Claimed

Chapter 3: Run, Savanna. Run.

CHAPTER THREE:

RUN, SAVANNA. RUN.

[SAVANNA HAUTE'S POINT OF VIEW] 

    THE LOUD CRASH of the thunder didn’t make me feel good. Nothing but worries fills inside me, hearing nothing but anger crashing through the clouds. It would seem like the moon was angry - she was nothing but screaming to what had happened and I was worried about what and who will feel her wrath. Through every story that Daddy had told me, the moon has always been powerful.

    They are a force to reckon with, says my father.

    A scream rippled in my lips upon seeing a strike of lightning crash down to the ground, making it seem like nothing but screams that was meant to haunt me. In fact, the very sound that it made makes me shiver to my very core, realizing the horror that might come with it. I have lived in nothing but full skies and the dark bearing nothing but the sight of the stars and the beautiful moon that always casts this shinning glow. 

    The thunder could only speak in volumes, crashing through every eardrum with a painful and angry note. One should know to fear the moon when it sends signals to those who live below that she was beyond angry to let everyone know. The television said that it all due to some upcoming storm, but I know better.

    This isn’t normal from what we had before.

    While it was true that I was scared, there had been some worries inside me too. For years, the moon has been nothing but utterly calm and peaceful as it shines during the night. The very sight was beautiful; enough to have me keep beautiful rest during the night. 

    However, I came to notice that ever so slowly, the sight was becoming nothing but horrible. So much dread was consuming the moon, and it was making me nothing but worry to the disasters that we are to face. The aftermath of its anger consumed my nights, and it had been horrible. My dreams were being nothing but forth seeing, showing me things before they could even happen. Some were events that I am not sure about.

    Seeing the destruction and chaos that it has for the people was heartbreaking. 

    I know that the moon was nothing but mourning - however, why is that? There are no other issues that were consuming my head as to why it would be nothing but sad as I am sure that there was nothing but good events these couple of days.

    Or was the thing that I have dreamt of now was a sense of reality?  

    Carefully tucking myself under my stuffed bear, a small whimper escaped through my lips as the dread starts to consume my body. Upon thinking that my nightmares were nothing but the truth, I wasn't sure what to deal with the situation. To see those things actually happening was something that surprised me, even thinking that her grief was acceptable. 

    I was in the middle of being scared and anxious as to what is about to happen. The moon might offer consolation from time to time, but I am sure that the anger that was consuming it was too much that the casualty would be a great disaster. 

    My constant antic actions seemed to finally catch my mother’s attention as she looked at me through the mirror. Her eyes seemed distant and there was this underlying fear that was creeping through her eyes. She seemed guilty more than worried though, so I really wonder what was going on.

    Father always told me that even at my young age, I seemed to be thinking of other's feelings rather than my own. To which I do see what he means. There had been times where I am quick to notice every feeling that was others were feeling.

    “Everything okay there, my savy?”

    My lips wobble into a whimper, shaking my head with huge disappointment covering my whole body. Tears were forming from the corner of my eyes as I sobbed my answer, “The moon is angry, Mother. I’m afraid of what will happen to it. Everything is dark, gloomy and she's angry. What should we do to appease her anger?”

    Her eyes were laced with nothing but worry to my words, speeding the car through the distance as her mouth could only say that everything will be okay. I was shaking in the back seat, holding my bear close as I pray for my father’s comforting hands to cocoon me during these times. Even with my optimistic mind, I already know that something bad is happening.

    I need my father. 

    “Where’s Daddy? Why didn’t he come with us? He'll worry and I need him to tell me that everything is okay," I asked with my voice laced with nothing but anxiousness.

    Mother only shook her head, "Father isn't here, baby. You need to calm down." 

    "Why not? Daddy always comes with us." 

    There was no response from my mother, only the acceleration of the car was heard around us while I scream along with the raging thunder. It was a scary night, for sure. Hearing the noises grew louder and louder from everyone’s eyes. Though it all seemed like an announcement of a heavy weather from the others, one might wonder why not a single rain follows suit.

    It seemed like a warning, but for what?

    I was scared.

    The moon is angry, and I am not sure why.

    “Mother, did we anger the moon? Is that why it’s loud? Maybe we can do something to appease it?"

    "Savanna, darling," she only calls.

    I, however, disrupted her words before they could exit her mouth, "Beg for forgiveness? Try to tell her what should calm it?"

    "No, Savanna" she all but reprimanded.

    My lips pursed a small frown, "Then, can we at least offer some aid?"

    “Not a chance, my sweet.”

    “Why not? Aren’t you scared about it? It had been raging for days.”

    Mother had laughed to the idea of being scared—and frankly, it scared me. My mother had been nothing but brave to everything she faces. While it was inspiring to be that headstrong about something, my mother should also know when to feel fear.

    Especially to the moon.

    “I am not scared, my sweet child.”

    My frown intensified, not seeing this as a thing that she should boast about, “Why is that, mother? How come you don’t face the terrible things that it offers? Aren’t you scared that you are going to lose something?”

    “I doubt that.”

    “Mother,” I said.

    “The moon does nothing but evil. It supports the monster who she feeds during the night, therefore the moon is nothing but evil. Once you start to show fear to that, it wouldn’t be too long before you became a whimpering child who is nothing but scared of what it feeds.”

    I had always never listened to what my mother shares in stories as I know they are nothing but lie but seeing her eyes almost grew red in nothing but anger—I now know that she is nothing but serious to what she says. While I do know that my mother is nothing but angry to the moon, I have seen or known that she was someone who hated it to the fact that even the ones who roam at night are in her dispensary.

    “Mother, the moon is beautiful,” I said, my eyes watering by how she was saying the meanest thing to such a beautiful thing in the earth. While she had made some creatures that aren’t normal from the human’s eyes—they are beautiful.

    They are perfect in her eyes.

    While she might not see it as such, she is to treat them as creatures that roam the earth too. After all, she is also someone who was also made to run through this earth—but what had we done these years?

    Humans live to creature havoc on earth.

    “Don’t make me laugh, darling,” she all but laugh, dismissing my words as if they were nothing but words that come from a crazy person. While she continued on driving, I could see something change from her—and it makes me nothing but utterly worried for my own mother, “This is nothing but that crazy old woman speaking through your tongue. I will fix this.”

    “Fix what?” I asked.

    “That phase of yours—loving a moon, hah!” She scoffed; dismissing the very idea of what I think is a good thing. I wasn’t sure why she was laughing at my love for the moon—and why I never listened to her words. She always told me that I am bewitched, which isn’t the case.

    The moon was lovely.

    If only she wasn’t blind enough to see it.

    “Mother, this isn’t a phase,” I said, grabbing my teddy bear to cling onto it tightly, “The moon is beautiful, it is supposed to be loved and appreciated during the night. It guides others when they are lost.”

    "To a moon, my sweet?" She chuckled, shaking her head in my idea. My mother seems to be ridiculing everything that I input in her, "Besides, how will we be able to offer it some aid? Not kill the creatures that she made to kill mankind? I would rather sit around and watch her trash around the cloud."

    Kill?

    “What do you mean kill? You really should kill anyone who roams the earth.”

    She rolled her eyes, “Right, a vegetarian kid would know how to say words like that.”

    “Mother!” I reprimanded in which she sighed.

    While she did nothing but nod, I frowned and looked around the car window. It had been days of the thunder crashing and the wind breaking too hard. The moon was rarely seen during the night as it hides in the cloud. Furthermore, one couldn’t even see the evidence of the moon during night time.

    While others say that they see the moon from the other side of the world—we couldn’t.

    It makes me think that we are what caused this.

    "There must be something that we could do,” I whispered the words as a frown etched on my skin, "I want to help the moon. It's clearly hurting and people are only idling by." 

    She frowned, shaking her head, "Savanna, I told you to stop this nonsense.”

    “It is not nonsense, mother!” I all but screamed.

    “You have to hate the moon, I told you this already.”

    With a face that’s masked with nothing but confusion, I answered, “Why is that?”

    “It's evil,” she answered.

    My heart breaks to her words, not really believing that it was escaping through her mouth. Then again, it was my mother—one who always share scary stories of the creatures of the night to cast my night terrors, but it never happened. Whenever I look at the moon and think about the cruel things she says, I felt weird.

    And before I know it, everything she said would disappear.

    "No," I frowned at her words, urging something inside me to change, "It's beautiful, Mommy!"

    "It's dangerous and connotes nothing but danger. The moon is evil, something to despise of. Now stop whatever you see from it and wake up from reality!" She screamed, her face was something I have never seen.

    Anger was consuming her from every part of her body and it was fairly obvious with her body language and the face that she let me face. Even if I have been the one who was to face her anger, I have seen her face etched in that emotion whenever there were some problems in the business.

    Mother was angry.

    Because I wanted to love the moon?

    That set a frown to form into my face, urging my mother to look into my direction. Her face, one that was used to be one morph in anger, was now different. It was laced with nothing but worry and fear as she looked at me through the mirror. Her whole demeanor changed into something that showed nothing but fear and nothing else. 

    “Savanna, you have to calm down,” she says, seemingly scared of something.

    "The moon is angry, and you're speaking lies!" I spoke with volumes, raging with the idea that had spilled out of her mouth.

    Lies.

    Everything she says was lies.

    The moon has never made something evil.

    It was good—every creature that she had made will help in nature and blessed to be protected by her. The destruction was now probably because her creatures are being killed—disposed of. She was only sad that everything was killing what she had loved.

    Everyone would be angry.

    I should be angry too.

    She bites her lips, shaking her head, "We'll be there soon, pumpkin. Hold on just a little bit longer."

    An intense thunderstorm becomes to cast again, but my fear disappeared inside me. It was as if I already know that the anger isn't placed unto me but to someone else. Someone was causing mass damage to what she loved- and she is angry as much as she was mourning. My eyes moved to my mother, seeing nothing but haze. It was as if someone was controlling me as if someone was taking over me. 

    "s**t!" Mother cussed.          

    A loud screech was made by the car with her sudden stop, exiting the car door with such anger-driven emotion plastered into her face. During my time as a kid, I have never understood her emotions and why the moon would cause her to be angry.

    “We’re going to see my friend to have you fixed, okay?”

    My lips quiver in confusion; the past demeanor inside me disappeared with a trace. It was almost as if the anger inside me has diminished through the sudden topic handed to me. As a kid who was finding it fun to meet new people, my mind drifted away from the sudden disappearance as my eyes twinkle with nothing but glee. 

    New people to meet?

    Oh, what fun!

    “Help with what, Mommy?” I asked, almost as if the trace of what we had talked about disappeared without a hint of a trace.

    “She’s going to make things right for you, my sweet.”

    With quick movements, she dismissed my question while dragging me into the woods. Mother seemed suspicious of the surroundings while I look around, amazed by the beauty of the woods. It wasn't a far walk, but everything seemed majestic to me. Whatever the woods was, it always seemed so calming to me.

    When father and I first visited the woods, he had advised me to look for some wild animals around us—but what surprised him was that any wild animals that we face would keep their distance from me, sitting at only the sight of me. It was like they are keeping their distance from me.

    One animal even did the initiative and walked up to me, showing his defense and letting me pat him. Father was surprised that a wild wolf would do that, even submit to me at a young age. He then told me that possibly, someone in the forest was watching me.

    Maybe the moon goddess.

    Even still, he wanted me to be careful.

    We visited a house inside the woods, and it was unlike any other; something about it made me helplessly at awe with it. The house was clearly something out of a magazine, even it was nothing but simple—it was laced with something modern houses couldn’t have, the feeling of as if you’re in your grandmother’s home. 

    Mother seemed very angry upon entering the space, confronting an older woman who didn’t pay attention to her or her screams of what seemed like nothing but a complaint to what the woman had possibly done to her. She continued on telling her the so-called “defects” of her action.

    Instead of answering the rage of my mother, however, the old woman only walked towards in my direction in what seems like adoration. Something about how her eyes would twinkle made me extremely welcome and at home. 

    She seemed like a distant relative.

    “Is this finally your kid, Sylvia? She is something else, and I couldn't be happier by my so-called mistakes.”

    “You!”

    “How can you call this little girl a mistake?” she asked, pinching my cheeks in a face that seemed to be nothing but a mother who was appreciating her child. I smiled, making her laugh at how my cheeks grew predominant in what I had done, “She is a beauty!”

    She snarled, grabbing my hands away from the old lady, “Fix her! You’ve made such a terrible mistake!”

    “I do not make mistakes, child,” she answered, not once looking at my mother. Her eyes were keen on looking at every detail in my face. It took her a moment to look at my mother, “You know the dangers of what you had done. I have warned you a couple of times. Did you listen to any of them are you just that desperate to agree to everything?”

    “I didn’t know it was to this extent!” mother all but screamed, messing her hair that was in a tight knot.

    “That was your first error to this. So don’t blame me for your own mistakes,” she replied hastily, grabbing my hands softly. Mother was about to yank it back again, seemingly displeased that the old lady was paying me some attention. However, before she could even make a move, the old lady finally looked at her,  “Get out, then I will help her.”

    Mother chuckled, shaking her head to what she said, “You're crazy if you think that I am leaving my daughter alone with you!”

    The old lady just smiled, not at all bothered to her screaming, “Then you won’t need my help, Sylvia. You can both go away now.”

    "Wait, no!" 

    She raised a brow, confused, “I thought you won’t leave her alone with me?”

    “You’re terrible,” mother replied.

    “True,” the old lady says, pouring out a liquid to her jar that seemed to be nothing like tea or coffee—I wonder what that was? However, before I was done thinking about what the possible thing is, she smiled back to my mother, “But you need my help. You need to abide by my rules and do what is to be needed to be done.”

    “Is it just like the last time?” Mother asked as if she was suddenly calm.

    The old lady nodded, “Yes, you know what it is. I will give you three days.”

    “Three days isn’t enough!” Mother screamed.

    “It is when your child is the one at risk.”

    Mother moved back, looking at me with a face that I am not familiar with. She seemed to be holding something out before she sighed, nodding at the old lady before walking out of the house. That just leaves me alone with an old lady who seemed very nice. 

    She has a warming face that would make someone glad just to see her. I wonder if she's my grandmother from my mother's side. I only ever saw my father's mother and not once did anyone mentions about my mother having a mother of his own. My own mother has always been a skeptic in introducing me to my grandmother, and I would always question why. 

    “You are an extremely wonderful child. I have done well,” she responded with a smile. 

    A smile slipped through my lips, “Are you, my grandmother? My name is Savanna Haute.”

    “You have a bright future ahead of you, Savanna,” she muttered before a chaste of a frown formed on her lips, “but danger will always follow you. Always. That is why you should always remember to be aware, child.”

    “I don’t understand, why—”

    “We don’t have enough time, Savanna. It's almost time,” she muttered in haste before plunging a pill in my mouth and letting me take the liquid she had poured. Looking around, she seemed to be in nothing but a hurry before urging me to take it. As soon as the capsule was inside me, she then sighed, “You have to resist it, whatever happens. Three days isn’t enough but it is what we have.”

    “Resist what, grandma?”

    She shook her head, not letting me question anything any further, “They are coming along, fast. You have to wake up, now. We’ll talk next time, Savanna.”

    “But…” I asked, confused.

    “Hurry up child,” she said.

    “I am awake, grandma,” I replied while frowning at her. My eyes urged to looked at my body to see if I am behind the sheets but alas, I was awake and talking to her. Her eyes seemed like it was in the distance away from me, making me frown. 

    Is she sick? 

    Is everything okay?

    "Should I call Mommy to help you?" I asked with a frown.

    Her hands grabbed in my shoulders in urgency, “WAKE UP,  SAVANNA! HURRY UP BEFORE THEY FIND US!”

    I frowned, holding her back, “I am awake, Grandma. I am here.”

    “Now," she screamed, panicked in her own mind, "Right now! Wake up!”

.

.

“If she f*****g woke up from her sleep because of you, Roman. I will f*****g end you!"

    A jolt almost escaped through my body as I heard a scream from a voice that was foreign to my ears. It was from a voice that seemed foreign to me, one that isn’t normal to what I usually hear from my father’s men.

    Keyword: almost. 

    The soft buzzing of the car made me notify that I am inside a car that was transporting me into a location, and we were probably driving for hours now. It was one thing that I have noticed as the sight seemed to be different from what we used to travel in.

    Then again, maybe I am just foreign to the whole place. 

    My body was still hazy from what I have dreamt, making me feel the lump in my throat as I bite the need to have a drink. It took me a moment before remembering that I was kidnapped and in the hands of my captors. I couldn’t believe that I had slept well while that was all happening.

    Furthermore, what was that dream?

    Who was that woman?

    I didn’t remember that happening when I was a kid. 

    My memories were always filled with having both of my parents by my side. There were no memories where I went somewhere without my Dad. Mother seemed very tense there, too. It was not a natural look for someone like my mother. She was always calm and peaceful, never distressed. 

    Besides, we never leave dad. 

    He worries.

    He always does.

    So who was that grandma?

    What is that dream that I am seeing? Was that nothing but an imagination? That seemed way too vivid for it be a fragment of my imagination. But I have never seen that grandma—even now though, why do I feel like I have?

    Was this crazy?

    Yes, this probably is.

    “You probably already woke her up by your screaming, Red,” another voice ruptured through the car.

    A growl escaped through the car, one that was from the original voice that had woke me, “That’s on you. I’m f*****g telling the Alpha, asshole.”

    “The f**k you are! You were the one who screamed!”

    “Now you’re f*****g screaming!”

    “So are you!”

    I was careful not to let anything out, to not let them know that I was awake—not by their bickering but probably because of that old lady. Which would be weird to think, but I have always been fascinated by the idea of paranormal.

    Father used to tell me stories when I was a kid. To how werewolves were, what vampires are and everything that was made by the Moon Goddess. That is what Father calls her, the goddess of the paranormal. Whenever I am curious about the paranormal, we always have to keep it out of Mother’s knowledge. I was told that she was scared, but now that I am already an adult, I perceived that she was skeptic… and most of the time, she seemed particularly angry about the idea of it.

    It made me sad, but I didn’t tell her why.

    “Times like these make me miss having my brother,” one spoke softly.

    Another man laughed, “Too bad he’s needed by the Alpha, and you’re stuck with me.”    

    While they continue to bicker, I cautiously opened one of my eyes and noticed that they were two males guarding me. One was driving while the other was annoying the other. I don’t seem to have ropes around me or anything that could halter any means of escape that I could have. Their bickering would be useful at times like this, having them both distraction for themselves. 

    “Great, we caught the traffic. You are a f*****g slow driver.”

    A sound of something rough was heard followed by a voice, “Roman, f**k you! You made us late with your constant need to f*****g pee!”

    “Sure, blame the passenger.”

    “f**k you, Roman.”

    When I have physically felt the car stop, that’s when I bolted out of my seat. I didn't even look back as my feet dashed out of the car. My body felt the comfort of the forest as soon as I step foot on the soil, almost making me want to take the time and embrace the beauty of nature. However, time is the last thing that I have at this very second. Screams were heard from my back, followed by two sets of feet running from behind me. I have trained with my father into what I should do when I am kidnapped, and speed is one of the things I am proud of.

    One thing that I wasn’t?

    Locating my destination.

    “This is not familiar with this place,” I mumbled under my breath upon looking around, “Where did they take me. I don't think we're in the same country anymore.”

    It was only when I saw a road pavement did I have won some hope, especially when I saw a car rolling through the road. Luck has always been in my side since I was a kid, says my father. With hopeful thinking, I have run towards the side of the road to stop the car that was passing. Even if the car was tinted, I pray to however was guiding me to have them stop to help me from whatever was happening.

    “STOP, PLEASE STOP!” I screamed, waving towards them.

    My screams and waves must have worked as they stopped right where I was, bringing me the comfort of having a fast car to outrun those maniacs. I knew time was of the essence, so I rushed towards where the driver was seated, but someone beat me into it.

    A man, possibly in my age range, walked out of the car and looked at me in what seemed like utter confusion. The thought that someone like him made me forgot all inhibition made me still in my feet; not even minding that I have felt like my feet were giving up at any second soon.

    Gone were my task at hand, as I felt the time visible stop. His eyes were rich with color as his body seemed like it was sculpted with such time and effort. I felt my breath visibly stop for a second upon seeing him up close. 

    What was happening to me?

    “Are you okay?” He asked, voice as rich as coffee.   

    It was enough to make me quiver into my legs, losing my balance to whatever was happening to me. The man, however, was quick to catch me. A small gasp escaped through my lips upon feeling the sparks. Tiny sparks were circulating in my body; it was all around the spot where he had touched me. My eyes kept looking at the male before me.

    “You have to be careful there,” he replied chuckling.

    My lips planned to move, but my eyes and brain were busy ogling at him. He has the eyes that would have someone melt before them, a body built to be worship and a smile that will have any woman to fall for him.

    He flashed another smile, making me appreciate his looks.

    “Are you okay?” He asked again, carefully this time.

    “Y-you have to help me,” I answered, gulping my words, "I..." 

    He frowned to my words, seemingly confused and worried at the same time, “Are you in trouble? And… why are you alone?”

    The man carefully inspects me, and it made me more confused as to who he was. Does he know who I was? An acquaintance of my father that I do not remember? I doubt though, as someone like him is impossible to miss someone's mind. I was about to ask him if we had met each other when I heard voices calling me. Stunned, I hid behind the man and looked through the place where my two kidnappers were.

    “Well, I found her,” the man with red hair muttered, looking at the man to his side.

    Strong hands grabbed me from behind, pulling me by his side, “Care to explain why she dashed out of that damn forest, stopping my car while you two are trailing behind?”

    My eyes flew, looking at the man before me in surprise. Did I just really bumped into someone involved in my k********g? I push him slightly to have some space between them. The awe that was in my eyes before was now placed with fear.

    “Y-you’re with them?”

    He frowned, nodding, “Those are my men, darling.”

    I took one little step back away from him when he shook his head, pulling me back into his side without announcing anything. He now seemed extremely intimidating at his current stance while he leaned down, whispering into my ears.

    “I suggest you don’t run away from me, because you wouldn’t like to be chased by someone like me.”