>>Clio
Time seemed like it was standing still and I couldn't take my eyes off him.
I was waiting, full of anticipation.
"You look amazing," The words smoothly flowed out his mouth. His genuine admiration, free from any teasing or mockery, was enough to make me blush. His eyes revealed a complexity of emotions that left me both flustered and strangely pleased.
As his gaze remained fixed on me, I couldn't shake the feeling that this unexpected makeover had unveiled a new layer
"T-thank you,"
Azef smiled at us, then immediately took off, "I'll see what they're planning," And he crossed me to leave the room, "You two enjoy your time."
His statement actually snapped me back to reality. I glanced at Azed leaving, then looked back at Matthew, "What's this all about?" I asked, "About the Somas?"
Matthew's eyes were still stuck on me, "Nothing, they just have this thing to get even about everything." I was trying not to focus on it but his gaze refused to leave me alone.
"Get even with what?" I asked
"Anything. According to Zhou-Lin, Silas is angry that he was lied to, and he won't let that pass."
"What do they want?" I was standing near him now and he was standing in front of his desk
"I doubt he'd still want to take you. It's probably to kill you,"
"So… What now?"
"If that's really how it is," Matthew looked at me with a firm gaze, "Then we'll kill them first." He slipped his hands around my waist, "You look so beautiful, I can't tear my gaze away."
My heart did a wild flip at his words.
"So you're saying you'll do anything to keep me safe?" My heart was fluttering like crazy
"You are mine, and I'll do anything to keep you," He answered.
"Even kill people for me?"
He paused for a second, then smirked , "I've already proved that part." His eyes glinted, "And I'll do it again."
!!!
My heart took on a life of its own, pounding in my chest like a drum in a rhythm only he could hear. I don't think I should feel this way. He said he'd kill for me and it's not something to be happy about but his words got me excited.
I found myself momentarily lost in the intensity of his gaze
I can't believe this but It gave me butterflies and I really liked it. I really have lost my mind and I've fallen deeply in love.
"About the Somas," I gulped, looking away, "Zhou-Lin told you that?"
"Yes,"
"Is he reliable?"
He smirked, "He may not seem like it, but he is,"
"More than the director?"
"More than Azef?" He shook his head, "No,"
"Azef and I… it's different because we're siblings. And we did something for each other when we were young. Zhou-Lin and Xia-Lin, just happened to be there when we did that and they helped cover the things for us." He took a deep breath, "Plus they both were the ones who found me when I needed shelter."
Did something for each other when they were young?
A point clicked in my mind
"You mentioned your first kill was for someone important."
"Was the Azef?"
"..." There was a pause from his side when I asked that and I think I hit the mark. He knew I would catch him if he lied so in the end, he simply nodded.
***
>> Matthew (Twelve years old)
A paper fold, one so lightweight yet when it was hitting my head seemed so heavy. Not it's weight but the way it was being slapped on my head.
"Do you get it?" It was a gangster, someone who's name or face I don't even remember. He was underling himself and his job was nothing important other than training me.
"Yes," I stood with my hands tied behind my back,
"Really?" He kept striking the paper fold to my head, "You better do a good job, or I'm the one who gets in trouble,"
"I will," It was irritating, so annoying with how he kept striking me but I kept my hands tightly tied behind me. This kind of behavior was common from goons, they did extremely annoying and humiliating things but I endured.
I had to survive. I had to earn my keep.
And other than the otherworld, no one else would take in kids. I knew that and I usually took it really well, but something off today. I wasn't in a good mood.
For a few days now I hadn't been feeling well.
"Go then," He slapped my cheek with that paper fold, "If you mess up you'll get a beating,"
"I know," I finally got to step back and leave. I was supposed to get an item for an auction. The Chinese were coming and the police knew. They needed a kid to do the job to avoid suspicion.
I got the item without a hitch but I felt the temperature in my body rise.
The auction started late at night and I had to be careful while getting back to the appointed area. The night was thick with an eerie stillness, and the moon hung low in the inky sky. My body temperature kept rising and my mind was getting dizzier.
I was handling that much, I needed the money to get by but that's when the body pains struck and it struck so hard I froze.
I was near the seaport containers where I could feel something changing inside me, a strange and unsettling transformation that sent shivers down my spine.
What is this? I panicked, I had no idea what was going on and I had no one to ask.
The pain started as an ache in my bones, a gnawing discomfort that twisted my insides. I stumbled and clutched my stomach, dropping the item in my bag, feeling the bones beneath my skin contorting and shifting. The world around me blurred as the change took hold.
W-what is going on!?!??!
I found myself in an open clearing, bathed in the silvery light of the unforgiving moon. The pain intensified, ripping through my limbs like a relentless storm.
GOD!! NO! What??! I looked down at myself and something clicked in my mind.
Shifting?
I crawled towards the containers to hide, leaving the item behind, completely forgetting about it. Every muscle screamed in protest as fur sprouted from my skin, and my bones cracked and rearranged themselves into a new, terrifying form.
With no one to guide me through this nightmarish ordeal, I writhed on the ground, my cries of pain merging with the waves of the sea and horns of the ships. My senses dulled, then sharpened, and the world appeared in shades of black and white. The scent of the earth and the sound of waves became overwhelming, assaulting my senses in ways I couldn't comprehend.
OH GOD! Is this supposed to be this painful!!?!? GOD! I wish I had someone here with me…. It was unwilling, I had no intention to cry and it wasn't because of my feelings either but the pain caused the tears to storm down my face.
I could clearly hear the cracking of my bones. It was like being broken from each joint.
Loneliness pressed down on me like a heavy weight. No one was there to offer comfort or reassurance, and the isolation intensified the torment. I longed for someone to tell me it would be okay, that this excruciating metamorphosis was a passage to a new existence.
When I lived with my father I saw how the parents cradled their kids during their first shifting. Held them with care….
"AHH!" And here I was, with no home, no shelter, out in the open, withering in pain in a place where even if I died no one would find me for days.
I was all alone,
"AHHH! GOD!" Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as the agony reached its crescendo, an unbearable pain that crescendoed to a point where my consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion. In the throes of unbearable pain, my body gave in, and darkness was the only thing that enveloped me like a comforting shroud.
***
When I finally opened my eyes, the world looked different. The moonlit clearing I remembered was now a tableau painted in shadows and ethereal hues. My vision had transformed, adapting to a new perception that felt both surreal and unnerving. But that wasn't all, I was looking at the moon through a window now.
…
What?
The pain was gone but when I tried to stand up, I noticed something off. It wasn't the same. Something was different.
I looked down at myself
!!!
I was on all fours!!
As I tried to make sense of this altered reality, a voice reached me, "You're up,"
!!!
I shot my head around and a lady, in Chinese clothes, sat by my side on a chair. Her eyes met mine with a mixture of compassion and curiosity, "I'm Xiao Mei,"
I stared at her, then tried to speak but couldn't.
Ah…
Right, I'm a wolf at the moment,
"You've experienced the first change, child," she spoke, "I've heard the first shift is a painful metamorphosis," She smirked, a rather sarcastic smirk as she looked out the window at the moon,, "Not that I ever got to experience it since I had 'dirty' blood."
I stared at her and she looked back at me, "But considering where my kids found you, I can safely assume you're a bastard just like me."
!!!
My eyes went wide at her words, then I looked down as I understood her words. 'A bastard like her…' 'Dirty blood'
I nodded
We were the same, abandoned from our society, chased away, but looks like she never shifted, like how bastards are presumed to be. I turned to look at the moon
Unlike me,
"My twins found you," She said and I looked back at her. Watched as she gestured to someone to come to us, "It's fine," She said and I looked towards the door, "You saw him shifting didn't you? He's not much different from mommy,"
I watched as two kids, about my age, emerged from behind the door. Both of them were pretty, pretty enough that I initially thought both of them were girls.
"This is my son," The lady pointed, "And my daughter,"
I frowned,
Werewolves are supposed to keep themselves a secret…
"Fret not," The lady said, "They won't spill it to anyone." She looked at her kids, "Right Xiǎo Zhōu? Xiǎo Xià?"
They both nervously nodded at their mother. It felt like they weren't only nervous but also afraid of her, or maybe of me. I couldn't be too sure.
The lady looked at me, "I've been where you are," She smiled, "But," She looked at me, "I never shifted," She clicked her tongue and then there was silence.
I wonder what happened to the item I dropped? That old goon is going to lose his mind- I shot my head at the wall clock to look at the time.
5 A.M
Ah, shit… He must already have lost his mind…
"Worried about the item you were supposed to deliver?" I looked back at the Lady as she thought it through.
Of course I'm worried. The goon will throw me in the sea. I can't go back but where do I run off to now? I don't have any money. I barely got some and that was only enough to feed myself
…
I frowned and a subtle growl escaped my lips,
"Say?" She extended a hand towards me, catching my attention again, "You won't have to worry about anything like that if you come work for me."
I tilted my head at her in confusion,
What was she planning?
Her kids along with me stared at her in disbelief which caused her to smirk, "From one bastard to another," She got up from her seat and crouched down in front of me, I'll treat you better."