Alcina was a slave, if she was even that. To the world she was nothing, and thus the world meant nothing to her. She worked every day for her master, until the day the war ended. That was when the rulers took pity on the people like her and forbid s...
So the story began. All of it. From the start of my life all the way to now. How I watched my supposed "father" or the person that raised me, be killed right in front of me, while my mom was dragged away to be sold as a slave. The odd thing about it was that it was a completely normal day.
I sat out on the porch watching my mother gardening in the front lawn. She had her basket on her hip as she dug up potatoes, carrots, and lettuce. Everything that could be grown, my mother grew. I leaned against the wooden railing, looking at my mother in awe. My dad was somewhere in the woods hunting for our next meal. We didn't have a worry in the world.
I remember falling asleep in the bright sunlight. The rays heating a natural blanket over me. I awoke when I felt someone touch their hand gently to my cheek. I looked up to see my dad smiling down at me, a huge buck over his shoulder. I smiled, "hi papa." I looked at the buck, "good catch today." We would have had that buck for a week.
I couldn't remember what he said back to me, but he said it with a smile. Then he turned and looked at my mom who was still gardening, her brows pressed together in concentration. He chuckled and shook his he'sd lovingly. "Go ask you mom if she needs help." He patted me on the head before heading into the house.
I stood and dusted myself off, pulling up my pants before stepping down the wooden steps of our porch. "Mama!" I called out to my mom. She looked up, searching for me, once she found me a smile graced her features.
"Alcina!" She hiked her basket higher up her shoulder. "What are you doing down here?" Mama was known to always have a smile on her face. She had beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. Sun freckles splattered across her face. She was very vibrant, one of the most beautiful ladies in the pack. I was sad to look almost nothing like her.
"Papa wanted me to ask if you needed help," I walked up to her side, looking down the rows of produce. Mother was a really good gardener, maybe someday I would take up her trait.
Suddenly there was a twig snapping off in the woods. Our heads snapped up like deers. "Who's there?" My mother shouted, "Visitors? We are about to have dinner!" She shouted without a worry in the world. It was normal for wolves to pop by and eat meals with each other. I relaxed next to my mom. If Mama wasn't nervous, I shouldn't be.
Though when the men, whom we had never seen before stepped out with swords and shields. I took a step back, hiding behind my mom. She let out a shriek, "Olfie!" She screamed it was my brother's name as well, though he was away at another pack, training to be an alpha.
My father ran out of the doors fear in his eyes.
I couldn't continue the story, I felt tears well up in my eyes. I didn't cry and I wouldn't now. I felt Sheila put her hand on my back. "You don't have to continue." She said soothingly but I shook my head.
"No. I must." I told her about Anna. Sweet Anna. She was like a guardian angel for me. She arrived at the farm just after I did. Someone needed to hear her story. She was a hero, a true hero. I hugged myself, trying to get away from the guilt consuming me.
Then I told her about the keys. About Ozul and Dai. I kept out the part about meeting her mother and my supposed real father.
"You're telling me that these keys." She looked down at my neck where the keys pulsed their power into me. "Can unlock actual worlds?" I nodded my head.
"That's what I'm told. I hear there are at least two more." I shrugged, leaning back on the white bench. "I know this guy unlocks the Immortal Realm," I held up the red key. "But I don't know what else it does. And why it's so important." I rolled my eyes thinking to Ozul who refuses to take it away from me.
"Whatever happened to that shadow figure that chased you?" I wanted to roll my eyes and ask 'which one' but I withheld. Then it came into my mind that Sheila saw the shadows too.
"You mean that one night when we were trying to scare King Zaivinth?" I asked with brows raised to the heavens. She nodded her head, slowly. My adrenaline sparked, "you saw Ozul too?" I grasped her hands.
Does she mean to tell me I'm not alone in this world of confusion that I was just thrusted into? "He's Ozul?" She asked, her voice sounding like it was all coming together for her. I nodded my head quickly. Then she looked at my keys again. "Can I touch them?"
I nodded my head. I don't think there would be any harm would come from someone who could already see Dai and Ozul. I unclipped the chain around my neck and watched the keys flop into my hand. I held out my hand to her and she reached out, only to have our hands almost cut off by Ozul.
We pulled back our hands quickly to avoid the blade, then we glared up at Ozul. "Oh, now you return," I growl, where in the world did they run off to for all this time? "Where did you even go?" Now that they have been always on my back like my last name its been odd not to have them with me. I felt like my doom was around every corner without them.
Sheila looked at Ozul and Dai, who was looking smug behind Ozul with his hands crossed. I keep forgetting that she could see these guys. "Wait." I shifted my head to look at Sheila. "If you can actually see them," I looked back at Ozul who had moved his arm to sheathe his sword once more. "Why didn't you say anything to my mate?" I remember showing the sword to my mate and him looking at me like I grew another head.
"I-I," she averted her gaze. "I wasn't sure myself. If I was actually seeing what you were seeing."
"But you saw it?" I said almost breathlessly. The keys hummed in dislike, it made me flinch. I watched her nod her head in shame.
"Sheila?" I gasped out. "Why didn't you back me? They thought I was insane." My own mate thought I was crazy. My own mate.
"I-I'm sorry, I just didn't know." Oh, so she didn't want to come off as crazy too? I narrowed my eyes and took a deep breath, shoving all of my feelings deep within me.
"Anyways," I huffed looking to Dai and Ozul who snapped their heads to me. "We have some things to talk about." I pointed at the two of them. They nodded their heads, then I looked back at Sheila who looked like a wounded dog.
"We will talk about the werewolf king later. When I mean later, I mean in your office at six tomorrow morning." I stood and shuffled my dress around.
I moved to leave, still in bad taste at Sheila's betrayal. Sheila reached out and grabbed my hand clutching it tightly. "Wait." She said with a pained expression. "I need to tell you something."
— 1/8 ZOOM UPSPREE
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