Chapter 5- Hidden Within
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Thoughts haunted my mind, littering my conscious as I ran side-by-side next to Leon.
Feet thundering the ground, heart racing with sweat tickling my forehead... My brain fought against the urge, until I finally gave in and daydreamed a memory from the past...
"I'm going to miss you, little sis," Lily told me, wrapping her arms around my torso while tightly squeezing me, causing my breaths to get cut off,"it's a shame that I couldn't meet you sooner."
I sympathetically smiled at her, my eyes looking up into her stunning blue ones that were just like our brother's.
The only way I even look relatively close to them would be my freckly cheeks.
"It's going to be like losing a limb when I go out that front door," I say to her, pulling back.
Lily blankly looks ahead in thought until she snuffles, yanking something from her neck.
"Here, I want you to take this to remember me bye," she explains, a tear slipping down her cheek,"we'll never be separated as long as you wear it."
My sobs caught in my throat, eyes growing puffy and glazed,"You're never to be forgotten, my sister."
My hand gripped the necklace, gazing at the two silver hands cupping onto a glossy, shiny pearl.
"One hand shall be yours and the other mine, we'll never fully be parted this way," Lily had spoken, her chest heaving with emotion.
"You're the best, Lil," I say,"don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."
She grabbed my hand, sadly searching my cherry red eyes with flecks of yellow.
"I always dreamed of not having a little sister, Es," Lily quietly cries,"but, if I had made the choice to not meet you, my heart would be missing a piece now."
I place my other hand on hers, reassuringly squeezing.
"You're making me weepy," I complain, laughing slightly as tears streamed my rosy cheeks.
Anguish would be the perfect word to describe my pain at this moment...
Lily chuckles quietly, pulling me into another bear hug which forced me to stand on my tippy toes since she was such a tall beanstalk.
"Don't do anything that I wouldn't do," she finally says after a long moment of silence between us.
I snicker,"I'll think about it."
Lily releases me, stepping away.
We walk down the hallway to reveal Adam and my disheartening parents.
My breaths hitch, shoving Lily's necklace in my worn jean pocket.
My parents expressions were full of glee of me finally leaving as Adam was standing expressionless, hiding his emotions as usual.
I sadly smile at him, walking toward him just as he squeezed me tightly against him with his muscular arms after he quickly strides to me.
I gasp loudly as he leaned back, causing my feet to be off the floor, hugging him tight.
"Goodbye my little sis," he whispers in my ear,"I never fully met you and in ways I regret ever trying to talk to you more." -
"You feeling well?" I hear Leon ask me, bringing me back to my original consciousness.
I glance at him.
His odd eyes filled with concern as his thick black hair swept over his sweaty pale forehead.
"Looks as if you just witnessed murder," he explains breathlessly, slowing to a simple jog," a murder of a loved one to be exact."
I casually laugh, feeling the cool metal of Lily's necklace against my warm chest underneath Thea's romper.
An unknown tear slips down my cheeks, my hand reacts quickly and swipes it away. Leon catches the motion, cocking his head in farther concern.
"It's quite a long story," I inform, my head pounding from the heat.
"I'm one for long stories," Leon says, quickening his pace from a jog which forces me to keep up,"I'm a great listener."
"Maybe later," I suggest, feeling uneasy to tell someone my life story when I was unfamiliar with them.
Leon parted his lips to say something in return but instead shoved me behind a massive oak harshly.
"What the hell?" I angrily growl, tripping over my own feet as he quickly catches me.
Gently, he presses his hand over my mouth, body completely still as he leaned against the oak.
"Stay quiet," he leans down to whisper in my ear,"I mean it."
I nod, feeling his hand get removed from my mouth, however not his other huge hand on my upper arm.
"Climb up the tree, they're coming," he orders with a stern tone, pulling my arms up to place them on the bark.
I was about to ask who it was, but he cupped my mouth again and pointed at the tree for me to climb almost acting frantically.
Extending my nails to claws, I cling on and nimbly climbed up. When I reach a sturdy branch, my legs stretch up on it, pulling my weight up just as Leon gently gives me a boost up.
I grin due to his constant generosity, finally resting against the trunk of the tree.
Leon was now siting beside me, swinging his legs underneath the branch, silently eyeing me with intensity.
He knew there was something itching my mind and was bugging me, but he didn't try to get me to speak of what it was even though he had a worried look.
"I thought you said that you heard something!" One masculine voice bellowed to another, coming closer.
The majority of them all appeared very tall, muscular, and tan from probably constantly being outside.
"Get some patience, Sir Bradley," the guy getting yelled at spoke,"I bet they're around here somewhere."
"You better the hell be right, Scotty," Sir Bradley snarled, approaching the one and only lanky guy there.
"It's Scott!" The wimpy guy yelled, not stepping back nor flinching when Sir Bradley punched him in his cheekbone.
They were for sure werewolves...
A stronger pack from a random camp deep in the forest.
"Stop acting like a complete senseless ass and find them then," Sir Bradley demanded, a strain in his neck,"I grow tired of all this nonsense and bullshit."
Scott bows before his leader.
"As you wish, Sir," he says, jogging off.
Bradley turns to his other members of his pack.
"Get moving or it'll be more then a bruised cheek!" He bellows.
His muscles were all tense with rage, ready to strike at any given moment.
At his threat, most wolves gladly ran off as the others stayed put, standing quietly.
"Then there's the stragglers lagging behind with no sense of mind," Sir Bradley sighs with fury, striding closer to them all just to kick them all off their feet.
"I should just execute you all for such disrespect!" he hollers an ear piercing holler.
His yells were enough for me to lean closer to Leon, grabbing his hand for comfort without even noticing until he strokes his thumb over my skin.
"We'll get through this together, Estelle," he quietly speaks so close to my ear that his lips brushed against my skin. Leon knew I was terrified, having to witness such terrible treatment.
But I silently said it anyways,"Leon, I'm scared."
He squeezed my hand in his, pulling me closer to him.
I could feel his heat through my clothes.
"I'll get you out of this," he whispers.
My heart throbbed in my chest for this guy sitting right next to me. His words were the nicest things that I've had in a long time, regarding short little Stacey and stubborn Thea.
"Now, beg for your mercy gentlemen!" Sir Bradley continued to brutally tortured these guys.
"I mercy you!" One screamed as the leader's foot pushed down on his throat, causing the guy to sputter as he choked violently.
"Or are you just a wuss to do whatever comes your way?" Sir Bradley spat at him.
The disobedient guy swiped the spittle off his face with his palm, appearing very angry wit his eyes wide with frustration.
The arguments went on and on until they all went unconscious, the leader ordering them to be back to camp by sunrise as he kicked and punched, only promising to set out search parties for execution if not showing up tomorrow.
"When will they ever listen?" He questions himself, cracking his knuckles as he shook out the pain.
That's when he stretched out his arms upward, glancing at the oak.
My breath latched in my throat, eyes sealed shut tightly as terror courses through me.
Shivers ran my blood cold as Leon's hand tore into mine with nervousness.
"You two love birds trying to hide on the search?" Sir Bradley shouts to us in question, squinting to see us better as I peeled my eyes open.
Leon looks at me, slipping off his hoodie to just leave him in a tight
black tee. I give him a quizzical look as he hands me it.
"Hide your eyes," he demands, messing his hair so it hung into his green eye, only leaving his yellow eye visible.
"Leon, I'm not liking the idea of this...." I trial off, putting on his gigantic hoodie.
"Run like hell when we reach the ground, don't even look back for me," he tells me, glancing at his jacket on my body with a soft expression in his eyes.
"You two dare to test my patience?" Sir Bradley asks with a loud bellow.
"Apologies, we were just scouting above," Leon explains loudly,"better chance of finding them at a higher place."
"Both of you down here or you're staying and doing labor the next searching," he threatens us while looking at me with concern etching across his face.
He and I easily got down from the oak, me ignoring what Leon told me to do. Right now I'm disguised, and when I run, it'll dangerously expose the both of us against twenty others out there.
"Little girl, what's your name?" Sir Bradley asks me, coming closer to separate the gap between us. Leon pushes my side, urging me to run, but something inside me thinks otherwise.
What if the wolves out there gang up on us?
At least it's two to one here.
"Athena," I answer, trying to make my voice tone sound differently.
Little girl... Please, I'll show him what this little girl really is.
"Remove your hood, Athena," he harshly orders me.
"I'd rather be fine without doing so, Sir," I sternly reply, curtly turning my lips up in a polite matter of a smile.
Sir Bradley wasn't satisfied with my answer, he stalked closer with a red face full of hatred, his fist raised-
Leon snatches me, picking me up in his arms as he starts to run, breaths gone heavy.
"No!" I yell, the wind whipping us both coldly in the face. Leon and I could've taken him and we'd hide for the night in complete safety...
He continues to run while ignoring me, finally lowering my feet to the ground, forcing me to move alongside him.
One thing about Leon is that he's not easily swayed.
"Don't act surprised!" Leon yelled, "you seen it coming!"
I gave him a side glanced glare, his hoodie almost restraining my striding legs as it went down to my lower thighs as if a dress.
Have I ever wanted to punch him so badly before?
Leon was one for politeness though which often made me think that he had good parents who raised him properly.
He always knew when to step in, stay put, or just simply run away. All I had to do was believe he knew to run away at this moment.
"Over there!" I hear a deep male voice boom his vocals through the forest toward us all a sudden.
Leon thought quick, tugging on my arms and throwing us into a muddy ditch within the weeds. Sliding through the thick mud, trying to get a grip, we both barrel down an unknown slope.
Screaming, my legs sink in so far that treading wasn't an option anymore.
It was as we were both in deep quicksand, trying to save our lives with our clawing hands.
"Leon!" I shriek, reaching out for him as he continued to slide down. He frantically tries to find grip to grasp me.
My eyes speedily search the grounds above us, a lone werewolf proudly looking down to find Leon and I.
"Sorry fellas, only doing this to keep my own ass for another day," the broad wolf spoke, gliding down to me with ease, gripping my upper arm.
"Release me!" I wail, swatting at him with sharp claws.
The guy's face bled, mouth-watering blood droplets seeping into the soil.
Leon all a sudden, gets a hold of my ankle after digging it up, strongly yanking me as my other leg was still stuck knee deep, sinking ever so quickly.
The broad guy cups my muddy face, grinning with success.
"I ought to thank you for this sacrifice, but I'm giving you no choice, sorry," he sarcastically says to me, basically spitting the words.
I grimace, jerking my head away from him, punching his face which only earned me a brutal smack across both cheeks.
"Feisty are we?" He smirks, giving me the creeps.
I lift my hand to my heated cheek, scowling at him.
"Don't touch her!" Leon bellows, aggressively pulling on my sore leg, my body not budging.
The guy ignores him, putting his other hand on my arm, readying to pull me out.
"You appear to have a hybrid's eyes," the guy spoke to me.
His grip on my arm hurt me intensively, causing me grit my teeth together as my fangs extended with thirst.
"Sir Bradley is going to be looking for you after I get done," my words were spoken like venom, my hands gripping his head, quickly snapping it around and killing him instantly. His confused face still being expressed across his eyes as his jaw slacked sideways.
Not being able to control my instincts, my filthy hands lift his neck to my mouth, my fangs sucking the fresh blood after sinking my fangs into his skin-
My breaths turn uneven, pulling my shaky hands from his head, letting his limp body slip away quickly down the muddy slope after my brain got the better of me.
Hesitantly turning to Leon, worrying that he probably thinks I'm a senseless monster, I see him watching the lifeless guy fall away with bewilderment.
"I suggest we shouldn't speak of this to anyone, for your own sake," he says this, his body sinking in the mud as well now.
He just played the whole situation off coolly, but I couldn't.
"I'm a killer, Leon," I breath, "a vampire with a thirsty mind as always."
This innocent man that just wanted to please his leader to keep his life died anyways.
"My instincts are not controlled anymore," I speak frantically,"Fico and now this..."
Leon looks into my eyes intently.
"Estelle, don't talk nonsense now," he tells me seriously," his death was for his own good."
"Good?" I hyperventilate, eyes wide,"nothing is 'good' about death, Leon. Especially if his dead carcass gets drank from a....."
My voice cracks, my words trailing off as I didn't want to say what I was out loud again.
He huffs, heaving his body above the mud after needed effort, bending down to gather me up in his arms to yank me out as well which took several minutes.
"You saved us rather if you realize it or not," Leon says to me, both of us completely covered in mud as if it were a second skin.
"Whatever, I'm glad one us can view it that way," I calmly speak, dragging my feet through the mud until we both reached land.
That's when Leon grabbed my nape, gently turning me to face him, my eyes craned up to see his.
"Stop beating yourself down. Just because everyone else does doesn't mean you have to," he explains, his green eye glowing bright,"you're an amazing girl rather if you realize it or not and I can already see through and see the beauty within you."
My heart flutters, hands growing sweaty.
"Leon- "
My words were cut off absurdly, Leon's hands moving my head towards his to easily press his lips against mine which forced me to stand on my toes. Breaths heavy from shock, I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning closer to him as he deepened the kiss due to my response.
He was the one to pull back first, his breath hot on my cheeks as I gaze up into his eyes, that green eye igniting even brighter...
The kiss only lasted for ten seconds, but it felt like eternity... Just us standing there, the sun setting beautifully, birds cawing at a distance.
"I had to at least once," Leon whispers, stepping back and standing tall again.
My face heated, noting that I might of just enjoyed Leon's little surprise.
My fingers twirled together in nervousness, not knowing what to say in response.
"I didn't know anyone could 'like' such a disaster," I admit, playing with the hem of the romper's shorts, my eyes completely avoiding his.
Leon sighs, gazing into the sunset of orange and purple seconds later.
"Well, I'm not just anyone, Estelle," he says, raking his hands through his hair.
"You're not the only weird freak here," he adds after a moment of silence, looking down at me, a smile tugging on his lips sympathetically.
"You, a freak?" I smirk in question, not believing his words to be true,"not even true for a second."
My head was spinning dizzily as my words were spoken.
Leon shrugs his shoulders.
"You might just be surprised some day," was all he told me.
My eyes snap to his in confusion.
What was Leon hiding from me..?