"Eleanor, I need you to stay away from me." He says as he holds tight onto my hand. I look up at him in confusion and hurt. No hint of anger is in his eyes.
"What, why?" I ask, voice breaking.
"I just need you to trust me okay? I don't want you to g...
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Ms. Blake's eyes narrow wickedly at my shocked expression, before raising her hands in the air. Suddenly all of the doors and windows of my house burst open, sending a surge of rain and wind into my face. The wind is so strong that newspapers, magazines and loose papers start to whirlpool around the kitchen.
"Eleanor, get down!" I hear my father yell, and I turn to dive under the kitchen table.
Before I can make it under I watch as a potted plant flies from the living room and smashes into my father's head. He hits the ground with a thump so loud it echoes in the wind. I try to race toward him, but Ms. Blake jumps in front of me and throws me back onto the floor. My eyes lock with her just as the windows slam shut.
"Eleanor, dear, so sorry this is what it has come to," Ms. Blake says while looking down at my crumbled form, "unfortunately I hadn't anticipated that you would get yourself involved with a pack of werewolves."
"What had you anticipated?" I hiss, feigning bravery.
"I think you already know," She smiles warmly at me despite everything, "I pushed you to research your mother's history, knowing that you would find out the horrible truth of how she was murdered. I lured you to me last night at the recital so you could see how high the stakes are. I wanted you to understand why I am doing this, why it's necessary."
"I don't understand any of it," I say while cautiously standing, "You're killing innocent people, how is that necessary?"
"You do know where the term sacrifice comes from? You're a smart girl, right?" Ms. Blake says as I start back up towards the kitchen counter. She matches each step I take but doesn't stop me. When I don't answer her question, she continues.
"Well it comes from the latin sacrificium which means an offering to a deity. The killings are a necessary evil, an offering to me. With each sacrificed group I have been able to harness power I otherwise would not have been able to tap into. Think of it like a loan. These people are offering me power that I can use to show those Alpha Pack monsters just how big of a mistake they made. They killed your mother, Eleanor, and they deserve to be punished. We could do it together." She says, reaching out her hand to me.
Once I feel my back press up against the counter, I turn and grab the largest knife I can from the knife rack. I whip around, ready to defend myself against Ms. Blake, but it's too late. In an instant Ms. Blake flicks her outstretched hand and the knife slips from my grip and lands in her palm. I turn back to try and grab another, but the entire rack goes flying down the counter and out of reach.
"I see you have already made up your mind," Ms. Blake says, twirling the knife around in her right hand.
"My mother wouldn't have wanted this. You think you are punishing a group of monsters, but you've really just become one yourself."
"Such a pity," Ms. Blake sneers, raising her left hand in the air. All at once the knives fly back across the room until they are hovering in the space between us, "I could have shown you just how much power you have inside you. Without me, without any sort of training, you are weak. You have nothing to offer.
