Melanie's Pov

I could already see the annoyance on my daughter's face. I almost laughed but the panic in Bryce's voice had me swallowing my laughter immediately. He was at our bedroom door in a second. The worry on his handsome face had me worried too. What was going on? He was by my side in a flash holding my hand, opposite of the side Wren was seated. He sat by my right and she to my left which was the side the door was. The 2 people I adored the most just never got along. She was already eyeing the door am sure planning her escape. Bryce on the other hand, had his whole focus on me. He barely noticed her. His eyes were pinpoint. The blue in them darker because of worry. I liked them as blue as the sky.

"My love, I came as soon as I could. And I managed to get ahold of the healer. He is downstairs." It was my turn to be worried.

"A healer? Who asked for one? In fact, who is sick?" But he was not even listening to me.

"That damn meeting! It went on and on and in the end nothing achieved. I kept telling them you were expecting me. It is your birthday but nothing. No one would listen. Then I got the note, and they still would not let me go. I had to send Harrison to get the healer which I should have been the one doing. I should have been here sooner. And for them to say no to my request after wasting my time. In fact, I should have never left. Am so sorry."

I was so confused. What was he talking about? A note? A healer? I was dumbfounded and I only managed to give him the very confused look he seemed to return. He had no idea that I knew nothing about what he was just saying. And the culprit decided to clear her throat, and we all turned our attention to her. She swallowed hard and gave us an innocent look. But I saw right through her.

"You would better speak up before I get it out of you." She gave me a sheepish look and touched the back of her neck.

"Okay then. I am the guilty party. I was worried when I saw that you sick like that. You have been sick before, but this was way beyond anything I have ever seen. So, when I went to make you breakfast, I wrote Bryce a note and have Harrison to deliver. In my defense, I was just worried and acted like the caring daughter that I am." She was already raising her hands up in surrender and looking as remorseful as she could. Bryce on the other hand, was giving her a dirty look for using the word daughter am sure. Good thing she did not seem to notice.

"It is okay. You might as well bring the healer in since he is already here. But after that, you promise to give me and my daughter space. There is a lot we need to talk about." He was about to say no but I gave him my sternest look, and he immediately closed his mouth and swallowed his protest. It was his turn to surrender. I smiled. These two were more alike than they would like to acknowledge. Wren went to get the healer as per the request of Bryce. He never asks anything nicely when it comes to her, so her response is always to roll her beautiful eyes.

My daughter is beautiful. She has striking green eyes and fair skin like me. Her hair is jet black like mine. The only difference being hers is longer almost reaching her waist while mine rests on my shoulders. Sometimes when she is in a good mood, she lets me add colorful highlights to her hair which makes her look so beautiful. They make her eyes and skin pop in a really nice way. Unlike me though, she is tall and quite slender. And she is the most boyish girl I have ever met. She wears nothing in her size. She is always hiding her beautiful body in baggy clothes. I try to discourage it, but she is as stubborn as Bryce. I still remember how I forced the adoption of Wren since he would not agree. But once you stand me and her side by side, you would say I gave birth to her. We look that alike.

Wren walked into the room followed by a middle-aged grouchy man. I had not set my eyes on this man for the longest. About 20 years ago, I was his frequent visitor. I was trying to conceive, and he used to make me herbs that he promised would do the trick. The herbs I took but I only ended up too sick to actually do anything. And the off chance the herbs did not make me sick I would not conceive. And if by chance I conceived, the pregnancy would only last a month before I lost it. And that is how I stopped visiting him and just hoped a higher being would remember me. I had about given up when Wren came to us. She is my little miracle. Her mother's daughter in every way. Our eyes locked. He had aged a little for sure.

"Wilen." I acknowledged his presence in the room.

"Dios. I hear you are not feeling well."

"Well as you can see, am still in bed." I really did not like this man I knew one day I was going to die but I hoped not by his hands.

"If you do not mind, can you ask them to leave? I need to examine you, and I cannot do that with them in the room. Kindly." I looked at my family and they each excused us.

"It is bad, isn't it? I can see it in your eyes." I saw him swallow hard. It is bad I can tell.

"I talked to the gods before coming here. This disease has no cure. Only a way out and you do not have much time. I have the way out here with me. My answered prayer from the gods. Take it when you are ready. It is the way chosen for you to meet them. And please let it be between us. The gods have prepared a place for you. They are already expecting you." And with that he handed me this whitish substance in a piece of cloth. I was confused. How was I supposed to take this now? As if reading my mind, he answered,

"Put it all in a warm glass of water and mix thoroughly until dissolved entirely. Then make sure to drink it all. Do not leave anything behind. And wash the glass after. I suggest you ask Wren to help out with this. She is favored by the gods. But do not tell her the substance is for. Just tell it will make you better. May the gods be with you." He kissed my forehead and was about to leave but I held his hand.

"Will you ask the gods to look after Wren? I know I am not their firmest believer, but she needs them on their side." I had my pleading face on. He removed my hand from his wrist and held both my palms in his.

"The gods already favor her. She has been chosen for a greater purpose. It is the reason the gods allowed her path to cross with yours. She needed nurturing and love, and you did exactly that. I am seer as well as a healer. She has a rough journey ahead, but you have prepared her well. The gods are happy and that is why they are showing you this kindness. You have fulfilled their purpose for you." I was satisfied now. I never believed him but now I did.

"I believe you. You told me that I would hold a baby within my arms and that it would be a girl. That I would watch her grow and she would call me mom. But I never believed you." I could feel the tears trickling down my cheeks. He stretched his hand and wiped them.

"My daughter, it is okay. The time for tears is long gone. I just wish you never stopped coming to see me. I had seen your future. I knew this day was coming. The herbs I used to give you was protection against this. I had seen a future where you and Wren were together until you died of old age. And it was beautiful. She looked after you. She was doing well for herself. Bryce had long left to join his ancestors, and she only had you. She never married, never had kids of her own. Never experienced the kind of love you and Bryce share. And it was lonely for her especially after you died. But the gods had other plans. Your stubbornness was part of their plan, so you stopped coming to see me. Wren has a bright future. She is going to find love greater than what you share with Bryce. She is going to make a family of her own away from here. She is special and you have taught her well. I suggest you finish your story soon but not here, in the forest for her new home shall be built in one." And just like that he left.

I was happy. Wren was going to be in good hands. As soon as the healer stepped out, my family came right in without even asking. No one even bothered to see the healer out. But I understood them. They were worried.

"Bryce, I want to go out for a walk with Wren. We will be back before dark." I looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Only after you eat something. I asked Harrison to get you something from the orphanage kitchen. You are not supposed to take medicine without food." Wren was just giving him weird eyes. She was standing at the foot of the bed looking at us. She looked bored.

"She hates orphanage food. We all know that." She said sarcastically.

"Says the person who was supposed to be eating that same food. Your presence in this house just disturbs everything. I bet she is sick because of you. And that food you are disgracing is better than anything you would dare to cook." I just saw the anger flash in her eyes. Bryce was about to lose his teeth if I did not end this.

"Will you stop that? You are being really mean right now!" I said as loud as I could.

"But she started it!" He shouted back.

"You are not the child in the situation. You should have handled it like the adult that you are. Plus, it is not her fault that you cannot handle the truth. She is right. I do not like the orphanage food but for you today, I will eat it. And I do not want to hear you being mean to each other." Bryce did not like what was said but he chose silence. Wren was still standing at the same position with her hands folded over her chest. She was too quiet for her own good.

As if sensing the need for a distraction, Harrison knocked and announced he had brought the food. I did not like the guy. He is a creep, and I definitely did not employ him. He is Bryce's messenger. Wren went to serve the food as Bryce helped me freshen up. We ate at the dining table, but the silence was deafening. I did not want to stir the pot, so I let them be. We all concentrated on our food. I was feeling much better now. I was even able to finish my food. Talking to Wilen helped. Wren cleared the table and we left. Bryce did not say anything.

The walk was short but quiet. I could feel the wheels turning in her brain. I just chose to give her time until we reached. We often sat under this huge baobab tree but today I had other plans. There was a dam deeper in the forest that used to our source of water when we first built the orphanage like over 20 years ago. We moved to this place 25 years ago. I was 16 then and Bryce was 24. We found the healer on our journey here. He was the one who guided our journey to this place. He gave the name Davidson which is our orphanage as well as our surname. The village we named Davids.

When we reached the dam, surprisingly the water was still clear. It had created its own inlet and outlet. It never gave up despite us giving up on it. I could learn a thing or two from it. But that is not what was surprising me. It was the wide smile on my daughter's face. She was even glowing and for the first time today, I saw a genuine smile, and it melted my heart. I had never let her play with water or go near a water body. I thought she would meet a Bryce of her own and start sneaking off to see him and one day go with him. I know it is stupid, but I could not risk it.

"You know you can dip your cute little toes in, right? I am giving the rest of the story with our feet inside the water." The smile she gave me was one to die for. She helped me sit down first, remove my shoes and dip my feet in. She then proceeded to remove hers and dipped them in. The water reached our knees almost. She dipped her hands in too and played with the water. After a while, she asked me to continue my story. I was glad she was in a better mood because the next part was gloomy.

"Where were we? Oh! The loud bang. I had never dressed that fast in my life before. Thick smoke could be seen in the air, in the direction of my village. I prayed to the higher being to save my people, but I was too late. Bryce was right next to me fully dressed as I started walking towards home. We did not both care if we were wet or how it looked. Another bang stopped us in our tracks. Bryce tried to convince me to run but I am my father's daughter, the next leader. It was my duty to find out if my people were okay.

In my worry and determination, I did not notice the sound of paws coming towards us. But Bryce was keen. He pushed me into the nearest bush and covered us in this weird smelling cloth. He only left space for us to see who was passing on the path. I was about to explode on him, but I heard it too. The paws hitting the ground hard. The ground was literally shaking like an earthquake was upon us. And that is when I saw them. The largest pack of wolves I had ever seen. They were huge no doubt. Taller than even us and they were on their fours. I literally held my breath as they passed. I did not want any of them to notice us.

Once Bryce was sure they were long gone, he uncovered us. A big sigh of relief left my mouth. And I turned to give Bryce a "what the hell' look. He read the memo and explained.

'Well, I have had experiences with wolves before. That is why I usually come for Rarity. Rarity combined with this specific cloth, forms an invisible barrier between us and the wolves. It is like all their senses are clouded and they cannot even sense us.' I was shocked. What kind of sorcery was this?

'So, you mean to say, even if I screamed, they would not have heard me?'

'Yes exactly. Clouds everything and that is our specialty and secret. The reason beside your own village, we have never been attacked by the werewolves.'

'And here I thought you were just good tailors.' I muttered under my breath and pulled him towards the smoke. He almost left his things behind.

Upon reaching the border, the heavy smoke and the smell of burnt flesh welcomed us. We walked around. Dead bodies everywhere. Burnt houses everywhere. There was no sign of life here. I almost did not recognize our house. It was half burnt. There were bodies and blood scattered everywhere outside. They were the servants that worked for us. I did not know where my parents were, so I entered our half-burnt house. Dad was tied to a chair with a knife sticking out of his chest. There was so much blood around him. he had faced a painfully horrible death. Mum was on the couch in front of him. They must have made him watch before killing him. They burnt her and by the signs of it alive. There was nothing left of her on the couch except her burnt shoes.

I felt the tears welling up and I turned too fast I almost fell. I did not know that Bryce was behind me. He caught me right on time. I could not look again. I just buried my face in his chest and cried my heart out. He did not say anything. He just held me and allowed me to grieve. But my crying was cut short by a cough followed by another. The silence that fell. We both froze, barely breathing and listened. Another cough in the same room we were. We both untangled from each other and looked for the source. That was when I saw my dad move. We untied him and helped him lie down on one of the remaining couches. he asked for some water and Bryce got him some.

'Thank you, son, and not for the water but for saving my daughter. If she had not left to see you, there would be nothing left of me. I bless you two. Take care of her for me and always make her happy.' He coughed again and there was blood this time, but he continued.

'It was Sam, the messenger who betrayed us. They had promised him a lot of wealth in gold, and he fell for it. They killed him too. He burnt the Rarity allowing the werewolves in. They burnt your mother alive as I watched. It was horrible. And we watched them tear everyone to pieces and burn their properties. There is a group of humans who hunt them. They are the reason all of this is happening. They hunt and kill werewolves for no reason. The werewolves are just retaliating. They call themselves the Army. Best to avoid them.' And with that, he breathed his last."

Melanie's Pov

I found myself crying. I felt like that little girl who watched her father die all over again. I felt her arms around me, and I hugged her tight. She cried along with me, and she was not one to cry. She only cried when something was really touching. So, my story was touching her. After we were done crying, she continued to hug me and asked me to continue my story.

"I cried a lot trying to wake my dad up. I could not believe he was gone. Bryce was the one who got me out of my trance. 'They are back.' And he removed his cloth and dragged me outside to the nearest not burning bush. He covered us and only left space enough for us to see just like before.

They shifted to their human forms. They stood before us naked and I almost fainted. It was my first time seeing a man completely naked, leave alone the men standing in front of us naked. One of them was really built and his wolf, grey in color, stood taller than all of them. He looked like their leader. He started the conversation. They were about 10-20 men.

'Where could she have gone? That bastard Sam said that she always meets with the famous trader by the waterfall.' I was beyond surprised. So, that is how dad knew. The werewolves must have told him as they were taunting him. I felt really sad and betrayed. One of them strode into our house and came back panicking.

'She must have been her! The Wrenison's body has been moved!' They all rushed inside to confirm. We heard the leader shout for them to fan out and search everywhere. They thought I could not have gone far and they were right. I was hiding in plain sight.

'We have to move. If one of them comes near this bush and decides to touch it, it is over for us. He will definitely feel us. Let's go.' And that is how I left my people. Only I survived that day. Bryce was from the north of our village, so we decided to go South. None of us knew where we were going as long as we had each other and we were safe.

It was a long journey before we reached here. People said all kinds of things. The massacre was on their lips. So according to most, my father was the one who sponsored the Army. He gave them food, weapons and even shelter. I was shocked. I always thought my dad was being a good Samaritan hosting all those strangers in our village. Turns out they were werewolf hunters. It was too much at times, but Bryce was always there. We walked until it was just trees. Forest upon forest and no people. And funnily, that is where we met Wilen.

He was creepy. He appeared out of nowhere and said he had been expecting us. And that he had been chosen by the gods to guide us to our new home. We almost ignored him, but we were too tired to. We barely had food since we got into the forest. Our water had ended a few days ago and we badly needed rest. We followed him out of lacking a better option. We would have definitely died if we did not.

He had a hut in the middle of the forest. A well-built hut with mud and grass and it was fully stocked. He welcomed us inside and made us some porridge as we waited for food. He was a neat guy. Everything was well arranged, including his clothes and tools of trade, each in their corner. He hosted us for almost a week. By then, we had lost track of the days. Coupled up with the exhaustion, we did not even know exactly how many days and nights we stayed with him.

On the last day, he woke up, made breakfast then woke us up. He politely asked us to eat up and prepare ourselves as well as pack our things as we were leaving. In the last few days, we had learnt not to ask questions. You only did what you were told. So, we ate and packed and waited for him to lead the way. He had packed enough food and water for all of us, enough to last us a month. And we began the second part of our journey. We walked for days. We would always camp for the night. He would find us a good place and provide the sleeping gear. Since we found Wilen scary, we always opted to sleep holding each other out of fear that he would do something to us in the night.

Then one day after walking forever, we reached a large clearing enough to be a whole village. What caught my eye was the Rarity growing all-round the clearing. Wilen cleared his throat and said, 'Welcome home,' as he entered the clearing. We looked at each other and followed him. He walked right to the middle with us following suit and he placed his things down. He reached for the bag with his tools of trade. They were weird things; sticks, beads and herbs that he used to pray and make awful concoctions. He knelt down and started praying to his gods in his weird language. All we could catch was 'Bless this land.' He looked like someone having a seizure.

His eyes were closed, hands in the air and he kept on chanting phrases in the foreign language. He was sweating profusely. He prayed for a while until finally the beads and sticks moved to form a circle around him. He opened his eyes, picked the herbs and asked me to take them. He told us to go round the clearing holding the herbs together and touching the boundary of the clearing. As we did that, he continued his chants, and you could see the beads dancing round his head and the sticks were following us behind. After we were done, everything returned to his feet then this blue-like light washed over the clearing. He then stopped chanting, opened his eyes, packed his stuff and rose up. He slowly dusted himself up and said, 'The land is now fortified. It is all yours.'

It was like Bryce, and I could not believe it. We jumped up and down in joy. We hugged each other and almost kissed but Wilen cleared his throat. We both jumped from each other so fast like the other was on fire and faced him. It had been so long since we smiled at each other. It was all about survival. Love would come later. But now the journey had come to an end, and another one was yet to begin.

'In as much as I said the land is yours, there are rules you need to live by. You have the duty to keep the land as fortified as it is. I will be in charge of a couple of things. You need the materials to build this village to something. So, I will be in charge of trade. Most people especially the werewolves are looking for the both of you so you cannot leave this land. I will be trading Rarity to give us all we need. I will also be in charge of anything health. So, in case any of you is sick, you can consult me.

The most important thing is your names. You will have to lose them. But I must unite you two to be one first. Your surname shall be Davidson and so will be the name of the orphanage you will build later. This village shall be known as Davids after the both of you. This land requires good deeds so as to remain fortified. An orphanage is a good place to start. A lot of children are victims of the war between the Army and the werewolves. I believe we can help them. Also, find appropriate names before I return. You wed tonight. Let me go prepare. Your only duty is to find names.' And with that, he left us to ourselves.

I chose the name Melanie which was my mother's. Her legacy had to live on. Bryce refused to change his. He said the name Davidson was already bad enough, he could not afford to lose another good name. His stubbornness started a long time ago. I could not convince him otherwise. It was around midday when Wilen left us. After choosing our names, we just sat down to enjoy the peace. No words were said until Wilen returned. It was already getting dark. He came back with a lot of things.

He handed us some clothes and some ornamental beads. He guided us to each our separate side of the river and asked us to wash up then dress up. There was a river deeper into this forest. I was given a white gown that was too long and too big for me. Bryce was given some black cloak that was funnily too tight for him. If only we could exchange. As if sensing we were done, Wilen appeared. He brought Bryce to where I was, and he made us hold hands.

'I need you both to walk to the center of the river still holding hands. No matter what happens, do not let go each other.' So, we obviously did as we were told. There was no arguing with him. We walked hand in hand from the bank to the middle. We faced each other still holding hands. He stood by the riverbank and started chanting in his language. His beads, sticks and herbs were in the water in front of him. And everything started moving as his chanting grew louder. Even the water joined in the dance. Only thing that was left still were the herbs.

The beads and sticks along with the water were moving towards us. They started a song and dance around us. The funny thing is we could still see. All the water was with us. The riverbed was visible. The water mixed with the beads and sticks was moving around the two of us. I understood then why Wilen said no matter what we should not let go of each other. The force was too great. We really struggled to hold hands.

As for Wilen, he kept on chanting. He seemed to be using a lot of energy. The herbs were now floating above his raised hands. It was a long process. Wilen even ended up kneeling, but he kept on chanting until finally the herbs started moving towards us. it was creepy at first but everything with Wilen was. The herbs settled in between us, touching our holding hands. Wilen stopped chanting as soon as this happened and the water stopped moving. Everything settled back to its place except the herbs. The sticks and beads went back in front of Wilen but still in the water.

'Thank you for accepting and blessing this union. You are now husband and wife.' The herbs moved then and went back to their original position in the water next to the rest. Wilen picked everything and put them back in his pouch. He then asked us to come out of the water still holding hands. At the riverbank, he held our hands together and said,' Welcome to your new life, Melanie and Bryce Davidson.' This man was strange. He already knew the names we were going to choose.

He tried to move but he ended up kneeling down instead. He tried getting up but he could not. He looked exhausted. In a flash of a second, he fainted. We had never been that confused in our lives. He always knew what to do and now we did not know what to do. We decided to carry him back to our clearing. We put him in the center and proceeded to prepare a place for us to sleep and food for the evening. Bryce was in charge of the shelter. He managed to make a temporary shed from the grass and sticks around. I started a fire and put Wilen beside it, so he does not catch a cold. I also used the fire to cook us some vegetables and meat from Wilen's stash.

We ate and slept. I had spread the mats that Wilen had us carry to sleep on. He also had us carry some bed cloths that clearly looked handmade, and we used them to cover ourselves. We only hoped it did not rain and that is how we slept, me in Bryce's arms and Wilen right next to us. He was still out of it, but we hoped by morning he would be back with us. The first night was the most peaceful night I had had since forever. We slept through to the midday of the following day. I was woken up by some strange noise. First thing, I checked my surrounding. Bryce was still deep asleep with his back turned to me. I turned to check on Wilen, but he was not where I left him the previous night. Now, I was worried. I decided to follow the noise. I found Wilen on one end of the clearing busy building. He was the one making the noise.

'You know it is not good to sneak up on people like that.' He had his back to me, so I rolled my eyes. 'And it is not good behavior to roll your eyes at your elders you might just go blind.' The sarcasm just made me laugh. It was good to see him back on his feet.

'Glad you find this amusing. Your sleeping was not. That is beside the point. I am building on this end. The only space I will occupy. Both of you will build on the opposite end of me. Directly opposite. Our houses will face each other. Just that we will be on opposite ends. I hope you got that. Better wake your husband up and start planning. The rainy season will be upon us sooner than you think.' His amusement was long gone and that is how we started life here.

Wilen helped us get everything we needed. We built until it was a whole village. We took in everyone who was an outcast or a stray. The orphanage was built last. It took us a whole year to finish building. And we started taking in orphans too. It offered a source of income for those we took in. And that is how we have grown to where we are. I was unable to have children, so I dedicated my everything to the orphanage until you came along. The rest you already know. And that is my story."

"Wow mom! I think we should go back to the house before your husband finds a way to kill me or worse make me disappear. I can feel his anger all the way from the house." I just laughed and allowed her to help me out of the water and into my shoes. The walk home again was very quiet. It was short and I loved the tranquility in it. As soon as we opened the door, Bryce was on me hugging and checking if I was okay. Wren was right. He was angry but I could also see the worry. It was past midnight.

"You this girl! If something happened to her, I would have found a way to make you disappear." She just shrugged and left us to be. She went to find something to eat am sure.

"Sometimes Bryce, you need to calm down. She is just but a child." He just gave me disapproving eyes but kept quiet. He led me to the chair and held me like his life depended on it. After a short while, Wren brought some food for me. It was simple. Rice and veggies and I knew Bryce made it. It is the only thing he knew how to make really well. She brought her own food also and we ate in silence except for the staring daggers being thrown Wren's way by Bryce. She did not seem to mind.

She cleared the table, and I asked her to help me with my medicine. I gave her the instructions, and she did as I asked in front of us both. I took my 'medicine' and asked her to clean the utensils and the kitchen before going to bed. She knew I always did it to avoid roaches infesting, so she did as I asked. I asked Bryce to take me upstairs since I was tired. I was starting to feel the effects of the drug. Bryce held me in his arms while we were in bed, and he whispered his love for me and kissed my forehead. I slept to the beating of his heart. It was the most peaceful way to go.

Bryce's Pov

It was quite a peaceful night we had. I had slept right through and so did she. She slept in my arms and that felt really good. It always does. But I had to wake up. There was so much to do since the previous day was wasted. We did not even get to celebrate my wife's birthday. Anyway, I could always arrange a surprise party later in the day and maybe exclude that lousy Wren. Melanie would kill me though. I never understand their relationship. She is not a likeable child. The gods know I have tried.

I had to get out of bed and prepare. The sun was still thinking of rising and I did not want to wake her, so I was sneaking around. After preparing myself, I thought I should kiss my wife goodbye. Her skin was super cold. The sun was starting to shine in our room and that is when I noticed she was paler than usual. I felt for her pulse but there was none. Her chest was not moving at all. And for the first time in my life, I screamed.

First one to respond was Harrison. He practically lived with us. I asked him to get Wilen, and he ran to do so almost knocking over Wren on her way in. The hate I have for this girl. She was the one to blame for this.

"You'd better pray my Melanie is okay or the things I will do to you you'll live to remember me." I saw the fear in her eyes, and she took a couple of steps back almost falling into Wilen who was coming in. She stood outside as Wilen examined Melanie.

"Am so sorry Mr. Davidson. Your wife passed in the early hours of the morning." All the strength left me. I found myself on the floor sobbing. In my peripheral, I could see Wren crouched by the door post crying. She had no right at all. This was all her fault.

"You are to blame, and you will pay for this dearly. You are about to feel my wrath. I am Bryce Roberts, and you will surely pay."

Wren's Pov

And that is how ended up where I am right now, in this boarding school. After Melanie died, Bryce made sure I knew he never liked me. I became hi personal maid and errand boy. Harrison was practically receiving payment for work that I was doing. He even got the time to start a family. For months, I would cook, clean, wash clothes and any menial job around the house including busted pipes and broken roofs. And by evening he did not like what I had done, I would be made to understand why he is a Roberts and not a Davidson. He would beat me like there is no tomorrow. Like real beating involving kicks and fists.

On top of that, he would expect me to run errands for him. He would send me with messages and letters which was Harrison's work. He would time me and if I was not back on time, he would beat me in front of his workers and the children in the orphanage. Worse was if I failed to deliver a message or letter, I would receive twice the beating. I was always bruised up and I had no one to talk to. If you happened to be seen near me, you would be punished alongside me. So, everyone minded their own business. Only Melanie would have defended me, but she had left me with him. I hated her so much for that, so I started calling her Melanie instead of mom. Bryce never even cared about my education.

By the third month of Melanie leaving us, Bryce was tired of seeing my face. He would beat me simply because I showed my face to him. So, he made the conscious decision to send me to a boarding school. I was kind of relieved because I would not be beaten but I was also worried because I knew nothing beyond this house, Melanie and Bryce. I had barely interacted with anyone outside our house and now I was expected to interact with so many people at once. Not like I had a choice. I was asked to pack a bag one night that I was leaving for boarding school the following day. He did not even have the courtesy of taking me. Harrison was the one who took me. I did not even know where we were going. At least he provided a cart as a means of transport as well as food and water for us and the donkeys to pull the cart. It was a long journey that took a little over a month. At least Harrison gave me stories about his new wife on our way, so I was not bored. But I never responded. He was the one doing the talking.

I only knew where we were headed when we reached. Montes village, his village of origin. I guess now I knew why he was Bryce Roberts and not Davidson. As soon as, Harrison made sure I was settled, he left. And that was the last person my village I ever saw. I have been in this boarding school ever since. Bryce sent me a letter a little after to the school explaining how I was a delinquent child and that I was never to be allowed to go home even on holiday breaks. So, my school became my home. The day I was sent away from home to this school was my birthday. I turned 16 that day.

Now I am a few days shy from turning 18 and for some weird reason I am nervous as hell. I can feel my body is changing calling for something even, but I cannot place my hand on it. Anyway, I have 7 good days to figure it out.

It is night now. Midnight to be precise. Everyone in the dorm is asleep. Weirdly, I cannot sleep. It is too hot to sleep. I feel kind of feverish, and my lake is calling out to me. I have this lake just outside this village. A little deep into the forest behind our school and dorms. I love sneaking out most of the nights that I feel restless. It is the serenity that comes with it that attracts me to the lake. It always reminds me of how I felt around Melanie and tonight I need that. So, I sneak out without notice and trek the short distance to the lake.

But instead of the peace and quiet that I always find, I find chaos. Even before I reach the clearing where the lake is situated, I hear the heavy splashing of water. Continuous splashing like someone is drowning. I start running and indeed someone is drowning. I cannot tell exactly who, but it is a guy. And by the looks of it, someone must have pushed him in because he is fully dressed. Though am in a dilemma. I cannot swim. No one ever taught me how to. I only come to the lake to dip my feet in and enjoy the quiet.

I think fast and find a long strong stick. Finding one was easy since am surrounded by trees. In his splashing, I manage to get through to him and ask him to hold onto the stick I am holding over him. I manage to help him get to the lake shore and I help him out of the water. The guy in his relief hugs me really tight but I manage to throw him off me. I am mad at this point.

"And what exactly is wrong with you! I was just being a good person helping you and you take advantage of that!" I am yelling by now. He just laughs and replies.

"Feisty. I like it." That manages to calm me down enough to remember no one actually likes me talking. So, I just give him a mean face in response and he just laughs.

"I am Terris St Augustine." He introduces himself stretching out his right hand which I shake. He has a firm grip to be honest, and he is not bad looking. I am quite tall myself, but he is towering over me. I would say over 6 feet tall. He has this striking honey-colored eyes with a hint of red. In fact, a red ring surrounds his pupils. Strange I have never seen that before. He only has a robe on and a pair of shorts which are dripping wet. His robe is a nice mix of blue and green which compliments his rich in color skin. Against my own skin, his makes me look paler than usual. His chest is full, and he has got a 6 pack. He definitely works out. His thighs and legs are packed and strong. His arms are also packed with veins running down them. I find myself ogling. His voice snaps me out of it.

"Like what you see?" He teases and I find myself blushing. His hair is short and matches his eyes. And he has alluring lips covered with this bush of a beard same color as his eyes. His jawline is sharp matching his body.

"The way that blush travels up your ears. The red suits your skin perfectly. I like." He teases again and I turn even redder. He licks his pink, rosy lips and laughs.

"It is like your tongue got stuck somewhere. Anyway, it was nice to meet you officially and thank you for saving me. Whoever pushed me into the water is here and if he continues to see me with you it will be more trouble. So, I have to run. Bye pretty lady and see you St Durren." He says looking at the forest across the lake and running in the opposite direction. The confusion on my face is very evident. Now, who is St Durren and what is with the saints? It sounds like a cult or something.

I look in the direction he looked while referring to this St Durren and I see no one. Well, it must have been those chasing him down and I must have made them end their pursuit. After all, he did say that being seen with me is trouble. I must be trouble then. I think to myself. The night drama has already exhausted me. I came for the peace and quiet, but I ended up in chaos that just left me confused and rather tired. The walk back to school is uneventful and I manage to slip back into bed without alerting anyone to my absence. Not that anyone cared much anyway.

The next couple of days are quiet. To avoid being noticed, I mostly keep to myself. No one knows much about me except the fact that I practically live in school. Everyone thinks am an orphan that got picked by one of the teachers and was on that school on scholarship. I hear them talk every time I pass by. The way I arrived in school is what makes them start the rumors. I was a quiet kid with healed and healing bruises all over my body. That made me look helpless in their eyes. Not that I minded, only that it was a reason to be bullied. But the bullies never anticipated a 'helpless' child to retaliate. I once beat a fellow student, a boy for that matter, till all I could see was blood. That is when I stopped. He was rushed to the village healer, and he stayed with him for 3 months. I hear he had a broken nose and jaw.

To be fair, when I started beating him, all I could see was Bryce's face. So, I kept beating him until I could not see his face. No action was taken against me. I was taken to the head of the school who let me off with a warning. She said that she understood that I had been through a lot, but it should never repeat itself. I was fine with that as long as no one touched me. From that day, no one ever dares breath in my direction which is fine by me.

Anyway, my birthday is in 2 days. I was born/found on the last day of the fourth month. I do not know how my life is going to change once am 18. One is considered responsible for themselves once they got to that age and my situation is worse since Bryce washed his hands off me. He can easily toss me away once I am 18. But that is the least of my worries. I am particularly not feeling well. Ever since the night of the chaos, I have been having several fever spike episodes and serious cases of severe headache. I do not want to say anything since I know Bryce will have to be informed. And going back there is not an option for me. So, I am suffering in silence.

I particularly feel more drawn to the forest and the lake than normal. It is the only thing that manages to calm me down. In the presence of nature under the glowing light of the moon, I feel so much better. So, I have been sneaking out every night since the chaos night. I have been hoping to see Terris again, but I have been hoping in vain.

This sickness has been affecting me in ways that it should not. I am an excellent student. I do well in my studies but concentration for me has been difficult since the chaos night. It is serious to the point that teachers call me out for it in classes which has had me laughed at more times than I can count. Another thing is I have found myself attracted to both boys and girls. Before the chaos night, I never found myself checking out anyone. I always assumed like Melanie, I would find someone meant for me when the time is right and settle down. Now the last few days, I have been finding myself staring at both girls and boys. Good thing is no one pays attention to me, so it mostly goes unnoticed.

No one even knows my birthday is soon. I am thinking all this nervousness is what is making me sick. Some teachers have noticed, those who care enough anyway. I am paler than usual, either sweating or having chills which make me shiver. I manage to pass it off as nerves courtesy of the coming exams which is understandable.

So, it is one day to my birthday. By midnight, I will be 18. Everyone is asleep in my dormitory. I cannot seem to catch any sleep. I have been turning and tossing so much that I am worried I might wake someone up. I can tell it is almost midnight, and the nature is calling out to me stronger than ever before. I am hot and sweating like crazy. Sneaking out like this is not going to be easy but I have no choice. This heat can only be cooled by the waters of the lake.

I sneak out successfully. I try to be as quiet as possible despite my discomfort. I literally run to the lake. How I remove my clothes even I do not know. What I know is that the water feels amazing against my skin. It cools me down drastically. That proves to be temporary though. Suddenly, I feel so much intense pain from virtually everywhere to the point that I scream out. I do not understand what is going on. I think I might be dying. Maybe I got the same sickness Melanie had.

The water does not seem cold enough for me. It is burning me instead. So, I carry myself out of the water with the little strength I have got. I lie on my back on the back on the lake shore closing my eyes. The night air is doing good things to me. I feel so much better. Who knew being naked outside at night at night was this good? I slowly open my eyes to the sight of a bloody red full moon. That is odd. I had never witnessed or heard of one. But I am distracted from that by the pain. This time stronger than before. I wince and curl up into myself. And as soon as it comes, it is gone. Just like a wave. I have a series of waves before everything stops at once. The pain, the fever, all gone.

I try to get up only for me hear a crack and the most excruciating pain from my legs travelling up my body. I have just broken my legs, and I do not know how. It is midnight now, but it does not matter since there are more serious issues at hand than turning 18. I am now convinced that I am going to die. This is definitely worse than what Melanie had. But one thing is for sure, I am not going to be found naked. I try to locate my night gown. It is a few feet from my legs. Maneuvering with broken legs is not easy.

I try to lift myself up so that I can be able to turn and grab my gown, but my hands crack too. The pain is worse than before, and the heat comes back with it. Even the night air is useless now. The intensity is too much now. I am sweating ten times more than before. I feel a series of more cracking as if the bones in my body are rearranging themselves. The pain is too much now that I am crying. Every bone in my body is cracking and breaking. The pain makes me think of one person who might be of help. Only problem is, he is far away. But I call out anyway with the only strength I got.

"Wilen."

And as soon as the name rolls out of my tongue, I see him in my sight. I have never been this relieved to see someone. He looks about the same but with my tearful eyes it is hard to tell.

"Help me please." I manage to whisper. I have been screaming a lot, so my voice is barely there.

" I am sorry my child. I cannot. I can only sit and hold your hands through it. This is the next phase of your life, and you must go through with it. The only person who can help you is on the sidelines watching. He knows better than to interfere. He knows you need to do this by yourself. And also, he is a little afraid of me. He did just see me appear out of thin air." I want to laugh at that last statement with him but am too weak and in so much pain to engage. His explanation does not make sense to me, and I frankly do not care. I am glad he is here though.

He holds my hand through it. It has been hours of pain and heat to the point that am numb. I feel my bones rearranging themselves. And my vision slowly starts sharpening. All of a sudden, am in all fours looking straight into the red eyes of a large black wolf that is in the forest that is across the lake. I do not understand how I can see that far or what exactly I am seeing. And before I could grasp anything, everything goes dark.

The next time I come to, the sun is shining bright on me I have to close my eyes for a second. I open my eyes again and try to adjust to the light. I am lying on my back and with the way I can feel the sun on every part of my skin, I am definitely naked. I look around. I am still at the lake, by the shore. The morning breeze feels good. I feel better actually. No more heat or headaches. Just a calm healthy body. And the events of last night come rushing back. Wilen was definitely here and am sure I saw a wolf. It was as dark as the night with red eyes like the moon that same night. And again, it hits me where I am and what time it is.

By now everyone must be awake. I am in so much trouble. I run back to school and sneak in successfully. Everyone i sup and about in their night wears. It is bathing time, so I blend right in. I am just lucky. This would have ended so much worse. Bryce would have been called, and I am not ready to see him, maybe ever. So, I join the others and prepare myself for the day. Funnily, I do not feel sickly like yesterday, but I feel funny. Like I am not just me. All my scars are gone. My skin is as smooth as a baby's. But I ignore it. It must be just that Wilen was able to cure me. Maybe it is the herbs that are making me feel funny. But deep down I know that Wilen never gave me any herbs.

Anyway, I manage to catch up with everyone and sit down for my first class of the day; Social and Political Science. I do not enjoy it very much because it involves a lot of discussions forcing me to participate. But the teacher, Ms. Koza, is nice even to me. She was among the few to notice I was not fine the past few weeks. She in class and she is discussing leadership. She wants someone to help define leadership and no one is. I usually sit at the very corner of the class. She is scanning the room to see who she will choose. I know the answer but am always quiet unless chosen. Then out of nowhere a deep voice says,

'You know you should answer. It would not hurt anyone.'

"What?" I say so loud that everyone turns to look at me. I sit alone and no one in this room would dare to speak to me. So, where did the voice come from? And before I can figure it out, Ms. Koza smiles wide and takes the opportunity to ask me to answer. Everyone is still looking at me, weirdly of course. I clear my throat and answer as audible as possible. I know it is correct, so I say it fast and keep quiet.

"Very good." Ms. Koza and the voice say at the same time. She must have seen the confusion om my face because she asks me what the problem is. I manage to lie and tell her I thought I had omitted something in my answer.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly except the voice. It is everywhere I go and it is driving me crazy. I can tell it is coming from within me. It is in my head, and it scares me. Maybe I am not cured after all. What happened last night must have been leading to this. My thoughts are interrupted by the voice.

'You know I do not like being called the voice. I do actually have a name. You should be kind enough to ask.' I like the sass, but someone is angry.

Right now, the nature is calling out to me once again. It is night now and everyone is asleep. So, I focus on sneaking out. The lake is peaceful tonight. I disturb the peace by dipping my feet in, but it soon settles. The air is cool and crispy which is making me feel good. I close my eyes and for some weird reason my hearing sharpens. I can hear all the little creatures running around the forest. Except I hear a twig snap across the lake in the forest, and I open my eyes so fast. At first, I see no one but suddenly my vision sharpens and I see beyond the trees across the lake. It is the same wolf as last night but what shocks me the most is what the voice in my head shouts.

'Mate!'