Kitten in the Wolf's Den

Two: a Great Tragedy

*Marcelline, Age 12*

~Marcelline's P.O.V.~

My bare feet padded against the wooden flooring as I sprinted towards my mother's bedroom. I felt like my heart was about to explode as I heard yet another crashing sound echo off the walls. "Mother! Mother!" I screamed, trying to get her to answer me back. She was not answering me and I felt dread creep low in my gut. The feeling was making me quite nauseous and I swallowed down the bile that tried to rise in my throat.

Another crashing sound echoed through the hallways as I approached her bedroom door. The door was cracked open and there were no lights coming from the room. "Ma...Marcelline." I heard my mother's weak voice call out from her room.

"Momma, I'm here!" I yelled back out to her as I reached the door. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. My internal night vision settings were quite spectacular but it still needed a few seconds to activate. I would have laughed at that thought if not for the impending danger I could sense in the room. I swallowed my fear and stepped across the threshold of her bedroom. "Mother, where are you?" I whisper-yelled, trying to get her attention.

My nose sniffed the air and I almost gagged the second my heightened sense of smell kicked in. Blood. Fresh blood and a lot of it. Additionally, I also smelled flesh and guts. Tears stung my eyelids as I tried with all my might to fight them back. I refused to cry. I refused to show weakness. I could feel the murderous pair of eyes staring at me as I crept slowly into the room. I followed my mother's scent and found her on the floor bleeding out from multiple wounds.

I rushed to her side, pulling off my shirt and pressing it on her most lethal wound. It was a gaping hole in her stomach and I could see some of her guts hanging out. I gently pressed my shirt against the large hole, trying to slow the bleeding down. My shirt was caked in her blood in seconds and I felt the dam break loose, spilling my tears as I sobbed loudly. "Momma, no! Please no!" I begged her, pressing the shirt down even more.

Her warm and kind eyes blinked open and filled with so much regret and love as she looked at me. She coughed and blood came out of her nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. The sight of it made me sob harder as I carefully moved behind her, placing her head in my lap while keeping pressure on the wound. "Ma-Marcy." She croaked in a weak voice as a few tears and blood leaked from her eyes. “Run. R-un away...n-now!" She tried to order me, but her weak voice failed to put enough authority in her tone.

I shook my head repeatedly. "No, mother. I am not leaving you!" I refused, resting my forehead against hers.

"Ma-Marcel-line!" Momma scolded me as she narrowed her eyes to the best of her ability. "G-go. Leave me... please, little b-bit." She begged me as tears streamed down her face.

I felt the floorboards creek underneath us and when I looked up I saw a large shadow creeping closer to us. "YOU KILLED HER!" I screamed at the shadow. My blood ran cold through my veins and I felt this surge of power spread through my muscles. It felt like someone had injected me with steroids and I was pumping iron. "YOU'RE A MONSTER! A KILLER! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" I continued to shout at it. My mother's lips parted open as her head drooped to the side. I felt her body go slack in my arms, watching as the olive green color drained from her eyes until all that was left was a dull murky white color. Her last breath escaped her lungs and she died in my arms.

The shadow let out a dark chuckle and I watched as it c****d its head to the side. It studied me with fascination and took a slow step toward me. A loud growl tore through my throat as I crawled over my mother's corpse, shielding her body from the monster. Whatever it wanted from my momma, I was not going to give it the satisfaction. She deserves a proper burial and to be at peace. I will be damned if I let this monster touch another hair on her head.

The shadow moved forward as it stepped in front of the window. The glow of the moon from outside illuminated the monster’s true form. There, standing in front of me was a tall and lanky man. He had very lean muscles, sloppy dirty-blonde hair that reached his shoulders and shined with grease, scars covering almost every inch of his skin, yellow rotted teeth with two long canines protruding from his bottom teeth, and a pair of black soulless eyes. This man stank of sewage water and dumpsters. His clothes were merely rags that were covered in grime and hardly clung to his form. His soulless black eyes stared at me with a predatory look, and I watched as his slimy tongue licked his dry crusty lips. This man gave me the absolute creeps!

"Oh my, look what I found!” He rasped in a screechy tone that ringed in my ears. “ I heard rumors of the vampire lord’s little toy. Everyone said that he had fallen in love with a human girl, and here you are, I found you!" The man cheered while clapping his disgusting hands together. Then he took another step forward and peered down at me. Amusement reflected as clear as day in his black soulless eyes. "My oh my, you are a beautiful little girl. I understand his infatuation with you, little prey." He jeered, moving even closer to me. His black eyes lit up with maroon flames like someone lighting a match in a dark room.

I shivered at the sight of it but stayed in my position. I was not going to give him the satisfaction of making me afraid, nor would he be the cause of my fear. "Stay back, you sick bastard!" I snarled at him. I felt something sharp pierce through my gums and tasted my blood on the tip of my tongue.

The man laughed out loud, cackling like a hyena. He found my threats to be humorous and not at all alarming. "Look at you, little doe. So feisty! I like my meals with a little fight in them." He smirked and took another step closer. He was only about a foot away now. I could smell his stench more clearly. He smelled like death and all things evil.

"I SAID STAY BACK!" I screamed at him just as a growl tore through my throat again. It sounded raspy and thick with anger. My nails extended to claws, making my nail beds bleed as they ripped apart my cuticles. I ignored the pain it caused and focused on the creepy man in front of me.

He froze in his spot and lifted his hands in the air like he was surrendering. His flaming coal-black eyes lit up brighter. Crusty lips twisted up into a devilish smirk as he surveyed me. "Mmm, yes!" He groaned, wetting his dry lips with his slimy tongue. "That is it, little prey, come on. Fight me." He mocked in a disgusting tone. The man stuck out one of his hands and opened, then closed his fist. He was trying to taunt me to get me to strike first. His hand action meant to persuade me to make the first move. I simply ignored him, continuing to shield my mother's body. When he realized I was not going to fall for his tricks, those crusty lips of his formed a deep frown. "Little doe... you are not very fun." He sighed in a saddened tone.

Then, as fast as a strike of lightning, he lunged forward and tackled me off of my mother. His body was surprisingly heavy as he barreled into me, knocking the wind from my lungs. I had no time to react as he grabbed my wrists and pinned both of my arms at my sides. I squirmed underneath his disgusting body, screaming out loud as anger surged through my veins. This just made him laugh, appearing to find my aggression to be hilarious. This creep was really pissing me off!

He leaned his face down beside my head and I felt his slimy disgusting tongue lap at the side of my face as he licked me. It felt scaly like a mucus covered frog, the sensation forcing bile to rise in my throat. "Mmm, you taste fruity!" He murmured in my ear like a perverted monster.

"G-get off me! I'll KILL you!" I hollered angrily, thrashing like a lunatic underneath his shockingly strong body. The dude was primarily skin and bones but he held me down without a struggle.

The creep chuckled darkly as he adjusted his position, switching to holding both my wrists in one hand and pinning them above my head. After freeing one hand, he pushed my hair away from my neck and inspected my skin. His eyes appeared to be scanning every inch of my throat, neck, and collarbones before a satisfied smile stretched over his lips. Then he leaned down again and sniffed my neck with a deep breath. "You smell fruity, little prey. I wonder how you taste down there." He purred as his eyes moved lower to examine the rest of my body, his evil gaze lingering a little too long below my hips .

I swallowed nervously, realizing for the first time that I had taken my shirt off to use as a gauze for my mother. Tears blurred my vision as his soulless eyes raked over my white training bra stained in my mother's blood, and tight black leggings. My feet were also bare since I had been in my room resting before I heard her screams. "Ple-please... let m-me go!" I whimpered in desperation, tears streaming endlessly down my face.

"Aww...but I have not even started the real fun yet." He smirked down at me, placing his cold and greasy hand on my bare stomach. I cried out, feeling his touch on my belly, sucking in my stomach to try and avoid as much unwanted contact as possible. "Let me show you how much fun we can have, little doe." He smirked while scratching his fingernails down my side and slid his hand down lower toward the waistband of my leggings.

My eyes widened with horror, realizing exactly what he planned to do. My fight or flight instincts kicked in as I bucked my hips up and caught him off guard. He fell backwards off of me and I quickly crawled out from under him. I crab- walked away from him, keeping my gaze focused solely on him. He cackled like a hyena again, and did a half flip as he jumped to his feet. His eyes searched me out in the dark room. His soulless eyes were engulfed in maroon flames, illuminating his hauntingly ugly face.

He started to stalk toward me like a lion hunting its prey. I quickly stood up on my feet and spun on my heels, fleeing the room. Right when I reached the bedroom door, I felt his hand brush against my arm. Before he could successfully snatch my arm in his grasp, I slammed the door on his hand. He hollered in pain, stumbling backward away from the door as I pushed it all the way shut. Then I turned away and sprinted down to the living room where the front door is located. It took him a few seconds to recover before I heard him rip the door from its hinges and come running after me. My hand wrapped around the front door handle and I yanked it open.

Suddenly, my small frame smacked hard against a brick wall in front of me. One that I don’t remember ever being there. The collision knocked the wind from my lungs, made me lightheaded, and I felt my body sway dizzily. Just before I was about to fall to the ground, two strong arms came out of the wall and caught me. Warm heat encircled my frame as the arms held me against the wall. That was when I realized the wall was actually a large and handsome man. He caught me by my waist and held me against his chest. Our gazes met and I could see his emerald green eyes widen into flying saucers.

"MINE!" The buff dude roared in this deep, powerful, and smoky voice. He had a strong Italian accent that made my stomach butterflies appear and littered every inch of my skin with pleasant goosebumps.

The creepy dude ran down the stairs and appeared in the living room. That was when he noticed the big buff guy holding onto me. The flames in the creepy dude’s soulless eyes were immediately extinguished and I watched his throat bob up and down as he swallowed in fear. Wet liquid ran down his legs and soaked the floor beneath him, making the big dude holding me laugh. It was hilarious! The creepy dude’s entire body was visibly trembling as he sized up the guy protecting me. Let's call him the savior for now, at least until I discover his name.

After realizing that the savior was a lot bigger and probably much stronger, he straightened his posture and tried to put on a brave face. It was not convincing. "Your highness." The creepy guy squeaked out.

The savior helped me to stand back on my feet before he pushed me behind him, taking a protective stance. I scanned the backyard, spotting my mother's car that she always keeps unlocked. Without hesitating, I took off at a sprint and reached the car. Then I climbed inside the backseat and lied down on my side, facing the driver's seat. That way I wouldn’t be able to see what is going on outside the vehicle. I lifted my arm above my head, clicking the lock button into place so that the door above my head wouldn’t be able to be opened from the outside. After it was locked, I tried to wait for as long as I could but, soon, exhaustion crept into my head and I fell into a deep and unpleasant sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I was drenched in sweat. The white training bra I had on was stained crimson from my mother's blood, reminding me of the events that had transpired. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, noticing that I was still in my mother’s car. Except there were blankets tucked around me that had not been there last night when I fell asleep. Shaking my head, I climbed out of the vehicle and looked around the yard. Straining my ears, I listened for any sign of others that might be lurking around but heard nothing. I made my way up the front porch and stepped inside the house. After searching the house for any evidence of what happened last night, I was shocked to see my mother lying in her bed instead of sprawled out on the floor. She was pale as a ghost, eyes closed, dressed in a white gown that made her look like an angel, and had been completely cleaned off. There was no trace of blood on her body. Unfortunately, she was still deceased, but instead of looking like a deranged monster’s victim, she looked peaceful.

I grabbed her phone, which was sitting on her nightstand beside the bed, and dialed the number for the police. It took 15 minutes to go over all the details that transpired but they finally sent a dispatch team to my location. The authorities arrived and questioned me more than they did over the phone. After they were done interrogating me, I was asked if there was anyone I could contact. Someone that would be in charge of taking care of me for the rest of my life. You know, since my mother was dead and my father was gone. At first, I did not know if there was anyone for me to call. I do not have any other relatives. My mother’s family shunned her before I came into her life. Apparently, they did not approve of papa. It turns out their assumptions had been correct because he fled after the first night she had coughed up a wad of bloody mucus. He really was a piece of crap!

Finally, after I gave it some thought, I realized there was one person who I could call. The one person who always visits me once a month. The very man who has kept me alive and healthy since I was born. I lifted my gaze up at the male police officer who was waiting for me to give him the name of the person to call. A small saddened smile forced its way onto my face. "You can call my godparent, Typhon Dalca." I told him.

The officer nodded his head and handed me the phone to type in the number. I pressed the correct keys and handed him back the phone. I watched as he lifted it to his ear and waited for Ty to answer. After a few seconds, I heard Ty's muffled voice on the other end. "Is this Mr. Dalca?" The officer asked after Ty answered the phone. "My name is Officer McGuffy, Dean… Good morning to you as well, sir.... Yes. I am calling on behalf of Miss Winters, Marcelline. Her mother was killed la-." He pulled the phone away from his ear and cringed as Ty screamed into the phone.

I could not hear the words he was saying, but I could hear the tone of his voice. He was not happy. The officer placed the phone back to his ear after Typhon had quieted down. Then he continued the conversation. "Yes, sir. She is fine. Miss Winters informed me that there was a man who saved her last night. No, sir. She did not ask his name. No, sir. She was the only one here when we arrived.... I'll ask her, hold on." The officer said before he looked down at me. "Mr. Dalca would like to speak to you?"

I reached out my hand, accepting the phone as he placed it in my hand. Then I lifted it to my ear. "Hi, Ty." I spoke in a hoarse tone, tears already forming in my eyes.

"Marcelline? Are you okay, duckling?" He asked in a worried tone. I could sense that he was on the verge of losing control. Typhon tends to get angry at times, but he has always been kind to me. He cares for me deeply and would burn down entire villages for me if I asked him to. He said that to me himself.

I took a deep breath trying to force my tears back. "N-no, Ty. I'm scared… Please, please come get m-me." I begged him, looking down at the ground as tears slid down my cheeks, splashed and wetting the dirt below.

"Oh, duckling! I am so sorry, mica marea. I know how much you loved your mother. She was a good woman. Very strong. But you know what? She needs you to be strong too, okay? I am leaving now to go get you. Can you be strong for me, duckling?" He asked gently.

I sniffled, wiping my arm across my face. "Oh-okay."

"Good girl. I'll be there soon, Marcy." Then he ended the call.

The officer crouched down to my height and handed me his jacket to cover myself up with. I offered him a weak smile as a thank you, and he returned it. I handed him back the phone and he shoved it back into his pocket. Then he walked away to go talk to another male officer. A female officer walked over to me, motioning for me to take a seat on the front porch. We sat down and she grabbed a small bottle of water from her vest pocket, holding it out to me. I gladly accepted it, suddenly feeling very thirsty. I twisted the cap off and chugged the entire bottle in one gulp. She giggled at me and took the empty bottle from my hands, stashing it back in her vest pocket.

"Thank you, ma’am." I breathed out, clasping my hands in my lap.

She shrugged and spread her lips in a beautiful smile. She was quite pretty with dark red hair, dazzling green eyes, and light tanned skin. Her teeth were perfectly straight and blindingly white. I looked down at her hand and noticed the large diamond ring on her left ring-finger. Of course she is getting married. Any single man would be stupid not to snatch her up. She is a catch!

"Of course, sweetheart. You can call me Aurora." She replied in a melodious sweet voice. Her voice was even beautiful!

I blushed and looked up at her face. "Oh..um, thanks....Thank you, Aurora." I replied, stuttering over my words.

Aurora giggled at my shy response and reached over to pat my hand. "No problem, Marcelline. That is a beautiful name you have." She complimented.

"Thank you." I mumbled. Once again, I glanced down at my lap feeling bashful.

She smiled and kept her hand over mine. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything? We have donuts in the car." She offered, and I looked back at her with a quirked eyebrow. Aurora busted out into loud laughter at the look on my face. I could not help but to join in on her amusement. Cops and donuts! Such a cliche! "I know, I know! What could I possibly say except that donuts are delicious? Would you like one?"

"Uhm...sure." I answered while nodding my head. She beamed up at me and ran over to her parked police car. I watched her reach across her dashboard and pull out a large white box with a pink lid. She spun around and jogged back over to me with the box and placed it down in front of us. Then she opened it up, revealing numerous multi-flavored donuts of all types, and gestured to it with her hands. "Thank you, Aurora." I smiled before reaching down and grabbing a glazed donut with chocolate icing.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." She giggled and grabbed herself a donut. The other officers came over and joined us. We all sat in a semi-circle engaging in some idle chit-chat while snacking on donuts. I was glad for the distraction. They were helping me by preventing my thoughts from drifting towards last night’s events.

All of the officers were friendly and one of the male officers told some funny jokes. A few of them earned a slap from one of his buddies. It was quite inappropriate for my ears and the others did not appreciate him sharing it with a child. We ended up eating the entire box of donuts within an hour and, soon, Ty's fancy black car pulled up in the driveway. We watched him park out of the way of the officers’ vehicles before he climbed out. His eyes scanned the yard and once they landed on me he came rushing over. I hopped up on my feet and sprinted towards him. We ran at each other and he opened his arms just as I jumped into them and wrapped my legs around his waist. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. He always smelled so good. Like a cinnamon spiced cologne. It immediately soothed my nerves and calmed my racing heart.

Ty squeezed me tightly before carrying me back over to the officers. They stood up from their spots and bowed their heads at him. It looked odd to see these modern-day heroes bowing at a young man, but I did not question it. Ty shook hands with all of them and they had him fill out some paperwork before they let us go. I removed the officer's jacket,handing it back to him. Then we both said goodbye to everyone before Ty carried me to his car. He put me down and I climbed into the passenger seat. I buckled my seatbelt and watched as he jogged around to the driver's side of the car and got in. He started the engine and soon we were driving down the driveway onto the road and headed to his place. A place I have not been to before, feeling excited to finally get to see where Typhon lives!