insane to Momo they¡¯d act out something so risky in an attempt to take her out. But what drove her madder than this revelation was the fact he didn¡¯t bear the markings of someone in that state. If it hadn¡¯t been for her nose and distrust towards him, they¡¯d probably be mincemeat.


    Slowly, the creature she wasn¡¯t even sure was a man anymore got off from the ground. His eyes weren¡¯t the color they had been before or even bloodshot. They were just empty, soulless husks as he growled at the two women with uncontrollable rage. Sonya¡¯s grip tightened around her hand as her face became closed off and her body language closed off. She knew she had to be hurting, this human had meant so much to her. He had learned her true nature, had been to her home, and had slept with her for who knows how long.


    And now, she was going to kill him.


    ¡°You motherless bitch!¡± He screamed at Momo, the rotting smell of his teeth overwhelming her as she became nauseous. If they didn¡¯t kill him soon he would most likely fall apart before ever facing his wife again. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere until I got your fucking head!¡±


    Momo smirked, feeling her fangs poke from under her top lip. She let go of the other woman¡¯s hand, launching herself towards the man. The thrill of the hunt burned through her body as she attacked him head-on. She wasn¡¯t going to sit around and play coy with someone as disgusting as him. If he wanted to tip her apart, he¡¯d have to survive the fight long enough to try. He ran at her and barely caught one of her ankles as he twisted his fingers around it and slammed her body to the ground. There was a loud crunching noise that filled the room, his grip would have broken a human teenager¡¯s ankle from how hard he was holding it.


    Her chest burned, the mutated possession meant his strength had grown to match that of a newborn¡¯s. Still, his victory didn¡¯t last very long as she kicked him in the chin when he leaned downward. She put as much force as possible with the move, grinning when his jaw moved merely out of place. His grip loosened allowing her to break free and move out of the way just in time to miss Sonya knocking him over the head with a lamp. It was an unexpected move, with the lightbulb inside the lamp shattering with the woman¡¯s leg aiming to hit him in the crotch.


    ¡°Get the fuck away from her!¡± The European woman screamed her voice shrill.


    Momo¡¯s ankle ached but she didn¡¯t waste her time by focusing on it. She watched as Sonya¡¯s kick connected, with her leg moving to the side to try and sweep him off his feet. Only for the man to move out of the way with a turn and wrap his hands around her neck, choking her. Immediately both women started fighting even harder with Sonya digging her fingers into his eyes. The nineteen-year-old ran full speed at him with a jump and bit into his arm, gnawing into his flesh. It tasted disgusting and made her want to vomit but she clenched even harder hoping to hit bone.


    His blood was putrid from the corruption boiling within it. It hurt to taste it on her tongue, it felt like something was shoving a hot iron down her throat. His body was disgusting from just how bad his being was rotting. Still hearing Sonya¡¯s choked gasps with her fight growing weaker the longer he strangled her made her bite harder. She clenched down until her teeth felt like they were going to crack and crumble apart. She clamped her mouth around his flesh as the man let out a guttural scream. Before her bloodshot eyes, his flesh parted and his muscles tore with her head snapping back with a loud popping noise, her body trembling.


    And with that, she spat out his arm. Momo had managed to rip it into two pieces allowing his filthy black blood to fly out all over the ground in large spurts as he screamed. Sonya was able to break free from his weakened state and lack of two hands with rage on her face. It was red as she gasped from her lack of oxygen and Momo swore she looked like she would faint soon. But despite this the woman punched the hysterical man in the face, quickly following with her elbow crashing into his now swollen nose. There was a horrific pop as his jaw moved out of place in a way that wasn¡¯t natural.


    Every hit made a weird, soft noise upon the impact that made her skin crawl. Like there wasn''t anything solid beneath his skin anymore, despite what they were able to see. Momo could smell his flesh rotting away, it was rapidly becoming a horrific mess of stench. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as it hit her, assaulting her senses with how foul it was.


    Something moved under his bulging skin as her fist connected with it. Specs of black slime fell onto her knuckles, splattering onto her flushed face with a wave of stench following it. She was yelling with every hit as the nineteen-year-old gagged from the smell coming from his decapitated arm. Still, she kept it together and looked around for something to finish him off. Quickly, she noticed the forgotten teacups on the table until chunks of them broke all over the place. She eyed the largest shard and turned to the man stumbling backward as Sonya caught his other hand as he tried to grab her.


    ¡°Suffer you fucking cunt.¡± Momo mumbled before running with the shard in her hand and slamming it into his back. She dug it deeper and deeper the more he screamed, blood spurting all over her upper body. It was like a geyser and smelled so bad she felt vomit begin to fill her mouth. The teenager jammed the shard in further, her hands going into his open wound. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    First, her fingers slipped through, her fingertips being plunged into what felt like a million maggots wriggling together. The slime that burned her skin to the bone passed her knuckles as she forced her hands further. And further, every push makes the man''s body groan and his balance collapse with his knees failing. He fell to the group with a wet slap as Sonya managed to land another hit. It was clear whoever had sent him underestimated how long his body would last in a fight. Decomposing as he began to die. The man was falling into ruin as the teenager ripped him apart with one final scream as exhaustion hit her.


    ¡°Momo!¡± Sonya screamed as she found herself falling. She tried to control her body but the rancid smells in the room and her growing headache overwhelmed her. Blood began to trickle down from her nose and onto her lip as it began to bleed, it was getting harder to think. The world turned abruptly black and consumed the teenager as her eyes slowly fell shut.


    ***


    Nandi found herself watching the wealthy woman finish her sentence and hand over the microphone to the next speaker, the audience erupting into applause as she departed from the stage. In her hand, she felt Falen squeeze it as he spared a glance behind them. They had been in the crowd for over ten minutes now and she wasn¡¯t too sure the coast was clear. The teenager was paying extra attention to her surroundings with the exits covered in party-goers and drinks being offered every so often to the two of them. She didn¡¯t want to risk getting drunk at a time like this.


    While she waited, Jolene had gotten back to her and explained she had decided to take Kaeo back to her bedroom to rest. Her hangover was rough and she had started to blubber some nonsense about ruining her life by drinking. Guards would be outside the door per usual for an heiress and she would have a little slumber party for the two of them. This was a great plan in Nandi¡¯s mind and she made sure to add in her reply to tell the guards two more of Kaeo''s friends would be joining her. They could talk about everything together in the safety of the young girl¡¯s bedroom.


    For now, they would be in the lion¡¯s den listening to each speaker drone on about their newest investment or how their childhood had just gotten into a top ten university. If she wasn¡¯t used to hearing her mother boast the same way she¡¯d be bored out of her mind. Instead, she vigilantly awaited for something or rather someone to show their hand. Whoever was following them wouldn¡¯t give up on how skilled they appeared to be and the anxiety was causing adrenaline to pump through her body at a rapid pace.


    ¡°A woman is standing off by the side whose one of them,¡± Falen whispered in her ear. ¡°She¡¯s one of your kind but not someone who belongs here. Look at what she¡¯s wearing.¡±


    Nandi looked over where he directed and she was met with a small, petite woman who was looking out a window. She was dressed in what to the normal, uninformed eye would appear to be a designer bodycon dress and extravagant heels. Some of the other women at the party had even begun to take a peek at her before gossiping with little giggles behind their hands. But to someone like herself who was raised in the fashion industry, she knew otherwise.


    The dress was a fake, a knock-off someone dead broke would get. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she got it from some fast-fashion brand. And the jewelry she was wearing while passable, was plastic. Someone invited to this party who couldn¡¯t afford a real million-dollar dress and a hefty jewel to match was definitely out of place. Nandi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked over the rest of her appearance.


    One of her heel straps was hanging off to the side, the hook barely attached to its opening. Her shoes had been off and in a rush to look presentable she had put one of them on wrong. They weren¡¯t the type you could run in and if you were someone who preferred sneakers, they would be near impossible to even take a small jog. Still, she had to admit they were pretty to look at.


    ¡°Her clothes are bargain bin and she must¡¯ve worn those shoes to melt into the crowd,¡± Nandi muttered as the human man nodded in agreement.


    His gaze was far away, he was looking deep into the woman¡¯s soul. ¡°Her true form is horrendous, I¡¯ve never seen anything so corrupted. I¡¯m surprised she can even walk being so sick.¡± Quickly, he turned away as if staring anymore would make him nauseous with a sour look taking over his face. ¡°It¡¯s like Kaeo¡¯s but ten times worse with how everything is structured.¡±


    ¡°Meaning she¡¯s being held together by a string? How is she even standing, how was she even running after us?¡± The teenager was aghast, she hadn¡¯t seen any of her kind in person that way without them being on their death bed. And here this woman was chasing them around the building with the intent to take them down no matter what it took.


    It just didn¡¯t register to her that someone who had to be in so much agony was capable of nearly taking not one but two people down single handily. Was she armed or did she think that her body would be horrific enough to overpower the teenager? Was she aware of who she was or was this just a random attack that she happened to be in the crosshairs of? Or worse, was this woman after Falen or her mother and didn¡¯t care about her presence at all?


    Nandi¡¯s mind was spinning and she was momentarily thankful for the classes her mother put in as a child to maintain a faux mask of class. To the rest of the world, she looked cool and collected, maybe even a little bit aggressive with her demeanor. But inwardly she felt panicked with the knowledge that she didn¡¯t know who this woman was, who had sent her, and what was her agenda coming to such a crowded place with one foot already in the grave.


    Falen had a look of wonder and disgust on his face as he continued staring at the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t know how but she¡¯s stable on the outside. But inside, it¡¯s like a bunch of rotting flesh, falling apart and slipping all over the place,¡± He quickly turned stonefaced. ¡°We should avoid her at all cost. Touching her might cause a chain reaction that we do not want to be in the way of.¡±


    ¡°Chain reaction?¡± Her stomach twisted. ¡°You mean she could explode if I land a hit on her?¡± Thinking about how the woman would ripple before combusting from her pores in a mess of puss and goop made her feel sickened. Whatever happened to her or was controlling her had essentially turned her into an abomination. The expression on his face told her that Falen was thinking the same thing.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not but we shouldn¡¯t risk it.¡± He said with his hand clenching onto her shoulder comfortingly. The couple couldn¡¯t cause a scene, they had to wait for the right time.


    The woman began to converse with someone on the phone, her eyes having a yellowish tint to them under the room¡¯s bright light. They moved around erratically as she appeared to be getting upset with the fact that she could no longer see them. Nandi wished that she could hear what she was saying about them but she wasn¡¯t going to risk moving any closer than they were. Her skin was oily and even looked like it was starting to peal rather aggressively on her neck as it moved up and down. Everything about her seemed so wrong now that she knew what she truly was.


    A living Frankenstein''s monster who wouldn¡¯t be accepted by humankind or the supernatural. Her mere existence made whatever upper hand Nandi thought might have disappeared and become instantly replaced by shock. Whoever this woman was working for was dangerous and breaking rules that their kind strictly followed. The two teens continued to watch as her expression become fierce as she spoke faster to whoever called her. Eventually, she left their sight entirely, hurrying off into another part of the crowd, the sight of which made Nandi even more anxious.


    ¡®I might have to tell mom, even if she digs deeper into what we were doing.¡¯ This was bigger than the two of them and she knew they couldn¡¯t handle it by themselves. She¡¯d talk it over with Jolene and Kaeo when they were able to be alone for the night. If they agreed, she¡¯d go alone to tell her mom what she had seen and hope the woman allowed her to continue being away from her side.