Forbidden Violets

By Angel of Death

Chapter 2-

We came to a stop at a small cabin that looked to be abandoned and old. The wood was eroding and it was extremely dark inside. Brown shutters hung recklessly from the hinges, swinging with the harsh wind that passed by. Daniel changed into human form, a great light surrounding his body. When I finished my transformation, Daniel was already walking up the cobblestone path to the little house.

The sun shone down on the Earth, making the snow melt into the grass. Birds chirped a melodic tune, attuned with the rustling of the leaves and the pattering feet of morning critters. I quickly caught up to Daniel, taking in my surroundings. I've never been this deep into human land, unprotected at least. When I went to Ilonea's house, I was always escorted by some of my father's strongest sons.

"I took some of Ana's clothes for you to wear. They're in the next room," Daniel said, once we were inside. I heard him close the door as I walked into the next room. From the outside, the house looked really small. I guess it was supposed to look like that just in case some curious human wanted to trespass. Inside the room, I found a small cot and a side table. Adjacent from where I stood was a fireplace and another door. There were no windows in this room, so I guess that would explain why it was so dark. Suddenly, a light flickered on shedding a yellow stream across the room. I turned around to find Daniel standing in the doorway, staring off into space.

"So, you like it?" he asked, meeting my gaze.

I nodded and then went to go grab the clothes that sat on the bed. It was a scarlet dress, fitted of course. Ana liked accentuating every curve that lined her body, so it wasn't a surprise to see that the dress looked this way. There was a pair of underclothes and a variety of socks right beside the dress.

"I hope everything...fits," Daniel mused, appearing beside me.

I rolled my eyes and started slipping on Ana's floral underwear. There was a body-length mirror parallel to where I stood. Never in my entire life would I be caught wearing something like this. Daniel snickered, making me quickly slip the tight dress on. Finished, I took a seat on the edge of the cot, trying desperately to keep my dress smooth.

"How can Ana dress like this?" I murmured, giving up.

"Well, I'm going to go get dressed. If you want, you can take a tour of the house. The rest of it is right through that door," Daniel explained, holding back a smile.

I thought about throwing the lamp that sat on the side table at him, but before I could make up my mind he was out of the room. Deciding that I didn't want to wait while he got dressed, I got up and walked to the door by the fireplace. The doorknob was hard and looked to have been recently tarnished. I twisted it, expecting the silent click that followed. Dust flew out of the room when I thrust open the door. It was pitch black inside. The only source of light in the room was the white light that came in through the window beside the door.

I walked in, the floor creaking with each step I took. My foot stubbed against something. By the pain, I could tell that it was something sturdy. It didn't even budge or fall over like any other thing does when you bump into it. A light came on above my head, making me able to see that the sturdy object was a bookcase.

"I'm starting to think that you have some kind of crazy night vision that I don't know about," Daniel said, laughing.

"How did you find this place?" I asked, ignoring Daniel's jokes.

"I didn't. My father left it to Marius and then Marius left it to me," Daniel explained.

"Are you still going to come here?" I said, looking at the books.

"I don't know," he sighed, walking towards the door.

I followed, taking one last glance at the room before closing the door behind me. The front door creaked open, letting in a cool breeze that filled the entire cabin. I heard an engine rev somewhere beside the house. The sound gradually got louder as I moved towards the living room. Outside, a red jeep was parked, and Daniel was leaning happily against it.

"Cool ride huh?" he asked, patting the car.

What was it with guys and shiny cars?

"Yeah its kinda nice," I replied, walking towards the jeep.

Daniel held up his hand to stop, making me stop dead in my tracks. I could feel the icy snow seep into my socks. He forgot to bring me shoes.

"What? Did you realize that you forgot to get me something?" I asked frowning.

He looked down at my feet and shook his head.

"No, that's not as important as my car's feelings. You just called her nice and she's gorgeous. Apologize Corina," The seriousness in Daniel's voice was evident but still I couldn't keep myself from laughing. He frowned, kissed the Jeep on it's hood, and then opened up the passenger's door.

"I'm so glad you found yourself a girlfriend. One that you can actually tell is of the female species," I snickered, walking towards the car.As I climbed in, I couldn't help but notice how clean this car was. It looked to be brand new.

When I got settled into my seat, Daniel closed the door and waltzed in front of the car to his side. It was almost noon according to the green numbers that flashed on the clock. I smiled, Alexandru was probably worried about where I was. Oh well, he should learn how to keep a better eye on me.

"Seatbelt," Daniel said, breaking me from my thoughts.

I didn't hear Daniel close his door and fasten his seatbelt. When I looked over at him, his hands were tightly gripping the wheel, making his knuckles turn pink. He was hungry for the speed. I could tell because his eyes were filled with adrenaline.

"Come on Daniel, I'm not a kid anymore," I whined, pouting.

He smirked, reached over and started buckling me in himself. I stuck my tongue at him when I heard the click and then waited patiently for the engine to rev.

"You're going to enjoy this ride," Daniel murmured.

"What? Why? You are going to follow the speed limits...aren't you?" I asked, eyes filling with horror.

He shook his head no and then off we went, down the road towards civilization. At first I felt like I was going to puke, but then I realized that it was the lack of food being in my stomach that made me uneasy. A smug expression tainted my face the whole ride, while Daniel couldn't help but laugh hysterically. When I wasn't paying attention, he reached in the glove department, pulled out a camera and took a lot of pictures of me. He was lucky I couldn't claw his eyes out, considering that he was the driver and all. A little part of me wished I was driving with my strict brothers, who followed the speed limits and treated me with the respect I used to dread.

"We would have been better off running," I muttered.

"Relax Cory, there's not a car in sight. Besides, I'm not even past the speed limit." Daniel countered, patting my shoulder.

Buildings took the place of the trees and traffic lights colored the air, making my eyes roam the world outside my window. People were walking along the concrete sidewalk, oblivious to the fact that two werewolves were watching them. Building signs flickered, glaring at us as we drove pass.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was smiling and the blue sky was clear of gray clouds. Surely this wasn't going to be so bad but I still felt like there was something wrong. Daniel's emotion's were as sure as the weather, forever changing. I tried not to let it bother me, but I couldn't help but think that there was something else worrying him besides the obvious reason. We turned down a road with small brick houses and then stopped in front of red brick house with blue awnings and white shutters.

As I got out of the car, the door opened and out stepped a woman with frizzy red hair. When she got closer, I could tell that her eyes were the shade of pine tree leaves. Daniel appeared beside me, a smile rising on his angelic face.

"You must be Corina!" Beth exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

I hesitantly hugged her back, not knowing what else to do. When she let go of me, she was smiling and then I couldn't help but smile too.

"Gosh, you are so beautiful. Daniel, you should start taking lots of pictures of her..." I couldn't hear the rest of what Beth was saying because she was already walking back towards her house with Daniel following her.

Inside, the house was like nothing I'd ever expect. There were discs lining her walls with pictures of people that I've never saw before, above them. Her furniture had this dark retro vibe going on and it was really quite nice.

"So Corina, do you listen to music?" Beth asked, taking my hand.

Beth pulled me towards some shelves with stacks of cases on them. I looked at the plastic cases, wondering curiously what they were.

"Um...yeah," I replied, softly.

"Oh where's my manners. I didn't break some kind of royal law by hugging you..." she said, frowning.

"No its fine," I explained, smiling.

After the awkwardness in the air washed away, I found that I actually liked Beth. She was a really down to Earth woman, and she made me forget how different we really were. I listened to some of her favorite music and learned that there were actually over a thousand kinds of music to listen to. Beth's favorites were Pop, R&B, and Alternative. Daniel was smiling the whole time me and Beth talked, all the while never saying a word.

"When he walked in I knew that we were meant to be," We were sitting in the dining room drinking lemonade and munching on chocolate chip cookies while Beth told me how she and Daniel met. It was magical almost. It sort of reminded me of one of the fairy tales my mom used to read me when I was little.

"How did you know that you two were meant to be?" I asked, sipping my lemonade.

"Well sweetheart it just happens. When you're able to look at someone and see everything that's when you'll know," Beth explained, taking my hand in hers.

It was really easy to warm up to Beth. At first you'd think that it was just her Southern hospitality that made her so nice but then, after sitting here with her I was able to see why Daniel fell in love with her so fast. She saw the best in people and helped them get through the worst in their life. If you were feeling down about something, she'd lift you up even higher than you were before. Beth was truly a beautiful person, inside and out.

Just when we were finishing the plate of cookies, the front door opened and slammed shut. I heard something hit the floor, and then that was followed by heavy footsteps going up the stairs.

"Chris is that you?" Beth asked.

There was a pause, and then the direction of the footsteps reversed. When Chris was on the first step, he sighed and walked into the dining room. His dark red hair matched Beth's, and his eyes were the color of the chocolate chips in the cookies we just ate.

"Oh just my luck, the cookies are all gone," he muttered, pulling a chair out and sitting down.

The legs screeched against the linoleum floor, making my ears hurt. Sweat doused Chris's entire face, making me wonder what he was doing to make him so sweaty. It was hot outside, but he looked like he just stepped out a 100 degree oven.

"Chris I have another batch baking already. Excuse you but where's your manners?" Beth replied, frowning.

"Oh, hey Dan and um..." Chris started, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Corina, Daniel's cousin," I explained, softly.

"Chris," he murmured, groaning.

Chris was wearing green shorts and a white short. His legs were well muscled and tanned. He must've been a runner. I could hear his heart beating erratically, probably due to the fact that he was running faster than his skinny legs could carry him.

"I am never going to...again," Chris gasped.

Beth poured a glass of lemonade and slid it in front of Chris. Eagerly, he wrapped his hand around the glass, the ice clinking against the walls as he moved it towards his lips. A sound of relief escaped from his lips, and then he looked up at Beth and smiled.

"You sure know how to make a glass of lemonade, Lizzie," Chris said, setting his half-empty glass on the table.

"So...you run?" I asked, feeling like I needed to make conversation.

"No but I do ride a bike which brings me to what happened today. I was riding home from work, when I saw this guy lying on the ground obviously suffering from pain. Being the good citizen that I am, I got off my bike and went to go see what was wrong. It turns out that the man was only faking, and just when I was about get back on my bike, he got up, pushed me out the way and rode off with my bike. I chased after him for about two blocks and then I just gave up," Chris explained, animatedly.

"Do you want me to call the police?" Beth asked.

Chris rolled his eyes and chugged down the rest of his lemonade.

"Been there, done that," Chris replied.

"And what did they say?" Beth asked, frowning.

"They said they were tired of me coming in and crying 'wolf' all the time," Chris moaned.

"Crying wolf?" I repeated, confusedly.

Chris took a sip of his lemonade, then let his eyes linger on my face. Suddenly, they dropped towards my neck, scanning the green amulet that rest cold against my chest. I blushed. This was a bad time to be wearing such a revealing dress.

"I've seen this before," he whispered, caressing the jewel with his thumb.

I looked over Daniel who was staring at something to his far left. His eyes were squinted and his lips were pursed. He was hiding something from me.

"I stopped at the library today and..." Chris started, getting up from his chair and disappearing into the living room. I heard a huge intake of breath and then Chris's heavy footsteps. When he entered the room again, he had his heavy book bag slung over his shoulder, with an eager look in his eyes. He set the bag down in his chair, and with his small scathed fingers, he started unzipping it. Chris pulled out a giant book with a brown cover. There were intricate markings engraved on the cover. I knew them to be the ancient designs of my ancestors.

"I found this book about Gods and Goddesses, namely Selene. Carver, this guy who works at the library, said that this book tells the life of Selene dating back to the beginning of the age of wolves," Chris continued, thumbing through the pages. Dust flew up from the off-white pages, and into the air. Beth sighed, which made me look up at her. Her lips were pursed in the way Daniel's was, but she looked slightly intrigued.

"You'll have to excuse him, Corina. He's been really obsessed with..." Beth started, softly.

"Here it is," Chris interrupted, turning the book to me.

Off the pages, jumped beautiful paintings of wolves and the night Goddess herself. In the background, lye the purple-black sky which was blanketed with countless stars. When I was younger, my mom told me that these stars represented the millions of wolves that were killed in battle with the humans. One story, that I knew by heart, that derived from this war, was the one of the North star. Unlike many other stories, this one was real, especially because it explained our existence.

"It would be nice if I knew Ancient Greek so that I could read this," Chris sighed, flipping to another page. And there it was, shining bright against the black sky. The North star.

"I know this story by heart," I said, smiling.

"Could you tell it to us?" Chris asked, enthusiastically.

I wanted to say yes but then this weird feeling started churning in the pit of my stomach. This story breathed my mother through and through. No matter how many times I tried to match her soft wispy voice or her magical charm I could never tell the story like she had to me so long ago. I shouldn't have said anything.

"Please," Chris begged

"Chris...you see she's undecided about..." Beth scolded.

"No, Beth its fine," I said, softly.

"Her mother used to tell her that story when she was young. Thinking about this story both excites her and makes her upset. She was taken from her mother when she was nine and now it pains her to think about anything connected to her mother because it only makes her miss her even more," Daniel explained.

Beth sighed sympathetically and then I felt her hand soothing my back. Now that my secret was out in the open, there was no reason why I should hide now.

"I'll tell it," I said.

Chris set his bag on the floor and then took his seat, with enthused interest. Everyone was looking at me. Even Daniel, who avoided my eyes the entire time we sat here, was looking at me.

"It is believed that Selene had fifty daughters who were very fond of animals and men. There was a war brewing in the forests of Ancient Greece and in the line of fire stood wolves. One by one they fell, crying out to the Moon Queen herself for mercy. When Selene's daughters heard these howls, they begged their mother to save them but she didn't know how...at first," I started.

The pain in my stomach started to disintegrate. All my life I thought that if I shared the words of my mother, the hole in my heart would only get bigger. But now, sitting here amongst friends, telling the greatest story of all time, I felt the hole starting to fill.

"As the war progressed, men kept using wolves to battle their enemies. One by one, the men died, until one day, their savior arrived. His name was Endymion and he was a shepherd who knew the forest inside and out. From the time he was born, he formed this bond with the creatures that roamed the Earth. Seeing a goodness that she never saw in a human before, Selene decided to pursue him. She gave him the might to win the war but then Hades stepped into the picture," I continued, pausing for the effect.

"What did Hades do?" Chris asked, excitedly.

"Well, Hades cursed the enemies of Endymion's army, making them strong, blood-thirsty animals who we now know as vampires," I replied, flipping the page in the book. The next page showed demons with fiery eyes and long sharp ivory fangs. Above them stood Hades, his long flowing dark hair billowing in the wind. Chris looked at the drawing, with curiosity broad on his face. When he turned to look at me, I knew that he was going to ask another question.

"Was Hades doing this to help Endymion's army?" he asked, pushing his glasses up over his nose.

"No. Hades was a cruel man as well as a God. He only cursed the men because he wanted to use them for his own plans. Well anyways, knowing that the only way to win the war was if everyone were joined together, Selene merged the remaining wolves and men thus creating werewolves," I said, pausing to leave room for Chris to ask a question.

"So did Endymion as his men win the war with this new power?" he ventured, scratching his head.

"Well yes, because according to legend werewolves are Vampire's mortal enemies. With our sharp teeth we can rip the demons into shreds," I explained, smiling.

Chris shrank back in fear, which impressed me to a certain extent. Humans should fear us because we are animals but they should also know that we weren't put on this Earth to hurt them but to protect them from what was soon to come.

"When the war was over, Selene was sure Endymion would leave her so she put a spell on him, making him sleep for eternity. Meanwhile, Zeus was having a hard time excepting the werewolves so he tried killing them. Selene tried to stop him but she knew that she couldn't do it on her own. Waking Endymion, she begged for his forgiveness and sent him up to Mount Olympus to challenge Zeus. Feeling that he was too weak, Endymion thought of giving up but he fought hard until Zeus decided to turn him into a grasshopper, " I said but before I could finish, Chris pushed aside his fear and parted his lips as to speak. Knowing too well what he was going to ask, I held up my hand, which made his lips clamp shut.

"He did this because he felt that Endymion was a man who took great leaps. To ensure the safety of humans around the world, Selene scattered her people across the universe. And then she made Endymion into the North Star, which if you look very close at is green. We believe that Selene made Endymion into a star so that one day the werewolves could find their way back home to her and her king," I explained, sighing.

At first Chris didn't say anything. Instead, he started flipping through the pages until he stopped at one with a green amulet similar to the one hanging from my neck.

"The necklace you have around your neck resembles Endymion and his sheep...er...in this case, wolves. Whoever has this amulet, which is you, has the power to go anywhere you want to go. All you have to do is ask," he explained, caressing the page.

I looked at Daniel and when I did, he didn't turn away. His eyes were filled with a chagrin I couldn't fathom and his cheeks were red beyond description. He knew I would want to know how he came into possession of a jewel with this power. But as my eyes bore into his, he didn't say a word.

"Wow, I wonder if you really can..." Beth started, amazed.

"It would be so awesome if you could," Chris added, pushing his glasses up.

"This jewel mustn't be fooled with," Daniel whispered, getting up and leaving the room.

Beth and I exchanged worried glances. Then, without hesitating, I left the table and followed my cousin into the living room. He was sitting on the couch staring off into space. There was no source of recognizable emotion on his face. For some reason, Daniel reminded me of a statue, altered by time.

"I don't...understand whats going on with you," I admitted, sighing.

"In time you will," he replied, smiling half-heartedly.