CHAPTER 4

EMMA

I had trudged far deeper into the forest than I expected. And I was honestly mad at Ashley and madder at myself for believing her.

There were tall green trees all around me with dead leaves everywhere. An eerie silence permeated the whole place, except cries from crows once in a while. I wasn’t just speculating, this was really a forest.

“What the hell, Ashely,” I yelled at her in my mind, stopping in my tracks “where the hell are we? I thought we agreed that we were going to see people and enjoy the first outing day of my life!”

“Uhmmm…” Ashely wasn’t sounding as enthusiastic as she was when we were leaving the house. “I know, Em, I just feel like I have to be there, like something strange yet familiar keeps calling for me.” she said in a meek voice I had never heard from her.

“That’s too vague, Ash, you would have to be more specific if you want to convince me. Besides, this place isn’t safe at all. We can’t shift yet and I don’t even know what my powers are or how to use them,” I complained.

“Look, let’s just head back home, it’ll soon be time for my dad to get back from work.” I turned and was about to start making my way back to from where we were coming from when Ashley stopped me with a pleading growl.

“We are almost there, Emma,” she probed gently, “I can feel it that we are close. Don’t worry, we’ll make it in time before your dad gets back, I promise. Pretty please?” I must confess, she was really great at coaxing.

“The look of the please won’t change my mind, you know” I muttered under my breath and then continued on the path she pointed at. She giggled and started jumping around on the walls of my head as soon as I agreed.

The sun kept going down as I walked through dead crumbs of leaves that squealed under my feet. I marched through the forest till I got to a large clearing. As I took a step further, it felt as though I was sucked into something and suddenly everywhere was bright like morning.

I jumped in fright, absolutely bamboozled by what just happened. I turned back and tried to go back to the darker day, but nothing happened, I was stuck! And as I looked farther, some strange looking men in all black uniforms like assassins from Naked Weapon were walking towards me menacingly in long strides.

“Ashley, explain this situation right now!” I yelled at her, bile rising in my throat as I twirled and took to my heels. “What the hell is happening? Who are these men?” I asked my wolf, my heart pounding hard in my chest, causing me to run faster.

“I have no idea, Emma!” she cried, sounding scared as well.

I looked over my shoulders and was almost paralyzed with fear when I saw that the men had started chasing after me, worse still, they were running faster.

They got closer and closer to me till they were just few meters from catching up to me. “Stop right now!” I heard one of them scream, and as if on cue, my legs tripped and I fell face down on the sandy ground.

“Ouch!” I heard Ashely murmur in head,

I was about getting up to continue running even though I knew I had been caught, when I felt a strong arm on my shoulder hurling me up from the ground and making me kneel before them.

“Who are you and how did you get here?” the one with a black hair asked with so much authority, I started trembling.

I wish I had listened to my own mind and went back home, I thought, biting my lips. I had no idea how to reply them or what to say. I couldn’t even speak. How do I tell them I was a mute person? And that I meant no threat whatsoever. They might not even know the sign language or even give me the chance to communicate with them through that.

For all they know, I could talk but just didn’t want to.

Hot tears streaked down my face as I realized how much trouble I was in. The worst part was me being totally unable to defend myself. This was the exact reason my dad made sure I never left the house on my own. And look at how stupid I acted without a backup.

“Ashley do something!” I shrieked at her, hoping for her to do something, anything at all that could get us out of this current mess, as the men stood like iron steel waiting for my answer. But Ashley went suddenly quiet

“Did you not get the question?” the other one with more muscular arms bellowed at me. “Who are you and where did you come from?”

They were getting more annoyed and irritated as I wasn’t forthcoming with answers, but one of them was holding my hands behind my back so I couldn’t make any gesture.

Those hands clasped tightly together where my only means of communication and these men had no idea whatsoever.

I let my head slump as I stared at the ground, allowing the tears gathering in my eyes to fall freely.

The other one who wasn’t holding me raised my head up to face him with his hands and at that instant, I felt a strange power surge through me.

As the man looked into my eyes, he staggered back in with his face contorted in shock. The other one dropped my hands and took few steps away from me as well.

These men just saw my eyes change color, I smirked in my mind at their cowardice. The strength in me was enough to take both of them, I had no idea how but I just knew somehow.

But in less than ten seconds after that, over twenty men in that same uniform appeared from the other side of the clearing, carrying guns and ropes with them.

“You better stay still or we would shoot!” the one who raised my head commanded from a safe distance. “And whatever creature you are, just know that a bullet from these guns would kill you at once.”

“Tie her up!” the other one ordered the men who have surrounded me by this time and they stepped closer tentatively at first, but as they saw that I didn’t move, they threw ropes around me and soon I saw that I was tied with a strong blue rope that shone brighter as I struggled with it.

There was something definitely in the rope because as soon as they tied me with it, I began to feel strength seep away from me. I tried holding my head up but my shoulders slumped lower instead.

I’m really not a threat, I wanted to tell them so badly but all I could do was weep till they dragged me from my knees and one of them hurled me onto his shoulders like a light weighted bag.

They walked on till we got to a junction with a real road that led towards different directions. And before I knew, I was shoved into the back of a car and a blind fold was put over my eyes, causing everywhere to go dark but I could feel two men by my side, one at my left and the other by right.

The car I was shoved into started to move with frightening speed. The car windows were not close so heavy gust of wind slapped as my face as the car kept zooming on. It took over thirty minutes (if my calculations were right) before the car stopped and I was hurled out from the seat back to someone’s shoulder again.

I could hear waves from the sea and it felt like I was imagining it, because, well, I couldn’t see a thing. Soon the person carrying me entered a place that was quieter as I could no longer hear the sound of waves. He started walking more carefully as if he was coming down from a flight of stairs.

He walked for some few minutes till I heard the sound of iron gates clanging open and I was dropped on the bare floor like a heap of sand. The blindfold was removed from my eyes and instantly took in the environment with itching eyes.

I rubbed my eyes frantically to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. I was in a cage, with the light entering so dim, it looked like it was under the ground.

This looked like bigger trouble, I couldn’t even reach my dad in any way as I left my phone back at home. I could imagine how worried he would be reaching home and not finding me.

The gate was closed noisily and locked with a huge chain and padlock. And I was left on my own in this semi dark and scary place. The footsteps of the men echoed as they walked out of the place.

Soon, the whole place fell silent and I realized it was just me here. So much for an 18th birthday, I thought as I sat on the floor, wrapping my hands around my knees and once again the tears started to flow.

It felt as though trouble was always waiting for me. Coming out of my house for the first day of my life and this was where it landed me. My heart shredded into tiny pieces as I thought of what would become of me. Why can't I ever be accepted? And this was why my father tried so hard to keep me locked in for over a decade, so I had no interaction with anyone asides him. I guess he knew what he was doing after all.

I began to sob quietly but the sound of my own sob bounced back at me along with a loud footsteps and the sweet strong smell of freshly cut grass wafted into my nostrils.