Silence of Freedom

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“What’s wrong with me?” I asked bringing my shaking hands up to my eyes.

“Now, Naomi, listen to me,” a familiar voice said behind me.

I turned around slowly and found myself staring into gorgeous green eyes with gold flecks in them.

“Who-Who are you?” I asked in a frightened voice,” Are you going to hurt me, too?”

“Naomi, honey, it’s alright. I’m Blake, remember?” the boy asked me. I looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Do you remember me at all?” he pleaded in a soft voice.

I tilted my head to the side and nodded no. He sighed sadly and walked over to me.

“Don’t come any closer!” I shrieked.

I threw up my hands to shield him but he still knelt down in front of me.

“Naomi,” he whispered.

I looked up and watched him threw my fingers. He took my hands in his and held them close to him.

“I’m so sorry, Naomi,” he said and tears welled up in his eyes,” This was my entire fault. I should have never let you go alone.”

He slowly traced my palm. I followed his gaze and winced as I saw sharp, claws instead of regular fingernails on my hands.

“Hey, you’re doing fine,” Blake whispered,” I’ll get you out of here, alright? Trust me.”

“Trust you,” I said slowly,” Blake.”

He looked into my dark gold eyes and smiled. I gasped as I saw that he had two sharp, canine teeth like me. I looked down at his hands and saw two claws just like mine.

“You are like me?” I asked slowly and licked my lips.

“Yes, Naomi, I’m just like you,” he whispered and looked around cautiously.

“Why are you nervous?” I asked. I looked at him more closely. He had short, dark brown hair with bangs that almost covered his smoldering green eyes; His skin a tan but dark color all at the same time. He looked to be seventeen or eighteen years of age " almost the same age as I was, I was eighteen.

“Naomi?” he asked me. I listened to his voice; he had a slight Irish accent.

“How old are you?” I asked me.

“Seventeen,” he blinked at me.

I nodded my head and continued to stare at him.

“Where am I?” I whispered and glanced around like he did.

He looked at me with concern and sighed. He dragged his free hand through his hair.

“You were trying to save someone very dear to you but they caught you. He set you up…the person you were trying to save set you up. You were brought to a research lab to the farthest in Alaska as they could go. They ran tests on you,” I looked at him with wide eyes and I sagged against the wall,” Naomi, Naomi, listen to me. They don’t know I am like you, alright? They think I am just an average guy. Look at me, Naomi,” I looked into his green eyes,” I’m going to get you out of here, alright? If they found out what I am, I can’t get you out of here, okay?”

“I can’t tell anyone,” I whispered.

“Yes, honey, that’s right,” he said and watched me carefully.

“I…I don’t understand,” I asked him,” Why do you want to save me?”

“Because, Naomi,” he made me look at him,” I care for you. I can’t let them keep you in here for all eternity with me sitting outside in grief.”

“Alright, it’s time for you to go!” someone said outside of the metal door.

I looked up at Blake as he stood up. He helped me up and brought me into a crushing hug.

“Don’t give up, honey,” he whispered and kissed my cheek,” Stay alive.”

He left out the door hesitantly as he saw somebody in a white lab coat standing on the other side of the doorway. I watched the person in the coat walk in and I scooted against the wall. He brought out a needle and I whimpered. He stuck the tip of the needle into a small bottle with clear liquid. When he brought it up, he flicked it with a finger and came towards me.

“Naomi, calm down, Naomi,” he said my name soothingly.

“Stay away!” I screamed and dove for the other corner.

“Now don’t make me hurt you,” he said in a weird tone,” Come on.”

“No!” I growled.

He laughed mechanically and dove for me.  He caught my arm and drove the needle into my forearm. I winced and then I felt my eyelids start to close. I struggled against the iron grip on my arms but my eyes shut.

“No,” I mumbled,” Let me go.”

I heard someone laugh and I shuddered. I felt something cold against the back of my neck. I forced my heavy eyelids open and stared in horror as my eyes drifted around the room. I tried to fight against the arms that held me down to the chair but I was too weak. They latched my wrists and legs down to the table with metal straps. I felt something cold on my forehead. I struggled but it was no use. Then, a man walked in with an evil smirk on his face.

“Well, child, are you going to cooperate with us this time?” he asked,” I don’t want to hurt you again.”

I shrunk in the chair against his icy glare.

“What do you want?” I asked curiously.

“All we need to know is where we can find your little wolf friends,” he said and placed his hands behind his back,” Is Blake really your boyfriend…is he even human? We just need you to give us some information and you are free to go.”

“You’ll kill them…all of them,” I objected.

“Come now, Naomi, do you care about them more than your own life? Just betray them like they did you; like Blake betrayed you,” he said.

“No!” I yelled, trying to sound fierce but it came out in a whisper.

He grinned and snapped his pale fingers. A shock coursed through my body and I screamed, arching my back in pain. I heard something like a bang outside the thick, concrete walls.

“You want to know what the funny thing is, dear?” the man said and chuckled,” They thought you were going to save them. I guess they were wrong about that.”

The pain faded away slowly and I came back to my senses.

“Why did you kidnap me?” I growled,” I didn’t do anything to you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he whispered and leaned closer to me where our faces were just inches apart,” You were supposed to get married to my son, Alex. But instead, you ran off into the open and Blake took you in. He said that he lives in a cabin but…we think otherwise. You protected those wolves that were destroying the peoples’ cattle.”

“They did no such thing!” I growled and snapped my teeth.

He jumped back and slapped me across the face. My head swung to the side and tears formed in my eyes.

“I’ll never tell you anything,” I hissed,” You’ll kill me either way.”

“We’ll see, girl, we’ll see,” he walked over to another man in a lab coat and whispered into his ear. He grinned slightly and said something back. When he turned back around, he smirked and left. I glared at the other man as he neared me cautiously. He quickly took out a sharp looking blade. Its edges were jagged but I doubted it was dull. The blade was black with a hilt blood red. He came closer to me and I growled menacingly.

“You can’t do anything to me, Naomi,” he drew out my name.

He placed the blade against my neck and pressed down. I gasped in pain as he drew it down my neck. He straightened up after what I thought an eternity and smirked at me. I looked at the blade and saw it covered in blood. Then, I felt the fire in my neck where he had cut me. I winced and cried out as it throbbed.

“Now, you better behave yourself,” he said and undid the straps me from the chair. He grabbed my arm and drew me up but then I collapsed against him. He stiffened but then forcefully picked me up and carried me to my “room”. He flung me down onto the cot and I cried out in pain as my neck twisted.

“See you later,” he said. I heard the door shut with a metallic click and keys turning the lock shortly after.

It’s not like I can hurt any of them in my state anyway, I thought to myself. I slowly reached up and touched the tender spot on my neck. I felt something warm and sticky. I withdrew my hand and saw it covered in blood. I groaned and placed the only blanket I had against it. I felt my eyelids growing heavy but I didn’t want to go to sleep. What happened if that’s what they wanted me to do…fall asleep and then they would kill me or something? But this time I couldn’t resist as my eyelids finally closed. Darkness surrounded me as I felt myself slipping away.

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I looked around me and saw that I was laying in a bed…not a cot but a bed with pillows, a comforter, and sheets. I slowly sat up and flung my legs over the edge.

Is this a dream? I asked myself, Are they tricking me?

I stared at the huge room I was in. It was a fairly large room with a dark wood computer desk in one corner of the room. I slowly walked over to it and ran my hand over it. It was smooth and polished. I turned around and found a closet. I walked over to it and pulled the sliding door open. I gasped as I walked into the walk in closet. It was filled with clothes…there must have been hundreds of outfits. I hurriedly closed the door behind me and shook my head. I glanced at the pictures hanging on my forest green walls. They were all wolves; white wolves, russet colored wolves; gray wolves; black wolves. They all stared at me with gold piercing eyes…it was like they were watching me. I shuddered at the thought and walked over to the curtains. I pulled them aside and I shook my head in amazement. I opened the cream colored balcony doors and walked outside. The air was crisp and cool with a smell of pine needles. I breathed in…I loved the smell of pine needles; they’re refreshing in a way. I watched the sunrise over the pine trees. The colors slowly formed in the sky; red, light blue, purple, pink, orange. It was stunning. I looked down and saw a beautiful white marble fountain in the middle of a cobblestone path. The stone path worked its way towards something behind the trees. The patio was covered in roses of every color imaginable, a marble table with chairs as well as a bench pressed against the house close to the door. Suddenly, I saw something move in the forest. I couldn’t quite tell what it was but I got the feeling something was watching me. I walked back inside and found someone opening the door. As it opened all the way, a woman walked into my room. She had long, flowing blond hair with big blue eyes. She looked to be five feet eight inches. She had ivory skin and her finger nails were painted a deep red. She smiled at me warmly and placed an arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, darling, how are you today?” she asked me,” Are you feeling any better? Yesterday you weren’t feeling well… you don’t look as pale.”

“No, I’m fine,” I reassured her,” Um, who are you?”

“Oh, Naomi, stop joking around,” she said and looked into my eyes with concern.

Then, I recognized her as my mother. I was surprised at first but shrugged my shoulders. I smiled at her playfully.

“That was not funny, daughter,” she said in an angry tone.

“Sorry, mother,” I teased.

She rolled her eyes at me and then stepped back. She grabbed my shoulders and stirred me towards my closet. She opened it and pulled out an outfit. I don’t even remember if I had seen it in there before.

“Put this on and then meet us downstairs for breakfast,” she said and laid them on my bed. She closed the door and I slowly walked over to the bed. I sat down heavily and stared at the door in shock.

“Where am I?” I asked myself in wonder. I shook my head and changed into the outfit my mom had laid out for me. I looked into the mirror as I brushed my dark brown hair. My eyes were the same dark gold color and my skin was slightly tan. I looked down at my outfit. The top was a dark red t-shirt and the jeans were dark. I slipped on a pair of black tennis shoes and after putting my hair up in a ponytail, I walked downstairs. My hand trailed down the rail as I slowly walked down the stairs. I looked at the lovely paintings covering the walls. Some were of horses, some were of lighthouses with waves crashing against the rocks…it was a large variety. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, my mouth fell open. This house was huge! The hallway was huge! I walked into the living room with wide-eyes. There was a black piano in the corner near the windows. The fireplace emitted a warm glow from the fire. A black couch was positioned in front of the fireplace that could fit about four or five while two love sits sat beside it. A black table sat in the middle with a glass top; a dark blue ceramic bowl sat in the middle. The cream colored carpet looked like it had just been vacuumed… everything looked like it had all just been cleaned. I walked towards a cabinet and looked at the little figurines in the glass. There were wolves howling, lions lying down, and panthers ready to pounce on its prey. And, it seemed, that all the figurines had some sort of ceramic plate that looked exactly like them.

That’s interesting…, I thought to myself.

“Oh, there you are, Naomi,” a male’s voice said from behind me. I saw the back of his head walk in a door off to the right. When I walked in there, a small shriek escaped my lips. I stared at the man that sat in a chair at an oak table. He looked up at me with loving blue eyes and smiled warmly.

“Are you alright, dear?” he asked me.

 

“Yes, sir,” I muttered. I sat down heavily in my chair and stared at him. He looked exactly like a guy I saw wearing a lab coat earlier…or in my dream. Either way, it was my father.

“So, do you know what you want to do today?” he asked me while reading the newspaper.

“No, why?” I asked,” What’s so special about today?”

He looked up from the newspaper with his eyebrows raised.

“Today’s your birthday,” he said and shook his head.

“You need to stop doing that; you gave your mother quite a fright upstairs,” he said and picked up the paper again.

“Sorry, sir,” I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

“Now, Naomi, just eat your breakfast and then you can go outside,” my mother said.

“What’s outside?” I asked quietly.

“Naomi, sweetheart,” my mother walked over to me and placed a warm hand against my forehead,” are you feeling alright? You looked rather awful yesterday.”

She looked up to my father in worry,” Maybe we should take her to a doctor, Jonathan. I’m getting a little worried. Maybe she hit her head a little bit too hard yesterday. What happens if she has amnesia!?”

 “Martha, she’s fine. She has her color back. She’s fine,” Jonathan said with a warm smile as he winked at me.

“Mom, may I go outside now. I think some fresh air might do me some good " it is kind of stuffy in here,” I whisper, looking out the French doors, towards the forest which seemed to be calling me.

“Yes, of course. I’ll turn the air down and open some windows,” my mother said and waved me off. I quickly stood to my feet and walked to the door but got stopped my father, who’s arm had encircled my shoulders. I tensed up as he smiled down at me.

“Be back in an hour, kiddo. We have a surprise for you,” he said brightly and opened the sliding door.

“Now, off you go. Don’t get to roughed up,” he called out to me as I took off running down the cobblestone path.

I ran through the woods quickly before collapsing down next to a small stream that was trickling quietly in the silence. I stared down at my hands, looking at my normal " human " fingernails. I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to search for something " maybe if I was in a dream or something. I heard a twig snap next to me and my head swiveled quickly towards the sound that seemed to echo in the still forest.

“Is anybody there?” I called out quietly, fearing for my life " maybe it was the man in the lab coat coming to fetch me… my so " called father.

“Hello?” I whisper in a quivering voice.

I heard a slight growl of annoyance from what seemed to be a wolf and then everything grew deathly still. Even the wind just stopped. Did the wind do that? Could it even do that? I didn’t really know.

“I-I’m just hearing things… right? I must be,” I whispered to myself, scared for my life. I slowly looked around me and licked my lips. I sighed in relief and placed a hand over my rapidly beating heart, trying to slow my breathing. But then, I saw something in the bushes just a few feet away from me. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to scream. Covered in shadow, I couldn’t see what it was " but I could see that it was big, scaringly big. I whimpered as creatures green eyes flickered towards me and then they just stared at me. They changed to burnished gold as just enough sunlight hit its eyes and they gradually changed back to green. It seemed like hours as we continued to stare at each other. I wasn’t staring in wonder, but in fright. What was it waiting for? I knew it couldn’t be a deer. The eyes had the look of predator, a big predator " it had the look that it was ready to kill, and I was its target. It suddenly shifted slightly and I jumped back, pressing my back against the trunk of a tree. I could feel the bark leaving impressions in my soft skin. It took a step forward and I screamed hoarsely. I threw up my arms in front of my face, almost involuntarily, to shield the monster off as best as I could. I knew I was dead.

I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I kept thinking in my mind. I waited to fill the stinging pain followed by the biting freeze of death to take me over, however instead of feeling cold, or pain for that matter, I felt warm, rough hands encircle my wrists gently.

“Naomi?” a masculine voice whispered to me in my ear, the man’s breath tickled the hairs at the back of my neck, making me shiver.

“Naomi, how did you get out?” he whispered again, shaking me slightly.

“W-what do you want with me?” I said, almost inaudibly.

“Look at me,” he breathed in my face, making my head swim.

He slowly lowered my arms and tilted my face up as I cautiously opened my eyes. His face slowly formed in my vision and I gasped.

“Y-you can’t be real! It was a dream…. Just a dream!” I exclaimed in surprise.

“No, Naomi, it wasn’t a dream. Remember what they did to you? They tested,” he spit out the word like it was poison,” on you for months. I thought you would die in there, and then one day you weren’t there. I couldn’t smell your scent anymore " I thought something had happened to you. That’s when I found out they brought you back to your old house. I still don’t have all the answers as to why, but … they must be trying to trick you into thinking that you are safe here.”

“Please, Naomi, remember the past? Remember the pack, our pack,” he pleaded. A vision appeared before my eyes but just as quickly disappeared, he went on,” You can’t forget, you must remember. Remember Rosebud and Grey-tail? And their two beautiful pups, Raindrop and Cobweb? You must remember, Naomi, my love? Please, remember, if not for me, for them. You promised them you would take care of them…. as their Alpha along with me.”

Another image crossed my mind and I clinched my eyes shut, holding on to that image. It was when I first came across the pack after running away from home… from an arranged marriage. Blake had saved me… he loved me " he loves me. I love him. I suddenly looked up and I saw his frowning face suddenly brighten considerably, his smile almost blinding my eyes with his perfect, white teeth.

“I remember,” I whispered and then smiled at him slightly,” Oh, Blake, I remember.”

I flung my arms around him and wept, my claws digging into his muscled back.

“Come, we must leave this dreadful place before they realize you have gone. We will take the pack far away from hear. We’ve heard rumors of a place where wolves run free and proud. We will find that place, my love,” Blake whispered, trailing a finger down my cheek.

He lifted me with ease into his arms before taking off at an inhuman paced run, away from this … cage.

“We will find this promised land " I have heard that there are so many deer and antelope there that all packs have more then they need, and rivers " pure and clean from any human toxic wastes. The mountains are said to be so high they touch the heavens. And during the night, the stars are like a magical wonder, making the place sparkle as the moon baths everything in its breathtaking light. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect place, Naomi? I promised you to find the best for you, and the pack of course, but I think we’ve finally found our place.”

“A place in this world,” I whispered quietly with a small smile across my face. I heard Blake chuckle deeply as I wrapped my arms around his neck, closed my eyes, and listened… listened to the silence of freedom.