Daughter of Luka (LGBT+)

Twenty 🌑

I thanked the stars that I still had mobile data, as I walked on through the forest. 

I was alone now. There were no people, or wolves, in sight. I truly was on my own. 

I turned on my phone and messaged Kate to check if we had any mathematics homework. Thankfully, we did not. 

With all of the time that I had spent in the forest recently, I really didn't get much opportunity to complete my school work. I didn't need Mr. Z to put me into detention any time soon. I had things that I needed to do. 

My phone then buzzed with a new text. 

Dad: Do you want me to make you some veggie burgers, for when you get back? 

I smirked at the screen. He had obviously taken into account what I had said earlier, about becoming a vegetarian. 

Eventually, I reached the cave again. 

I couldn't believe I was there. I had never seen it in the daylight before. A large part of me was glad that I had managed to reach it, before it got dark again, but then I had been running for most of the journey. 

I wasn't going to waste any time. I needed to find the entrance. 

My legs carried me forward, towards the stone entrance, and I pressed the palm of my hand against it, in some attempt to see if it would budge. 

It did not. 

I was going to need to use some of the money that I had made over the summer to buy myself some dumbbells. My arms weren't complete French fries, but I wasn't the strongest girl in the world, either.

I had a feeling it was going to be a waiting game. Perhaps, after some time, Accalia or Fenn would show up. 

You'll be fine, I tried to reassure myself against the unsettling feeling that was emerging in my stomach. 

I wouldn't be fine if nobody showed up, though. That would be incredibly frustrating. 

It was still early, though, and then sun was still casting golden light through the trees, creating shadows around the cave. I knew that I had time. 

As my eyes glanced over the cave, I couldn't help but wonder as to who had built it. It looked slightly rough around the edges, but it also held up pretty well. 

I sat down nearby the cave and then texted a reply to my dad, to tell him that veggie burgers sounded good. 

My stomach would also probably thank me for not feeding it a takeaway pizza, which was what I originally had planned. 

As I sat waiting, I grabbed my sketchbook out of my bag and began to sketch the cave in front of me. 

I tried to remain positive that one of the people from the circle the previous evening would emerge, but I wasn't entirely convinced.

Days ago, being the new girl had been one of my biggest issues. Now, I was sat waiting for lycanthropes to come and join me. 

What exactly was my life coming to? 

At least the new girl spotlight would drop off me if people started to pay more attention to the new sightings of wolves in the forest. 

I was sure that the gossip at school would start soon enough- mostly down to the fact that Kate knew about what was going on and, in the short time that I had known her for, I had gained the sense that she could be a gossip when she felt up to it. 

"Uh, who are you?" a woman asked me, then, as she walked back to the cave with a basket full of cupcakes and wine. 

"Are you going to see your grandmother?" I retorted, only mentally punching myself a little. 

The woman's eyes looked friendly enough, but she also seemed confused about the presence of a stranger nearby the cave. 

"Who are you?" she asked again. 

"I'm Ophelia," I said. 

Her eyes widened slightly, as though she recognised my name, but I knew that was impossible.

She then frowned. 

I frowned back. 

"You're not welcome here, girl," she said. 

"My name's Ophelia," I said. 

"Oh, I know," she replied, as she folded her arms in front of her chest. She looked completely unamused. "Ophelia, you're not welcome here. You should go." 

I looked back at her with a rather neutral expression. 

"I don't know why I'm not welcome here. I brought cookies," I said, gesturing to my backpack. 

The woman stood before me gave a look as if to ask- 'how is that going to help make you welcome?'. 

"I don't have time to explain," I said. 

Her eyes darkened. 

I had a feeling I was about to be banished, so I stood up and released a sigh. 

"I don't need to know anything else about you." she said.

"That's a shame. I thought that maybe we could be friends," I replied. 

"My name is Yara. That is all that you need to know," she said. 

"I wish that I could say that it was nice to meet you, but you're banishing me from this cave, so I guess I can't really say that." 

For a split-second, the woman's eyes grew sympathetic. 

I knew that as soon as I left, I was going to feel alone in the forest, but at least I had seen another one of them. Of the tribe, as the man had called them the other evening. 

Yara didn't drone on about mathematics like Mr. Z, but she made me feel about as nervous as he did. 

"Is this going to get worse? Are you going to get one of your wolf friends to come and eat me?" I asked. 

Her eyes narrowed but then she took a step towards me. 

I took a step back. 

"How do you know about the wolves?" she asked. 

Damn. She was not good at keeping that on the down-low. 

Yara's expression remained unsympathetic for a second, before it became more decisive. 

"Come with me," she said. 

Before I could fully grasp what I was doing, I began to follow Yara.