The Book
981 Words
ARIEL'S POV.
"Oh for f**k sake!" I hear Ryan curse almost loudly the moment we were alone in the room.
He ran his bloody fingers through his hair and I fold my arms against my chest as he turns around to look at me. "Did you feel better about that?"
"Well, Mom is a badass. And you, " I pause for a second. "You're just an asshole who can't even say what he wants. I mean how did you manage to survive all of these years pretending to be in love with me?" My chest tightens at that hard truth while I appear to look non-chalant to him.
He walks up to me with a smirk on his face. "Too bad you're stuck with an asshole forever. Well maybe not forever."
"Because you will kill me after getting what you want?"
"You don't know what I want."
He looks me down and I don't understand what that means but I am happy to pry.
"You could enlighten me."
He chuckles and tore his eyes off me to stare at the window. "The look in your eyes when you finally figure it out would be all worth it. I promise"
"I'm pretty sure the look in your eyes when you finally figure out this marriage will never happen and that you'll never get what you want will surely be devastating." I retort, but his smile only gets wider.
"I love it better when you're like this. All fired up. It makes you hot in some way." He tries to grab my waist and I swipe my ring finger at him. It directly tore through his middle finger and blood dropped.
"Ah!" he groaned. "Look what you've done Señorita."
"Just keep your hands to yourself next time." I walked out even as he called out my name softly, almost tempting me to turn around. Maybe I’d see that look of love and adoration on his face once again. The kind that makes me feel… special and lucky.
Yes, that kind.
I needed a place to cry because, suddenly, I don't think this is happening for real. Me, hurting Ryan and him speaking like that to me. And all of what we’ve shared being completely fake.
I would never in my wildest dream think this day would come. I have envisioned our happily ever after countless times, growing old and old and still loving each other but I guess those… truly were mere fairy tales which doesn't exist.
Dad doesn't know my fiancée plans to kill me and is trying to force the wedding and I can't tell him except I have a better plan for us. For our survival.
I know I should probably just be the sacrificial lamb but I’m a selfish b***h after all.
"Are you okay?"
I clean my eyes before I look behind me, at Avery who was looking at me with concern etched on her face.
"Ari--"
"I'm fine! You don't need to say anything."
"Look I’m sorry--"
"Don't you f*****g say that to me!"
"Okay fine." she swallowed. "I have something to tell you."
Well, I wasn't ready to listen to her nonsense. I continue walking.
"About Dad."
I stopped and I looked at her.
"Let's find a room," she sighs.
I reluctantly follow her into an empty room and the lock clicks.
"So what did you find out?"
"Okay, I’m sure you don't want me saying anything about what happened just now so I’ll just go straight to the point.
My eyes narrow. Is that tears I see in her eyes? Or maybe not.
I blinked and they're gone.
"Have you ever heard about our family's history?"
"The made up one's? Yes. Dad use to tell us stories."
"What if those stories had always been real?"
I took a moment to breath. "Real? Well there could have been some real moments but definitely not the parts with the wolf and supernatural things and all--"
"What if that part included were all real?"
"What are you talking about, Avery?" I frown and she pulls out old papers from her pocket.
I was digging into how Dad and the Fordson’s could have made enemies and guess what I found? We have a family history. One that is even written in the books in our library." she passed me the papers and I saw it contains some weird images of a wolf with a man's head.
"What are these?"
"Werewolves." she answered and I pause for a moment to look at her. "I think you've read too many books."
"This is not a joke. According to Dad, they exist."
"According to books.” I reminded her. “Dad never said so."
"He did."
I pause and then I swallow because I knew he always say that these stories were real life events but we never took them seriously. Not then and definitely not now.
"What are you getting at?"
Avery breathed. "I figured out one thing. The Fordson's and Golden's has always not been on good terms for generations. And allegedly, our grandfather managed to wipe out all the female born in their family ten years ago."
"Grandfather would never hurt a soul."
"I know right? But his name was mentioned and along with the names of most of our ancestors. I looked it up."
"Books. That's what you say. Maybe someone was just bored and wrote out those stupid things."
It went quiet between us. Avery sighs and then shrugs. "You can always check out the library yourself. Maybe you'd understand better what I am getting at."
And she left.
I collapse on the bed in frustration.
Just what on earth is she talking about? Werewolves? I didn’t take her as the type to be so deeply involved in fantasy.
But she looked so serious.
Too serious to be just caught up in a fantasy world.
- Writer
