"Coral, listen to me, do NOT make a sound."
The moon's cold hue was shining brightly through the window of a cottage, tracing the curly reds of a little girl asleep on a fur sheeted bed, painting midnight streaks of blue in her hair when her mother barged in through the door, grabbed her shoulders and stared her deep into her soul with frightened, nervous blue ones.
Her mother's coffee brown hair was disheveled and her face pale. She looked terrified. Coral could see the horror etched along the lines on her face.
That was enough to make the drowsiness flee. "What's going on, Mom, why do you look like something bad is coming? Is it the warewolves?"
Her mother told her stories about them in books every night before she went to bed. But they were only ever fictional. Perhaps she said that in hopes to ease her, in hopes that this was a dream she would soon wake from.
"Worse." Her mother glanced at the door before picking her up. She flung the closet open and dropped her inside. Then, she yanked out a small bottle from her dress pocket and emptied the powdery substance on her little body.
Coral clenched a small fist in front of her lips and coughed, the powder smoke wafting into her nose like waves of asphalt. This was Artemisia, a plant with a pungent smell, poisonous if ingested. But it was only ever used to conceal your scent from Warewolves. Mother told her so.
Why is she doing this?
"What's wrong?" Coral reached out, attempting to flatten the crease between Mother's brows but Mother stopped her, snaking bony fingers around her tiny wrists and looking down at her with an irritated frown.
Coral's chest heaved and her eyes welled. "What's going on, Mom?"
"Shush, shush, listen Coral, just please listen to what I have to say."
The little child consciously braced herself. She knelt on the wooden floor of the closet, clasped her sweaty palms on her clenched thighs and nodded slowly, her heart beat erratic in her ears.
Mother whipped her head behind her again, as if expecting something to storm in through the door.
When she turned back to Coral, her eyes were laced with horror.
"Whatever happens, anything at all, do NOT move, do NOT come out of here, do NOT even dare to make a sound." Her eyes redden as tears hung by, ready to fall. Her face contorted before she sniffled and wiped a bloody hand over it. "Gosh, why did this have to happen?"
Wait..
"Why is your hand covered in blood, Mom, did you hurt yourself?"
No, infact, her whole body was covered in blood, from her shoulder blades down to her white dress and sneakers.
But it seemed the little redhead was the only one who cared.
"I need to know you understand me, Coral, do you understand?!"
Mother's command was a whisper but it shook her to her core. Coral blinked slowly with a nod. "Yes."
"Good, now." Mother spawned out a silver dagger from her back pocket and clasped Coral's hands around it. It was so tight Coral felt her hands would tear into it. "Never lose this, no matter what. Always keep it with you."
Coral nodded again, watching her mother shake in awe. Her heart bled. She wished she knew what was going on, but perhaps Mother didn't see it fitting to tell a seven year old anything.
Mother looked behind her again, and that was when Coral heard it. Noises. Grunts. People running. Whoever they were, they were many and were coming up the stairs. Towards them.
Mother didn't try to look strong anymore. She broke out into painful sobs. Then, she turned to Coral. "I am so sorry." She wrapped her in an embrace, muttering closely in her vibrant sunset coloured hair. "I love you so much, my baby. I'm sorry this had to happen." Her chest vibrated as she cried.
Coral's lips quivered and her heart pounded. Before she could hug her back, Mother pressed a long kiss to her head.
It felt like a promise, a promise that was about to be broken. Then, Mother quickly pulled away and closed the closet, trapping Coral inside.
With a trembling body and an aching heart, Coral sunk into the folded clothes, clutching the dagger to her chest and peeking through the little ridges of the closet. She could still see Mother but only from her chest to her torso.
Smash!
The door suddenly slammed open. It crumbled to the ground, trampled cruelly under the feet of the people rushing in. Coral couldn't see their faces but their voices differed.
The man leading them stopped right in front of Mother. He was dressed thoroughly in black, howbeit weirdly like an historian.
"Are you the one who bares her?" His voice was cold, dangerous and evil. It was like walking on thin, pointy ice.
No matter where you turned, you'd fall.
Coral wanted to yell out to Mother to get out of there, but she knew she couldn't. She was painfully aware.
Mother moved a staggering step back. "I.. I think you're wrong. I have no idea who.."
"You're pregnant?" It was a statement rather than a question.
Coral frowned. No, that can't be right. Mom cannot be pregnant, she didn't look a bit pregnant. I would know. I never saw a budge. She said Dad left us when I was still in her womb. He never came back.
… unless she's seeing someone else.
"I am.." Mother choked on words, trying to keep herself from crying. "I am not.."
The man stepped closer to her, tentatively. "I've only ever heard about a woman who bore for the gods, but I am only now seeing it. I always thought you mortals were irritatingly weak. You still are though, doesn't change a thing."
"No, no, please…"
"Is she my mate?"
Coral's eyes narrowed. What.. what did he just say? Mom said mate was the word specifically used among supernatural creatures to describe their soulmate. He won't know that unless.. he is…
"She is not!"
"Selene despises me enough to let this happen," he scoffed humourless, "infuriating."
"Have you forgotten what you did to earn her curse?!"
He seethed. "You grow a heart, human, just because the goddess granted you the Vision and Sight. Have you failed to recognize who stands before you?"
"Go to hell, you motherfucking cursed Lycan Kin.."
It happened in a flash. His hand transformed into a gigantic, white paw, bigger than ten of Coral's head. He grabbed Mother's head with it and raised her from the floor. The paw swallowed it whole, stealing the gasp from her lips.
Then, it clenched, hard. Crushed noises echoed in the room.
Coral's eyes widened, reflecting the glistening blood and chunks that slid its way down to Mother's body, staining her dress and rounding to her dangling, lifeless feet.
Bile rushed to the roof of Coral's mouth. Her legs wobbled. Her heart felt as if it's been ripped apart.
Mom.. no.. no no no..
The strange man released Mother and her body dropped to the floor in a silent slump. His paw transformed back to a perfect human hand before he motioned toward one of the men behind him. "The sword."
It wasn't until they handed it to him that realization dawned on Coral. He's going to kill the baby in Mom's womb!
He spun the long blade between his fingers before he plunged it into her rear. Coral's ears throbbed, echoing the tissues squelching and blood spewing.
Her nausea worsened. All she wanted to do was retch and scream out, yell anywhere, somewhere!
Yet, she remained still, anger and fear boiling beneath her skin.
"Is that all?" The man drawled as though bored. Fueled by a naive courage, Coral had the slightest idea to lunge out and pierce the dagger into the side of his neck.
If he's what I suspect he is, it will be a fair sight to watch his eyes dance before they lose their lights.
"Yes, your majesty. We've cleared every pregnant women in this town."
Fear shot through her bloodstream and Coral clutched the blade so hard it cut through her skin. Blood trickled slowly down her pale palms.
I will wake up.
I will wake up.
I will wake up.
That's it, this is all just a bad dream. Mom isn't dead. She wasn't killed. I will become a doctor and she will come for visits, with plenty of snacks and.. and..
Her eyes watered.
"My lord, is something wrong?"
"Silence."
Everywhere went quiet, too quiet.
It took Coral a second to realize Mother's murderer was walking over to the closet, over to her. Her breath hitched and she went still.
He's going to find me!
He paused just outside the closet door, his frame shielding the light from passing through.
"Come out, now, before I rip you to shreds."