Amelia

Chapter 1

Amelia was awoken by the sound of a door slamming shut. She jolted awake, looking around for the cause of the noise. "What...is happening?" Amelia asked as she patted her hand on the bedside table for her glasses. " Who's there? " She exclaimed, and just as her fingers brushed against her glasses frame, there was a sound of footsteps approaching her bed.

Amelia stares at the blur of blacks and grays as they move closer and closer to her with trembling hands. She picks up her glasses and is about to put them on when a warm hand grabs her and pushes her down to the bed. Amelia opens her mouth to scream, hoping that someone would hear her. Before she could make a single sound, a hand reaches up and covers her mouth.

"Make a sound, and your parents are dead." a gruff voice whispered. Amelia stared into the unfamiliar cold eyes for what seemed like an eternity before slowly nodding. The strange man removes his hand.

"What do you want? Why are you here? Who are you?" Amelia shot out question after question. The stranger chuckled, "One question at a time" Amelia rolled her eyes and said with a sneer, "I don't understand. Why you are laughing. I said nothing funny" she glared at him with as much anger as she could muster. He leans closer with a blank face, "You're no fun" Amelia could barely make out the gold flecks in his eyes as it stood out against the sea of charcoal.

Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frantic heart, then mumbled, "Why are you here?" while opening her eyes. The strange eyes locked with hers, and the words that came out of his mouth would shatter Amelia's world.

"I'm here to kill you."

Amelia's eyes widened. She was baffled.

"What..."

Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled out a knife from its sheath and slit her throat. Blood gushed out of the open wound. Soaking Amelia and the bed, the man jumped back with unhuman-like speed. Her hand shot up to her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her eyes darted around her room, looking for something, anything that would help her.

Her vision began to fade, and her body felt ice-cold. The man watched her from the window sill waiting, and as if the goddess had heard his prayers, his target collapsed, eyes still wide and fear-filled. He listened for her heartbeat and found none, so he jumped out the window and landed on the grass with a soft thud.

Transforming into his large wolf, he ran into the nearby forest, and when he was sure he was far enough, he shifted into his human form. Taking out his phone, he texted the man who hired him,

'Done.'

Amelia shot up from her slumped position with a loud gasp. She glanced around her room, her mind in a daze.

Amelia pushed the covers off her legs and walked to the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror trying to focus on her blurry reflection, watching the swirls of browns, whites, and deep reds.

Amelia reached her hand up and touched her chest, feeling a wax-like texture under her fingertips. Her heart sank to the depths of her stomach as she brought her hand up to her face. Her eyes glanced down to her fingers, but to her surprise, there was nothing.

Amelia rushed back into her room, ignoring everything making a beeline to her glasses putting them on. The world around her transforms from a mush of color to a crystal clear image. She glances around the room before her eyes snap to the bed taking in the dark red stains covering her pillows and sheets. Amelia opened her mouth to speak but was met with silence. Panicked, her hand reached up to her throat, and her fingers brush against the top of her throat.