Twisted

Chapter 3

"We do not fear the unknown. We fear what we think we know about the unknown." -Teal Swan

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Feeling as if I have no tears left to cry, I turn off the shower and step out. I pull a towel off the shelf that sits next to the shower and wrap it around myself. Turning to the mirror and I can barely recognize the girl staring back at me.

My disheveled appearance makes me shutter. I could feel the hard exterior, that I had worked for years to create, beginning to crumble in just a matter of days. Continuing to stare into the mirror, my eyes shift to my neck, which is covered in hand shaped bruises. My normally pale, ghost white skin is sharply contrasted by the many shades that the bruises are beginning to take on. There are a few finger marks around my neck as well. A reminder of what had happened earlier in the day.

I couldn't help but hate the girl in the mirror. I had tried to make myself strong, resilient to whatever life had to throw at me, but nowhere in my seventeen years of life could I have prepared myself for this. It was like I had found a portal in the woods and I was now being transported to a magical world where nightmares come true.

I step into the room with the four poster bed and see some sweatpants and a shirt lying on it. The corners of my mouth pull into a small smile, I would have to find Sara and thank her. She had been nothing but kind to me, even though she had no reason to be.

Quickly, I pull on the clothes, but have to tighten the sweatpants, as they hang loosely on my hips. I was fit, but I knew that I was underweight.

The older you get in foster care, the less they seem to care. I had left my most recent foster home almost two weeks ago and had been staying with friends, but sadly I knew that nobody would report me missing. I disappeared of my own accord far too often, so disappearing for real wouldn't be noticed. Besides, the system drops you when you turn eighteen, which was a week away.

I walk over to the door and open it, revealing the empty hallway. I decide to follow the hallway that Sara and I had come down earlier, telling myself that I would eventually run into someone.

As I wander down the hallway, I can't help but admire the beauty of this place. The walls are decorated with intricate designs and beautiful paintings line the hallways. I make it to the stairs where I had met Benjamin when we first arrived.

I can hear faint voices coming from above so I decide to follow them. Once at the top of the stairs, there is only one hallway, lined with many doors. A single door was slightly open and light slipped into the hallway. I hear voices once again and they seem to be coming from the open door. I silently approach the door, but stop when I hear my name.

"Elyse is only seventeen, she could be one of us," came a males voice that I do not recognize.

"What werewolf abandons their child?" Came a second voice that I recognize as Sara's.

"Sara's right, it would be a crime to abandon a wolf child, unless they were placed with another wolf," the powerful voice of Benjamin spoke this time.

"She smells like a rogue," came the males response. I could hear disgust when mentioning the word rogue.

"But there is something else. Something different about her scent," Benjamin ponders. There is silence for a moment before Benjamin speaks again, "Elyse, are you just going to stand there or would you like to come in?"

I jump when he calls out to me. Shit. They knew I was out here.

I meekly walk into the room, trying to hide behind my freshly washed golden locks. Peeking through my hair, I can see Sara standing with a hand on Benjamin's shoulder behind a large desk. The other voice belongs to a man who stands across from Sara and Benjamin with his arms crossed. He seems to be glaring at me disapprovingly.

Sara quickly approaches me and softly grabs one of my hands, placing it between hers. "Sweetheart, how much did you hear?" Sara questions softly.

I study her, wondering if I should answer truthfully. "You said I might be one of you, but I'm not. I can't be," I respond. Sara looks back at Benjamin and the other man. They look as if they are communicating with their eyes, so I take a moment to study each of them.

Sara looks to be in her late twenty's. She has shoulder length brown hair that frames her face perfectly. She stands a few inches taller than me. Her tanned complexion adds to her beauty. I notice that she has an aura of power and elegance.

Benjamin, on the other hand, is a heavily muscled man with jet black hair and a slight stubble on his chin. Having seen him earlier, I knew he was a tall man, but even sitting he looks like a giant. His tanned complexion is deeper than Sara's. His aura is filled with power and dominance, something that makes me want to cower away.

Finally, my eyes turn to the man with no name. He's well muscled and quite tall as well. His hair is a strawberry blonde and he too, has stubble lining his chin. His complexion is lighter than Sara's and Benjamin, but suits his strawberry blonde locks.

"Elyse..." Sara's voice pulls me out of my thoughts., "we would like you to stay with us. At least for tonight. We can protect you."

I stare at her blankly. My mouth hangs open slightly and fear once again begins to rise within me. "Protect me from what?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from wavering. Sara looks at Benjamin as if asking him to help her explain.

"Those people who took you and Sara, they are going to come back," Benjamin starts, "you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now... Now they want to know who and what you are."