Hey everyone. So I just finished writing a short story that I'll probably be submiting for my short story writing class. I'm really nervous about it, so it would really be great if I could get some feedback on it before handing it in for assessment. Any comments on what's working and what's not would really be appreciated. Okay, so now the story. As I've already mentioned, I'm writing a paranormal novel about werewolves, however, as it might take me a while to actually get it done, when I had to decide on a topic for my publication book, I decided to write a series of short stories that precede the novel's storyline. Anyway, this story is the last of the series. It's a tragic love story (so I warn you now that there is no happy ending). My original characters are called Adam and Leah, but I changed them to Malex in order to better persuade you wonderful readers to review it. It's a win-win situation lol. Crap, that was long... sorry to those who actually read this spew. Sigh... so without further ado, I present to you:
Until The End
I can still recall that day vividly. There isn't a moment that goes by when I don't think of it. It's just one of those days that will forever hold a place in my heart…
I was eighteen at the time. A starving artist making a living off drawing portraits on the streets. I draw scenery and architecture as well and once I sold a sketch of the city for the price of a new sleeping bag. I didn't have a home and I didn't have much to eat, but I got to sleep under the stars every night and I knew a lot of folks with kind hearts. I may have been poor, but I was content.
That day however, it turned my world upside down.
It was mid afternoon and I had just finished drawing a portrait of a little girl with the cutest golden curls. Her mother needed to run some errands and had left the girl in my care (she had been a bit reluctant, understandably, but the little girl was surprisingly persistent). When the portrait was finished, the mother still hadn't returned and the little girl asked if she could draw me as well. I was down to my last few sheets when they left, but the smile on the little girl's face made it completely worth it. Seeing no one else around, I decided to draw my surroundings. It was somewhat of a ritual. Since I spent each day in a different spot of the city, I always ended my day with a sketch of where I'd been. I was halfway through my sketch when I heard someone clear their throat. I glanced up and I swear my breath got knocked out of me. I don't want to sound cliché and say that she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, but that's what she was to me (and I'd seen my share of beautiful girls). Of course, after her, no other girl ever caught my eye again. There was just something about her, something special. It called to me, compelled me, and I just couldn't find the strength to turn away. She stood there with a smile and asked if it was too late to get her portrait done. I said no.
It had taken me longer than usual to finish it. I just couldn't get it to perfection. There was always something amiss even when I'd just fixed it. But alas I had done it (or as close to it as I was gonna get) and I nervously showed it to her.
Her gentle smile suddenly fell as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. I held my breath, awaiting her reaction, as I watched her studying the drawing.
"Wow," she finally let out in a whisper, her eyes still glued to the portrait, "This is amazing"
I felt the blush creeping onto my cheeks, but I managed to mumble a "thank you".
She finally lowered the drawing and our eyes met. I could drown in those eyes. They were so deep, so soulful… I knew I already had it bad.
"How much is it?" she asked.
I'd heard her talk. I did. But for some reason it didn't register and I just sat there staring at her. However, seeing her pulling out money from her purse snapped me out of it and I quickly started waving my hands, saying that it was on the house.
"I can't just take it." she replied.
"A gift." I stated softly, offering her a shy smile.
She returned the smile and went back to looking at the drawing. And I just continued staring at her. I couldn't help it. I knew once she left, I'd never see her again and I wanted to have her image engraved in my mind. She was just that beautiful.
"Would you like to join me for dinner?" she suddenly asked.
"Sorry?"
"This is really beautiful," she stated with a glance towards the portrait, "It's worth at least a nice dinner"
"You don't have to do that." I replied, though the mention of dinner quickly refueled the hunger I'd been ignoring till now.
"I want to," she said, "Besides, you must be hungry."
And right on cue, my stomach started grumbling.
She smiled at me triumphantly and I just chuckled sheepishly.
"C'mon, let's go."
I nodded once and after quickly packing my things, we were off.
She took me to a nice diner a few blocks away. I'd been there once a while ago. After drawing the chef's daughter one morning, he offered me lunch as payment. I had a burger and some soup. It was nice.
"What can I get you two?" a waiter asked.
I glanced nervously at the menu, not really knowing what I was allowed to order. I didn't want to push it by making her pay too much.
"Order anything you want." she said with that warm smile of hers.
My stomach grumbled again and I quickly ordered a mixed meat platter with vegetables.
"And for you miss?"
"I'll have the steak, but could you make it really rare please?"
"Certainly miss." the waiter replied before walking away.
"That's an odd dish for a lady" I couldn't help pointing out.
"What can I say? I like my meat." she stated with a mischievous grin.
And I couldn't help but stare at her once again. She was definitely very different from any girl I'd ever met and I was completely captivated.
"I'm Marissa." she said and it was only then that I realized we'd never introduced ourselves.
"Alex." I replied.
And that's how it all started…
Marissa showed up the next day, but how she knew where to find me was beyond me at the time. She came early morning when I'd just finished setting up my stuff. She had a picnic basket with her and we ate breakfast together. When a young couple asked if they could get their portrait done, I assumed she would leave, but she just sat back and made herself comfortable. In contrast, I grew immensely uneasy. Having her behind me, watching me draw, it just made it really difficult to focus.
I guessed she sensed my discomfort as she offered to leave once the couple had walked away.
"No, no," I quickly replied, "It's fine."
And of course it was fine. I'd much rather put up with the slight discomfort of having her watch me draw than not have her there at all.
That day went by enjoyably. I only ever had a few customers a day, so when there was nothing to be done, we'd just talked and got to know each other. She told me about her job at the bookstore around the corner, how she worked there a couple of days a week just for the love of being surrounded by so many books.
"It's all about the employee's discount." she'd stated with a giggle.
She went on talking about her passions and hobbies and even threw in some embarrassing childhood stories. I was fascinated by every single word that came out of her mouth, but I also found it extremely unnerving how she could make herself sound so normal when I knew she was anything but. I couldn't place a finger on it, but something deep down told me she wasn't your average girl. There was just something about her, something almost inhuman… but I would find out soon enough.
A month had passed and I'd seen Marissa almost every day. Sometimes she'd bring me breakfast before leaving for work or to run errands, and sometimes (most of the time) she'd spend all day with me. I never told her where I'd be the next day, but somehow she always found me.
I'd fallen for her. There was no denying it. But I had no clue as to how she felt. I knew she enjoyed spending time with me. Her smile gave her away. But I would never dare make the first move.
Fortunately for me, she did.
We had finished dinner one night and I was walking her home.
"Would you like to come up?" she asked as we reached her building.
This had become a routine as well. Ever since she found out I didn't have a home, she made a habit out of asking me to stay the night every time I walked her home, and every time I declined. She lived in a one bedroom apartment and I just didn't agree with sharing such a small space with a girl I wasn't involved with (especially since I wanted to be involved with her).
"Just for coffee?" she then asked as I opened my mouth to reply.
I raised an eyebrow at her and she giggled.
"You know why I don't." I whispered apologetically.
She sighed and placed a gentle hand on my cheek. "You're too chivalrous for your own good." she stated softly.
And as she caressed my cheek, I couldn't help leaning into the warm touch. But while we stood there, just gazing at each other, I saw something change in her eyes. Topaz flickered where they were once blue. It was something I'd never seen before. Then all of a sudden, she kissed me. It was so soft and gentle. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven.
I heard her chuckle and I had to struggle to get my eyes open.
"Now you have to come up or I'll feel rejected." she stated with a sly yet somehow still shy grin.
My brows furrowed as I realized what she'd done, but I couldn't help chuckling as well. "You're a little sneak aren't you?"
She stuck her tongue out at me teasingly before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the building.
My life was never the same.
I awoke the following morning with a smile that would permanently be plastered on my face. I felt rich for the first time and it had nothing to do with having a roof over my head or the three meals I now had per day. I had Marissa to thank for this sudden happiness and I was determined not to lose it.
I had just finished packing up my things and I was happily making my way to the bookstore to pick Marissa up. I'd ended my day a bit early, so as I walked into the store, she was still working. Not wanting to disturb her, I decided to take a seat at a table nearby, but even before taking the first step, she glanced up and instantly locked eyes with me. She smiled that dazzling smile of hers and I had to release the breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
I'm not sure what had me distracted, but I jumped in my seat when Marissa suddenly wrapped her arms around my shoulders. She giggled as I turned around to face her then kissed me on the cheek.
"Happy anniversary." I said dreamily.
She just smiled and I placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"Mmm… Happy anniversary," she replied, "I can't believe it's been six months." she then added.
Though there was still a smile on her face, there was something wrong with the way she'd said it. It was as if she'd been expecting something to have happened within those months, something she was sure would occur, but was glad it didn't. I could tell it had been on her mind for a while, but she quickly discarded the thought and dragged us out of the shop.
We headed to a beach just outside the city. I'd never been there before and the mere sight of it blew me away. I couldn't help feeling inspired.
"I'll bring you here during the day so you can draw it."
She knew me too well.
We spent most of our time in the city (I'd never been outside it actually), so we decided a change of scenery was what we needed to celebrate this special occasion. And so we settled into out little picnic on the sand. It was truly a magical night. All around silence enveloped us except for the gentle lulling of the waves as they crashed onto shore and the tender whispers of the cool evening breeze. It was perfect.
"Well what do we have here?" a deep voice suddenly called from behind me.
I caught sight of the horror behind Marissa's composed features and I knew this was what she'd been expecting. But she wasn't scared for her. She was scared for me. And that threw me off, bringing me back into the irresolvable mystery that was her.
"Are we interrupting your little date?" the voice spoke again.
I slowly turned around and was met by a group of four guys. They were all of different builds and though it was quite chilly, none of them seem to mind the least bit being topless. The one thing I noticed they all had in common was the colour of their eyes. Even in the dark, I could tell they were all topaz. I glanced back at Marissa and her fear was more pronounced. I knew secrets were about to be unfolded.
"What do you want Ryan?" Marissa asked, the dread in her eyes dissipating as the obvious annoyance towards the guy took over.
"Come now Marissa," Ryan replied with mock innocence, "You've barely been around the last six months. We just wanted to know who'd taken you from us."
"Taken?!" I asked subconsciously while stealing another glance at Marissa. Her expression this time was apologetic, but they hardened the moment she turned back to Ryan.
"Leave Ryan." she ordered.
"As soon as you come with us babe." he replied with a grin forming on his face.
I'd had enough.
"Marissa doesn't belong to you. She can come and go as she pleases with whoever she wants."
His grin turned devious and the look was reflected on his buddies' faces.
"That's where you're wrong, human. She belongs to us and we're not leaving without her."
Suddenly a low rumbling noise resonated through the air and my head instinctively turned towards Marissa.
Did she just growl?
I saw her eyes flicker to topaz and I fell back into the sand with the realization that they could in fact not be human.
"I think your girl is starting to freak out." I heard one of the other guys say.
And before I knew it, Marissa was kneeling next to me. I looked into her eyes, her warm brown apologetic eyes, and all I could see was Marissa, my Marissa, the girl I'd fallen in love with.
"Let's get out of here." she whispered with a gentle stroke to my cheek.
I simply nodded and she helped me up.
"Don't even think about it Ryan." she threatened just as he was about to take a step towards us.
"Fine, fine," he replied as he threw his hands up in defeat, "Let's get outta here boys."
I didn't see them leave. I was still staring at Marissa. But she refused to meet my gaze and simply nudged me in the direction from where we'd come.
We walked in silence. She seemed deep in thought and I didn't know what to say or if I should even say anything at all. But when we finally reached her apartment, I couldn't bear the silence any longer.
"Who were those guys?" I asked.
She didn't reply right away and she still wouldn't look at me.
Then she sighed. "I haven't been completely honest with you Alex…" she whispered.
I furrowed my brows. "What about?"
It was silent again. I was starting to get worried.
She finally turned to me, her movements very cautious. I could see the inner turmoil she was still battling with.
She was scared. She was very scared. She trembled visibly as she slowly took off her jacket and shoes, but it confused me when her top and pants formed a pile on the couch.
"What are you doing?" I asked meekly.
She swallowed loudly. "I need to show you something…"
I just furrowed by brows, my mind gone blank, and just braced myself as she took a long deep breath.
A barely audible "I'm sorry" echoed in the room and not a second later, a soft silvery spark erupted from within her. My eyes squinted as the light intensified, enveloping her completely and making her barely visible. The next thing I knew, it had gone dark, and as I opened my eyes, a large wolf stood in the spot where Marissa had previously been.
On impulse, I jumped back, pressing my back against the wall. My gaze was still on the creature in front of me and though it shouldn't be possible, I knew it was Marissa. The wolf's fur was the same colour as Marissa's hair and though its eyes were completely topaz now, they were the same ones I'd caught glimpses of before. But even knowing it was her, I still found myself pressing further into the wall when she raised a paw to move.
She sat back on her hind legs and bowed her head slightly. She wasn't going to hurt me, but I still couldn't move. A quiet whimper sounded and my eyes widened as I watched the wolf turn back into its human form. It didn't help. Marissa sat across the room with her knees pressed tightly against her chest, shaking in her bare skin and still there was nothing I could do. I wanted to cover her, to comfort her, to tell her I still loved her, but I just couldn't move. I was frozen.
But if there's one thing I could never handle, it's seeing a girl cry, and when a lone tear made its way down her delicate cheek, that's all it took for me to regain my senses.
Taking very cautious steps, I slowly made my way towards her. I felt her gaze on me as I grabbed the blanket off the couch (the one she'd given me to use) and wrapped it around her. I just sat on my knees, gently rubbing her arms, and as I gazed into her soulful brown orbs, the surprised look on her face, I couldn't help the smile that started forming on mine.
"You don't have to stay." she whispered weakly.
It should've been the other way around, but she was scared of me now, scared of my thoughts and what I would do. But there was nothing to be scared off. Nothing would ever change the way I felt for her.
I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to hers. As I pulled back, I had to refrain from chuckling as I laid my eyes on the look of pure terror she possessed.
"I love you," I told her, "I will always love you."
And the next thing I knew, she was pressed against my chest, arms wrapped tightly around like I'd just given her the greatest gift she'd ever received.
But the night was far from over. After getting dressed, Marissa told me about the guys at the beach, "The Rebels" as they called themselves, and how Ryan had been chasing her for years. She told me about the Riverside pack and how they made sure their life was kept secret from humans. Most of them lived in the uninhabited woods adjacent to the beach, where they were free to roam in their wolf form. I cringed when she mentioned that that was where the full moon hunts were held. She explained that they could change form at will, but during full moons, it was nearly impossible to resist the transformation and the hunger that came with it.
At least now I knew why she always disappeared once a month.
Another six months had gone by and we were celebrating Marissa's twenty-first birthday. When asked what she wanted to do, she replied, "I just want to be with you", so we stayed home and enjoyed a home cooked dinner by candlelight.
We were cuddled on the couch watching a movie when I took note of her fidgety hands. She'd also been extremely quiet, I'd realized.
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
She let out a breath and tilted her head to face me. Taking my hand and interlacing our fingers, she replied, "I need to talk to you about something".
My heart started racing until I read her expression. There was no fear in her eyes this time. I was surprised to find only embarrassment gleaming above the growing blush on her cheeks.
Curiosity spread like a flame inside of me, but I waited patiently for Marissa to speak.
"You need to know that I don't mean to pressure you," she started quietly, "But… remember what I told you about lifemates?"
I nodded. She'd told me how all wolves had a destined lifemate, a soulmate or other half. They could go through numerous partners, all meaningless flings, but once they caught their lifemate's scent, an aroma too captivating to resist, no one else would matter and their devotion would be absolute.
"Well," she went on hesitantly, "Lifemates have to be marked… and that usually happens when one of them turns twenty-one."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You want to mark me?"
"It's for protection as well," she added quickly, "Lifemates are off limit. No harm can come to them, it's against wolf law."
She was worried. We'd had a few run-ins with Ryan and the others since that night at the beach and each time it got more difficult getting rid of them.
"How do you mark a lifemate?" I asked meekly, though I had a pretty good idea of what her answer would be.
She brought a hand to my face and stroked it gently. "In your case," she stated, "You'd have to become…"
"A wolf." I concluded.
She nodded sadly and stroked my cheek again. I leaned into the touch.
"We don't have to do it," she whispered, "It would be safer, but I'm happy the way we are. I just want you to know that, with or without the mark, you're my lifemate. There will never be anyone else."
A loud howl echoed through the woods. My ears perked up at the sweet sound and with a grin plastered on my face, I swiftly leaped through the trees towards the source. Marissa barked anxiously when I approached her and I nuzzled my nose affectionately into the soft fur of her neck.
It had been a year since she'd marked me. After getting through those excruciating first three days, it didn't take much to settle into my new life. It had been a small price to pay for a lifetime with Marissa.
We were untouchable according to wolf law, but Marissa was still worried. Full moon was approaching and she'd warned me that rational thinking was often clouded by the anticipation of the hunt. I didn't give it much thought though. I was too happy just being with her.
What a fool I'd been.
It happened at the beach. Marissa and I had decided to watch the sunset before joining the pack for the hunt. As if out of habit, the Rebels appeared and Marissa instantly wrapped her arms around me protectively. Ryan had grown incredibly jealous over time and he'd never forgiven the pack for welcoming me. I heard him snarl and not a moment later, two of the others were tearing Marissa away from me. It all happened so fast. One minute I was looking at Marissa struggling against the guys' hold and the next I saw Ryan charging at me in his wolf form. I didn't see it coming. No one saw it coming. Somehow Marissa managed to free herself, and just before Ryan attacked me…
I remember the silence that followed. I remember falling on my knees beside Marissa's lifeless body, a crown of blooded teeth marks adorning her once flawlessly smooth neck. I remember Ryan's agonized howl as he ran off with the rest of his gang.
I didn't hunt that night, nor during the following full moon or the one after that. I tore myself away from every tradition that would remind me of Marissa.
My lifemate was dead, and half of me had died with her.
Now, five years later, I'm still alone. I can barely leave the house though it holds nothing but memories of Marissa. It's full moon tonight, but I feel no hunger. I make my way to the beach, change into my wolf form, and as I hear the hungry howls of my pack, I howl deeply into the night for the one I've lost, the only one I'll love until the end.
What do you think??