Gray Valley

t h i r t y - t w o

"I AM MARYANNE," the dark-skinned girl introduced herself to us, barely a minute afterwards. I was still dumbstruck from finding out who she was and found I couldn't respond. "Who are you all?"

Maryanne Grant was beautiful. She was beautiful in a gentle, yet fragile way. Seeing her properly, I knew that for sure. She was small; even smaller than me... Which was definitely saying something. My small size often made people mistake me for someone much younger. Even her voice was strangely soft and light.

Her dark skin was smooth and flawless, with no single mark tainting it. She long hair that could only be described as midnight. It seemed to flow forever; perhaps looking longer on her than it would on an average person.

But it was her eyes... Her eyes, that held me frozen in place.

Like all Gray Wolves, her eyes were... Gray. But I seriously doubted that it could be described in that way. Calling her eyes gray would been insult to her.

Her eyes were like quicksilver.

At first sight, they were metallic... They shone with peace and tranquillity. But the longer I stared; the darker it became.

There was something sinister lurking beneath her beauty. In fact, it was more than just sinister... It was deadly.

I didn't quite know what it was, but there was something about her that was strange. It was as if her slightness and beauty was only a facade... A facade that I couldn't see through.

Liam was the first to break the silence. And when he did, it made my attention return to the present.

"Mary... It's me, William," Liam answered, a smile filling his face. "Can't you tell, anymore?"

"Will?" she inquired, her face full of shock. "Is that really you? You've grown at least half a metre taller."

"Well, that's what happens when you leave a Gray Wolf during their adolescent years," he teased. "You haven't seen me since before I was 10, Mary. Of course, I've grown." She, too, smiled and for a moment the dark glint in her eyes vanished. "This is Bryanna but she prefers-"

"A Brown Wolf," she stated, the malice returning to her face. The happiness on her face had disappeared without a trace. "This girl is a Brown Wolf - no, a monster."

Anna blinked away her tears and glanced down at Mary, her lips set in a straight line.

"Mary-" West warned her.

"No, West," she snapped, interrupting my brother. "I want to know about this. Since when did the Grayson home accomodate mindless beasts?"

"You," I growled, stepping forward. How dare she? How dare she insult my friend? Just thinking how upset Anna was, already, angered me beyond reason. "Don't you dare insult my friend!" Mary recoiled slightly, as I felt the mark on my neck burn and my eyes, presumably turned red. But then her face cleared up and she giggled.

"Oh my Luna," she managed. "You're still exactly the same... Aren't you, Wes?"

Wes. She called me by the nickname I hated the most. Deep down, I suspected that she was doing it on purpose.

"My name isn't Wes," I dead-panned, keeping my eyes fixed on her. "I'd rather you not call me that."

"Still as fiesty as ever, I see." I glared down at her, annoyed at her voice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied flatly.

"Will," she turned to face Liam. "From the way her mark burnt, I thought you fixed the bond, already." He nodded. "Then why can't she remember me?"

"It only happened several days ago," he reasoned. "Her memories will gradually return over the next few days."

"Well, I can hardly wait," she smirked. "I can't wait for you to remember me, Wes."

"But I-"

"Mary?" a voice asked incredulously. I turned and found Martyn at the doorway, staring at her with disbelief. "Is that really you?"

"It's been a while, Martyn," she greeted. As they continued to stare at one another, Michael stepped into the room.

And for the first time I had ever seen him, he was smiling.

"Maryanne," he said quietly. With no further words, they instinctively moved towards each other, with Michael wrapping his arms around her.

"Father," she whispered.