Page 1 of Ava: Part One

Chapter 1

The woods were scary, but she had to be brave. It was long past her bedtime, so it was dark. She had been fast asleep in the back of the car when she woke up to the loud bang. Then she saw them.

The monsters.

The monsters standing over her father’s body.

She did what her father had taught her to do in this situation. She quietly slipped out of the car and started running.

“Hey! Someone’s seen us!”

It didn’t take long for the loud footsteps to follow her through the trees. The darkness and shadows cast by the full moon looked like predators ready to pounce on her, but she couldn’t close her eyes to make them go away. She had to survive. She tried to stay quiet as her dad had taught her. Step lightly. Change direction. Try not to leave too many tracks. But their long strides were fast, quickly catching up to her little ones.

The forest was eerily quiet. All she could hear was her thundering heartbeat, harsh breaths, and the monsters behind her. It was like everything in the forest already knew what her fate would be. But she would fight that fate. She didn’t want to disappoint her daddy.

Someone yanked her braid from behind, and she screamed in pain as she was thrown against the trunk of a tree. Her head hurt, and she felt pain in her arm as she rolled over and tried to stand.

“It’s just a kid, Mike,” she heard one of the voices say.

“She’s seen us, and now you said my fucking name,” another growled.

The one called Mike grabbed her again, pulling her painful arm. She screamed again and called out for her daddy. But she knew he would never come again now. She was all alone.

“Just do it quickly, and let’s get the hell out of here. She’s making too much noise.”

Mike shoved her to her knees, and she heard the cocking sound of a gun. With a silent cry, she looked up at the sky, peeking through the tall trees, and saw the clouds part to reveal the moon. Her daddy always told her that the Moon Goddess would always watch out for her, even if he couldn’t. Closing her eyes, she gave a final prayer. She was not mad that this was how it ended. Her parents were waiting for her on the other side.

“I can’t do it. I can’t have the murder of an innocent child on my conscience. You do it yourself.”

She heard their quiet arguing as the moon’s rays shone on her face, filling her with calm. And then she felt it. It was a warm feeling touching every part of her, and she knew she would never be alone again. Maybe it was the Goddess’ touch. But the most terrifying growl she had ever heard filled her ears. It took her a moment to realise it had come from her.

“She’s a fucking monster! Shoot her!”

Then there were screams. And so much blood. The screams kept repeating in her ears, and the begging, the tears. But she didn’t stop.

That one scene repeated over and over again. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds.

Ava Morgan shot up in bed, sweat drenching her pyjamas and her heart pounding. Her hand shook as she reached for the water bottle on her side table, and most of it ended up down her pyjama top instead of in her mouth.

It had been a while since she’d had that nightmare, but she knew what had triggered it. She threw the empty water bottle into her trashcan and then squeezed her eyes shut as if that would make the images in her head disappear. It never worked. She always heard the screams long after she’d woken up. She always saw the blood. The broken bones.

Ava lay back on her bed with a tired sigh as she tried to calm her breathing and heartbeat. The time on her clock said it was only three in the morning, but she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep again. In a few hours, she had to leave home and start a real-life nightmare that would last for four years.

Four years! She had to give up four more years of her life before she could finally be free.

The full moon’s rays filtered through her curtains and illuminated her room. She turned her head and saw her packed bags waiting by the door. Her chest squeezed painfully, and she had to train her breathing to stop the looming panic attack.

“It will be over in no time, Ava. Breathe. Just breathe,” she whispered to herself.

An hour later, she felt calm enough to get ready. She put her bedside lamp on and sighed as she pushed the covers off her body. She trod quietly, as she had learned to do her whole life, making sure she wouldn’t wake the others. Then she walked to the adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth. When she finished, she walked to her wardrobe. The first thing she saw was the horrid uniform.

She had never worn a school uniform in her life, and now, as an adult, she was expected to conform. Who forced people to wear uniforms at a university? She ignored it and pulled out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. When she was dressed, she quietly left her room to head to the kitchen.

The light was on as she approached, and the smell of fresh coffee hit her nose. She found Alpha Roland hunched over a cup, staring at it as if it would give him the answer to all of their problems.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked as she kissed his cheek and walked over to the cupboards to pull a mug out.

“I don’t think I slept,” Alpha Roland grunted.

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