Chapter 5: Laney: The Old Me… Oh Wait, I Forgot, She’s Dead

My stomach growled as soon as I heard the Ferrari’s engine cut off. I knew this meant Lenox had returned, and had dinner in hand. I quickly sat on the hideous floral bedspread, of this god forsaken motel I had been stuck in for a month. I adjusted my sweatshirt to hide my ever growing stomach, protecting the small life growing inside me. Lenox smiled as he brought in a bag of takeout.

            “I brought your favorite Angel,” he flashed me a toothy grin and sat down next to me. “One carton of pork lo mien, for my girl.” I swiped the container out of his hands and scarfed it down. He started to unpack the rest of the bag. Crab Rangoon, pot stickers, chicken fried rice, and egg drop soup. Everything I had requested and would surely devour as the night passed.  This baby was growing more and more each day, and each day it demanded more and more food. “Well, someone was hungry…” Lenox trailed off cautiously studying me. His eyes fell on my stomach. Without thinking I tackled him into a passionate kiss.

            “I love you Lenox,” I whispered into his open mouth.

            “Oh Angel,” he pulled back and a triumphed grin began to crawl across his face, “I knew you’d come around. Please darling, let me bring you to the house that will be our home.” I nodded excitedly; this was the first time in a long time I felt like something was going right. Maybe, just maybe, when we got home, I would tell him about the life inside of me. The life we had created.

            He took my hand and led me outside to his bright red Ferrier. He opened the door like a gentleman, and I slid in Chinese food still in hand. As he climbed in he reached over to buckle my seatbelt. I panicked and knocked his hand away.

            “That…. That’s okay Lenox; I got it,” I stammered out. I knew this would make him suspicious. He studied me again cautiously.

            “Angel, Is there something you’d like to tell me?” he asked and turned the key in the ignition. I didn’t answer and resumed eating my dinner. We pulled out of the parking lot without another word. I said a silent goodbye to the sleazy motel that had been my home for the past month.

We pulled up outside a larger than life mansion. I was speechless, with what money could he possibly afford this house. He reached over and clicked a button. On cue, the wrought iron gates in front of us swung inward. Opening the passage for us to enter. We drove slowly up the cobblestone driveway, pulling up under a Grecian column awning. A small boy no more than four years old opened the door for me and took my hand. Lenox emerged from the other side of the car tossing the keys at the young boy.

            “Good evening Master Lenox,” the young boy’s yellow-hazel eyes flickered with excitement as Lenox approached him. Lenox reached down and ruffled the boy’s shaggy black hair.

“Hello Lucious,” Lenox smiled at the young boy. “Please take the keys to your father for me, and have him park the car.” He paused momentarily. “Lucious, this is my dear Angel, you will treat her with all the respect you give me.”

“Yes Master Lenox,” Lucious gave a small bow before he turned to me. “How do you do Mistress Angel?" I gave the boy a small smile, but he ran off before I could answer his question.

“Shall we begin the grand tour?” Lenox asked as he swept me through the grand foyer. The inside of the house was just as majestic as the out. Every inch visible to the eye was covered in the richest of colors. The floor was a black speckled marble, covered with luxurious rugs. On the walls behind the hundreds of gorgeous paintings, hug the most breath-taking golden wallpaper. I turned in all directions, never in my life had I seen such beauty. “Speechless my dear?” Lenox asked leading me up the grand center staircase. For such a large house, it seemed uneasily quiet. Almost as if people were hiding in the shadows, waiting for permission to be seen.

After many twists and turns we finally fell upon large double French doors. “Close your eyes my beauty,” Lenox told me, I obliged. I heard the doors swing open, and he lead me inside. The scent of lavender and vanilla washed over me. Listening carefully, I heard the light trickling of water. “Open them and see the luxury that has been waiting for you.” I cautiously opened my eyes only to be amazed by what I saw before me. A king sized four post canopy bed, covered in the richest royal purple and blood red linens stood in the center of the room. On either side were two dark oak nightstands, one holding a vase filled with an assortment of daisies, and the other was empty, yet inviting, simply waiting to be filled. Four doors led to elsewhere in the room, but the only one that interested me was the one that held a balcony. I rushed over and threw open the doors; I looked out over the edge. Beautiful flower gardens ranged as far as the eye could see. I felt Lenox’s arm wrap around the sides of my waist, and he pressed gently against my back.

“Do you love it?” he whispered in my ear.

“Yes! Yes! Whole heartedly yes!” I turned and rose on my tippy toes to kiss him. We slowly walked towards the grand bed. Just as we had reached it, there was a knock on the door.

Lenox sighed and pulled away from me “Yes, what is it!” he called towards the door. A young woman walked into the room; her belly swollen just like mine.

“I apologize for the interruption Master Lenox, but Ralph has returned with some of the other men. They say they need you immediately,” the young women addressed Lenox, but her eyes never left the floor.

“Fine. I will return shortly my love,” he said to me, then he turned to the young women. “In the meantime though, Collette will help you run a bath and fix you up with some much less drab clothing.” He rose from my side and without another look left, closing the doors behind him. I thought I heard a click, one much like a lock locking, but I soon shook that idea out of my head. Why would he need to lock me in here? I never wanted to leave.

I studied the young servant girl Collette; she was extraordinarily beautiful for such a young age. She couldn’t have been more than twelve. Her long pin-straight, jet black hair was elegantly braided and pinned back into a perfect bun. Her eyes sparkled like topaz, a blue deeper than the ocean; they complemented her olive toned skin perfectly.

            Collette turned to face me, “Is it his?” she asked me. Shock crossed my face.

            “Is… is it really that obvious?” I asked, raising from the bed and walking towards her. If this servant girl had noticed, how had Lenox not.

            “No,” she replied with a shrug, “that’s just my gift. I’m a midwife by trade. Now, I’ll ask again. Is. It. His.”

            “Yes,” I replied hesitantly. Without a word, she turned abruptly and strolled into the bathroom. I heard the water turn on. What a strange girl, why did she care who’s it was, who was she to judge? She was just some simple servant girl, why should I care what she thought?

            “Miss, your bath is ready,” Collette said as she returned, behaving as if nothing had happened. I eyed her suspiciously. I followed her into the bathroom where the large tub was filled with water and bubbles. Steam rolled off the top, and a delicious scent filled the room, like warm sugar cookies. “If that’ll be all miss, I will leave you to bathe. I will return in thirtyish minutes with some fresh clothing. Don’t worry I will help you keep your secret.” She turned and left me alone in the bathroom. I undressed quickly and slid into the bath. The bubbles came up to my ears once I was fully submerged. I let out a long sigh, utterly relaxed. My thoughts swam along with my limbs. What a beautiful house, what a beautiful room. All this for me, Lenox was so kind to me, he must really love me. I couldn’t wait to tell him about our baby. Our baby. Our baby. Our baby. The words rang out in my head. No. No! NO! It couldn’t be true. That night ran through my head.

“We can stop,” he reassured me.

“No, no, I’m ready,” I told him as he slid on top of me.

“You’re beautiful.” That was the love and compassion that had created this baby. Not the terribleness Lenox had forced on me. Please, I closed my eyes and begged, don’t let this child be Lenox. Lenox stole my happiness; he forced me to do things that should only be done when you are in love, and now he had somehow tricked me into believing I loved him.

Collette returned her arms full of clothing. My face must have shown my fear.

“I thought this bath might help break the spell,” she smiled at me, “he stole you from someone else. Someone who truly loved you didn’t he?” The tears ran down my face, and I began to sob, knowing what she said was true. She grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped me in it as I emerged from the tub. “Ralph, his beta, did the same to me. And this baby,” she said placing her hand on her own stomach, “well I just pray it’s not Ralph’s.” I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Beta?” I asked her confused; I wasn’t familiar with the term.

“They are a werewolf pack. The strongest pack in Chicago. You can tell who belongs to his pack, easily though. They all have those unnatural yellow-hazel eyes. Lenox is the leader of the pack, also known as the alpha. Ralph, is Lenox’s second in command, or beta. He calls the shots when Lenox isn’t around. They are notorious for this, stealing young witches away from their true loves.” Her voice was sad. I could see why, she had been in love, just like me. I took the clothes out of her hands and dressed quickly. They didn’t look like they would hide my ballooning belly, but when I looked down my belly had disappeared. I looked at Collette confused. She stepped behind me and took my golden curls in her hands. She started to braid and pin my hair without a word. When she was finished, I stared deep into the mirror, the clothes she picked out made my jade eyes sparkle, and the way she had elegantly tamed my curls made me look so beautiful.

“Collette, how did you hide my baby?” I asked still admiring myself in the mirror.

“I told you; it's my gift,” she said with a shrug. She walked out of the bathroom, and I followed her. Confusion still swam in my head, what had Lenox done to me to make me love him? “The spell he put on you, it’s from the scent the pack wears. It makes them instantly irresistible to humans, and after a while it’ll take a hold of a witch too. Especially one who has been separated from her true love,” Collette explained as she taught me how to work the TV in the bedroom. “That bath I put you in, is something my grandmother taught me on how to overcome such a powerful essence. The scents combine just right to wash out the mind control brought on by the wolves.” 

“I have to get out of here,” I told her, “before the baby is born. And you do too.” I started to pace around the room trying to come up with a plan.

“You don’t think I’ve tried,” she looked at my flabbergasted, “I’ve been trapped her for seven months, it’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible,” I said with a wink. I had an idea.

The next week, whenever we found an alone moment, we gathered supplies for our escape. The weather was turning colder, and we knew we would need a lot to survive on our own. By the end of the week we had a stockpile of blankets, sweaters, and non-perishable foods. We were ready. All we needed now was the chance for us to make our escape. That opportunity came in the form of a pack hunting trip. Lenox woke me that morning with a deep kiss. We still shared a bed, and I had kept up my head over heels act, hoping to earn his trust.

“My dear Angel,” he started, there was some hesitance in his voice, “the pack and I will be going out on our monthly hunting trip this evening. Will you be alright in this big old house, just you and Collette?” He looked at me sheepishly under those long eyelashes. I couldn’t believe he was asking me for permission.

“Oh Lenox,” I faked sadness, “I just don’t know what I’ll do while you’re gone. But I guess Collette and I will watch a movie. That is if you don’t mind renting one for us this evening.”

“Anything for you my love.” He rolled out of bed and got dressed. “I’ll run out and get a movie for you ladies, and all sorts of girly goodies. Collette!” Collette hurried quickly into our room.

“Yes, Master Lenox,” Collette responded.

“Keep my dear Angel company tonight and tomorrow. The pack has official business to attend to.”

“Yes, Master Lenox,” Collette hurried out of the room, but I could see the smile that grew across her face.

Lenox and the pack left around eight that night. “Oh my dear Angel,” Lenox whispered in my ear as he held me passionately, “I swear we will be home by early evening tomorrow. I couldn’t stand to be away from you for more than one night.” Perfect, I thought to myself that will give Collette and I plenty of time to escape. With one more goodbye, they left. Leaving me and Collette alone to begin our escape.

It took us three hours to be sure they were actually gone. We pulled on our packs stuffed with blankets, sweaters, and all the spare cash we could scrounge up. Collette had decided it would be best for us to go out the back through the flower gardens. She told me there were fewer cameras if we went out that way. We stepped out of the house. Fear and excitement rushed through me as we began to run through the gardens. We were doing this! Collette and I would finally escape the clutches of this pack, and hopefully we would find the men who truly loved us again.

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            “I... I can’t f-f-feel my feet,” Collette chattered as we ate the scraps we found in the alley for dinner. We had been on the run and hiding for a two months now, and our food supply had run out weeks ago. I shushed her and wrapped her in my blanket. It wouldn’t be too much longer till she had that baby, hopefully we would have some place to go by then. Every day was the same routine, wake up as soon as the sun rises and find day work to hopefully make a few bucks. Then as soon as the sun went down, we went into stealth mode. We would hide in back alleys, ones overflowing with garbage to mask our scent. So far we hadn’t been discovered. Tonight we were hidden behind a bakery named Till’s Baked Goods. It was a place we often stopped, around closing time the nice owner would bring us out what hadn’t been sold that day.

            “A-a-a-any luck finding us an apart….” Collette’s last word was cut off by her shrieking.

            “Collette! Collette! What’s wrong!?” I panicked.

            “I… I… it’s time. The baby’s coming. NOW,” Collette screamed. This was not the time or the place for this baby to be coming. The snow had started to fall, and we had no way to keep it warm or care for it. We couldn’t go to the hospital for fear of being noticed, let alone how would we pay for such an expense? What were we going to do?

            “What’s with all the racket out here?” the bakery owner questioned as she stuck her head out the back door. The sight she saw must have been horrendous. Collette panting and screaming propped up against a dumpster, me cowering next to her trying to find a way to comfort her and quiet her. “Oh my dear girls,” the bakery owner rushed out towards us, “come with me.” She scooped Collette up in her arms and hurried her into the store, I quickly followed behind. “I’m Tilly,” she called to me as she bounded up the stairs to her room above the shop. She threw open the door and placed Collette down on the bed. “You stay right here with her, child, I’ll go gather the necessary supplies to give birth to this baby,” Tilly commanded me. I dropped to the floor next to Collette and grabbed her hands. Tilly raced back into the room, “I’m ready, girls are you?”

            “Yes!” Collette and I both cried. I held tightly to her hand as Tilly yelled for her to push. A moment of silence washed over the room as Collette gave the final push. The baby didn’t make a sound.

            “What… What’s wrong with my baby,” Collette cried as Tilly frantically performed infant CPR. No one breathed, Tilly pulled away and looked up at us with devastated eyes.

            “I’m sorry child, but the baby didn’t make it,” Tilly came up and held the two of us as we cried. I know Collette and I had only been friends a short while, but we had made plans about how we would raise our children together. How we were going to go home and find our men together? How we would be families again and forever be in each other’s’ lives? How could the baby not have made it? How could all our hopes have been washed away without a single cry? How could we bare to go home now? How?

            The next few weeks went by in what seemed like a flash, Collette grieved over the loss of her son-- she had named him Alric after the love of her life-- but prepared anxiously for the birth of my baby. The owner of the bakery, Tilly, took us in. She too was a witch, although she was in the human world by choice. We explained to her our situation. With a concerned look she explained to me what happens when werewolves produce offspring.

            “Oh my dear,” Aunt Till started, she insisted we called her Aunt because Ms. made her feel old, “male werewolves, well they poses a special skill. In order to grow their packs, when an offspring is born outside of the pack setting, the father werewolf senses it. They are able to find the child no matter how many miles you get away from them. There are spells though that assist in hiding the child.” I gulped. Please don’t let this baby be Lenox’s, I would truly never be able to return to the life I once knew. “Now even if this baby is Lenox’s I will hide you girls, it won’t be easy but I my gift does lie in hiding. They are simple and easy to remember there are only three. One, change your names, you must change your name and never answer to your old name again. Two, all of your witch gifts are no longer your gifts. And three, never ever let your guard down. Now let’s start with number one Collette, what do you want your new name to be?”

            “I guess, Mina, that’s what I was going to name the baby if she was a girl,” Collette replied not even looking up from her book.

            “And you,” Aunt Tilly called to me.

            “Laney.” 

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            Aunt Tilly awoke me from my day-dream with a shake. “Laney, child if you keep zoning out on me you’re going to burn the caramel!” she scolded me. I quickly returned to stirring the caramel hoping it wasn’t already burnt. “Where have you been lately child? It seems every time I turn around your mind if half a mile away,” Aunt Tilly continued scolding me.

            “I’m sorry, just with Lottie’s birthday coming up so quickly, I’ve just been reminiscing lately,” I told her with a sigh.

            “Laney. How many times do I have to tell you, I know you loved him, but that time in your life is over, protecting yourself and Lottie are your ultimate goals.  Now I don’t want to catch you dreaming about him again. It’s not healthy, please try to forget him,” Aunt Tilly begged me. I knew she was just trying to do what was best for me, but anger bubbled up in me anyways, without thinking I snapped.

            “How dare you tell me I should forget him! He was my best friend, my love, we were going to be married! Spend the rest of our lives together! I can’t forget him Aunt Tilly, he’s too big of a part of my heart,” I began to cry, “I can’t forget.” I collapsed to the floor, completely broken and emotionally exhausted. It was easier to forget how to breathe than to forget him. Aunt Tilly sighed and shook her head at me. Slowly she sat on the floor next to me and held me in her arms. We sat there, her just letting me cry the brokenness out, for what seemed like hours before her cell phone pinged. She let go of me and moved to grab the phone.

            “It’s Mina,” she told me, unphased by the fact the tears were still streaming down my face, “She says everything is going good, and our plan should be complete by end of the day. She just needs to corner this Lucas fellow.” I nodded. We had sent Mina to shadow Charlotte today. She was going to hide Charlotte’s aura, just like she had done when Lottie was still inside me.

An aura is much like a finger print that is only visible to beings that possess magic. It’s a series of patterns and colors that wraps around the body like satin. There are some major differences between auras and fingerprints however. For instance, the color types such as, warm or cold colors, are specific to a species. Witches auras ware most often blues, purples, and reds. Werewolves are yellow, green, and orange. Humans are generally gray, brown, black, and white, very plain colors. Another major difference comes when you look at relationships. When looking at auras you can tell what family they belong to, as well as if they are meant for a soul mate, and how much magic one possess. This is why Mina learned how to manipulate our auras in order to hide them. Our auras still look like witches, but they show us related to Aunt Tilly, rather than our original families.