Clarkson
"George, can you hear me?" I ask while tapping her cheek.
"Of course, she can't. She's still in the phase," Camira says and leans against the wall, arms crossed across her chest, and says, "She's still in the phase."
"Meow." Mr. Tuna leaps onto the bed and takes a seat beside George.
"I suppose we should take better care of her. Her phase is a little different. She's a little..." Dahlia looks at me, unsure if she'll continue speaking.
"She's a little what?" I ask, swallowing hard.
"A little weak," she adds. She collects her medical supplies and cleans up.
A little weak...
"No, she isn't," I say, returning my gaze to the only human in the room. My gaze is drawn to the chain that is wrapped around George's wrist. "Do we need to chain every Morphes?" I help Dahlia with her cleaning.
"You know Morphes. They're uncontrollable, aren't they?" Camira says casually, closing her eyes. "You've been there before," she says, adding, "Did you contact one of your brothers?"
"Y-Yes," I nod and return my gaze to her.
We've lived in the village since the day we were born, but this is my first conversation with her.
"Why areâ" my words are cut short when George shakes violently. We rush up to her. I take one of her hands in mine and intertwine our fingers.
"A-Aunt Liz," she whimpers. She begins to breathe heavily once more. Her cheeks are flushed with tears. I cup her cheek and wipe her tears away with my thumb.
"The medicines aren't helping her," Dahlia says. "What should we do? What should we do?" she asks, her gaze fixed on her potion. She takes out two of her potions. She combines them and shakes the bottle.
"You're mixing two potions that aren't supposed to be mixed," Camira points out. She wants to stop Dahlia. "Nevigera," she curses under her breath. She grips George's legs tightly.
"These two should be calming her body right now," Dahlia says. She dabs a few drops on her palm and covers George's nose. George gradually relaxes. She eases her hold on my hand.
"WhatâDid you kill her!?" Camira angrily yells.
George gasps for air with her eyes still closed.
"N-No, noâlook! She's breathing!" Dahlia exclaims nervously. She lets out a dramatic gasp. "And I'm right! Look, look! I-I healed her!" Dahlia jumps out of joy while clamping her mouth.
The door of the house swings open. Some villagers come to visit us.
"Is Miss George getting better?" one of the villagers asks.
"She's fineâ"
Camira interrupts Dahlia's words, "Not really."
"Why?"
"What's the matter?"
"Isn't Dahlia supposed to be the best healer in the world?"
"I wish Miss George good health and strength."
As the villagers become more concerned about George, the murmurs become louder.
"B-but I discovered a new medicine!" Dahlia explains with a flurry of hand movements. "This will undoubtedly help her to cope with the pain."
"That's fantastic news!"
"Hopefully."
"Why is everyone here in the first place?" It's..." Camira looks out the window before continuing her speech. "late. "Really late," she says as she nods.
"We brought some things to help Miss George for her recovery."
"Just... uhhh..." I look around. "Put it there," I say, motioning to the wooden counter.
They enter with a large pot.
"I suppose you should leave it there. On the floor," I remarked after realizing the size of the pot.
"In addition, we brought some flowers and fruits."
Some kids approach us and hand me the small baskets.
"Thank you everyone. I'll tell George all of your kindness as soon as she recovers," I say while putting the baskets on the floor.
"I guess we should also leave?" Dahlia says while looking at the villagers leaving the house.
"Are you sure you can handle this on your own?" Camira seriously asks.
I simply nod.
"Just yell if something bad happens," she adds.
"Goodbye, Liev," Dahlia says. "Good night."
"Good night, thank you for your help," I say as I adjust the blanket that has been draped over George's body.
"Should you have said that to them?"
"The what?"
"The 'Not really,' Miss Camira."
"I'm only telling the truth. Besides, they can tell we're lying. You always forget that you're a werewolf, Miss Dahlia."
I return my gaze to George.
"You've been living here less than a week, but you've been through a lot," I sigh. "It must be difficult for you to adjust," I say softly, caressing her cheeks. My fingers brush through the strands of her hair that cover her brow.
Outside the window, I notice some fireflies. My lips curl into a small smile. My legs move quickly towards the window to open it. I haven't seen fireflies in a long time.
"I'm surprised there aren't many fireflies in human habitats," I mutter. "George, they're really lovely," I say, as if George can hear what I'm saying.
I watch the insects fly by, like specks of stardust floating freely in the wind. A swarm of fireflies flies in front of me. My brow furrows at the unusual number. They form the shape of a lady in front of me. Instinctively, I decided to close the window. The stranger, on the other hand, quickly flies inside the house.
"W-Who are you?" I ask and stand in front of George.
"Meow?" I hear Mr. Tuna. He yawns and watches us.
"Liev, how's my daughter doing?" the stranger asks.
"Daughter?" I tilt my head and look at Georgina. "Howâ"
George began to shake violently once more.
"George," I say quietly, clutching her chained hands.
The stranger in the form of a lady walks up to the convulsing girl and touches her on the forehead.
The stranger murmurs, "George." When she looks up, her eyes become brighter with a green hue. "It's me. Your mother."
"M-Mom," George exhales.
Her neck veins are visible. She yells monstrously, "Aahh!" She makes an arched back and opens her mouth. Her teeth become more incisive. Her hands are clenched around the bed sheet. She begins to gasp for air. She pushes herself up to a sitting position and raises her head. Quickly, she blinks open her emerald eyes. Her eye veins are also visible.
The stranger beside me begins murmuring unknown words.
"What exactly is going on?" I ask the stranger, but she only murmurs unknown phrases.
George's gaze is drawn to mine. As her green eyes meet mine, she aggressively gasps for air. She shifts her gaze a bit and smiles.
"Jared?" She lets out a sigh.
Jared.
The stranger passes out. As the strange lady falls to her knees, George closes her eyes.
"George!" I yell and wrap my arm around her waist to catch her.
The fireflies disperse throughout the room and fly outside the window.
"Liev! Please open the door!" Dahlia yells at me. A series of aggressive knocks on the door follows.
"George?" I keep my voice low. I let out a sigh. I lay her on the bed.
The door swings open.
"What happened?" Camira asks.
I didn't answer them. Instead, I watch George sleep in peace.
"Of all living creatures, you see Jared?" I ask and bite my lip.
"What are you doing!?" a male voice exclaims.
I immediately turn around to face him. Outside, a large number of werewolves have gathered. As I see a cloaked creature walking by, I see the villagers bow down.
"Georgina is in the phase and none of you told me about it!?" his angry voice echoes.
"D-Dranula, Sir," I stutter. "I-I thought you wouldn't mindâ"
"Do you think I don't care about her?" he walks up to the house and enters. "I brought witches and the two top-ranking officers from our army to help."
"Thank you for your kindness, Sir," I say as I kneel and bow.
"There's no need for you to kneel, Liev," he says. "The Alpha should look after the pack."
"Dranula is kind."
"Glad he's our Alpha."
"When did the Metamorphe start?" Dranula worriedly asks.
"Tonight, Sir," I answer while looking down.
"Alright," he exhales. "Elis, Jako, report everything to me until Georgina recovers."
"Yes, Sir," they respond.
"You know how important George is to us," he says quietly. He walks away, saying, "Especially to me."
Goosebumps.
My pupils dilate.
This can't be...
He is...lying.
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