The Art of Mending Memories 1

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The Art of Mending Memories

Chapter 1

I watched as the sun set behind the mountains, the light reflecting on the calm lake. I painted the sight from the beach. I wanted to get it just right ̶ just what I saw, like the impressionists in the late nineteenth century.

I loved art. Painting, sculpting, carving, drawing, photography, scrapbooking, anything. I just loved art. It calmed me. I could focus on one thing and let it control my mind, and keep my thoughts far from my unpleasant memories.

I finished painting as the light left the sky, following the sun long after it disappeared over the mountains. It was when I was admiring my work that I noticed them.

There were four of them, all male, without shirts, standing a few hundred feet from me. Two had black hair, one had brown, and the last had bleach blond hair. They were all joking around and pretending to fight. Except for one boy. He was standing with them, but he was not paying much attention to them. in fact, he was staring at me.

My heartbeat picked p as my shaking hands gathered everything to leave as fast as I could. I was terrified. Why were they here?! There aren't any around here, of any species. That's the only reason I ever felt safe here. They weren't here. They took everything from me.

No one was safe with a werewolf nearby.

The werewolf started walking toward me. I shook even more as my breathing increased. 'Run! Run!' my brain screamed at me. He was getting closer. 'I can't get away fast enough! Don't let him know you are terrified. Just ignore him. Pretend he isn't there. You can do this. Think of the sun. It was so pretty. Just don' think about them.' I had all my art supplies picked up, careful not to ruin my wet painting. When I turned around and saw him standing ten feet in front of me. My breathing stopped and my heart beat furiously.

"Hi" he said, obviously unaware of how terrified I was. "I'm Aaron. Aaron Kleidmer."

I gulped. 'Run! Run! Get away!' I continued walking, trying to pass him with as much distance as I could. He moved in front of me.

"Hey. Where are you going? I'm not going to bite you."

I turned to him, my fear being hidden for a moment by the lie I knew he just told. They always hurt you. "I don't care who you are or what you are doing. I just want you to leave me the hell alone. Got that, wolf?"

Aaron's eyes widened. "How do you know I'm a wolf?"

"I've had the misfortune of crossing paths with werewolves before, and I've learned a few things." I tried to walk past him, but he blocked my path again.

"How much do you know about wolves?" He asked me, his voiced laced with excitement.

"More than I would EVER want to know." I finally pushed past him. Well, more like he let me. If he really wanted to, he could have forced me to stay.

"What do you know about 'the find'?"

I froze with my back to him. hundreds of images flashed across my mind. Emotions ran over my heart and around my brain. Memories swamped me and I could feel myself slipping away. "No." I said out loud to myself. "NO!" My voice was shaking as tears came to my eyes. The pain that came with the memories attached to that one word: find. A werewolf's find. His "soul mate" if you believe that shit. Experience has taught me it's all a lie.

I slowly turned around with my whole body shaking. "You didn't" I whispered. "You didn't find me."

He nodded. "I did. I found you." He started walking towards me with his arms out stretched.

"No" I whispered again as I started walking backwards toward my car.

"Wait!" Aaron called as he started to run up to me. "I won't hurt you! I promise!"

Those words sent another stab of pain through my heart. I turned around and started running

He caught me from behind. I screamed.

"Shh. It's okay. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down. What's your name?"

"Let me go! Let me GO!" I screamed and thrashed around in his arms. My painting flew out of my hands. Whatever. I didn't want it anymore ̶ it would forever remind me of werewolves now that I saw them when I painted this sunset. And I tried so very hard to keep them out of my mind.

"Shh. I'm not going to hurt you. Tell me your name."

I kicked him in the happy sacs and he let me go with a pained grunt. I ran for my car. I put the key in the door and opened it. Suddenly it was slammed shut and I felt warmth envelope me.

Aaron was standing over me, one arm preventing me from entering my car, and the other arm on my opposite side, allowing his warm body to press me to my car. I started shaking I was so terrified. So terrified that he would hurt me.

I refused to face him. My eyes were too wide with fear. "What do you want?" I whispered. I notice his three werewolf friends behind him off to the side. I gulped.

"I want" he said in a calm voice beside my ear "to know your name. Everything about you, actually."

'Don't tell him! Don't tell him or he'll find you! He'll follow you anywhere! You'll never be able to get free of him!' I gulped again, afraid of what my mind was saying. I needed to get away.

"Jane" I whispered as I quickly opened the door to the car while his arm was less restricting. I jumped into the seat and turned the key as I closed the door. His hand caught the door before it closed.

"Jane what?"

I looked up at him. "Jane Doe." I slammed on the pedal and shut the door as I drove off, leaving him behind with a sad look on his face as he realized I gave him a fake name.

I felt better knowing he didn't have my name. it would take longer to find me, and by that time I will be long gone. I know my aunt would understand. She knew why I was so terrified of them. After what they did to my family. After what they made me watch. So much blood and pain and screams...

I'll go home and pack. I looked at the clock. It was 7:30. Good. I can go home and pack and leave first thing tomorrow morning. School doesn't start until the day after. I won't be missing anything. I can find another school. I can run. He'll never find me. I'll make sure of it.

"Shit."

My painting was on the beach. My painting that clearly said "Kaelyn Apples" in the corner.

Shit oh shit oh shit...I'll never escape...

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hope you guys liked it. My first story and all. It's okay if you didn't like it though.

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