Night Howlers

[1]

Hi. I'm Artemisia Kenneally. Yeah, weird name. My Mom decided to name me after the fearless Greek goddess Artemis, right before she died. When I was born, I made it through but she couldn't. My Dad mysteriously disappeared when I was 5. After losing Dad, I found myself at my Aunt's house. She took real good care of me. But...when I was 7, I lost her too.

I giggled along with my cousin, Ruby. We were hiding in the closet under the stairs to surprise Aunt. My 13 year old cousin shushed me. "Arty? Arty, where are you!? I swear if this is a joke, I..." Suddenly, we heard a snarling voice. Ruby and I screamed. A hooded creature advanced at us. Aunt opened the door and dragged me and Ruby outside. The creature hissed and the door shut, trapping Aunt inside. "No! Leave her alone!" Ruby tried the doorknob but it was locked. She tried to kick the door down. I stared at the door in fear. The door finally opened. Ruby and I rushed inside to find Aunt lying on the floor, her green eyes wide open. The blood oozing out of her wounds stained the floor. Ruby crouched next to her. "Mom!? Please, no..." Tears trickled down my cheeks. She died. Because of me.

I took a deep breath and tried not to cry. I brushed my long wavy ash blonde hair and checked the mirror. My skin was pale as always and my chocolate brown eyes shone, reflecting the mirror light. I bit my lip. Ruby said that my eyes could make anyone work how I wanted them to. Grabbing my bag, I jogged down the stairs. "Hey, Rubes." "Hey, Arty! How's the birthday girl feeling?" I hugged her. "The usual." "Come on. You're 18. Why don't you have some fun?" "You can only have fun when you have friends. I don't." "Aw, sweetie. Maybe you'll find someone. What if you find a cute guy?" I gave her a mischievous grin. "You found a guy!" I cocked my head. "No. Obviously not. Why would anyone fall for me?" I muttered. "Why don't you use those eyes of yours?" "I don't even know when I use those eyes which you're talking about." "I'm just saying that you're a babe. Own it." I chuckled and shook my head. "Later." "Bye. Have a nice day. Don't look grungy!" I rolled my eyes and walked out of the front door.