Facing Ashley

It's been three days now, and Adrian is nowhere to be found. Maria had been having sleepless nights, knowing that he must be in Ashley's apartment, even though she stopped perceiving his earthy scent.

Telling Jessica about it, they paid a visit. Gently tapping on her door. She opened it swiftly and closed the door before facing them.

"Good morning, Mrs. Knight." Ashley started with an innocent smile.

"Good morning, Ashley. How's everything?"

"Fine," she replied. "How can I help you?"

"Um, we don't know if you've seen Adrian or if you have any idea where he might be, maybe?"

"Is he missing?" Ashley leaned forward, mimicking Jessica's body language.

"Yes, he hasn't been home in the past 3 days."

"Really? Wow, that's troubling. Have you reported to the police? At least, they might have an idea, not me." Ashley pointed out.

"Can we check your apartment for a second?" Maria intervened.

Ashley busted into laughter as if she just cracked a joke. They watched her confusedly, and she end up cupping her mouth into her palms, facing Jessica.

"I don't mean to be mean, but Adrian is missing, not your car key. Inform the police and make a report. It's their job, not mine-"

"When last did you see him?" Maria cut in again. Ashley stopped, turning to her with a bitchy look.

"Stop bugging me, dumbass! Now, shoo!" she signaled they should leave before she hit it, banging the door at their curious faces.

"What should we do?" Jessica turned back to Maria. Her mind was more puzzled than her body was.

"I do not know. But I would definitely break through this door. Even if it's the last thing I do."

Looking at Maria, she sounded so promising.

"Come." Jessica grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away. Maria followed, dragging her feet after Jessica until they got home. She swing the door open and closed it with a loud thud.

"What's it?"

"What are you thinking? Don't tell me you will attack her!

"If that's what she wants, of course I would. I would scratch off her bitchy face without a second thoughts. I can't believe she stopped attending school because she made Adrian her prisoner! Ugh!" Maria slammed her fist on a wooden table and it gave its last prayer, shattering into a thousand pieces.

Jessica gasped, walking closer to her and placing a comforting hand in hers.

"That would be bad, Maria. It would only complicate things and expose our secrets. I don't want you to get into a fight with her, even if she asks for it." Jessica advised, then she stood up. Walking through and fro, around the room like a wall clock's arm.

Maria's brows furrowed. "So what do we do?"

"We just have to think..." Jessica held her hair, thinking about a way. She grabbed her phone and dialed a contact.

"Hello Sheriff Jones! Can you come over with your boys please?" Her voice started over the phone.

"Yes, someone kidnapped my son. Tomorrow might be too late. I need your help."

Maria's face flushed as she watched Mrs. Knight. She hoped her plan works else. She would burst into the next apartment.

"Thanks so much, I'll be expecting you." She smiled up. "Bye."

Jessica turned to Maria with a brightened face.

"Who is that?"

"That's my colleague's husband, Sheriff Jones. He's a senior officer, and I just told him to come around." She explained, letting out an exasperated sigh. "All we have to do is to wait. He'll be here at any moment."

'Win! Wiiiinnnn!! Wiiin!!! Wiiinnnn!!!!'

A piercingly loud sound filled the evening air as two police sirens packed up at the front of the Knight's apartment. A man with an immense body pulled out. He had icy-blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. The campaign hat on his head made him stand out among the other two officers that followed. Immediately the Sheriff stepped out of the car, Jessica walked up.

"Thanks for making it, sir." She started with a handshake and then pointed. "That is her house."

Sheriff Jones snapped his fingers at the other two. They followed him behind.

'Knock! Knock Knock!!!'

The Sheriff aggressively tapped on Ashley's door, and she opened up.

"What the hell is happening? Who are-"

"Warrant to search this building!" His baritone voice interrupted before she completed her words. Pointing his ID card at her, Sheriff Jones pulled in, looking up and then around.

Gazing outside, she could see Jassica and Maria, watching her.

"So they reported me, right? I have nothing to hide." A painful hissed escaped her as the other two police officers started the search.

"You stay alone?"

"Yes, I'm old enough to care for myself." She explained.

"I see... What about your parents?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Dead. I'm an orphan."

"What's upstairs?"

"My room and storeroom." She replied with pride in her voice. "You wanna check?"

Sheriff Jones snapped his fingers, and the other sergeants turned to him. He pointed upstairs, signaling the follow him. Ashley led the five of them as they followed her into her bedroom. It was gloomy, only the dull lights radiating from an old chandelier hung to her ceiling provided light in the room.

Two candles were standing at the corners of her standing mirror and there was a damp smell in the air. Although it was 6:00 p.m, her black curtains were thick enough, no light reflected through it from outside.

One of the sergeant boldly walked to the chest of drawers. He opened it and there was a tray of white clay in it. He brought it out, showing the Sheriff.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing at the drawings in it.

"Just my fun tray." Ashly glowered as she stared at the strangers in her room. 'They won't find anything!' A voice in her mind promised.

The second sergeant opened the shelves upwards and sneezed out. Others in the room turned to him and then the tons of powdered bottles on the shelf.

"What are those?" Sheriff Jones frowned at her.

"Food Ingredients." She rolled her eyes, answering him.

Just then, Maria saw a pair of Adrian's white trainers.

"He wore that." She pointed. Others turned in Maria's direction, and they saw his white trainers. "Where is the second?"

"You're kidding right? That's mine!" Ashley lied, shaking her head in disbelief. She pursed her lips to Maria with pity at how desperate she was.

'They do not know what is right under here.' Her finger itched to move, but Ashley wasn't that daring. She looked away. And just then, she felt the sheriff's stare at her.

"Raise your bed up." He ordered, as if reading her mind.

Her face flushed, but she faked an innocent smile. "Okay fine." She took off the blankets.

Ashley then glided her finger into her brown hair, feeling the smooth strands fall through her finger. She raised up her bed and paused for a moment.

"Is it okay like this?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah." He answered, then furrowed his thick blonde brows at a locker on the ground. "What's that?"

"My private bank."

"Open it." he ordered. "Right now."

"I'm sorry, but I've lost its keys." Ashley lied. "It's just an old thing."

Where she was standing was opposite the mirror. Looking at Ashley from the back, one would see a different person. Maria pinched Jessica at the arm, signaling she looked at the mirror.

Listening to the awkward silence, Ashley turned around and noticed their dropped jaws. The two sergeants swallowed hard on their throats and she could feel the sweat trickling down their foreheads.

In a heartbeat, her fingers snapped and all the candles went off. The chandeliers started blinking, as if someone was tampering with the switches, but it was only the six of them in the room.

"Haha hahaha! Being smart spoils a lot of things, doesn't it? You guys do not know who you're dealing with!" Ashley inhaled sharply with heavy breaths.

"Are you insane?" The Sheriff narrowed his eyes at her.

"Of course... I'm too insane to explain, and you're too normal to understand. I get what I want, Mister Sheriff! That's my best quality. There's always a wild side to an innocent face!"

"Emutrobida Fridobida!"

In a blink of an eye, blazing fire surrounded the room at once. Burning down the black curtains and Maria felt her head burning. Unable to take the sight of the fire, she looked down.

Her wolf once again was in distress. She shouldn't be there. Maria started veining out. And her blue eyes glowered in the dark.

"Stop her! Help me stop her!!" Jessica cried at the Sheriff. He looked back and caught the sergeants, Tobias and Nick. Hiding behind a wardrobe like two scared rats.

Jessica held Maria close, covering her with one blanket.

"No, not now Maria. Don't wolf out." Jessica begged, whispering into her ears.

Then, the Sheriff gave her an incredulous look, and pointed his gun at her. "Hands up."

"Ha, don't make me laugh." She hissed through the crackle of her suppressed laugh. The Sheriff gritted his teeth, placing a finger at the trigger.

"The moon goddesses herself is a witch, Maria. I will watch you through her mirrored eyes. I will find you, Maria. And hunt your so-called mate! It's blood for blood!"

'Twaccck!'

He clicked on the trigger, and she disappeared at once. Ashley's fragile body barreled into the thick mirror. It gave a sickening thud and her body bursted into the mirror with her blood on their shocked faces and disappeared.

"Oh, no! She's a ghost!!" Tobias and Nick ran out of the room in terror.

"What just happened?" Sheriff Jones gasped, catching a breath.

She broke the standing mirror as if hit by a hammer in between. And blood lingered from it.

"Ashley shouldn't be seen, so she entered the spiritual world portal. There's no return for her now." Maria heaved out a heavy breath, walking to the locked drawer under her bed.

She folded her hand in a tight fist and hit the wood hard. Breaking it with her bear hands. Jessica grabbed an axe, digging through it until water poured out of it. Maria helped Adrian out of the hole while Sheriff Jones shot at the old chains. It broke at once.

"Adrian..." Maria gently slapped his cheeks, but there was no reply. He looked dead and his skin was paler. "Wake up!"

Jessica placed her head on his chest. There were no heartbeats.

"Is he dead?" Sheriff Jones asked, in concern. Tears filled Jessica's eyes as her body started trembling.

"Are we too late?" She dropped to her knees as an involuntary whisper escaped her lips. "It's been three days. Just three days. Oh my God..."

Maria swallowed hard, watching him. A solemn tear rolled down her freckled cheeks. Slowly, she held his chin with one hand, lifting it up. With her thumb on his jaw, Maria kept his mouth open. Placing her other hand on his forehand and pinching his nose with her index finger and thumb.

Then she sealed his open mouth with hers, blowing into his mouth with closed eyes. As Maria blew air into his lungs, more tears raced down her cheek.

"Wake up, mate. You've slept enough." Her hoarse voice whispered into his ears.

Marian could no longer hold the heartbreak. She fell into Adrian's lifeless body in a disheveled heap as her grief poured out on a flood of uncontrollable tears.

With this, Adrian let out a soft breath of relief, feeling the tightening in his throat. A quick intake of breath escaped him as his eyes opened. Maria felt a hand on her head and looked up.

"You're alive! I thought I lost you."

Gut-wrenching sobs tore down Maria's lungs as she gave him a tight hug. Bursting into painful tears, Adrian held unto her, looking amazed.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a tight cuddle. "Why am I here, Maria? What happened?" Adrian asked, looking at them confusedly.

Later that day, Jessica thanked Sheriff Jones for coming and he left without sergeant Tobias and Nick. They must have left without him. It was such a beautiful night for the Knights. Jessica prepared Adrian's favorite food for dinner: grilled cheese and milk shakes. The family dinned while Ashley was stuck in the mirror. Unable to leave. As it is, she will be stuck there till eternity.