Never ownED myself

Annie

Our worst enemy is ourselves.
———-

Annie groaned and shifted in her seat. Wind howled through the open window, ruffling her hair and scraping at her nerves.

"Ugh... close the damn window," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. It wasn't like her, but she was tired, she was hurting everywhere and even in her sleep, she couldn't find peace.

No one answered in turn. Tom stayed locked in his usual silence, eyes on the road, posture straight as ever. He knew, he always knew how she felt. It was nice and creepy at the same time. He was always scanning her emotions and reading her thoughts.

She sat up, blinking at the blur of trees rushing past. The clock on the dashboard told her it had been hours. She glanced at Tom. Still steady. Still unreadable.

Does he ever sleep? she thought. He's like a damn machine.

He hadn't cracked once. No twitch, no yawn. Nothing. But Annie knew better. He wasn't just a driver, he was hiding things, always one step ahead, always watching. Sometimes, she wished she had his ability just to spy his thoughts.

Annie sighted, he saved me, though. He had hid her from the Council, smuggled her out when things went sideways. That counted for something.
Trust? That was a luxury she didn't have.

Suddenly, Isabella's face flashed in her mind, it was twisted, with a monstrous smirk. Annie flinched. Her nails dug into her thighs.
Stop. Not now.

Another presence stirred inside her. Leah. The wolf, she was on the wake and fighting to get control.
Not now, Annie warned.

But Leah didn't listen. Her thoughts pressed in, heavy, hungry, pulling Annie under.
"No." Annie clenched her fists. "You're not taking over." She said out loud hoping to ground her mind with reality.

But the wolf was relentless. A memory slammed into her. Blood, there was too much of it. A man was dying in her arms, his weight was collapsing, while his warmth was leaving his body.

Her breath caught. That wasn't me. She told herself. I didn't kill him.
But the doubt was there. Did I?

Leah twisted the memory, amplifying the guilt. Annie's heartbeat spiked.
You're not me, Annie snapped inside her own head. You don't get to take full control of my body.

The image shifted. Lina, midair, foot flying toward her face. Annie remembered that fight. Every flash of pain, every surge of power. She had no choice but to fight back. Tom and the informant were counting on her.

Lina had been ruthless. Focused. She was after all a commander back then, still loyal to the Council. Annie had to push herself harder than ever. Her magic had feasted upon her feelings screaming inside her, wild and raw.

Just hit her. Break her spell. Give Tom the window. Her thoughts were sharp, survival-driven. Next, energy exploded from her core. Lina went down.

Annie didn't wait. She ran. Limbs shaking, lungs burning. Faster.
Come on.
But it wasn't enough.
The commander's going to catch up. I need more.
Her thoughts trailed. She knew what that meant, but she hod no choice.
Leah. Help me.

The transformation hit like lightning. Speed. Healing. Power. Her pain vanished, her body sharpened.
But the price? Her mind.

Not, even in the car, she hadn't stopped. Leah stirred again. Testing the edges of control. She had felt what she could do. She wanted more.

More visions came. Annie clenched her teeth. She was back with Tom. The informant lay bleeding out. Dying. His memories flooded her brain.

Then, him. Another men. A man on a silver throne. Wounded. Dirty. But Familiar.
Dad?
She knew it instantly. The moment her eyes crossed his. They were Obsidian, neither green nor blue. Just like hers.

Her heart stuttered. Grief surged and the wolf fed on it. Her claws started to form. Sharper. Longer.
Don't. Not here. Not now. The car, we are in the car, it's dangerous.
She pleaded, hugging herself tighter, fingers digging under her armpits.
Stay human. Stay in control.

Another vision. This one was worse.
Black clothes. Many people were wearing black. Tears. Everyone was crying. "Too young," "how sad." Her brother and sister, they held their hands together next to a coffin.
Her coffin.

"No..." she whispered. Her voice cracked.

They thought she was dead. Her mother had made sure of that. She had erased Annie's existence, replaced it with lies.

They mourned me. Like I never existed. Leah pounced on the pain, twisting the knife.

Annie gritted her teeth and bit back a growl.  "Stop! Don't!" The words shot out of Annie's mouth, harsh and raw, breaking the quiet of the car. A thunderbolt burst from the sky. The tension in the air thickened.

Lina sat in the rear and murmured a spell. "Voices from the wind, I call on to you. blow; light from the sky como forward and disperse. Erase the passage of magic from ethereal plane."

Tom never lost his focus. The car barely moved between the lanes of the road. After a few repetitions Lina recoiled back into her seat, her expression was unreadable.

"I am sorry." Annie pressed her head over the window.  No one said a thing. After all, they both could hear half of the exchange between Leah and Annie. Both could read minds after all.

Her magic had weaken the wolf inside her, but for how long?  Annie couldn't contain her wolf neither could she master her magic and if she didn't, she was bound to lose it all.

"Annie, breathe," Tom's voice broke through her turmoil, he was calm, almost too calm. "You have to keep your magic in check. If you don't, they'll find us."

The warning was clear. The trackers. Beings attuned to magical fluctuations. They would be able to detect any use of power, and she had made a beacon just now. 

"Leah's just messing around with my head," her words, were still laced with fear. The car rumbled on, she closed her eyes for a moment, it was hard to breathe and harder still to think.

Lina glanced at him though the mirror. "You're not gonna say anything?"

He shook his head. "She doesn't need words right now."

Annie clenched her fists unaware of their mental exchange.

Lina lowered her voice. "She looks like she's gonna fall apart."

Tom looked intently at her. "Then we make sure she doesn't."

Annie's hands trembled as she scratched her arm, the sharp, biting sensation grounded her. Her mind flickered again, the wolf was at it again. But Annie was done. She hummed, The night becomes day. There is light after the night and the promise of something better, something new.

It's futile, the wolf thought fiercely. I won't go away because I am you.

But Annie wouldn't let it happen. She forced herself to focus: I can't change the past, but I can learn from it. because after each failure there is an opportunity to grow and become better.

You can't keep away forever, the wolf snarled inside her mind, a piercing scream of defiance that made Annie's head spin. I'm alive!

Annie's teeth clenched. The headache surged : sharp, biting, threatening to tear her mind apart. She felt her control slipping, but she didn't let go. In a perfect world, we would live hand in hand, but for now, you are not good for me or my magic.

You speak like mother. The words were cold, biting, the wolf's final retort. Then, with a shudder, Leah faded away, leaving Annie alone in her head. Her headache subsided.

Annie stared blankly out the window. Darkness rolled past. 

Lina leaned forward. "You okay?"

Annie didn't look away. "How do you outrun something that's inside you?"

The car became quiet. Tom answered, quiet but firm. "Maybe it's not about running."

Annie turned to him. "Then what?"

He looked out into the dark road ahead. "Maybe... you just learn how to move with it."

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