Chapter 5 FOUR

MORGIANA'S POV I felt the taste of blood in my mouth. For a moment, I tried to recall if my aunt had slapped me before I went to sleep. But then I jolt awake when I remembered I didn't fall asleep. I looked around and felt that I wasn't in my bed. Worse, my head feels like it's about to explode. I touched my mouth and realized there was a small cut on the side. I winced. The surrounding was dark and my eyes still hasn't adjusted to my surroundings. It was then that I started to see glimpses of what happened. It was my birthday, yes. I remember buying a cake and then secretly lighting the candles in my room. When I blew the candles, there was a figure on the corner- I gasped at the memory. The bits and pieces of it felt started to flood my brain until there was just fear and nothing else. Someone had taken me. Someone had covered my mouth hard enough to make it bleed. And worse, I remember who that someone was. I jumped from where I was sitting when I heard a noise. I still couldn't figure out where I am but judging from the hard surface of the floor, I guessed I am in some kind of room. There are so many questions in my head but at the moment, all I care about is how to get out of there. My feet were wobbly as I tried to stand. Then I walked forward only to feel metal bars. I grabbed it and felt it before I realized they are there to keep from getting away. And then light flooded in and I closed my eyes at the sudden attack of brightness. Slowly, I opened my eyes. It was then that I also heard some murmurs and snickers. They don't sound like Arleigh and her cronies. She couldn't believe how she wished it was Arleigh and her cronies in front of her the moment she saw them. They all looked unfamiliar and all of them looked at me as though I had done something to offend them that would last a century. I was in a cage. The cage was big enough to accommodate my height so I won't bump my head. I wanted to thank them for their thoughtfulness but one of the people in front of me slammed a piece of wood on the metal bar causing me to jolt and scuttle back. Then the man snickered in my direction. The rest of them shouted in delight when they saw me jump. Ridicule has always been something that goes with me wherever I go. I have long accepted that fact. But something tells me that this time, it's going to be different. That this is nothing like my aunt's mistreatment or Arleigh's daily torment. I had a feeling that this is going to be a different kind of hell. But why am I here? Tomatoes and other rotten vegetables started to fly towards my cage and all I can do is cover myself for defense. I am scared shitless. I am in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by unknown people who don't seem to mind wasting food to torment me. Have I done something I am not aware of that offended Mr. de Marcel? Questions clouded my mind and somehow, they made me occupied from a vegetable attack. Although one potato made through the metal bars and hit me on the head. I picked it up, threw it back, and it hit one of the men, much to my delight. They all went quiet as they saw what I did. The man that I hit was looking at me as though he can't wait to end my life. I staggered backward as I saw him walking toward me. "Abomination," he said and then he picked up a stick. I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I used my arms for cover as I waited for the piece of wood to pierce my skin. But instead, a voice thundered across the area. The piece of wood did not come and everyone went dead silent. Slowly, I removed my arms and saw the man looking at me and then putting down the wooden stick. "Enough, Lucas," said the voice. It didn't take me a long time to figure out who it belonged. As I looked up to see who it was, Alaris de Marcel looked glorious as ever as he stood on a huge rock not too far from where I was publicly shamed. The man named Lucas looked at me as though promising an eternity of misery before he turned his back and faced Alaris. I did the same. I looked at Alaris with enough contempt. I was so tempted to thrash and scream profanities at him but something tell me not to do it. So I waited for him as he came down from the rock in a graceful motion and walked towards the cage where I am. The crowd parted, giving way for him and I couldn't help but wonder who he really is. When he was in front of me, I saw his face clearly. It was void of any emotion. If he appeared cold at school, right now, I could freeze on the spot with his penetrating eyes. But I couldn't forget about the fact that he kidnapped and brought me here. "If you want to make some money by doing this, trust me, my aunt and uncle are going to thank you instead," I said. He furrowed his brows and for a while, he did not say anything. He just looked at me as though I am a puzzle he couldn't solve. If it were a different situation where I was not in a cage and he was in his professor uniform, my insides would have done a backflip. But right now, the only thing I feel is to flip him my middle finger. "Stop fighting and we will make it easier for you," said Alaris. "What exactly are you going to make easier for me?" "I've been waiting for this to happen. Tonight marks the night that you will die." My brow rose. "Excuse me?" Despite the fear that crept into my being, I couldn't help but wonder how everything went down to this. "Okay, is this about me breaking Arleigh's hand? Are you her secret bodyguard or something? Are you her father's secret goons?" But there was no answer from Alaris. He just turned his back on me and faced the people in front of us. "Tonight's the full moon. Prepare what we need," Alaris said and before I could even ask more questions, Alaris walked away and left me there at the mercy of the people who are looking at me with the most hateful look they could manage. I wanted to scream at him, curse his name, but my throat went dry. I still couldn't comprehend how I got into this situation. And the hateful looks that the others have given were enough to let me know that I wasn't welcome. That they are going to do unspeakable things to me and they won't regret it. It was terrifying. I don't have any idea what they're doing. It was indeed the full moon but I don't know what's something about it that made them move as though they were anticipating something. I've seen a lot of terrifying things-experienced some of it first hand even, but looking at them makes her skin crawl. I'm not sure if it's a trick of the light but I could have sworn their eyes turned luminous. As in they look like they're glowing in the dark. Or maybe she was still hungover from whatever Alaris de Marcel did to me to knock me unconscious. The sound of crickets and the rush of leaves against the gentle breeze was what I could hear. The surrounding went eerily quiet and the people who were snickering at me earlier stood in silence. My skin crawled. What the hell is happening? I never thought I would be thankful I was in a cage but at that moment, I felt thankful. It felt like the cages would at least protect from whatever is happening outside. My eyes found Alaris de Marcel who was standing on some kind of hill. He stood taller than everyone and I couldn't help but think he's the leader of these people. But who are these people? What's their purpose? Why do they want me? But I think the most important question I should be asking is: What are they going to do to me? "Excuse me-" I wasn't able to continue my sentence when one of the people's heads snapped in my direction. I stifled a yelp when I saw that his eyes really glowed! "What the hell," I muttered to myself. I pushed myself further away from the cell containing me inside the cage. The man's eyes glowed. Why the hell were his eyes glowing red? What the hell is happening? I looked at the others and I could also see their eyes glowing. It wasn't a trick of the light. What I was seeing is real! Do people's eyes normally glow? They were all looking at the moon, watching it with admiration in their eyes. When my eyes went to look at Alaris, he was not standing there anymore. My eyes searched the area but he wasn't there. "It's wise for you to shut up and not move a muscle." I almost jumped from inside her cage when I heard him standing next to the cage. "How did you-" I don't know what is happening but I think I am going crazy. He was standing a few meters away earlier and now he's standing next to me! And his eyes were glowing too! Although it was different from the others because his eyes glowed gold. "What is going on?" I asked and I couldn't hide the trembling of my voice as I said it. I hated how it made me feel so weak. But Alaris just gave me a stare, enough to shut me up. I blinked and he was gone. When I looked up at the hill, he was already there, looking down at me, eyes glowing gold. It wasn't just a hallucination. It was real, whatever it was that was happening. Or maybe I ate too much of my birthday cake last night that I am feeling high right now. Or maybe my aunt slapped me too hard I was knocked unconscious and this is just a terrible dream. This has to be a dream. No humans could move quickly like that! And then as if it wasn't scary enough, I heard them groaning. When I looked closer, I saw how their physicals changed. Not only were their eyes glowing but their whole body was changing. I gasped and I scuttled farther back in my cage as I watched. I hear the snapping and the grunts of pain. My hand went to cover my mouth, stifling my scream as I saw how their bones were breaking-snapping into odd angles. Hairs grew on their arms and legs-to every part of their body and their clothes tore as their bodies became larger. I was trembling. I never trembled so much in my whole existence. What I was witnessing was something I have only seen in the movies. When I looked at where Alaris was standing, I saw clearly how his body has changed. How his ears became pointy and how he was standing on four legs. His eyes snapped to where I am and I let out a whimper as those golden eyes glowed brighter. My hand was tight on my mouth, trying so hard to stop the scream that was threatening to come out. Then they looked up at the moon and howled as if to get its attention. The people around me, even Mr. Alaris were not humans. They had just turned to wolves.