“What?!!”
I couldn’t identify who yelled the loudest. My companions? Or me?
“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded, frowning at him.
“You are not human,” he repeated, his gaze certain as he looked at me.
“Not human? Do you even know what you are talking about?” I folded my arms, amused. “If you are confident about this, then, what am I? A werewolf” I pursed my lips, waiting for his reply.
“I can’t tell.” He got to his feet, shaking his head like he was still trying to figure me out. “It’s confusing.”
“That’s because I’m human,” I deadpanned, glaring at him. “I realize it’s too much for you to come to terms with, but I’m not one of you guys. I was born human and have remained human since I met them.” I gestured towards my lovers, who were still too stunned to utter a word. They kept glancing from me to Da Ankora, and back to me.
“No, you are not.” Da Ankora shook his head. “There’s something within you. I can’t tell what it is, but it feels like someone sealed your powers. All you need to do is open the lid, and -”
“You are just guessing.” I got up from the couch and took my purse. “There’s nothing inside me. It is unclear to me why you think I’m not human. Is it because of these scratches?” I gestured to the marks I got this morning. “I believe this has to do with the serum that bastard injected me with, and nothing else.”
“That’s why you are feeling this way,” he muttered, peering at me. His green eyes bore into mine with a ferocity that made me take a step back, almost falling on the couch. It felt like he was staring into my soul, stripping me naked as he tried to understand my thoughts. “Whatever was in that injection caused a reaction to your bloodstream, bringing out a side of you that was closed off.”
“That’s where you got it wrong.” I broke my eyes away from the staring contest and took a deep breath before I focused on him. This time, I made certain not to stare into his eyes, knowing I would only be locked in a gaze I wouldn’t be able to break through. “I’m human. There’s nothing sealed within me.”
“Oh, there is,” he stated in a convinced tone. “Soon, you realize that I’m telling the truth.”
“Impossible.”
“Da Ankora, are you positive about this?” Fred asked, placing his hand on my left shoulder.
“You should know by now,” he muttered. “When she’s ready to embrace her other self, bring her back.” With those words, he turned his back to us and stepped into the inner chamber he walked out from when we visited him.
“He’s lying,” I mumbled, shaking my head to dispel the thoughts that tried to take root in my head. “I’m human. I only got this because of the injection, right?” I peered at Fred.
“Yes, that’s right,” Blue responded, patting my right shoulder. “Da Ankora is now old. I bet he’s not as reliable as he was when he was young.”
“Don’t you dare insult my craft!” came the booming voice of Da Ankora. He didn’t sound that happy at Blue’s words.
“Oops. Sorry,” Blue apologized, grinning mischievously.
“Let’s go.” Fred took my hand in his and led me out of the building, with Blue close behind me. Before we left, they yelled out their goodbyes to Da Ankora, who responded with a grunt. He was still pissed at them.
“Do you think what he said is true?” Fred asked Blue the moment we got to the house. Returning to Earth was so simple. All my lovers had to do was create a portal between their kingdom and their house. They just waved their hand in the air, and a door appeared out of nowhere and fixed itself on the ground. Walking through the mysterious door, we found ourselves in the kitchen.
It was the same as when we went. They took me through the door Scarlett always walked through, and we found ourselves in front of Da Ankora’s house, in the middle of fucking nowhere. The cottage was the only building in the vicinity, and it was surrounded by a thick forest – one that looked dangerous even during the day.
“Do you?” Blue asked, instead of responding to the question.
“I -”
“It’s not true,” I interrupted Fred, shooting a glare at them. “Why would you think I’m not human? Have I given you any reason to believe otherwise?”
“No, it’s just -”
“He’s old,” I deadpanned, leaning on the couch. “What’s to tell that what he said is wrong? For all we know, he could have been guessing that.”
“But -”
“There’s nothing to think about here. He just guessed it.” I got up from the couch, smiling at my lovers, who still looked deep into their thoughts. “I guess I need to rest my head. Wake me up when dinner is ready.”
They said nothing as they watched me climb the stairs. I assumed they would follow me as they had always done, but they seemed too deep in thought to do that.
Sighing loudly, I walked back to my room and plopped down on the bed. I must have been tired because the moment my head hit the pillow, I dozed off.
…..
“Mara!”
I turned at the sound of the name. Funny enough, I couldn’t control my body. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have turned since the name wasn’t even mine.
“Mara!”
The voice came once more.
Oddly, I felt something familiar with the voice. Like I have heard it so many times, even though it was the first time I did.
“Mama!” I called out, shocking the hell out of myself. However, that wasn’t what stunned me the most. It was my voice. It sounded odd. Like a child’s.
It was then that I looked down, only to scream out when I noticed how small my hands and feet had become. Don’t tell me I had turned into a freaking child????????!