Unknown Destiny

11

Anne Monroe P.O.V

"Mum! Mum? Hey, is anyone home?" The house I'm approaching looks empty, there are no sounds, no dogs barking, no sheep going baa or cows going moo. Just complete silence. My heart suddenly drops when Leo runs back to the ute whimpering in fear.

I take a deep breath in. I remember what mum told me. To not do anything rash unless I have to. She had always said that, I wonder if she stuck to it in the end. I hope she's okay. I hope they're both okay.

Autumn had just rolled in which meant the leaves were beginning to brown and everything was turning into a beautiful warm coloured sunset. I always enjoyed Autumn, especially during April 28th. It's when mum and dad took me hunting as a child. They both enjoyed it just as much as I did. As I hear the familiar crunch of a leaf under my foot a huge rush of familiarity comes over me. Almost like déjavu I look down and find that it's not a leaf, but a bone. It looks black like charcoal but I know the difference. It means someone was having a feast.

My pace slows as I realise the trouble I'm in. I can't turn back now, whoever is here would have heard my arrival. They would've heard me calling out to my parents.

I turn to face Leo who is now crouching down low on my trailer, he's growling and sniffing the air cautiously. I see him stand expectantly as if he's about to jump off.

Leo! No! Stay!

He sits accordingly and I hear him whimper. I couldn't stand it if I saw him being tortured or hurt right in front of my eyes. So I turn back to face the house and veer left to meet a large willow tree. As a child I made a small platform in the middle of the tree, I was super happy when I had completed it, I hope it's still there.

I stop at the base of it and look up. The wooden plank I had placed just below as a child was still there. Just as I had done so many time before I jump up to reach a branch and pull myself up. My upper body strength has become weaker but I am still able to pull my own weight.

More sooner than later I reach the platform and look out just as I had done when I was eight. Looking out for whoever was coming. I search the whole perimeter and find smoke flickering in the wind. Just behind my childhood home. I nod to myself like I know what I'm going to do. Gently and silently I make my way down the tree and approach my house.

I open the door and look back momentarily, as if savouring the view I have of the outside world and Leo.

My first step in the house was just as expected. Normal. Nothing felt weird, nothing felt out of place, it looked as though my parents were still home, but as I ventured further into the house I realised that feeling wasn't real. My parents were not home, and as far as I can see there seems to be no signs of a break in.

Either they had just packed up and walked away or they were taking and the people cleaned up. The latter, I believed, was the most likely. What other reason would there be? Mum wouldn't just stress call me like that. Unless...

I hear laughter erupt from outside, I walk around the corner to scan the area and find that just in the back yard were three men. One scrawny, one brawly and the other one plain normal huddled around a little fire they made. With a closer look I see a little spit used to cook meat. I shudder knowing the endless possibilities of what that charred meat could be.

There are two plans.

One, run away, as far as I can and call the police.

Or two. Stay and fight for my house, interrogate them, torture if I will. Try and get as much information as I can about where my parents are.

The first one seems easiest and the most positive outcome. But the latter would have to be the more dangerous and have the less popular outcome.

I groan silently. I have too much pride, anger and adrenaline running through my veins to not let this pass. They're burning a small fire for gods sake. It's almost like they didn't care what they did to my parents if they did anything.

So I pass the corner and peep around, I slide open the back door revealing the three men. The scrawny one and the brawly one look expectantly, but the other one just stays staring into the flickering flame.

When she speaks her voice sends shivers down my spine, her hollow and emotionless voice is how I had once imagined a witch's to be reading Harry Potter, "Glad you could make it," she turns around to face me.

Her face. Oh god his face now I remember. Now I know why stepping on the bone brought the familiarity back to me. This had happened once before. On a day just like this. It's like a dream I once had, my mum and dad left me behind with a little puppy beside me, and wished me good luck. I remember looking into their eyes, something about it made me feel uneasy, like they knew something was going to happen. And they left without saying another word.

This woman whoever she was, was in that dream. She was younger though, about in her twenties, but right now in this moment she looked nearly thirty.

I blink twice and stumble back a bit, the sudden realisation dawning on me leaves me a little taken back, "You... You."

"Yes. It is I, Clarence Crawford. And we're here for what you promised." She said standing now. Scrawny and Brawly stood up but Clarence motioned them to sit back down.

"I... What?" This is not how I had hoped it to go.

"You promised me something when you were eight. A certain someone." She says making an advance on me.

"I didn't promise you anything." I say standing strong.

"Yes you did."

"I didn't—"

"ENOUGH LIES! We have waited ten years. TEN YEARS! We want what we came for."

"Where are my parents?" I firmly ask as the woman who calls herself Clarence stops a metre in front of me.

"Oh they called you? Hmm, didn't know your breed could do that anymore."

I frown, "I didn't know your breed wasn't of the same blood anymore if you know what I mean?"

"No I don't know what you mean?" I smirk slyly and sniff the air around her, "Are you sure your parents weren't brother and sister, I'm pretty sure with you being a Scylla, you're supposed to be pure. Not. Repeated, shall I say?"

"You watch your mouth girl. I'm a mere human at the moment, but at any time I feel I can change into the man-eating beast who eats men alive."

"I would've guessed since you mentioned the man-eating bit already." I retort, "By the way, you need me."

"For what?"

"Well you say I promised you something ten years ago, I can provide it if you tell me what it is and where my parents are." I say crossing my arms.

Clarence smile and ushers me to the small fire, "Please sit."

I don't sit, "Tell me."

"Where your parents are?"

"Of course."

"Sorry, no can do. Michael will have our heads."

"Tell your buddy Michael that I'll have his if he doesn't want to cooperate." I frown down at Clarence.

"Oh he does, it's just that. You're not cooperating with him." She replies taking a piece of meat and chewing it aloud. I cringe at the sound.

"You still haven't told me what you want." I say matter of factly.

"You're a smart girl. We want your friend."

I raise my eyebrows in question, "I have heaps of friends."

"No you don't."

My facial expression turns from curiosity to realisation. They wanted Cameron. My Cameron. Not Cameron Dallas or Cameron Diaz.

Cameron Simmons.

I shake my head as a no. Clarence simply laughs as if it was an obvious thing, "We guessed you would've said that." She motions towards Scrawny and Brawly as they stand and rush me.

They grab me by the shoulders and restrain me as Clarence walks up to me and leans down to smile, "You said the exact same thing when you were eight."

Clarence pulls her arm backwards and punches me.

Fuck