The Rise of Carolyne Magna

Chapter One

Carolyne Magna

It all started with the wolves. They are amazing creatures, graceful, and powerful. Terrifying. Ascendant. They are also creatures of nightmares, creatures of fiction, and creatures of history. They are important figures in many different cultures and the fuel to the fires of fantasy. And they are the crippling hallucinations of one beautifully broken girl, Carolyne Magna. Or, according to the town she was currently moving to, Carolyne Jones. She shifts on her feet, letting out a slow breath, her dark eyes glancing around the small, bland room of the registration office. The ceiling fan above her creaked slightly as it spun lazily, the air vents gushing as the cold air blasted through, fighting against the blistering heat of the Texas summer. She felt like she was being watched, like that older woman in the corner was staring straight down at her soul. A bead of sweat slid down her back, despite the chill in the room. Carolyne looks over at her aunt, as she slid a paper over to her to fill out. Her left hand shook as she took up the pen, the sound of it scratching against the paper was deafening.

Name? Carolyne Diane Jones. Lie.

Age? 24. Lie.

DOB? 7/23/92. Lie.

Social Security Number? Big lie.

Her hand twitches slightly as she feels the eyes of the old woman burning into the back of her neck. She can hear her blood rushing in her ears, her heart pounding, her cheeks flushing. Her fingers clutch the pen, digging into the paper, leaving thick, dark lines. She sucks in a shaky breath, crossing her arms, clutching her shirt in her empty fists after signing her fake name on her new fake I.D. for her new fake license, to start her new fake life. Not that she was ever allowed to drive. Not since the last incident with the wolf. She glares at the birth certificate her aunt slides over to the desk lady, a short stout woman with a kind face. "I bet she knows." Carolyne thinks to herself as she stares at the fake proof of birth. Fake, fake, fake. But this has been her life for as long as she can remember.

Her aunt gently rests her hand on Carolyne's arm, smiling at her encouragingly, her eyes telling her "It's alright, just focus on me". Carolyne could feel her meds wearing off, because that stupid voice softly spoke up, making itself known. The voice that was always there, lurking in the back of her mind, waiting to strike her when she least expected it with another episode.

"They'll find you. The monsters hunting you, they'll find you, and you'll just have to run again. Running, running, running. All we do is run. Look at this. Pathetic. This is all useless." It says, soft, whispering, echoing in her mind with a sour tone. Carolyne huffs, pushing one of her clammy palms against her ear, a futile attempt to try to stifle the voice, but it could not be silenced.

The charms on her bracelet jingle as she moves her arm up, and the desk woman with the sickly sweet face tells them to stand on the yellow line and stare at the red dot. Bright flash, now you, Carolyne. She takes a breath and steps on the line, staring at the red dot. Fake smile- what isn't fake? A bright flash makes her flinch, and she's blind for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the floor as a wolf stares up at her, its bright yellow eyes drawing her in, the only color in the sightless white, drowning her in their predatory gaze.

"Care? We're done, sweetie, we can go home now." A cold hand appears on her arm, and her head snaps up to stare at her aunt, who was giving her that reassuring smile again, that same soulful stare that was meant to comfort her. It did. Slightly, maybe barely.

Carolyne nods, grabbed the printed sheet of her new fake license, and quickly walked out of the stuffy building, glaring at the old woman sitting in the beige metal chair, forcing the paranoia out of her mind as she bursts outside, taking a deep breath of the hot air, the sun seeping into her skin, warming her.