Faceless Woman.

She could hear sweet laughter.

'Strange. Where was she?'

The thought made her open her eyes, she felt her body lying down on the soft dirt. Feeling at peaceful and contented.

'What happened? Where am I? Who is that masked man? Did they put me in prison?'

The soft laughter that echoed near, distracted her from her thoughts as she became more aware of her surroundings. Looking for the source of the laughter.

A musky refreshing scent of fresh dirt seeped into her nose. She looked around finding herself in a field of dandelions. A bit near from her was a woman running in the field. As small-like white fuzzy parachutes floated from the dandelions, moving along with the wind.

The woman was laughing happily, her voice echoing in the terrain. She jumped, danced and clapped her hands filled with strange excitement that Hazel couldn't relate to, under the wide expanses of the beautiful, bright blue sky as the white clouds sailed peaceful in it.

And strangely Hazel felt so....

Happy.

She then unconsciously called out the name of the strange woman. A name she didn't know of nor could recall again. But felt that she had always called it in... forever.

Who was this woman and where the hell was she?

Oddly, she felt so peaceful that she could die a happy death. She had never felt this alive and free. Tears sprang up to her eyes.

Time slowed down as the woman turned.

Though Hazel couldn't see the woman's face, she weirdly could sense her wild smile.

"Sirae!!! You have finally woken up, Sleepyhead? Come join me!"

The woman appeared infront of her, so quickly. Hazel uttered a yelp as the bizzare woman clasped her wrist tightly in a grip, dragging her along as their legs carried them, running away from the fields, passing the beautiful green forest buzzing with life, and heading towards a large, enchantingly clear blue lake.

It was there Hazel noticed her reflection on the lake's surface as they bent looking at it.

She was wearing a stunning, silky white dress that seemingly clunged to her skin like a second skin though was exceptionally free to run in.

But what horrified her was the color of her eyes and hair. Gone were those lavender colored hair and pink sapphire gem-like eyes. Replaced with an eyes filled myraids of different colors of a rainbow. Like gems with fusion of different colors at once, under those forest like silver lashes. Not to talk of her long expanses of unusual whitish-silver hair that fell down her back like a waterfall. There was also an amber jeweled crown on her head.

Her face was the same. But everything else changed.

What was happening to her?

Why was she staring at a goddess? Did she die or something?

"Sirae!! Quit being enchanted by your face. We already know how beautiful you are."

A light chuckle escaped the faceless woman. Hazel could feel her genuine warmth in that subtle gesture.

But Hazel couldn't allow herself to be drowned by the euphoric feeling of contentment. She had to know what was going on.

She looked at the lake to know whether she would also see the woman's reflection of her face. But nothing reflected from the lake's surface. Come to think of it.....

How did she know her Elvish name and that of her fox's? Where was the real Sirae, owner of the body she was in, herself? Who was this woman? And how in the hell does she call the name of the woman when she has no recollection of where she knew it from or what it was?

Her body having a mind of its own, spoke.

" Oh ******, Please shut up!!"

Damn it. She called the woman's name again but she still didn't know it. For the hundredth time, what the hell was going on?!

A blush she could neither control nor stop tinted her porcelain skin, spreading out to her cheeks, before deepening evenly on her face, so cutely. Hazel's body nudged the faceless woman, feeling embarrassed.

"Come on we have to do what mother told us to do. Especially when your prince charming will be coming today.... Am so happy for you, finally you can be happy too. What do you think? "

Hazel involuntarily glared at the faceless woman who she felt was grinning, feeling flustered too. But the woman hugged her instead, giggling. Hazel felt the heart in her chest tremble on mentioning the prince. Even though she had never met him. The person who she was currently residing in her body probably felt a deep attachment to the Prince.

The faceless woman then released her.

But a cold dread chilled Hazel's spine. The whole world for a moment stilled.... into something dark and.... Sinister.

A sudden cacophony of war cries, trotting horses and cries of both animals of the forests and.... People blared around her eyes.

The noise was strangling.

Hazel watched everything beautiful she had seen crumble, a cruel reality collapsing around her.

Hazel felt betrayed.

A groan occurred above her.

She looked up seeing the once beautiful sky turning red. And it abnormally wept.

Blood raining down like a harsh waterfall. The clear blue lake swallowed in the blood, washing away it's pure nature into something malevolent.

The bloody rain stained their white dress in to an ominous red. The gory forest and everything that contained life was dying. The dandelions were also reddened and on the brink of death too from afar.

Hazel's mind was distorted and confused. Frightened even. She felt her whole world was been torn apart.

Who was she kidding? Her world was torn apart long ago. But the owner of the body in which she was in...

Who possessed all these emotions was on the verge of running mad and filled with fright.

Then all attention and jumbled thoughts was harshly stolen from her by what was infront of her.

The peaceful faceless woman had a large gash on her bloody neck. As more blood poured out like a river. It was a mystery on how her head which was on the verge of falling still held on to the cruelly broken neck. It was a wound of both a crushed throat and a near-death, fatal beheading.

How did she get it while she was only infront of her?!

The woman's hand held her tightly like her life depended on it. She didn't look away from Hazel's face. Her hand slipped into the bloody river bringing out something she didn't notice until now.

Hazel's eyes circled.

A crimson lotus flower.

The faceless woman then gave it to her. Hazel unconsciously toke it. Her eyes blurring with unshed tears.

It was then Hazel saw the faceless woman's eyes.

The eyes were gone...

It was gourged out from it's sockets. Leaving nothing but empty, bloodied sunken sockets flowing with endless impalpable darkness. Empty and bleeding.

Hazel could perceive the suffocating desperation, void, fear and urgency in them.

She felt the lotus flower strangely bloom in her hands.

As the woman pushed her into shadowy darkness that clunged and dragged her to it's hollow expanses. Enveloping her being.

' No! No!! No!!! Please not the darkness, again!! Am afraid. I don't want to stay here again. It's lonely.'

Hazel cried bitterly. Writhing in the darkness. Recalling the whispers of the woman she felt she knew forever, echoing repeatedly in her mind. As the word shook her entire being.

"Survive."

Hazel gasped.

Struggling for air as she felt strong arms wrapping her body to its solid warmth. She unwittingly fastened her arms around the warmth, which scent was both calming and heavenly. She then sighed in satisfaction before opening her tired eyes.

'It was only a dream.'

She thought, grateful that she was alright and not in the endless darkness again. She shivered at the thought.

Her gaze meeting a pair of glowing amber eyes, underneath a white fox mask. Inside a dimly lit room.

Her throat suddenly turned dry under the heated gaze. As she found herself in the arms of her mate...from the smell.

Though her mate's eyes if she remembered correctly was crimson and under a black scary mask.

Nowadays, she just didn't know what the heck was going on in her life. Too many unanswered questions and weird circumstances. She was tired. So tired.

She was also appalled of the thought of being in a man's arms but she just couldn't help herself clutching herself to his.

Damn the stupid mate bond. Damn any one toying with her life. Damn the sick god that was deriving the sadistic pleasure of placing her in awkward situations and fucked up luck.

" Well kitten, you have something to say to me?"

The seductive voice that inwardly made her purr in delight made her realize she was viciously glaring at him as if he was the centre of her problems....

Though it wasn't far from the truth.

Feeling embarrassed and caught off guard. She cleared her throat, smirking sheepishly.

Saying the first thing that popped up in her mind.

"Erehmn... I stink?"