Freefall-Book One

Chapter Eight

       (A/N: I think this one is a little longer than the last, and hopefully, it shines some light on what Sofia's life has been like.  Vote, fan, comment, and enjoy!)    

 Chapter Eight

              It was stupid to run into the woods like that, without any backup, but that’s how I’ve always run.  Alone.  Even now, ling here in the darkness, I am alone.  But I can’t change that right now, anyway.  Slowly, I stand from the crouched position I had been in, putting my hands out in front of me in the darkness.  The pitch black is catching; I feel as if all the light has been sucked from my body.  Moving slowly, I place one foot in front of the other, my hands searching the darkness as I move forward.  Step by step, I make my way from the spot that I had opened my eyes in; inch by inch I make my way into the unknown.

                I can hear voices, but they’re faint, and garbled.  As if they’re coming from a speaker that’s been hit with a hammer and is barely eking out its last message.  That’s not exactly comforting right now.  I glare into the darkness, then squint my eyes in the hopes that maybe I can make something out.  Nothing.  Sighing, I plop myself onto the ground, pulling my knees in front of me as I sit gazing out at the darkness.

                “Sofia?  Can you hear me?  If you can hear me, squeeze my hand!”  I hear Kris’s voice; it’s soft, and garbled, but I can just make out his voice.  Squeeze his hand?  I can’t find him in this darkness, so how am I supposed to squeeze his hand?  I stand slowly, looking around.  No point in doing that, but its habit.  I sigh again, and begin the slow movement towards whatever waits in the darkness; once again, I stretch my hands before me.  As I move, I hear a soft whisper of silk, and feel it brushing against my outstretched hand.

                “Hello?” I call into the darkness, moving my hand in the air and wishing I had a flashlight, or a lighter, or something!  Anything to get out of this never ending darkness!  I stop moving, listening again for the sound of brushing silk, but hear nothing.  Once again, I am alone in this bitter darkness.  Out of the darkness, I hear movement, like chairs scraping along a wooden floor, and I hit the ground with a thud.  I know what’s coming, and I hate myself for it.

                “Sofia, hide,” my mother warns, her warm hands pushing me towards the closet.  She grabs the back of my shirt roughly with one hand while flinging open the closet door with the other.  As I’m pushed inside, she crouches down to look at me on my level.

                “Be safe, and don’t make a sound, love,” she whispers, running a hand along my cheek as she stands and then closes the door behind her.  I hear the click of the lock, and then her booted feet are moving away from the door.  Peeking through the key hole, I watch as she makes her way down the hall towards my father’s study, where Dominic, the Alpha of our pack, waits.  Another deal has been made; my mother the bargaining chips.  As I watch with wide eyes, she turns at the doorway and places a finger to her lips.  Her eyes are cold, and her smile is a sad one.  She shakes her head at me, motioning for me not to make a sound, fold her hands on her protruding stomach, and turns to walk into the room, closing the doors behind her.

                My father stands with a hand on my shoulder, staring down at the burning pier that holds my beloved mother’s body.  His eyes are shining, but he doesn’t shed a tear as he stares down.  I feel his hand clench on my shoulder and smell the Alpha as he comes down the winding path to the final resting place of my mother.

                “Weeping isn’t something a man of your rank does.  I don’t have time to worry about if you’re going soft on me.  Walk with me.  Leave the pup here; she’s should be able to handle herself?”