The Witch Wolf

It was a dark night, and the cries of owls and bats as they perched from tree to tree filled the air. The sky was void of stars and looked gloomy, like a woman in labor. Fear gripped the earth, and the earth being referred to was New York City.

Thunderstorms had been raging the city for two days non-stop and had killed over a hundred people who decided to step out while it wailed. Lucia sat still in her room, made of wood and sacks. Thoughts ran through her head as she listened to the loud, rumbling sound the thunder made. She remembered something so dear to her heart: the cruel manner in which her parents died.

She remembered it like it was yesterday. Her father was a strong werewolf, so strong that he could control people's minds just by staring at her, her mother, a witch. She was strong in her own way. A great battle broke out, and their survival rested on their shoulders. The responsibility of defending their town, Crimo, which was later renamed New York, fell on them.

They fought with a fierce spirit, but they were overpowered. It was a fight of witches, werewolves, and vampires against humans. It was a fierce battle, but the humans won. They had the weapons, and the witches, werewolves, and others had the magic, given to them by the devil. "You need to live, Lucia! Live! Live!" Those were her mother's last words to her before she died. It's been fourteen years, but it still echoed in her ears and sent chills down her spine. Her stomach rumbled as a thick, putrid smell hit her nose.

Her pupils darted around the room in search of what produced the foul smell. She saw it. It was her pet. Mufasa. That's its name. She was sad, as he was the only companion she had, but there was nothing she could do. It died of hunger. Three days went by, and she had tasted nothing but water.

There was work nowhere as a result of the thunderstorm. She got up, muttered some incoherent words, and the storm ceased. Fear gripped her as she tried to assimilate what just happened. "Did my prayer just get answered?" She shrieked in excitement and was stepping out when a tall man walked towards her.

Her gaze fell. Hades, so he was called. He is old enough to be her father but still sleeps with her without an iota of shame. Three years, counting, for a small morsel of food. He would thrust deep into her and then let himself get drowned in her honeypot. She hated it but had no choice. She had to survive, just like her mother told her. He was coming again with a devilish grin. She hated him and wanted to strangle him.

She could see his bulge. The bastard. He was sporting a bulge already and couldn't wait until he got to her. "Hi Lucia," he said, cupping her breast with his hand. He basked in the feel it provided his palm. "Let go of me," she warned, pushing his hand off her breast. He refused and instead applied more force to it. "I said you should let go of me," she roared, pushing him away.

He fell on his buttocks, and his face turned red with anger. "How dare you!" He said this when he stood up, and in response, he landed her two resounding slaps. She fell on her bug-infested bed, and with his index finger, he raised her dress. "Geez! I have told you to stop wearing pants," his lips twisted into a frown as he yanked it off. Tears trickled down her face. Hot tears.

But what business does that have with him? He fished out his penis from his stinking boxer and then positioned it at the entrance to her pussycat. She inhaled. "No!" She yelled as his dick thrust hard into her. He yells upon yells as he continues to thrust into her. "Oh, my goodness!" her voice echoed in the air as she jerked up. "It was a dream!" She was glad... There was no man to assault her anymore. It was all in the past. She stole a glance at the clock sitting lucidly on the bedside table. Six am.

She stood up and dashed into the bathroom at an alarming speed. She had a class by seven a.m. and couldn't afford to be late. Professor Chris. Hard, sadistic, and dangerous. Those three words described him in all their perfection. He was the most dreaded lecturer in school. She remembered how a student committed suicide after Professor Chris failed him for the fourth time. He had spent extra years at the school and, out of frustration, hung himself.

She was done in a jiffy and hurried out of the bathroom. Jackson would be there anytime soon, and she wouldn't like to keep him waiting. He was her best friend and the only friend she had in New York. Though she found him strange, He was a werewolf, and unlike their usual fright and avoidance, she was calm and relaxed with him. Take ten years from now, and that's when they'll be friends.

Speaking of the devil, she could hear his loud greetings that heralded his coming. He would greet every Dick and Harry. Phew! "Lucia!" His voice rang in the sky as he giggled. "I'm also done... I have told you on numerous occasions that you should stop shouting. I'm allergic to it," she said, and she was also shouting.

"See who's speaking? The queen of noise!" He chuckled, "I laugh in Spanish." Laughs hysterically. "Well, when you are in Rome, you do as the Romans do. Here, we don't shout, so you should learn to keep your voice down," she said as she wore her sneakers.

"Yes, your lordship," he said, giving her a mock bow that made her laugh. She was done in a few minutes, and after locking the door to her apartment, they giggled off. The road was filled with all manner of people as they hurried to get to work. There are thousands of them. The hustling and bustling in New York City were second to none.

Their feet swung across the tiled road, and the blaring of horns by cars and vehicles filled the air. Monday, it is. It was no different for the forty thousand students at New York University. Lucia and Jackson thronged along with the others, laughing as they went. "I heard from someone that there's to be a party tonight at the Crystal Hotel," Jackson said.

"Oh, okay. Would you be going?" Lucia asked, kicking up Peebles as she strode. "Of course, there is work there, and you know, the pay is really good!" "Really?" Her ears expanded upon hearing that. "Yes. About fifty dollars per hour!" he said with a smile. "Fifty dollars," she shrieked in excitement. "And how many hours are we going to work?" Six hours. "Six hours? That would be three hundred dollars by the time we are done!" "Yes, you are right!"

The bus was approaching. "Wait! Are you sure this isn't a scam? I'm finding it hard to believe this. Three hundred dollars? Are you kidding me? For a whole month of working my ass out at the shop, I get only a thousand dollars, and then four hours of work would fetch me almost a third of that.""yes! And you know, this party is organized by rich people... Three hundred dollars is nothing to them."

"That's true!" Lucia concurred as they fought their way into the bus. Lucia found it hard to believe what Jackson told her, but she planned on doing it anyway. Whichever way it goes The school was bustling with activities as almost forty thousand students found their way to their various lecture venues. No one dared miss the first day of a new semester, not even a minister's son. It was an age-long tradition of the university that all students be present on the first day of school.

About twenty people lost their admissions the last semester because they didn't attend the first day. "Come on the first day and do whatever you like with yourself for the rest of the semester; we do not care," the vice chancellor would always say. Mathematics. That was the first subject those in year three had. Almost ten thousand people could be accommodated in the large hall.

Lucia peered into the hall and heaved a sigh of relief when she didn't see Professor Chris in there. She was waiting for Jackson, who was greeting a friend. He hurried down to where she was, and they were about to walk in when a guy from nowhere blocked them. "Long time no see Jackson!" The guy greeted.

"What do you want?" Jackson asked, shivering like a cock that got drenched in the rain. "Come on, you know you shouldn't be speaking to me in that manner," the guy said with a sarcastic laugh, and then without warning, he landed Jackson a punch in the face. He fell to the ground. Lucia ran to him. "What do you want?" Jackson asked, shivering like a cock that got drenched in the rain. "Come on, you know you shouldn't be speaking to me in that manner," the guy said with a sarcastic laugh, and then without warning, he landed Jackson a punch in the face. He fell to the ground. Lucia ran to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she helped him to his feet. She turned to the bully and asked, "Why did you do that to him? Are you nuts?" She asked with her fist clenched. He made to land her a punch when the mega speaker The hall came to life. "All third-year students are dismissed. The lecture will commence tomorrow." The hall erupted in happiness at that news.

It tickled their bellies, and without a few minutes, the hall containing almost ten thousand people became empty as they dashed out through the doors and windows.

Lucia and Jackson were no different. They left, but instead of returning to their homes, they went to work. The duo left work as early as six o'clock in the evening, as the agent had told Jackson that it would be on a first-come, first-served basis. They got to the venue and were lucky to be among the first five people to arrive. "We would be needing twelve persons only, so after you, then seven others," the caterer said with authority.

Lucia was glad that they decided to leave the coffee shop at the time they did, lest they wouldn't have gotten the spot. By the time the twelve people were around, the caterer had ordered the back door to be shut. She gave them a list of everyone who would be attending the event. Two hundred in all. They were all people with affluence. But one caught Lucia's fancy.

She had heard his name on various occasions and had seen him on TV. 'Roberto Avanti' That was his name. He was a handsome, sexy, and tanned-skinned man, but he had one fault. Arrogance. He was arrogant to a fault. She wouldn't blame him. He was the son of Lydia Avanti, the richest billionaire in the United States. Her affluence spread through the whole earth, and it trembled when her name was mentioned.

"I would like you to be coordinated, full of respect, and do whatever they ask you to, even if it isn't convenient for you," the caterer said, disrupting Lucia's thought. The last words the caterer said rang in her ears. "Even if it isn't convenient for you." She raised her hand to speak. "I don't understand your last sentence, ma!" "Whatever they ask you to do is what should be done. Now, you may proceed to your station.

The party would be starting soon," her voice boomed into the ears of the twelve people as they were handed a branded cloth. Lucia was placed in the VIP section, and she shrieked, knowing fully well that Roberto would be in that area. Exactly five minutes later, the guests started arriving and were directed to their seats.

Lucia did what was expected of her. She smiled as she directed the VIPs to their seats. She was directing one of them when, by mistake, she bumped into someone. "Can't you watch your path?" She asked in annoyance as she beheld the assailant.

"I should be asking you that question!" He responded with a devilish grin. It was Roberto Avanti. "I can see you lack conversational ethics," she said, and in response, he held her head and planted a kiss on her lips, leaving her breathless.

She was stunned, and when she realized where she was, she forced him away from her and gave him a resounding slap that made his cheek hurt.

"How dare you kiss me, you bastard?" She roared at him with fury in her eyes. And all he did was smile. He said nothing and did nothing else, further infuriating her.

The caterer noticed what happened over there and walked up to them. "I'm sorry, sir, for her stupid behavior. I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she pleaded with Roberto, who was amused by the girl in front of him and barely heard what the caterer was saying.

"And you!" She faced Lucia and said, "Get the hell out of here this instance!"

Roberto heard that. "No, let her be. I am at fault here, but I'm not sorry, so it's just right to stand here. Having to see my face after that kiss and slap would be her punishment," he said, winking at Lucia, and then taking his seat on a chair in the VIP section.

"You should be thankful to him for allowing you to stay here!" The caterer said this into Lucia's face and stormed off, leaving her to face the over ten people seated in the VIP section.

Roberto winked at her, infuriating her even more. She fumed and threatened to teach him a lesson once they were all done with the showrade they called a party.

The party was at its peak, and Lucia was starting to enjoy the activities they did. The way they spoke, their eloquence, and all that appealed to her She had served them all some appetizers and was waiting for the next instruction from the caterer through the intercom fixed in her ear.

A hand grazed her delicate skin a few minutes later. She turned in the direction in which she felt the graze. It was the same proud and arrogant fool. She spat at him so much and could strangle him if permitted.

A frown was etched on her face but vanished the moment it came when she remembered losing three hundred dollars all because of a spoilt brat.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She asked, flashing him the brightest smile in her reserve. Those smiles she used only in extreme cases.

"I didn't know you had such a bright smile. Can I get your number?" He grinned with excitement, confident that she would grant him his request. He was in for a rude surprise.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't told that giving out my number was part of my job description. Smiling at you, which I just did, sure is, but never what you requested."

"Did you just turn my request down?" He asked with a flabbergasted grimace.

"Yes, and I would do it over and over again if need be," she responded, and as a sign to end the discussion, she faced the crowd. She flashed a deceptive smile at them, leaving Roberto embarrassed again.

He was furious this time around but shoved it off as he was starting to fall for her.

Lucia was glad when the party came to an end. Her body ached, and her legs quaked. She packed the last of the dishes into the kitchen for those assigned there to wash. She found Jackson waiting for her by the door. "You look exhausted! You sure must be."

"Well, I am, and I am famished too. I took nothing but a few snacks to the coffee shop this afternoon," she said to Jackson, who had his full attention on her.

"I knew you would be, so I left you some food at a corner." He trailed off as his eyes darted around the large space that was the kitchen in search of the meal he kept.

He didn't search long, as at the center of the kitchen sat a chubby-looking guy, eating the meal Jackson had reserved. He smiled as his gaze met Jackson's, leaving him enraged. He wanted to go confront the guy, but was pulled back by Lucia.

"Let it go!" She whispered into his ears. He yielded and assured her that he would get her something once they left there.

The loud baritone voice of the middle-aged woman who was the caterer stung their ears. "You all should gather here."

"Let's go!" Jackson pulled Lucia along with her to the spot where the woman sat. They were the first on the line.

She counted them. Twelve in all... She grinned mischievously as she pulled a small bag from underneath her chair. Two hefty men stood on each side of her, flexing their muscles at her.

"This is your payment," she said, handing some money to Lucia, who was grinning with excitement. She stepped out of the line and then counted the money.

"One, two, three..." she counted till she reached the last.

"I thought you said you would pay us three hundred dollars. This isn't up to a hundred!" She said with a frown to the caterer, who continued like she didn't hear her. Jackson counted him, and it was complete. Same as others.

"Ma, she said hers is short by over two hundred dollars," Jackson said aloud, and there was no way she could pretend not to hear him.

"The rest, I deducted for being so sassy to an important guest this evening!" She said this to Lucia, whose eyes were welled with tears.

"But he kissed me! Isn't that wrong? Isn't that a crime?" Tears choked her voice as she spoke.

"You should be happy that he kissed you. If I see a man as rich as he is to at least give me a peck, do you think I wouldn't love it?" the caterer said, and he dismissed her off with a wave of the hand.

"Pay me my money now!" She said it to the woman with so much power and authority that it sent chills down her spine.

"You had better leave here; otherwise, I'd have my men drag you out!" She threatened, but Lucia moved not an inch.

The caterer gave a sign, and the men by her side hurried to carry out her order.

The next thing I heard was a loud thug on the floor. The fourteen others glanced to see what happened; they were shocked to the marrow. Lucia had changed into a huge creature with yellow eyes that sparked fire.

"It's a wolf!" They screamed and scampered off as fast as their feet could carry them, but they could only go a few inches before she caught them, one after the other, burying her long claws deep into them. Her teeth dug into their faces, tearing them apart like she would a piece of meat. She severed their heads from the other part of their body and, with her left head, hurled it at Jackson, who stood still, watching everything with keen interest.

She stopped after a while and, at a slow pace, transformed into her normal self.

She stared around her with a perplexed grimace when she had returned to being Lucia. "Who did this?" She asked Jackson, who stood akimbo with his eyes fixed on her.

"You did! All of this!"

"How's that even possible? Are you kidding me? Tell me you are. I didn't do it, right?" She sounded desperate and frightened.

He was speechless.

"Didn't you know? I thought you knew."

"Knew what?" She tugged at his shirt with all her might.

"That you are a werewolf!"

She went limp as tears trickled down her face. She should have known better. What had she expected? To be normal? When her mother's a witch and her father's a werewolf, Her spirit fell when she realized her world was gradually closing up on her. She saw how Jackson was treated at school and did her best to defend him, but now she would suffer no better fate, or even worse. She's a girl.

She stood up without thought and walked out of the building into the dark, with Jackson following her in a scrupulous manner.

"Lucia!" he called after her.

"Leave me alone!" She shot back.

It was a big house set in the heart of New York City. Three acres. That was the expanse of the house and premises that were the Avanti's mansion. Fleets of cars and horses in their stable, the large garden, and the driveway were the things you would behold after leaving the gate where tight security was mounted. It was dark, and the lines of the lamp across the compound shone their lights on the place.

The car drove in front of the main gate and parked in front of an open space, where an artificial spring sat.

"Welcome, sir!" A maid said, bowing to him. He handed his coat to her and zoomed into the house without uttering a word.

A woman of middle age, forty-six or so, sat in a huge living room, staring at a television, a third of the height of the long wall. She was Lydia, Roberto's mom, and the wife of the late Roberto II Avanti.

"Hello mum!" He greeted her, swishing his feet against the floor to where she sat.

"Oh, you're back. So early? Didn't you enjoy the party?"

"I did, Mom, and really had a swell time. But the party ended sooner than I thought," he said as he pulled his shoes off his feet.

A maid from nowhere came and carted it to his room.

"Did you meet Mr. Sanchez's daughter, Mayra? She's such a beauty," she asked with grace and passion embedded in her voice.

"I thought you mentioned that she was in Spain and wouldn't be back until summer next year."

"Oh, I did. It escaped my mind; maybe it's because I'm anxious to see you guys together...

She hadn't completed her words when Jackson stood up and found his way up the stairs. By the time she realized he was gone, he was almost in his room.

"Come back here, you moron! I am not done talking with you!" She yelled.

"We would talk tomorrow, Mum!" He responded from the safety of his room.

While in the room, Jackson, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't get that usher at the party out of his head. One minute he's thinking of one thing, and the next it's her.

It amused him because he had never felt that way towards any girl, and goodness knows he had a truckload of them. They were at his calls and beckons, and a snap of his finger would bring them to him in Mass.

He had the money, the looks, and the body. His weapons below his groin were also wonderful and were a major reason why the girls returned to him after a night together.

He noticed something different about that girl. Something he hadn't seen in others. He had kissed her, and instead of shrieking in excitement, she landed him a slap that still made his cheek hurt, up until that moment.

"Damn it! Your unknown name Thanks for toying with my head," he said, covering his head in his blanket to shut her out of his head. It failed.

Lucia got home with a strong feeling of hate toward herself for what she did. It was so strong that she sat transfixed on one spot, refusing to eat something or go to bed. She stared at the sky, where she knew her parents must be watching her.

"They must be upset with me for what I did!" She sulked and couldn't convince herself otherwise.

"Yes, they are!" A thin voice whispered into her ears. She recognized it. It was the same voice she heard before she changed into that hideous being.

"Who is who?" Her voice echoed through the night.

"I am a werewolf..." The voice responded and, without warning, jumped on her, trying to force its way in just like it did the other time.

She refused, and this time she meant business. She wasn't going to allow herself to turn into some hideous creature despised by society.

She resisted, groaning in pain.

Claw marks, just like the ones on the bodies of those she killed, appeared on her.

It was fierce, and blood trickled out.

"You have to stop this fight, Lucia!" A voice whispered with care and affection into her ears. She recognized it even though she hadn't heard it in the last fourteen years. It was her father's voice.

"For how long do you plan to resist it?" He asked with tears in his voice. She could feel it. The vigor he used in saying that

"For as long as I live, dad, if I'm still breathing, then I wouldn't give in," she stood her ground, groaning in more pains that ate deep into her soul, sucking it out at a gradual pace. She had fought with the spirit for six hours and was getting weak and faint already.

"But you promised me you would live. You said so, and now you want to break your promise? Is death what you wish for??"He said, and that struck a chord in her, and she felt remorseful, but for a split second.

"No, dad. I'd be better off if I'm dead than having to live my life in constant fear. Fear of not being discovered I wouldn't allow myself to become a slave to others. Take a look at Jackson. He's always bullied at school."

"But you aren't Jackson. Jackson's weakling. He can't fight for himself, and that's why he's always bullied. If you died now, then our dream of having the world accept werewolves and witches would fade away. What then would happen to the thousands yet to come?" He asked, and that did the magic. She let herself down and allowed the spirit to go into her.

She groaned as she changed into a huge wolf, the size of a lion. It was strange for a newly formed wolf to be as big as she was. Something was behind it, and the answer wasn't far-fetched.

She was a mixed breed... Daughter of a werewolf and a witch.

She's a witch. A rare breed, born once in a century.

It was morning, and the sun was shining its light upon the earth. It seemed a little harsh for that time of the morning. Seven am. The bedside clock ticked non-stop and soon read eight. Lucia woke up feeling tired and weak. Her body ached so much that she felt like it would break anytime soon, but it didn't. It remained firm.

She strolled with leisure across the room and remembered all at once that she had a class at ten o'clock. Professor Chris again. She stamped her feet against the floor as she stepped into the bathroom to get her bath.

Thoughts rang in her head as the water ran down her shoulders. Her rent was almost due, and she hadn't gotten a third of it. She had gone to work at that party the previous night, just so she could get the money to make it up. Six months. That was her payment plan. The money!

"My money," she shrieked, remembering she didn't take her money from the venue after what happened the previous night.

She wore her clothes in haste and was about to leave when her next-door neighbor accosted her with a placid grimace.

"What's up, Lucia? How are you doing?" He asked with a smile that revealed his smile.

"I'm good, and you? She sounded so cold and unfriendly.

"I was hearing some strange sounds during the night. It sounded like a wolf's; did you hear it as well?"

"No, I didn't. Are you sure you heard right?" She asked with a sarcastic grin.

"Yes, I did. And I'm sure it's a wolf?" She continued with her game of pretense.

"Yeah! It sure is a wolf. My ears can't lead me astray!"

"I don't think you did, and again, what would a wolf look for in a densely populated place like New York City?" she said and dashed off, with the knowledge that he was staring at her.

She reached the venue and was surprised to see it sealed off by the police. There were none of them at the scene. She heaved a sigh of relief but decided to take the back door as a safety precaution.

She met the money right where it was and couldn't measure the joy she felt at that moment. It was in a big bag. She picked it up and was about to leave when she heard a voice. "Stop right there!"

She froze and was about to face the man when a voice spoke to her, "Don't move an inch. Be still." She noticed claws growing out of her hand, and within a jiffy, she changed into a full wolf. She faced the officer and watched his face fall, then immediately scurried off like a cheetah, his balls dangling from left to right.

She stood still and waited a bit while she returned to her normal self. She felt weak and couldn't move until after a few minutes. Her head banged. She bent to pick the money up. It was weighty, and she knew it contained more than three hundred dollars, but she couldn't wait to count it. She escaped through the back door and was about to leave the compound when about forty officers surrounded her, their guns raised above their shoulders.

"If you move an inch, you die!" An officer said

She was trapped. She knew it. She was in a dilemma as to what to do.

Her eyes darted around. They were twenty in number. She stood no chance against them all. She would be dead before she moved a few inches.

She raised her hand and pointed it in the air. A man fell to the floor. Dead.

She froze in surprise as she tried to assimilate what just happened. The nineteen others shook with fear trapped deep in their souls.

"What manner of being is this? She raises her hand, and one of us dies?" a middle-aged man asked the one beside him in hushed whispers.

"I think she's a witch! I have never seen someone do that in all my twenty years of working in the force.

She moved her right hand, and a man fell to the floor, groaning in severe pain. It stopped the moment she took her hand in his direction.

"It's a witch! She isn't an ordinary person!" One of them roared and then ran out through the gate. The rest, when realization dawned on them, ran off as fast as their feet could carry them.

Lucia continued to stare at herself and at the man lying dead on the floor. Her head ached, and she couldn't think straight.

"Why am I experiencing this?" She asked herself as tears trickled down her face. "I didn't plan this for myself. I didn't plan to kill people for fun. I didn't."

"It's your fate. your destiny. It lies ahead of you, and there's nothing you can do to it," a thin melodic voice whispered into her ears.

"Who are you?" She roared, upset at the spirit sweet-talking her.

"You will get to know who I am in due time when you are ripe enough. Now, you need to remain patient. Patient...

"What a minute... How do I get to stop this madness that comes over me?"She said, but the spirit had gone, and it upset her.

She sighed in resignation and then went her way.

"Are you sure you want to go to New York University? I can have your admission to Harvard University processed if you want."Her voice echoed through the large sitting room with a sullen face that made him want to laugh.

"Mum! I told you I wanted to attend this university. Won't you allow me this wish of mine?" He asked, sounding so desperate and frustrated. A glance at his face would tell you that. Why wouldn't he be? His mother, Lydia, was the wife of billionaire Avanti, but he was long dead, and now she owned it all. She and her son, Roberto,

"Come on, Roberto! You shouldn't study in such a cozy and vermin-infested place. I doubt if they do any cleaning over there," Lydia said, twitching her nose like someone who had perceived a foul odor.

"Have you forgotten that the place you call vermin-infested is your alma mater? You studied there for four years," Roberto said and burst into a devilish laugh.

Her face turned sour, and she wished she could spank him for bringing that to her memory.

"You are an asshole! Do whatever you wish, but I promise you that if you come crying to me, I won't listen to any of your whimperings," she said and stormed off.

"Don't worry, mom! I won't do that, and you shouldn't poke in your nose," he said after her and then yanked his bag from the chair. A maid walked up to him and, with a low bow, collected it from him.

"Is the car ready?" he asked his chauffeur, who was clad in a white shirt and checkers trouser over a blue Blazer.

"No, sir, it will in a few minutes!" The chauffeur responded with a shaky voice that he tried hard to conceal, but to no avail.

"I asked you guys to have this checked since yesterday, but you refused!" He roared, stamping his feet against the tarred floor.

"I'm sorry, sir; it won't happen again!"

"You had better make sure it doesn't, because if it does, then you are fired! Get me the Lamborghini," he said, snapping his finger in the air.

The car was parked in front of him. He inspected it from a corner of his eye, frowning lucidly. He stepped in and was refreshed when the cool breeze from the air conditioner blew on him.

"Drive off!" He said this to the chauffeur, who was waiting for his order. The car zoomed down the long run to the main gate and out of Central Park South in Manhattan.

Lucia got home with a pang of guilt over the atrocity she committed again that morning. Two murders in less than twelve hours. It was alarming. She knew it and knew no peace.

That wasn't the life she wanted. She remembered that her parents had a peaceful life when they were alive, but hers had been rough since her childhood.

She remembered doing all manner of work just to earn a living, even at a tender age. Now, she could live comfortably, at least because she had two jobs that kept her going.

She picked up her books from the floor without any interest and then walked out of the room, turning the doorknob after it. It snapped, and she left.

She stole a glance at her wristwatch and exclaimed as realization dawned on her. It was almost ten a.m., and she would be late for Professor Chris's class, no doubt about it. She was doomed. A splitting headache from heaven knows where hit her with force as she waited for a bus. Five minutes... ten... and still no sign of the bus going her way. She heaved in frustration and was about to return home when a car pulled up in front of her.

"I know you! You are Lucia, right?" A young boy of about her age asked with a childish grin.

"Yes, I am...

"I'm John, fine and applied arts, you?"

"Phycology," she responded.

"Hop in! If you don't want to be a minute later, We have the same class."

"A second-year student, right?" Lucia asked with a tender smile.

"Yes, you?"

"Yes... So it means we are both in the same class. Professor Chris!" They shrieked as fear gripped them.

The driver drove off, and they were soon at the university.

The university was huge, and all manner of cars adorned the environment, but none was as Porsche-like or expensive as Roberto Avanti's.

The students found it awkward to see a Lamborghini in the school. There were rich students there, but hell, Lamborghini isn't for the rich. It is for the wealthy. A small black car was parked side by side with the Lamborghini, and it upset Roberto.

Lucia stepped out of the black car; he stepped out of his, and their gazes met.

Roberto froze as he basked in Lucia's beauty. Jealousy overrode the affection in his eyes. He spat at the guy beside Lucia.