MEMORIES OF THE PAST
1538 Words
The game was getting more intense as the sun was going down, adding to my anticipation of who the winner would be.
We children called it "hide-and-seek," where I pursued the rest of my playmates. It was a favorite game played by us young girls of the Blood Moon Pack as it tested our speed and agility.
My parents secretly loved it, even though they tried so hard to deny it. They don't stop me from having fun, knowing it's part of my training to be a warrior.
I have always been a passionate player who plays a game with a plan, unlike the rest of my friends. In the end, I am always the winner whenever we all play, so today is not going to be an exception, and I won't be caught by them.
I was going to be the winner of the game and take everyone's candy, and I was going to brag about it to my parents. That's what I was going to do.
Win.
I was going to win the hide-and-seek game and then take everyone's candy.
Perfect.
The idea of adding more flavors other than my favorite, which is chocolate, to my pile of collections made me run faster than my little feet could take me.
Although I wasn't a good runner yet, neither were my little friends, who ran after me in the moment.
I heard loud footsteps clutching closer, which made me increase my pace, running desperately, like I was running from my death; in reality, I just wanted to win the race. That's how passionate I was.
I choked on my own breath when I heard my best friend Ashley's voice calling my name from behind.
My mind was more alive than ever, and adrenaline, like lightning, rushed through my veins. I scanned the trees and rocks, looking for anything large and wide enough to hide my small frame.
Luckily, I found a large oak tree, where I stopped and hid, using the opportunity to catch my breath. The truth is, even if I outran the others chasing me, I couldn't outrun my best friend, as she was almost as good as I was, and that's why we were friends.
Ashley made friends with people who were better than her, not people who were the opposite and weak. She was the beta's daughter, and naturally, she was supposed to be friends with the alpha's daughter.
However, since the Alpha's mate didn't give birth to a female child, Ashley had no choice but to be friends with other children, but only with those that were better than her.
"Help me!" She screamed loud enough for everyone in the pack to hear her, as she had a high-pitched voice.
I rushed out from where I was hiding behind the tree to find Ashley. The thought of my best friend getting hurt made my heart beat faster. Ashley was much more important than any candy I was going to win tonight.
I saw Ashley laying down on the ground, holding her knee, and crying her eyes out. Tears began to well up in my eyes after seeing my best friend in such a horrible state. Who was I going to play with, I thought?
"What's wrong?" I said this, crouching to inspect Ashley's knee.
"Ha, I caught you." Ashley stood up, chuckling. "You should really stop being gullible; come on, let's go meet the others and let them know that I am the winner of tonight's game. I get to keep all the chocolate to myself," she smirked, pulling me along as we walked to the clearing.
"Not fair. You guys didn't catch anyone." A kid grumbled and threw harsh daggers at Ashley, who waved it off, not caring.
I stood there, boiling in anger. What Ashley had done had hurt me, and I started crying. If only I had kept running and ignored Ashley's cries, then maybe I would be munching on my delicious chocolate right now.
Seeing me cry, every child in the clearing gathered around me to console me. I was not only the prettiest girl in the pack but also the kindest, and everyone wanted to please me. This made Ashley angry, and she started sobbing too.
"What's wrong, Ashley?" Everyone wondered, given her attention.
"Isadora pushed me into the woods," she replied. She was lying and loved the attention she was getting. Ashley was an attention-seeker, and I knew this the moment I accepted to be her best friend.
"No, I did not," I said in disbelief, my face red and puffy.
"Yes, you did. Here it is." Ashley showed everyone a bruise on her knees.
"I did not..." I gasped in disbelief at the extent of what Ashley could do to get everyone's attention.
"You did! You did! You did! And everyone can see it." Ashley sang mockingly as she saw me getting angry. She grabbed all the different flavors of candy she had won through cheating and started walking away.
"I won't play with you again. Ashley, you are a liar, and my mummy said that the moon goddess hates liars." I yelled behind her and watched Ashley's shadows slowly disappear into the pack house. I got home and started crying for my mom.
I explained to her the event that occurred with Ashley, and my mom advised me to stay away from pretentious people.
My mother instructed me to change my clothes as she prepared the table for dinnertime and promised to give me a piece of candy after they were done eating.
My dad walked in minutes later after a long day of attending to wounded warriors as the pack doctor. He picked me up, as he does every day, and spun me around. When he noticed my sad look and lack of communication, he dropped me to the ground.
"What's making Pretty Angel sad?" He asked, and I repeated all that Ashley had done, just like I had explained it to my mother without pausing to breathe. My dad told her that Ashley was jealous of my beauty and obviously wanted to ruin my name.
"Hey, Mr. knows it all, and my little fairy princess, dinner is ready," my mother called from the kitchen, interrupting the conversation between my father and me.
Soon the whole family was settled at the dinner table. I licked my lips, looking at the delicious food in front of me before feasting on it.
"Honey, how was work?" My mom asked my dad to break the silence in the room before returning her gaze to the steak she was slicing.
"The council is under pressure. Alpha Parker is changing all the council members who don't agree with him. It's a scary sight, darling. I don't think our Alpha Parker is sane anymore. He is driven by fear and kills the council members just because he doesn't like their faces or how they look at him. Honey, I don't think we are safe here; we need to find a plan B." He sighed, getting frustrated at the thought of being at the mercy of an alpha who doesn't value his pack members lives.
"Baby, lower your voice when you say the alpha name; you don't want the neighbors hearing you, or have you forgotten so soon that no one calls the alpha by his name? You could be killed for that, and besides, there's nothing we can do after swearing allegiance to the pack and our alpha. All we have to do is avoid making him angry and stay clear of his sight." My mom scolded him, and he let out a sigh of frustration, running his hands through his hair.
He watched my mom stand up from her seat as she lost interest in eating. The thought of the alpha killing innocent people made her lose her appetite.
My parents turn to look at my almost-half asleep form. I was tired of listening to their boring discussion about the mean alpha.
"Aww, she must be exhausted from all the crying," my mother said, rubbing my forehead.
"Our beautiful daughter," my father said, grinning with pride in his voice.
"Honey, I don't like that Ashley girl. She has so much evil in her heart for a 10-year-old. I don't want our Isadora around her; you and I know being evil can be contagious like a disease." My mother said this as she watched my father carry me up, take me to my room, and lay me on the bed.
"Baby, don't worry; we'll do our best to protect her from those who wish to hurt her. Nobody dares hurt our precious princess as long as I am alive." My father said as he held my mother's hands, and they both looked into each other's eyes with love.
I stared at them and watched them leave my room, closing the door and going back to theirs, as it had been a tiring night.
I lay there under the blanket, wishing one day I would meet my mate, a man I love and who would equally love me too, but I also wished these moments with my parents would last forever.
Little did I know that nothing good lasts forever.
- Writer
