Strangers

Part 31: Destiny Will Find You

He started to go towards her cage. She pressed her back on the bars, on the other side of her cage. "First time you survived, but this time it will be different..." my mind started screaming. I felt like something woke up within me. My skin started to burn, I was fighting with my consciousness. "Hayden?" I could hear Willow calling my name. Jayden started to unlock her cage. "Come, what more can you do to me?" her voice was calm there was no fear in it. I can't lose her again.

My breathing was unsteady. As he opened her cage I felt blood in my ears and fell on my knees. "Hayden!?" Willow was next to me, but I couldn't answer. My eyes were fixed on two figures in another cage. Jayden slowly walked towards her, he took something that looked like a dagger from his pocket. It sent pain through my head, I knew what it's made of. Silver, the same dagger I thought he killed her with. "Are you ready to sleep forever?" she didn't answer "Say goodbye"

That was it, the point of no return. My hands hit cold cage floor, Willow quickly pulled back. I could see my skin becoming pitch black. Sounds of cracking bones filled my ears. My whole body was in unbearable pain. They both turned towards me. His gaze was motionless, but sadness was all over Amanda's face. She knows how it fells to change when it's not full moon. It's more painful, because until you change completely you still have your mind. You can feel every single bone changing, breaking, switching. The only thing that could change us when it isn't full moon is anger. My consciousness was fading away, but I knew I have to stay awake, so I did. I was fighting with my body and my mind in the same time until I changed completely. Then I noticed something weird, something that never happened. Their faces were still familiar to me. I could recognize them. How's that possible? My mind still belongs to me, it didn't dissappear. For the first time I'm having my mind in my wolf form. Jayden walked out of her cage and locked it again. He walked closer. "It took you longer than I thought" what is he talking about? "So, old friend.. Are you confused? You probably ask yourself how are you still you? How can you recognize me, hm? Well I have to tell you that I thought about everything. It wouldn't be fun to kill you without your true self knowing and watching it..." Amanda walked closer to bars that were separating us. He looked at her for a moment then at me again "Are you ready to fulfill your destiny?" Suddenly a memory of that island came in front of my eyes. Those eyes and that voice, saying strange words. How does he know about that? What's his role in all this? Growls we're coming from my throat. He started to laugh.

I started hitting the bars which separated me from him. Willow was on the other end of the cage, Amanda was kneeling and grasping bars in hers. "There's no use, Hayden. It only hurts you more, you'll never break it. It was made to keep monsters like you and your sister trapped" I stopped and just stood there, shooting him with my gaze. "Leave him alone..." Amanda's voice sounded like a whisper. "You want me to leave him alone? This is all his fault. If he joined me nothing of this would happen. You wouldn't be trapped, I wouldn't be married with Corinne and he wouldn't think you're dead, but destiny is destiny. You can't go against it", "What will you do?" Willow asked him "Good question. I'll give you a simple answer. You will see when the time comes" with that he walked away. He left me in that cage in my wolf form.

"Hayden..." I turned towards Amanda. Her wrists were white of clutching the bars. I walked towards her, I couldn't watch her sad, it was breaking my heart. Bars between us didn't let me to get closer, to hug her. But they didn't stop her from pulling her arms through them, towards me. Her arms went around my neck, hugging as tightly as cold metal bars allowed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." I wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but it wasn't important. In that moment nothing was. Suddenly I felt her hand leaving my side, then I noticed other two arms around me. They belonged to Willow. In that moment more than anything I wanted to be human and just hug them back. My sister and my best friend. I noticed my black fur getting replaced by white skin. My clothes were ripped, nothing left of sleeves that belonged to my shirt, still my pants were untouched and I was thankful for that, cold air was bitting my skin, but I didn't shiver, my arms went around Willow and Amanda. "I'll get you out of here" Willow jumped a bit on the sound of my voice "You're human again" I nodded "Who knows for how long..."