After a moment of silence, I heard my mom say, "we have to talk to her and ask about the headaches and ringing."
"But will you get anything new from asking her? I already told you all there is to it."
"I think there is something new we might get. The headaches and ringing were not there while we were married, was it?" my mom asked.
"Before we get too worried, I think it time we talk to Vesta and tell our daughter who she is." My dad said.
"I insist we talk to her first."
I knew it was time to leave, and I tiptoed back to the sofa.
It took thirty minutes before they came out of the room. I was on Instagram, texting with Angela and looking at pictures on Ethan's page. Ethan had sent me a message asking about my head and wishing me well.
"What did you text in response?"
"I just sent him a thank you."
"Just that? Didn't you ask how his day went or if he missed you?"
"Why? He is not my boyfriend."
"He could be if you had played your cards right."
"I'm not supposed to make the first move, you know that right?"
"It doesn't matter who makes the first move, girl. You like him and he is interested in you. Moreover it would be hot to be prom date to the hottest guy in school."
"I thought Wesley in freshman class is the current hottest."
'"hen you haven't heard of the latest polls since after the basketball match. Speaking of basketball, the rematch is tomorrow and Ethan will be there, so I want you to make your intentions known."
"No, I will do no such thing."
"You have to, or that witch, Elizabeth, will do it."
"I hear you my friend, but remember that one of the ground rules for ladies is to be demure and let attract what you want."
"How about you fight for what you want."
"You know what Angela, we will continue this later. I have to go now.'
"If this is a way to run away from this conversation, know that it is not over yet."
My mom had come into the sitting room and found a spot across from me to sit. Dad came to sit beside me. I looked at them; I had heard what they were saying earlier and looked at their faces for any sign of emotions.
"Luna, we need to ask you something," My mother began. I sat up.
"Are you aware of anything that triggers your headaches and the ringing in your ears?"
"No I'm not. It's just that I see three hooded figures whenever I feel the headache or the ringing."
"Have they tried to communicate with you in any way?" She asked again.
"No. no words. they just stand silently, watching. But lately, I have been seeing a black wolf in my dream lately. It does not attack me or anything."
Mom and dad looked at each other and my heart began to beat faster. She exclaimed,
"That must be Cain," and stopped talking immediately. I felt dryness in my mouth and throat and an urge to ask.
"Mom, who is going to kill me, who is Cain?"
I saw the shock in mom's face.
"I'm sorry; I eavesdropped while you guys were talking in the room. Who is going to kill me?"
"Shush, baby girl. No one is going to kill you. Your dad and I are here and nothing will happen to you. We will make sure of that."
I looked at my dad; tears had welled in my eyes and were falling freely. My dad nodded and wiped my tears with his free hand.
He looked at my mom and nodded. And when I looked at mom, she cleared her throat and said,
"BBaby girl, we need to tell you something, something about whom you are and the possible reason you are having these dreams and the headaches."
There was a dead silence as my ears itched to hear about it.
"Firstly, I want you to know that your dad and I love you and no matter what happens, we love you very much. And remember that you are the best thing to happen to us and that you are not a mistake, no matter what happens."
I don't know why they are telling me this but I don't like the sound of this at all. It sounded to me like something foreboding was going to happen. Mom continued.
"There is a group called the Revenants. They are the oldest living werewolves in history, descended directly from Cain."
"You mean Cain in the bible?" I have always thought that bible character was a myth.
"That exact one." She nodded.
"What do they want with me?"
"It's because of something you dad and I did many years ago."
Then she was silent. I couldn't wait any longer. "What did you do mom? Dad?"
I looked at them both. Dad wore a tight smile on his face, which did a bad job at hiding his heavy heart.
"What did you guys do? It can be righted, can it not?"
"I'm sorry, in this case we crossed a line when we did it and it can't be undone. We fell in love and had you."
I almost laughed but the worried looks on their faces had me reconsidering that option.
"How can falling in love be a crime? This is not the middle age anymore. Or wait; have you guys been alive that long?" I felt a sweet kind of apprehension cloud my mind.
"This is the thing. I am a pure breed wolf and your face is a lycan. We are not supposed to marry. And when we did, the penalty is death, not just to me but to the product of that love, which is you."
This time I laughed, "Mom, dad, this is a joke right? I mean we are in the United States and this is 2022. Who would be making that kind of rule in this age and time?"
"There are people who were here before the United States was founded, before the Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic, even before the Roman Empire was founded, who would enforce that rule no matter who is involved." I saw seriousness glint in the black of her eye.
As mom was talking, it became cloudy outside and dark. Then there was the howl of a wolf outside, followed by other howls. Mom stopped talking and looked around. Then she said,
"They are here. We have to move now."
It seemed like a joke to me but dad had rushed upstairs. As he descended the stairs, the wall in the sitting room seemed to melt. I didn't think of it, thinking it was the medication I had taken hours ago that still had that effect on me. But it continued to melt until three figures stepped out of it. Mom was holding on to me but the figures came over to her. I saw dad rush over to where we stood and tried to wrest my mom and I from the hands of one of the hooded figures. I saw that the hand of the hooded figure was covered in tattoos and I wondered where I had seen those same hands before. With one swift of the hand, my dad was tossed to one end of the room. I was left alone with my mom, who was seized hands and feet and dragged into the wall with them. The wall closed and all came back to normal. My mom was gone.