CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
I cast one at the house next to Mrs. Heathers, flashes of the memories of that fateful night I lost my entire family rushing in my memory. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my brain just like how I had learned to do so many times before. Trina started the engine, silence engulfing the car as she navigated it through the beautifully lit streets. What used to be barely a motel before was now a big ass, rather lucrative hotel for a town.

“Well, It’s not like how I remember it but then I’m no longer surprised,” I muttered as we stepped outside the car with Trina and Sasha joining me. This was certainly not how I had envisioned my life and yet look at me now, running away from the place I used to call home.

“I just don’t understand why you lied to us Nadia. You claimed that you had no idea who you parents were and all these years you made us believe that a Good Samaritan found you dumped by the roadside and he took you to an orphanage,” Sasha said. I had anticipated that questioned sooner or later.

“Can we just get settled in first, please?” I said instead.

“Okay and even though its bad timing, you owe us an explanation,”

This town was not the small town I grew up in and now, every place we walked into, was filled with so many people. The receptionist was a kind blonde with a warm smile, probably in her mid-twenties.

“Hi. We need to book rooms for the night,” I said upfront but her eyes had grown wide, looking at me as though she had seen a ghost.

“Impossible,” she muttered instead.

“Excuse me?” Why was she acting so strange?

“Um…we have three rooms available. Um…Room 23, 24 and 25. I’ll have you settled in right away,” she said, but it was impossible not to notice how pale her face had turned. Oh great, now she was freaked at me for whatever reason.

“That would be nice,” Sasha spoke.

The receptionist signaled for a bus boy after handing us each a copy of the room keys. He helped us with our bags and once we were in our rooms, I could not help but wonder about that receptionist’s weird look. After a quick bath and changing into my pajamas, I sat cross-legged on the bed, knowing Sasha and Trina would be here any minute and I did not have to wait long before they stormed into my room, both of them dressed up for bed.

“Okay,” Sasha said.

“There is no way out of this, is there?” I sighed.

“Nope,” They answered in unison, joining me on the bed.

“Fine. The only reason I lied, was because I told myself it would be easier to remember my own past in a different way. I thought it would make the nightmares of my past somehow just dissolve into nothingness and make the pain a bit more bearable. I grew up in Woodcave but it is nothing like how I remember it. I used to live in the perfect family with my parents, an older brother, Greg and my best friend Harry. I had the kind of life every child dreamt of. But it was all shattered one night, fifteen years ago when I had just turned nine years old. I had just come from Harry’s house, having spent the entire day there and thinking about it now, I should have noticed something was off. See, the moment I walked into the house, mum and dad were fighting about something. Trust me, my parents never really fought, at least not in front of us. Then suddenly people with these huge dogs stormed into our house and both my parents and brother tried to fight them off but these people were extraordinarily strong. They threw them against the wall forcefully, clawing on their bodies without mercy and all I did was hide under the table, watching while it all happened. Then they threw my mother so hard on the ground, she landed near where I was hiding, completely shaken and clinging to my bear. She told me that she loved me so much and that I should forgive her. Then she kept yelling for me to do it but to be honest I have no idea what it was she wanted me to do or at least I don’t remember it. And…and…the rest is just blank. I don’t remember anything else apart from my parents and brother being ripped apart in tiny pieces by …werewolves,” I frowned deeply. How come I had never thought of that before? Those men and women who had stormed into my house had been extraordinarily strong and those had not been dogs but their werewolf friends. It all made perfect sense now.

“Shit! That’s horrible,” Sasha sympathized.

“But at least now I know those goddamn animals were the ones that took my life away. My family, my best friend. I do not have them anymore and it’s all because of those creatures,” I muttered bitterly.

“Its probably not the right time to say this and I can’t even believe I’m the one who is asking, but do you think your old lady friend was right about parts of your memory missing? Like you just said, you don’t remember anything else after your family...um...died,” Trina pointed out.

“Whether she is right or not, I don’t want to be part of this. I’ll just go back to New York, get down my writing and forget all this. My life was supposed to be normal and not this…whatever this is,” I shrugged, dubbing away the stream of tears on my face.

“Hey, we are here or you,”

“I know but I need a drink and certainly a really strong one that would make me too drunk to make a move on that werewolf guy,” I said.

“Me too. I’ll be your supportive drinking buddy,” Sasha said, hugging me.

“And I’ll watch over you two, so you don’t get in trouble. Come on, I saw a club across the street as we were taking our bags. I doubt wolves can attack anyone in such a crowded place and we all need those drinks especially tonight,”

“Thank you guys, for being here with me even though I lied about the real reason I wanted to get into this town,” I smiled despite my state. This was the first time I had ever spilled a word about my past to anyone and I felt a tiny bit better even though I had more questions that I ever did.