Lucas had been in his room ever since he got back from school. He was reading the book he had gotten from the old school library. The room was quiet, save for the rustling of the pages of the old book. Lucas sat cross-legged on his bed with the book from the library spread open in front of him. He looked at his palms and fingers as he read the signs of a werewolf. He also opened his mouth and touched the fangs in it. Then he sighed. Just then, he turned to another page of the book and the image he saw in it made his heart skip a beat. It was that of a beast!
His fingers traced the sketch of the snarling beast. Eyes hollowed, fangs bared and its fur was streaked with blood. Lucas blinked his eyes. Just then, he fell into a trance....
Everything around him faded . His room, the book, even the air, melting into shadows.
He was no longer on his bed.
Now he stood barefooted in the middle of a dark, fog-drenched forest. The ground beneath him was damp, the soil cold. Trees stretched endlessly around him, their twisted branches creaking like whispers. The wind carried a thick, ancient scent of moss, blood, and something else… something old.
In the distance, torches flickered between the trees. Lucas crept forward, drawn by the low murmur of voices and the glow of fire.
He reached a small clearing, hidden deep within the woods. Hooded figures stood in a circle, their cloaks marked with symbols. At the center stood a tall woman... regal, with flowing black hair streaked with silver. Her eyes gleamed like mirrors as she clutched her swollen belly protectively.
A seer stood before her. Old, hunched, draped in bones and feathers. Her eyes were rolled back, and her voice was a rasping chant.
"You already know what the stars have whispered."The seer said in a low tone.
The queen nodded. Her voice was steady, but low.
"That my son will carry both light and darkness. That he will be cursed." She said.
"Not cursed by accident. Cursed by blood! The child of fate will rise but not before the fall of many." The seer said. The queen was quiet. Then she sighed and spoke.
"Is there no way to stop it?!" She asked.
"No!" The seer replied as her eyes glowed faintly. "But there is a way to guide him!" She added. The wind howled through the trees as the seer steep closer. "When lips meet beneath the blood moon, the mark shall stir and what was once cursed may begin to heal. In ruin lies the cure, if the bond is true!" The seer said. The queen gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "You must protect the truth until he is ready!" The seer said. "But you cannot shield him from it as the curse will find him. Just like all curses do!"
The queen looked at her womb. Her hands trembled with fear.
"Then may the moon give him strength? Because the darkness show no mercy!" She said with her gaze fixed on the seer.
The seer turned her head around slowly, as if sensing something. Then she spoke towards the trees, directly towards Lucas.
"You watch from afar young one. But soon, you will awaken!" She said. Then, her eyes met his. Lucas froze on the spot immediately. "Find the truth before it finds you. The past remembers you!" She said as her lips became black....
The world snapped. Lucas jerked awake on his bed. He was breathing heavily. He blinked his eyes countless times. The book still lay open in front of him, the beasts sketch stared back. Those final words of the seer echoed in his head.
"Find the truth before it finds you. The past remembers you!"
But he knew one thing. The forest, the pregnant lady, the old lady... they were part of him!
The sound of his ringtone made him think like a normal being for some seconds. He sighed and took in some deep breaths before he looked at the caller ID. It was Philip. He sighed, then, he picked the call.
"What's up?" Philip asked.
"Err, all good". Lucas said in a low tone.
"Well you don't sound too good". Philip said. Lucas sighed.
"I fell into a trance not quite long!" Lucas said. Philip was quiet. Then he spoke.
"Okay? What did you see in the trance?" Philip asked.
"Two ladies. One was old and the other was young and pregnant. They were having a weird conversation about the pregnant lady's unborn child being cursed, and then, it was like the old lady knew I was eavesdropping on them because she turned towards the direction I hid and said, find the truth before it finds you, the past remembers you". Lucas said as he got down from the bed.
"Whoa, that's a lot!" Philip said. Lucas shook his head and didn't say anything. "So what are you going to do? Were you able to find anything suspicious from the book?" He added.
"I don't know what to do man. I haven't really seen anything useful since I've been reading that boring book". Lucas said.
"Hmmm".
"Although, there's a maid". Lucas said as he fixed his gaze on his room's door.
"What maid?" Philip asked.
"Our mum employed a nanny some days ago and she was talking to me about helping me discover who I was some days ago". Lucas said.
"And?" Philip asked.
"And what? I didn't agree to her wanting to help me!" Lucas replied.
"Bro for real?! You know for a fact that you're the cursed child right?" Philip said. Lucas scoffed.
"That's not even possible. How will the old lady be talking to someone who was pregnant and then, talk to me when I wasn't even born when they had that stupid convo!" Lucas said.
"Bro forget that, let's face reality. It was a trance, obviously, the old lady could have done something shitty wherever she is to make you want to see her having a convo with a pregnant lady, or should I say your mum and then, she talked to you!" Philip said.
"She's not my mum!" Lucas said almost angrily.
"And the cursed child?" Philip asked.
"That was just between them!" Lucas replied.
"And her last statement?" Philip asked. Lucas was quiet. "You know what? Why don't we talk to your nanny after school tomorrow and hear what she has to say?" Philip said.
"Hell no bro! We can't trust that lady!" Lucas said angrily.
"Do you want something evil to come hunt you or do you want to face it before it faces you?!" Philip asked. Lucas was quiet.
*****************
Nanny Doodlehead laid on her bed with her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Her finger traced to the faded scar on her left wrist. A silent reminder of the life she had left behind but could bever quite forget.
In her mind, the memory surfaced, sharp and clear: the cold, rough wooden floor of the pack's communal den, the flicker of torchlight casting long shadows on snarling faces. The alpha's voice had been like thunder, booming with disdain. "Omega," they spat the word like a curse. She had been pushed down, shoved aside, ignored or mocked. The betas circled, their eyes gleaming with cruelty, testing her, breaking her spirit piece by piece.
But even as the weight of their scorn threatened to crush her, Nanny Doodlehead had learned to shrink quietly, to become invisible when needed. Yet, inside, a spark burned. A small, stubborn flame of hope that one day she might escape. That she could find a place where strength wasn't measured by how loudly you growled or how fiercely you fought.
Now, in this small room far from the forests and bloodshed, she exhaled slowly. The modern world was strange, unfamiliar, but it was hers to shape....
She got down from her bed and paced around the room. Her mind wandered to her mate. She gasped. She didn't tell him she was leaving the pack, neither did she see him before she left. Then, she sat on her bed as she bit her lips in pain.
"My sweet mate!" She said to herself as she sobbed. She wondered how he was faring in the pack. She regretted being an omega again!
She walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen. She needed to be out of the room for some minutes as the atmosphere in the room choked her. Just then, Mariam walked into the kitchen humming something.
"Hello nanny Doodlehead. Do you have time for something wild?" She asked as she put on an evil smile.
"And what is your definition of wild in this request?" Nanny Doodlehead asked as she wore a faint smile.
"Murder!" Mariam said in a low tone. Nanny Doodlehead gasped. Mariam laughed.
"I'm just kidding! You needed to see the look on your face!" Mariam said as she laughed. Nanny Doodlehead heaved a sigh of relief. Then, Mariam walked out of the kitchen....
************
It was the next day. Lucas had gotten up early and was ready for school at exactly 06:00am on the dot. His mother was marvelled to see him downstairs sitting on one of the sofas all dressed up for school.
"Do you want to surprise someone today?" His mother asked.
"Not really. Just needed to be a good boy for today!" Lucas replied wearing a fake smile.
"I see". His mum said as she smiled.
"Aren't you going to work today? You're still in your night wear". Lucas said. His mum scoffed.
"I will. But not early, unlike you, I gotta be late today!" His mum said. Then they laughed softly. "I'll be in my room baby!" She said. Lucas shook his head. Then she walked out of the sitting room.....
Lucas arrived at school early. The school wasn't really filled with students by the time he arrived. He didn't go with the school bus. His dad had dropped him off.
Lucas was at the hallway. He stood close to his locker as he waited impatiently for Philip to arrive. He looked at his wristwatch countless times. The time seemed slow to him.
Philip arrived at school at exactly 08:12am. Lucas was already pissed off by the time he arrived at school.
"I'm sorry man. My mum made me go to the mall with her before she dropped me off at school". Philip said in an apologetic tone. Lucas sighed. "So what's the new plan?" Philip asked in a low tone.
"We'll go to my house during lunch break. Then, no one apart from Nanny Doodlehead will he around and there'll be enough time to ask her all that we need to know!" Lucas said.
"Wait, her name's Nanny Doodlehead?" Philip asked as he burst into laughter. "Bro what kinda name is that?!" Philip asked amidst laughter. Lucas gave him a stern look. "Sorry". Philip said in a more serious tone.
"So are you cool leaving school during lunch break?" Lucas asked.
"All in bro!" Philip said. Lucas smiled. Then they shook hands.
"Thanks bro. Thanks for doing this with me!" Lucas said.
"All good my man!" Philip replied as he smiled....