Crucial Desires

--2005--

All of them were there. I couldn't know, realise, or had any recollection of why everyone was here. All I knew was, that there was a woman in a red and black gown, and she had one of her hands on a boy's shoulder who was standing right in front of her.

My pack, the Moonshade Pack, was here. I could see fairies, witches, all the creatures that ever existed in our world.

My Mom picked me up and held me in her arms. I was only 5 back then.

"Mommy, this hurts," I say while I show her the wound on my arm. She smiled weakly, shushed me and paid attention towards the others.

Finally, I see my father and an older man signing a piece of paper. The paper was given by an old lady, who was accompanied by one younger lady and the other in between young and old.

"Mommy, what is happening here?" I ask my mother. She looked down at me, smiled once again, and finally spoke.

"It's for your protection, little one. Don't you worry. Daddy, Mommy and your pack will always protect you. No matter what. I promise, okay?"

I nodded as she tilted my head so that I could see my clan behind us and not where my Dad was.

The treaty is concluded. I hear the voice of a woman.

"Any clan that breaks this treaty shall be given penalties, fatal or a lifetime imprisonment in the 'Galaxy'."

"Any clan who tries to mislead the other, or cause harm to the other one, shall receive the deadliest sentence."

"Any clan who decided to break the treaty, and enter the other one's boundaries, shall be executed on the spot."

"Hailey?" I hear my Mom calling me. I face her as I see a teardrop forming in one of her eyes.

"What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad, Hailey." She takes a pause and tries to calm herself. Finally, she set me down slowly and guides me into the circle where my Dad and the older man were standing.

"I need you to stay strong for me, okay sweety?" She says as I watch that little boy and the lady with him, walking towards us.

"Promise me you'll stay strong, Hailey?" My Mom asks again.

"I promise, mommy. But where are we going?"

We reach the others and now that it was clear to me, they were standing inside a circle which had something written on it at the corners. I was a child, so I couldn't really understand what it said.

My Dad and my Mom walked out of the circle..leaving me and the boy with Red Eyes.

"Hey there, sweet creatures." We both stare at each other, then we look up. It was one of the three woman who passed the piece of paper to Daddy.

"I need you both to face each other and hold hands."

I watch the boy and see something which was a bit weird. He had a deep cut across his cheek. All I could think about was how he got this injury, but when I looked into his eyes, I was scared to my bitter core.

They were deep red.

"Please, children. Do what we say."

At first, we were hesitant because I couldn't realise who this boy was. And as far as I know, we werewolves aren't allowed to make contact with those whom we don't know.

One single touch could be fatal.

I stare at my mom, who softly nods and whispers, "It's okay," and I do what the old lady says. The boy does the same. As soon as we made skin contact, and I felt how cold his skin was, both our arms started to form fire.

"Mommy?" I almost screamed as I was scared now.

"Hush now, love. It'll only take a second." The old says as she places her hands on our heads. She tilted her face back and closed her eyes. As the fire began to grow aggressively.

It was so weird because I could feel the cause of the fire was our contact, but the heat never burned our skin.

The old lady faces us one last time and smiles once again.

"It'll only hurt a little. But soon, this will all be gone."

And in that moment, her eyes turn light grey as they glow.

"Mommy!" I call out to my mother and before I try to make a run for it, my body froze. I couldn't move a single muscle. I couldn't control my hands, my feet, my eyes. I couldn't even speak anymore.

The caused pain shall soon be gone.

The caused trouble, shall to be free.

For those who want to live every beat,

Shall be granted the wish to forget what went misdeed.

Me and the boy's reactions were the same. When the old lady finished her rant, we started to float in the air, not too high, but we did.

Our eyes started to glow heavily as well when I felt a sharp pain in my head. The boy and I started to scream in pain, but not through my only through mind.

It was like our souls were connected, but something happened.

I started to feel I was alone, in a bright but isolated place. I was there all alone. My mind was going empty. I no longer felt someone's hands grabbing mine. My eyes were open, yet all I could see was the colour white.

It was like someone trapped me inside a cube, wanting me to be tortured by this heavenly light.

"Noooo, make this stop!" I screamed as I start to gain consciousness.

"Mommy? MOM, PLEASE HELP ME! MOM!"

I called out for her when suddenly, I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, once again.

"Hailey, wake up!" She screamed to wake me up from this nightmare, and I did.

"W-what happened?" I sit up instantly, not wasting time as I face my mother.

"You were having a nightmare, baby."

"Again?" I ask her, all frustrated and tired. I could see she was terrified as well because these nightmares were something I lived every single night.

They just don't stop. They don't. They keep on going as they want me to learn something from them. I felt like they needed me to realise that my destiny was yet to be found by me.

And only I could figure it out.

Only me.

--2018--

Destiny.

Some say it's stupid. Some say it's valid. For me? It was both stupid and valid. But mostly, it was something that I was willing to experience in every single lifetime I had left.

Because it made me reunite with him. The one who almost killed me when we were kids. Who was meant to be my enemy. Who we were always meant to ignore or fight and move on. But again.

Destiny.

Destiny has its ways of bringing you all levels of sadness and a massive amount of happiness.

--

It was finally the day. The day when I'll be getting sent off to my boarding school. Being a werewolf and not figuring out how to shift properly was something my parents didn't appreciate. At first, they had to fight with our whole pack, as I looked like an outsider to them.

I gotta say, instead of making me go all rogue, they supported me. They fought the whole family and..here am I. All because I couldn't shift into my werewolf form. Not after that day.

My parents never gave up. However, at the age of 18, I still had difficulties to shift. Even if I did, I'd start burning up. My temperature would go boiling high and I'd catch a fever and lie in bed for like a whole month.

My dad, Christopher Lockwood, told me that there is a place where he learned how to shift on command. Under your own influence. And that's also a place where he met my mother, Jenna Lockwood.

At first, I denied going there because I thought being between my pack would benefit me the most. Because I'd be learning from those who I love. Who I adore and respect. Who were just like me. But in my parents' eyes, it was good to learn under competition, rather than learning between those who will never force you to go out of your own comfort zone.

Eventually, I agreed. It made them so happy that I ignored all my feelings about moving away and concentrated on how I could make them proud. And that was my only goal.

--First Day--

We were standing right in front of St Maria's University. My Mom and Dad were there to help me get settled in. I watch my father take out my luggage from the trunk of our car and pass it to me.

"We're going to miss you, Hailey. Don't stop filling us in about how your day went, even after you make new friends."

"Come on, Mom. You know I can't spend a single second without talking to you."

"And what about your old man here?" Dad chuckled as he teased me.

"Yeah, Dad. You too." Suddenly, a wave of discomfort hit me. I quickly realised it was time to go.

"I..I.." I struggled to let out words. It was all so new. So new. Sure, I was only 18 and soon to be 19, but it felt like I was trapped in this school for so long.

The feeling was both amazing and terrifying.

"I guess...I'll see you guys," I say, concealing my true emotions and passing them a big smile.

My mother chuckled as she wrapped her arms around me. She stood there for a few seconds before speaking.

"You can never hide what you feel, Hailey. Not in front of me. That's what I love about you the most. Never..give up..Never."

I depart and smile back at her.

"I won't, Mom. Not when I know I have you by my side. And you too, Dad. I'll always be your only wolf. The one who you taught to survive. The one who you taught everything to live."

"I love you both so much!" I pull them both in a long, tight hug. Oh, hell. I was going to miss them a lot. More than usual.

Finally, after saying our goodbyes, I made my way through the big gates into the dorms. This university was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Way bigger.

I search my room, 362, and finally find it. As soon as I open the door, I see a brunette girl standing in front of a mirror. Though there was no reflection.

"Oh, I..umm." she gets startled as soon as she sees me and suddenly, her mirrored reflection comes back.

"W-How did you do that?" I ask in curiosity.

"Oh..Uh..This. It's one of my powers. Still not perfect with them, but yeah, I'm getting there."

We both giggle as I walk inside the room, closing the door behind me. Her beauty was amazing. Her brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were hazel brown and her lips were neutral pink beige.

"So..you're a ..um?" I paused because I didn't know if it was respectful to ask what she was or who she is..

"Haha, you don't have to feel awkward asking me about this. Yes, I'm a witch and my name is Evangelina. You can call me Eve. And you are?"

She extended her hand as I took it. As soon as our hands connected, she looked straight into my eyes and smiled. Suddenly, her eyes went Głowy hazel light brown and I began to get lost in them.

The emotions in me, the excitement got heightened as if I was doing something dangerous for the first time and was feeling a hint of terror.

Shortly, she reverts her hand and we both jump into reality.

"You're Hailey Lockwood. You're 18, soon to be 19 and your parents were just here, dropping you. Wait...are you the Lockwoods? The wolfs?"

"Y-yeah, why?" Okay...how? How did she know everything about me? Sure, she's a witch. But is that even possible?"

"Wait...what do you mean by 'The Lockwoods'?" I ask in curiosity.

"Well, my whole family and past generations know about yours. You're basically legends."

"What?" Before I could ask anything, the bell rang.

"Oh, we have to go to the stadium. The principal has called all of us freshers. Let's go. We may meet some new friends and maybe hotties." She winks at me, helps me to drop my bags on the bed and floor, and we rushed outside.

Eve was now all friendly and talkative. Maybe she just needed to know me better before opening up to me. It's nice to see someone so enthusiastic and not judgmental about who you are before befriending you.

The corridors were big, and I saw a lot of posters saying, 'No shifting, no powers, and no biting'. Which actually seemed funny to me because why else are we all here?

We were about to enter the auditorium before I lost hold of Eve in the massive amount of crowd and suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oofff, Watch it!" I growled. Because I was the only one who fell to the ground. And suddenly, the scar on my arm, that big scar I had since I was a kid, started burning up. And bad.

"Oh..no no no.." I tried to suppress my pain before I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, pulling me up. I open my eyes and see two ocean-blue eyes. They were so dreamy that I could swing in them, but only if he permitted me.

He was broad. I had to tilt my face up a bit to see his perfect dark features. He had bright skin and by the looks of it. He sure was a vampire. With a scar right across his cheek.

"I..uh..I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention too.."

"You should be. I wouldn't want creatures like you to bump into me again. So..you...watch it." He growled and almost taunted me before storming away.

"Okay..what the hell was that?!" I think to myself.

I shook my head in disbelief and watched him go to the opposite side of where we were all supposed to go.

"Hey, Hailey?" I hear Eve calling out to me and trying to get to me through the crowd.

"I lost you for a second. Wait, what's wrong?" She asks, and I look back at the weirdo who bumped into me and almost bullied me. But he was gone.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eve asks again. I look at her once again, smiled and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"I'm fine. The interior is so amazing I feel like I'm living in a palace."

"I know right, the auditorium is much more huge. Come on, I wanna sit at the front." Eve takes my hand and guides me inside.

The "Welcoming' us all was amazing. Our Principal was a fairy, and she sure looked like she deserved to be a fairy. Her name was Laura Atkinson. She has been running this school for 8 years after her mother, Myra Atkinson, passed away.

She didn't obviously fill us in with her personal life, but she sure made us feel safe. Her aura was amazing, exciting, not to mention loving. She was all that we needed, a principal and a guardian.

While the small gathering went on, I automatically started searching for the guy across the hall. I could see a lot of attractive people and possibly mean girls who were simply bullies, but not him.

Why was I even looking for him? He's literally no one.

"Ouch," I murmured to myself as I held my arm close. The marks, injury marks were again burning like hell. Is there something in the air of this school? Why is it that I stepped one foot here and all my old injuries are bursting like hell?

"Hey, are you okay?" Eve asks me.

"Y-yeah. I think..uh..I'm just tired. That's all."

"Well, don't be. There's a party at 11 tonight. Everyone's going to be there. We have to go too!"

"I..Uh..I'm not sure, Eve. I've never been to a party before."

"Oh, come on. It's fun!"

I smile at her childishness. I've never met someone like her before. She's always so enthusiastic and excited about stuff. No matter how valuable or small.

"We'll talk about this later, okay?" I turned her down for now, as we both concentrated on the ceremony.

The evening went by fast. And the meeting in the auditorium ended after half an hour. Now, I was walking around the grounds of our school and I've already gotten 20 messages from my mother. While I was replying to them, I see figures behind a big tree.

Filled with curiosity, and out of etiquette, I decided to check what was going on and find him. That vampire Dracula guy with a woman. She didn't look like a student here. She looked our age.

"What's happening here?" I whispered to myself as I saw them...fighting. They were clearly arguing about something. But I don't know why. It felt as if the vampire guy was terrified of the woman. Was she his girlfriend? What the hell is she doing here?

I quickly realised what I was doing. I have no business staying here and watching what relationship they have with each other.

"Ouucchhh, Oh, screw you, scar!" I cursed my arm and before I could ignore and go back to minding my own business, another girl emerged from the other side of the view.

She was blonde, and fair. But she was short. Almost like a 15-year-old. Her eyes were different, though. They were big and green. And there was something about her that made me feel I was way much closer to her than I think.

But again, I had no point in staying here, watching them argue. So I took a few steps back without breaking my eye contact with them, which eventually caused me trouble.

I stepped on some branches and closed my eyes in embarrassment. As soon as I turned and decided to make a run for it, I bump into him..again.

Ughh. Damn Vampires and their speed.

"Ugh, watch...it," I massage my bumped head as I look up at him. The short girl who came afterwards was standing right beside him, almost as if she was supporting him by reading me.

"What are you doing here?" The guys growled. "Were you eavesdropping on us?" He takes a step forward and I, back. " Do you have any idea what trouble you can get in if-"

"Jace, stop it. She wasn't eavesdropping." The girl cut in between him. This 'Jace' guy scoffed and walked away instantly. Leaving just the two of us.

"I'm sorry, he can be a little irritating to get by sometimes. We mean no harm." The girl changes her whole personality. She was a bit shy, I could see that because she struggled to maintain eye contact. I shook my head and smiled briefly.

"I'm sorry. I really wasn't eavesdropping. I was just passing by and lost my way back to my dorm room."

"Oh, it's okay. It's our first day, after all." She takes a short pause and finally speaks again to make our conversation less awkward. "I'm June. June Liester." She extends her hand for a brief shake.

"I'm Hailey Lockwood."

"Lockwood?" She pauses and widens her eyes a bit. It was a little uneasy to watch everyone going on like this. I really didn't know the reason behind their shocking views on my name. And honestly, I don't know if I wanted to hear the stories myself.

"Yeah," I say.

Instead of acting all aloof, her face brightens up with a big smile. "No wonder why my brother's going all fond of you," she says.

"Wait, he's your brother?"

"You find it hard to believe?"

"Well, yeah. You're all shy and funny. And he's all bold and..."

'Grumpy?'

We both say at the same time and as soon as we do, we burst out laughing together. Well, I guess my first day here wasn't so bad after all.

Me and June went back to my dorm and I introduced her to Eve. We girls talked a lot about stuff from back home and stuff from here. But our concentration got stuck fully in June because she just told us she was a hybrid.

She was half a vampire and half werewolf. And her brother..Jace?

He was the soon-to-be vampire king.