Chapter2

#Chapter2

Inferno

Eliana Tessa Castellanos

From America to Middle Eastern to Asia. I have travelled across the world. Never staying too long in one place. I never crossed over a month in a city or the country. For my heart feared that if- just if they were to find me again.

No. I will not be found. I have promised myself never to return to that place again. I walked away from everything and everyone that I have ever know in this eternity of life I had been living.

Even though I faced a lot of struggles during these past twenty years, I refused to break down. All the money that I had was back in Amsterdam where I could never return to. That will be the first place they will sniff their nose on.

And they will know if I do return so my only option was to sneak on a ship to get away from there. For the longest time, I was no less than a beggar.

A person without a home. I became a stray Lycan. Until I met her.

One other person that lived in hiding. Constantly changing her identity. More like erasing them. Or her from the world. So, when I found her, I stuck by her. It had been ten years since I have been with her.

Like me, she too stayed away from the palace. The one place that reminded us of what we had done. But mine couldn’t be compared to hers. I could never fathom what she was going through.

Deep down I knew, she couldn’t even look at herself without hating her own reflection. She despised the people that birthed her. She despised her life. So, she lived as she erased herself.

But it came in handy though. The gift of hers.

Now I didn’t have to constantly keep moving. Her gift allowed me to live for a while without having to run away. She owned a house here and ran a café on the first floor. It was small but it was warm and cosy.

During the day, I helped her out with the café and at night we both hit the club. Drinking, dancing, wasting our eternity away. Just a perfect getaway and a brilliant distraction.

Because we had a lot to forget but nothing once left our minds. Not even for a second. The inferno in me burned. Deep.

We didn’t talk about the palace anymore. She didn’t ask me why I left as I didn’t pester her on hers, but I clearly knew why though. And I did feel for her, but I was in no position to console anyone else when I couldn’t even stop blaming myself.

/"Tess. Will you give this to table five please./" Harmony calls out, breaking me out of my thoughts. I stand up from the sofa in the corner, with the sunlight directly upon it.

/"Sure./" I call out and take the tray of coffees and croissants heading towards the only couple that occupied the cafe.

/"Here you are, enjoy./" I place the tray on the table with a smile on my face.

/"Thank you./" The couple replies. I nod my head and leave them to enjoy their food. I head back to the counter where Harmony was looking outside the window towards the beach. She leans her elbows on the counter and puts her head on her hands as she sighs loudly.

/"It’s a shame, it’s so nice outside./" She exhales loudly.

I stand on the other side of the counter as I shake my head and chuckle. /"You say that every day. And the weather here hardly changes anyways./"

She breaths out loudly and turns her head to look at me. /"I know. But still. It would be nice if I were out there in the sea./" She stands up straight. /"I can already feel the cool sea water. It’s so hot in here./" She complains.

/"You know you can close the café anytime you want. It’s not like you need any more money./" I look around the café. /"And there’s hardly anyone in here anyways./"

I shrug my shoulders as I look back to Harmony who now had her hands on her hips with a slight pout on her lips. /"Now that is not very nice, Tess. You-/"

/"Are you up for tonight?/" I cut her off. Her still open mouth closes to form a smirk. /"You bet, I am./" I chuckle at her, heading back to lounge on the sofa which was heavily flooded with the warmth of the sun. I sigh and sink myself into the sofa, closing my eyes.

/"There you go again./" I hear Harmony’s voice, but I just smile.

No matter how much I travelled or where I travelled there was no better place than a warm summer sky and the soft breeze of the ocean. Maybe it was because I was born within the land that was surrounded by water or maybe it just calms the fire that raged inside of me.

It felt good regardless.

Then I heard the couple move to the counter to pay. /"It was so good. This place is amazing./" The girl says. I open an eye and turn my head slightly to look at them. /"We will be definitely recommending this place to everyone we know./" The girl smiles as the man nods his head.

I see Harmony smile at them. /"Really?/"

She grabs both their hand as she leans on the counter, shocking them both. They try to take their hands off her awkwardly, but she just holds on tight. /"You wouldn’t do that now, would you?/"

Her brown eyes go dark as she stares into their soul. I know what she was doing as the couple both replies together. /"No./"

/"Thank you for coming here today. Please forget that you ever came here./" Harmony smiles sweetly at them. The couple both nod their head as they make their way out the door, forgetting that they ever came to this café.

I turn my head back up and close my eye again, feeling the sun in my face. This was how she managed to stay in this place for so long. This was how she lived. Erased from the memories of people. And now me along with her.

The strong smell of alcohol, sweat and hormones filled the air as we walked into the club. Loud music swallowed my being as I step through the crowd of almost naked bodies, slammed against one another, male, female alike. I finally reach the bar and slide on the empty stool in front of it.

It was a little past midnight when we finally decided to hit the club so most of these humans were already drunk and grooving on the dance floor, sucking whoever they could. Not the best part of the night. But it made me drown into their world even if it was just for the night.

/"Give me something strong./" I look at the bartender that had been eying me since I sat down. /"Anything for you, beautiful./" He chuckles trying to flirt and moves to get me a drink. I roll my eyes at him and look around the floor.

My eyes land on the middle of the dance floor, where Harmony was losing herself to the music. Even though we chose to stand down, she stood out like a goddess amongst these humans. Her dark brown hair flipping around with her hips which was swaying to the beat.

I saw hunger in the eyes of humans. male and female alike, Some even tried to dance along with her, putting their arms around her waist. But as soon as her hand was in contact with theirs, they would just walk away from her. I knew what she was doing.

Her gift didn’t just allow erasing memories. She could manipulate their very thoughts. What they saw? What she wanted them to see?

That was how she survived as a rogue in this world full of savages. She knew how to. She had left the comfort of the palace far before I did. She knew what she was doing.

/"Here you are, beautiful./"

The bartender places a glass in front of me as I turn around. I hold the glass and see him lean on the counter, playful eyes hinting me, and a sexy grin on his lips. He was one good looking human, but his looks didn’t appeal me nor did the liquid that now went down my throat in one shot.

It wasn’t enough. Nothing was.

/"Woah./" He whistles, his grin getting wider.

/"Stronger./" I demand as I place the glass on the counter, not looking satisfied. /"Right away./" He turns around to grab a bottle and pour it down. I quickly grab it and chug it down my throat. The liquid that intoxicated these humans don’t even burn the back of my throat.

I sigh, yet again, disappointed by the human drug. No matter how many different clubs or bars that I went to, they all had the same lousy stuff. I needed something stronger.

Something to forget that smell. To forget that I was ever in his presence. And the promise that I made with the goddess.

Every night, I wonder if, if I didn’t make that promise to the goddess, would I have stayed? Would I have been in his arms right now?

I chug another glass down. This was not enough to clench this thirst. Nor subside any of my pain. It only made me feel more sober.

Night was the only time when I let myself be, drinking my pain away. Only it made me forget just for a moment. I slam the glass down on the counter and shut my eyes close, but all I see is her.

The raw, ghastly open wound on her neck. She almost died because of me. She had been dead for a year.

I open my eyes wide, making the image vanish from them.

/"More./" I clench my hands around the glass as he pours the drink, but his eyes were somehow worried, concerned. /"Are you going to be alright? I mean it’s none of my business, but you had quite a lot of drinks already./"

I roll my eyes at him and take the glass, swirling it in my hand. /"It shouldn’t concern you./" I gulp down the drink and place it down. I open my wallet and take out some cash, more than enough for all the drinks that I had. /"Keep the change./"

Before he could say anything, I got off the stool and turned around. I took two steps before Harmony grabbed my arms and pulled me towards the large crowd. /"What is it?/" I hiss, not liking where we were heading.

Harmony turns around with a hard glare on her eyes. /"Shh./" She puts her forefinger on her lips as she keeps dragging me, until we are amidst them. Her brown eyes flicker on the first floor as she bends lower, tugging me with her.

/"First floor, right corner, the male in a black t-shirt./" She whispers as the loud music drowns her voice. I flicker my eyes around casually dancing along to the music. One glance at him and I knew what he was.

A Lycan.