Intertwined

Epolouge - Mattias

I'd been wandering for days—weeks even—aimless and idiotic. It felt that if I continued to walk through the thin trunks of the evergreen trees, my legs would disconnect at their joints and fall to my sides, looking as useless and limp as I felt right about now. I wished, as I often did, that I wouldn't have to worry about the full moon coming up in just under two weeks. I had no where to run, no where to hide, and worst of all, no friends to confide in.

I tried to think of Randy, even Bryson, but I couldn't see past anything that happened beyond a couple of days ago. My head was still lulling, and I had this urge to walk out of the woods and make way into the streets of Duskfall. But I also had the distinct urge to fight it. Like the part of me that wanted to go into town wasn't me at all. Like there was a small voice in the back of my head, begging for me to go. And I was loosing the will to keep it at bay.

I refused to think harder on why I'd wanted to go into town so much. I thought about the friends that I lost, both Lyall and Marleene. I never liked Erica, she was too bubbly, but the rest were great, and I regret losing them to this need to be human. I hated all of this, and I hated being alive.

I spent too much time in my thoughts that when I came to. To my surprise, I'd been lurking at the edge of the trees, peering over into the backyard of a house painted a sickly green shade. The paint was cracking and the windows looked too new to blend. The house was ugly and I couldn't understand why or how I'd made my way to this one specifically. I used my ears to hear inside the old building.

"Cheesy? C'mon, be honest," the voice said, and I knew at once it was Lyall.

"I was going to say you look like my entire world, but it sounds worse out loud," Emerson replied.

I covered my mouth in shock. I'd accidentally stumbled upon the house of the banshee. Why did I find myself here? And worse, I felt jealous. The superficial issues I had with Emerson, and Lyall for that matter, were nothing when I was in grasp of what I truly wanted. But now, having to hear the romantic conversation ripped my insides to shreds. Anger pulsed through me.

The anger woke up something deep inside me, a feeling that could only be encapsulated by that of nightmares. I could feel it clutch to my heart and ravish my neck and arms.

If it still exists, then so do I. It echoed inside my mind.

I was suddenly out of control of my body, my hands and feet moving of their own volition. No, not theirs, someone else's.

The Covenhead pulled my lips back into a monstrous grimace as I tracked forward toward the house.