Chapter 5

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“Where have you been all this time?”

Amareux was not usually this stubborn. Even though he wasn’t fond of the process, he didn’t like to upset his father or get him pissed and always went along with whatever the man said.

“I asked you a question, son.” He enunciated the “son” as if to remind Amareux of his place.

“I’m sorry dad. I was feeling a bit tired. I am yet to recover from the drilling I had to go through yesterday. My entire body hurts a lot.” He finally answered.

“You call that drilling!?” Aragorn looked on at the boy in disbelief. “That’s what it takes to become an alpha wolf. If you can’t survive that, how would you be able to handle much more serious responsibilities and the pack’s needs in the future?! Huh? Tell me, boy! Now, give me 180 pushups and a clap!”

“Dad, but I’m exhausted. Please. I won’t complain anymore.” He said with tears in his eyes.

His dad gripped him on the shoulder forcefully. He felt his dad’s nails digging into his shoulder blades and he began to whimper and beg for mercy. His dad's face was red and angry. He had been told several times that he looked so much like his dad. He had same facial features as his dad. Only that his dad’s hair now had silver highlights.

“Listen to me young wolf! You can't be average as an alpha. You can’t be weak either. If not you’ll be eaten up by your enemies as breakfast, literally. So stop acting like a bitch and give me 180 pushups with a clap. Do you understand me?” His dad said through clenched teeth. He released him and began walking away.

“Make that 200 for talking back at me!” his dad turned back and roared.

Amareux didn't need any more encouragement. He was scared of his dad. He immediately started doing the pushups and continued even when he didn’t need to think he could anymore, he was so scared. His body was in pain so badly. His body quivered but he didn’t stop. He wasn’t ready to upset him and get punched in the face or anything worse. His dad could be so aggressive. He guessed it was the whole Alpha male idea.

60, 70, 80, 90, 100

His body was literally on fire but he had to do it.

101, 102, 103 … 199, 200.

He landed like a heap on the floor after a while. He got up with tears streaming down his face. He ran off crying and wondering why he had to be born as an alpha. He decided not to go upstairs to his room. He didn’t want to bump into anyone on the way and spark many questions of “what” and “why”.

He instead wandered off to the farthest part of the hallway and saw a door.

Although this had been his house since he was born, he hadn’t gotten so far as his room or his parent's rooms in the palace. His entire life was so planned and organized, that he had no time to do so.

He was to have history class right about now, with his tutor. But he honestly did not care. He twisted the door handle and a very monstrous odor followed as he peeped inside.

His wolf sense of smell was so strong that sometimes he blocked it with a peg and breathed with his mouth. He wished he had a peg now.

Arayah woke up with a start.

Something felt off.

She knew it.

Someone unfamiliar had just stepped in.

She could tell because even though the main door was far off, her hypersensitive hearing could catch sounds and also because she could sense people familiar and unfamiliar.

She could sense if it was someone she knew.

This person she didn’t know, so she became scared.

This wasn’t any of the guards who delivered food to her or Naomi. She began to worry and think about who it might be and what they could want from her after leaving her to rot in there for three years.

She had once overheard a conversation by one of the guards with another that she was to be used for an experiment when she got a bit older and her powers were more defined.

Now thinking about it she thought maybe today was the day. She stood and tried to hide in a way she could still see through the gate of her cell.

She was startled when she saw a young boy approaching the cell. He was holding his nose tightly and looking around like he was lost. He walked with so much care, that she thought they were nails on the floor.

This boy looked a bit older than she was. She wondered who he was and why he was there.

He seemed like a very audacious type because he peeped through the cell bars to see whether anyone was inside.

She came out of hiding.

She kept looking at him. He was not that old. What harm could he do her?

His hazel eyes widened as he peeped into her cell and saw her. He dropped his hand from his nose with his mouth left hanging open.

This boy didn’t know who she was and why she was there.

But she still wondered where he had come from.

She walked up to the cell bars and smiled at him. He in turn stepped back and almost tripped over his shoes. She wondered what was going through his mind. Was he scared?

She smiled, even more, to make him feel at ease with her.

She felt she had to say something. She did not like the way they stood, awkwardly staring at each other. The first thing that popped out of her mouth was.

“Do I smell that bad?” She proceeded to smell herself.

Amareux realizing that he had covered his nose again said, “Oh my! I’m so sorry>”

He didn't want to seem rude to this strange girl.

“It's okay.” She said.

She went back to her mat and sat down.

He still looked at her as though he had seen a ghost.

She didn't like that he was still staring at her, so she motioned for him to sit down on one of the three-step stairs. Naomi would sit there whenever she came to keep her company.

It felt strange to her to see someone close to her age come by. She had never known anyone young all her life.

He immediately sat like a robot being controlled.

He didn't believe his eyes.

What exactly was happening here? Was he seeing rightly?

Why was a little girl in this cell? She was way too young to have committed a crime.

He was damn right sure she was like seven, if not six.

He had never heard of child prisoners and this felt odd to him.

So many questions were raised in his mind.

How long had she been here? Who was she? What had she done wrong? Where did she come from was she a Beta or a Gamma? Where were her parents? Were they aware of this?

“Tea or coffee?”

“What?”

“Which do you prefer? Tea or coffee?” She stressed it this time, as though he was deaf.

“Um… I like ah…” he had questions, but she had those of her own.

Why did she care what beverage he liked?

She laughed. Her laughter sounded like a shriek more or less.

It wasn’t an interesting sound at all. He took that moment to study her, to study her. Unlike her laugh, she had really interesting features.

He couldn't tell what it was, but he felt like her skin probably needed more exposure.

The sun perhaps,

he thought. It got him thinking again about how long she had been in there.

She had thick long black hair and sad golden brown eyes. The dark circles around her eyes were complemented by pale chapped lips. She looked so surreal, yet so beautiful. Her stature was frail and fragile, and it looked like she could break as if she had no flesh. Her dress was a black gown that had seen better days.

He came back to himself when she said, “You like aah…” she mimicked and giggled. “Is that a new kind of beverage?” she laughed harder, bending over and holding her stomach.

Amareux didn’t understand what she found so funny and began to see her as weird. She was laughing when she was in this hell hole. Was she serious?

He knew that if it had been him, he would not want to see anybody or talk at all.

What was he saying?

He let the thoughts disappear as soon as they came.

“Tea. I prefer tea.”

She became so serious and her forehead furrowed into a frown. “But why?” she asked.

“My dad says I need to take herbal tea to keep fit always. I’ve never really tasted coffee. I wouldn’t know if I’d like it. So I guess tea.”

“Are you serious? You haven’t tasted coffee?” She paused and slumped her shoulders dramatically. “I haven’t either, by the way. But I imagined you would have.” She grinned.

“Why would you think so? We just met like five minutes ago.”

“Uh… for obvious reasons I am locked up and you aren’t. All I have in here are dreams. Dreams of seeing the world and eating everything I see to be eaten. Traveling, going to school, and many things, you know.”

“Not everyone gets to live that kind of life. Some of us have responsibilities and duties to perform.” He sounded very much like his dad at that moment and he didn't like that. He instantly regretted what he said.

She laughed yet again. That freakish laughter.

“How old are you?”

“Nine.”

“Wow you look much younger,” Amareux commented.

“Mhmm,” Arayah replied.

“Why did you get put in here?”

“You ask a lot of questions. As you said, we just met like 5 minutes ago. You don’t expect me to start telling you my life history now, do you?”

“Oh OK. I’m sorry about that.”

She proceeded to ask him questions about himself as they got to know each other, him avoiding the topic of why she was in a cell as much as possible.

“Can you bring me a book tomorrow?”

“You want me here tomorrow?”

She recoiled.

“I’m sorry.” She said wearing a sad face.

He immediately realized that he had hurt her feelings and quickly replied with a “No! No! No! No! I’d loved to actually.” He then smiled.

As he walked back to his room, he was all smiles they had talked some more about many things. Things that didn’t matter at all, and he had felt refreshed.

And for the first time in a while, he felt pretty good about himself and everything. He then instead of going to his room, decided to go to his class. He was willing to endure the history class because of how good he felt. As he got there he’s history master Mr. Lionel, a very old wrinkled wolf was already leaving.

He felt bad for having kept him waiting but he wasn’t going to let the man go without him at least teaching him the history of werewolves again. He didn’t want to have to explain to his father why he didn’t get to class when Mr. Lionel reported to him.

So he begged the poor man to at least give him 30 minutes of his time. The class was originally meant for two hours.

The man agreed and he was grateful. As the lecture went on and progressed, all he could think of was this mystery girl who by the way he realized he hadn’t asked what her name was. He thought of all the things he would bring as he visited her tomorrow and he felt so excited he couldn't wait for the day to end.

That night before Naomi Cobalt went home, she made sure she went to see Arayah with an evening snack.

Poor girl Naomi thought.

She probably hadn't had anything to eat yet. She had gotten used to taking care of the girl that sometimes when work took her time, she worried endlessly for the young vampire.

She prepared a morsel of freshly baked bread and slit her wrist, allowing her blood to flow into a cup. When it was about half a cup, she took care of her injury with a first-aid kit. She felt light-headed, but she had gotten so used to the feeling that it was not so bad anymore. She made a mental note to bring the girl the chicken wings and two blood bags, just as she had promised. She would have to steal those from the werewolf infirmary, but she didn’t care. Even if she would get caught. It would be time for the guard to switch turns on their shift and it was the best time to visit her.

Some of them already knew her and had grown accustomed to her coming by, but she still needed to be careful. The last thing she needed was to be suspended again. She was not worried for herself, but because she never wanted the girl to go through the agony of spending one year without care and nutrition again.

Arayah was feeling thirsty.

She needed blood.

She felt as though her intestines were at war and were tugging at themselves.

The hunger she felt as a vampire was always so ravaging and blinding.

During her first year, when she arrived here, her body grew so accustomed to the lack of blood and she got used to the feeling of being weak and she had begun to decay. But she wouldn’t die because of her ability.

The huger was normal life then. But now as her body had to adjust to her blood diet again and she had gotten much older, that blood had to become more intense.

She wondered why Naomi was yet to arrive. But she knew that the lady won’t leave her hanging for no reason.

When she felt hunger this strong, focusing intensely on other thoughts helped her. It left no room for her body to feel, and it affected her less, by thinking about other things. It had been a new room for escape for her. She had had to learn this after the blood thirst had abode with her and refused to leave her. As a young vampire, she was not supposed to go through that much. This time around, she thought of her new friend and she couldn’t help but smile at the talk they had. She remembered when the boy mentioned his father with a sad look in his eyes. He had looked sad but looking deep in his eyes, she noticed a hint of anger in them. She didn't want to seem rude when he first walked in, but she had seen how red and watery his eyes had been, when he widened them at the sight of her.

She knew he couldn’t just be possibly crying at the sight of her. Something might have hurt him and he had been crying. He obviously had been having a bad day and she, not wanting to impose, asked the question, “Tea or coffee?”

She wanted to be friendly instead of being intrusive. She thought about all these things for a while, and still in her thinking she notice the familiar feel of Naomi’s presence.

She’s finally here.

Arayah screamed in her head.

And just like that, the hunger came back with full force. She perceived the blood before it even arrived. Her eyes became bloodshot and her blood thirst became even more intense.

Naomi got there and gave them to her.

“Here you go. Make sure not to spi…” Arayah had downed the blood already before she got a chance to finish her sentence.

“You know I get really dizzy when I draw blood out. I wouldn’t like for all that suffering to go to waste.”

Naomi smiled as she said this. The young girl was finally feeling satisfied and was now more relaxed.

“Thank you.” Arayah said.

“You are welcome my dear.”

“How was your day today?”

“I should be asking you. You are the one locked up in a dungeon.”

“Yeah, but you came quite late today. I’m just concerned that’s all.”

Naomi was deeply touched. She could have shed a tear, but she just managed a simple,

“Thank you.” She continued, “Well, what actually happened was that, the warriors in the park had a meeting and I was stuck with serving.”

“Wow, it must be nice!” Arayah exclaimed.

“What’s that the serving?”

“Having so much to do. I don’t have anything to do and it’s exhausting.”

She did a fake swoon.

Naomi laughed. “You’re the only child I have seen that wants to work.”

“I’m the only child you’ve seen that’s locked up.” Arayah replied, smiling and looking down.

Naomi immediately regretted saying that. She didn’t want to give the little vampire reasons to feel bad about her predicament. Sometimes she wished she wouldn’t have to say anything about life outside, but the stubborn vampire would always want to know. She didn’t blame her after all she was stuck in a box not knowing when she will be released.

“You haven’t had your bread yet. It’s freshly baked.”

“Oh yeah!” she said feeling excited.

Naomi loved those little moments with Arayah the most, when she enjoyed food and ate well.

“Guess what?” Arayah said between bites.

“I will, but finish your food first.”

“I promise you, you won’t be able to guess this one.”

“Alright… what is that?”

“I found out a new ability of mine today.”