Fire And Ice

Chapter 13 - Burning Memories

Natalia's P. O. V

I woke up to a sunless sky with a fading moon. The ever present heartbeat of the city couldn't seem to reach my home.

I sat up and stretched. 'Good morning, Nat.'

'Morning, Candy.' I grinned. 'That was the best night's sleep I've ever had in my life.'

'That's good to hear.'

I got out of bed and stretched. Humming the melody of a song I'd heard from a passing car yesterday, I walked to my duffel and changed out of my pyjamas and into my workout clothes.

After my morning workout routine, I took a nearly scalding hot shower and got into some of my sweats in my duffel. I walked into my closet and got to work with sorting my clothes.

For two hours, I got busy with arranging everything according to category then by colour. The time whizzed by as I worked and before I realise it, I was done. Everything looked great even though they didn't fill up to half of the closet space.

I changed into a new pair of blue jeans and a white shirt. The sun had graced the sky with its presence when I walked out. I grabbed my duffel and everything that had been in it on my way to the living room.

I spilled all its contents on the floor in front of the fireplace and took my hair dye, spare coloured contacts, gloves and boots that I'd gotten from my mother, my important papers and wallet then put them on one of the blue couches.

Using a match I'd discovered in the kitchen, I got a fire started in the fireplace. Kneeling in front of it, I stared at the hypnotic dance of the flames that seemed to have me transfixed.

I grabbed the first piece of clothing my hand landed on and tossed it into the fire's waiting jaws. I smiled as the material became one with its destroyer.

This time, I actually looked at the next thing my hand grasped. It was a baggy yellow shirt, splattered with now dry blood and holes. I loathed it and the memories it brought.

I cowered in terror as the man that was my biological father stalked towards me with intentions that no real dad should ever come close to having.

"P-please," I whimpered as I shrank back, "I d-didn't know! I-I swear I h-had no i-i-idea, A-Alpha."

"Shut up, you stupid waste of space! Do not speak! You are a mistake! A mistake, you hear! You knew! You knew not to talk to anyone who wasn't in the pack about anything! And yet you did! When I'm done with you, you will never disobey me, you useless excuse for a werewolf!"

"No... no, please! I-I'm s-sorry!" I pleaded as he raised me up by my hair. My rather small thirteen year old frame dangled from his grasp as I clutched his arm to take some of the strain off my screaming scalp.

"STOP SCRATCHING ME, YOU BITCH!" He raged as he shook me violently. He pulled his arm back and flung me across the space to the other side of the school corridor we were in. My head crashed against the wall, followed by the rest of my body, before I fell limply to the floor.

My head throbbed as my vision threatened to darken. My whole body felt like it'd been run over by a mac truck before the vehicle reversed then ran me over another time, just for good measure. Surely, all my bones were broken.

I couldn't move a muscle as I heard him leisurely walk towards me, as if taking a stroll. I forced myself to remain conscious out of fear of what he would to me while I wasn't mentally present.