Daughter of Luka (LGBT+)

Eighteen 🌑

"What are you doing, Ophelia?" a voice like silk asked me and I hastily pressed the little 'x' on the web page. 

"Just research for a history project I'm doing on myths and legends," I explained quickly, as I turned to look at Accalia. 

Her eyes warmed with gentle amusement. 

"Or avoiding Mr. Z's class?" she asked me. 

"No. This project is a real thing. I most definitely did not make it up," I said. 

Sometimes outright lies worked the best. Sometimes, they didn't at all. I wasn't sure how much, of what I said, Accalia was going to believe, but that didn't matter. I just needed to make sure she didn't know that I knew her secret. 

She released a soft chuckle. 

"Alright, then," she said, as she slumped her bag down and sat down next to me. As her eyes searched mine again, they became full of intrigue. "I'm going to be honest with you, I really did miss you this weekend." 

"You did?" I asked her. 

"Well, yeah. I know we spent some time together on Saturday, but on Sunday I was so busy studying that I just-" 

"I get it," I quickly cut in. My voice sounded much harsher than I had initially intended, but I supposed there was a part of me that was frustrated with Accalia for keeping so many secrets from me. 

"Look, I care about you a lot, Ophelia," she said. 

"Why?" I asked. I couldn't help myself. 

"'Cause you're my friend," she said, her eyes flashing with concern, "Have I done something wrong? I understand if you're upset with me for anything I've said, I'd just like to know what it was, so I can apologise." 

My eyes glanced out of the window, into the depth of the forest. More now than ever before, I felt myself drawn to them as much as I felt myself drawn to the girl sat beside me. 

I tried to not think too much on the last forum page that I had read. 

It was just the internet. There was loads of fake crap on the internet. 

Yet, I knew that wolves- werewolves, in particular- existed.

"You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just thinking," I admitted. 

Curiosity flickered in Accalia's eyes. I knew that I needed to prepare myself for another round of questioning. 

"About the mystery of the unknown?" Accalia asked me. The corner of her lips moved upwards slightly. She then gestured to the computer. "I saw what you had been Googling," she told me. 

Oh dear. 

"Werewolves," she said, "I've always been fascinated with them, myself," she added, with a small smile that made her look as though she was in on something nobody else knew about. 

Except, of course, I did know. I knew a lot more than she gave me credit for. 

"People like to tell stories, Ophelia. That's all they are. Stories," she said. 

"Yes, but-" she cut in again. 

"Stories. Not real. No werewolves. Werewolves fake," she said, as she gently rubbed her fingers in a circular motion over my temples. 

I smiled despite myself. 

"Maybe you think so...but I know better," I said. 

Accalia's eyebrows drew together, then. 

"Well, I'd be careful," she said.

"Of what lurks in the shadows?" I replied easily. 

Accalia's eyes widened a little then, in her surprise. Her hands dropped back down into her lap.

"You might not believe me but I really can look after myself," I said. My eyes moved back to the trees. I tried to look for a sign of something- anything. "There's nothing in those forests that I should be worried about." 

"You don't know what you should be worried about, Ophelia," Accalia said. 

I ignored the comment. 

"I understand that you have a fascination with these forests but if you have seen the news reports then you should already know to stay away," she said. She said the last two words a little more slowly, as if they were a warning. "Dangerous things live there. I would know. I've been there. Many times." 

"And you're still here," I said. 

"I know how to look after myself," she replied automatically. "Your father wouldn't want you traipsing around in the forests either, you know that." 

"I know he wouldn't, neither would my mother, but despite all of that- I don't care," I said, "I do as I please." 

Accalia pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"I need to study," she said, as she pulled her textbook out of her bag, and I soon realised that this conversation was over.

I felt bad for bringing up my mother like that, but I knew my comment had been true. My parents had given me a lot of freedom, for the most part, but they would have agreed on having me stay out of those forests, and I knew as much. 

For a moment, I wondered how Paul would have reacted. He always liked to establish so much authority. I was surprised he even let me go to the bathroom alone. He might have thought I was constructing a bomb out of a sponge, shampoo, and toothpaste, or something. 

My dad was less strict, but he had still made it clear what he thought about the forest, and how much he wanted me to stay out of it. 

The forest wouldn't lead me to a coma, unless I knocked my head too hard against a tree trunk or rock, which I fortunately had no plans of doing any time soon. 

Accalia clearly didn't want me to go to those forests for a reason and I already had a good idea of what that was. 

She didn't want me to know about her family. 

She didn't want me to know about Fenn. 

Unfortunately, it was already too late for me to not know about those things.

Nonetheless, she didn't need to know about what I knew. 

"Ophelia," Accalia spoke, once she had finished writing a sentence in her book.

"Yeah?" I turned to her, surprised she wanted to speak to me. 

"Promise me that you'll stay out of those forests," she said. 

I sighed, much as I expected she would after I gave my answer. 

"I can't."