Before I Rise

Em’s POV

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Marcus asked for the hundredth time.

I understood why he was so apprehensive about leaving me alone tonight. It took everything I had not to burst into tears and beg him to stay with me again. But, he already skipped night patrol last night to stay with me. I couldn’t ask him to do it again, especially since I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

“Yes, I will be okay. I promise.” I leaned up from the bed and gave him a kiss to back up my promise.

He pulled up the covers closer to my body as I laid back down. He then just stared at me, the same stare he has been giving me since I woke up this morning. It almost looked like he was trying to memorize every detail of my face. It unnerved me, especially since I’ve been doing the same thing. I have had this feeling in the pit of my stomach since waking up. I was starting to worry he felt the same way.

He let out a long sigh. “Okay, just promise me if anything happens you’ll go get Alicia. I’ve told her what’s going to happen tonight and she knows to be on alert in case anything goes wrong.”

“I will. I’ll be fine Marcus, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll tell you all the details about it tomorrow morning when you get back. Maybe I’ll be lazy tomorrow and just stay in bed with you.”

“I wouldn’t say no to that.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead before standing up and walking to the door. “I love you, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I love you too.”

He gave me one last breathtaking smile before flipping the light off and shutting the door. A strange thought passed through my head as he left. A thought that I wished had never even made its presence known. A thought that this would be the last time I ever see Marcus.

I shook the dark thought away before turning on the TV for background noise. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths in, trying to relax my mind and body. I had to do this, if I didn’t then it would consume me. I had to face my fears. Soon, my body began to grow heavy and I was finally standing in the place of darkness.

I quickly looked around at my surroundings before finally seeing the mirror. The same damn mirror that had been haunting my dreams for weeks. I didn’t wait to be pulled to it, instead I walked as confidently as I could towards it.

My reflection appeared in the mirror as soon as my foot touched the water. As always, my face twisted into a sadistic smile and the eyes turned blue. The reflection reached out and clasped onto my throat. It took everything in me not to fight and run away like always. This time, I would not be a coward. This time I will face this head on.

I took a step towards the mirror and the reflection. As soon as I did, the reflections grip lessened and allowed me to take in a deep breath. After a few more steps the reflection simply had her hands on my shoulders, as if she was guiding me to walk into the mirror. I took one last deep breath, before stepping into the mirror and accepting my fate.

Once I walked through the mirror, I instantly began to fall through the darkness. The reflection did not follow me, I was all alone. After a few minutes of falling, light began to flicker around me. Suddenly, I was slammed onto my hands and knees. Once the initial shock wore off, I took a look at my surroundings.

I was in the middle of a great hallway. It had marble columns and the ceilings were taller than I have ever seen before. There was gold trim along the walls and columns. It reminded me of a palace from a movie Marcus and I had watched recently. I had no clue where I was or why I was even here. I finally stood up as a woman appeared in the hallway. She was wearing a pale blue dress and had a stack of white blankets in her arms. She seemed to be in a hurry as she rushed to where I was.

“Uh…Hello.” I awkwardly said to her, not sure what to do or to even say.

She paid no attention as she continued to walk towards me. She kept up her urgent pace and walked right through me, as if I wasn’t even there. I quickly turned around to see where she had gone. She stopped at a tall golden door that was a few steps behind me and knocked on it. The door sprang opened, revealing another woman in the same dress.

“There you are! What took you so long Cassandra? It’s almost time.” The woman at the door said.

“Forgive me Lia, I did not expect it to take me so long.” The girl in the hallway said, who I assume was Cassandra.

“Never mind, just get in here quickly.”

Before the girl could shut the door I dove in, curious as to what was happening. My mouth dropped wide open as soon as I walked into the room. It was massive. Just like the hallway, there were a couple of marble columns as well as the gold trim. In the middle of the room was a bed, a bigger bed than what Marcus and I had. It had gold frame work and a headboard with a very unique design. Red rubies were placed in different spots on the headboard. To the left of me stood a great fireplace and to the right a few feet away from the bed, were floor to ceiling dark burgundy curtains swaying in the wind. They were the only barrier between the bedroom and the deck outside.

“Lady Rhea, Cassandra has brought the blankets.” Lia said, bringing my attention back to the scene unfolding in front of me.

“Good, bring them over here and lay one of them out. It will be any minute now.” The older woman with the dark, navy blue dress said.

A scream ripped through the air, causing me to jump in fright. I realized that there was a figure laying on the humongous bed. I hesitantly walked up closer to the bed before stopping like I had been hit by a truck once I finally laid eyes on the woman. She looked eerily similar to me. Same facial structure, nose, and color of hair. The woman was drenched in sweat and her golden blond hair was stuck to her face in several places. Her eyes were a pale blue and had a coldness to them. She looked completely exhausted.

“Alright Queen Elizabeth, I need you to push at the next contraction.” Lady Rhea said as she looked up from between the woman’s bent legs.

It finally dawned on me what exactly was going on. I was curious as to why the mirror had decided to show me a stranger giving birth to their baby. Out of all the things I could have seen, why this? What exactly was so important about this moment?

“Another one is coming!” The Queen shouted as she braced herself.

“Push as soon as you can, my Queen.” Lady Rhea demanded.

Once The Queen gave her final push, a baby’s cry pierced through the night along with a crack of thunder.

Lady Rhea held up the baby for the Queen to see.“It’s a girl your Majesty!” She cheerfully said.

The Queen rolled her eyes. “Of course it is! Did you expect something else?” The women in the room all flinched with fear. The Queen stretched out her hands towards the baby. “Here, give her to me.”

Lady Rhea carefully placed the newborn into the Queen’s arms. The Queen looked at her brand new baby as if she were measuring her up against some predetermined standard. There was no warmth or love in the Queen’s eyes for her child. She appeared to be completely disinterested in her daughter.

“Her name is Eve. Let the kingdom know that their future queen has been born and that she’s strong.” The Queen demanded as she handed the baby to Cassandra, who wrapped the newborn in a plush white blanket.

“Of course your Majesty.” Cassandra said as she bowed her head.

Before anyone else could say anything, the Queen let out another ear piercing cry.

“What’s going on?” Lia asked Lady Rhea.

“Oh my… there’s another one.” Lady Rhea resumed her spot between the Queen’s legs. “Your Majesty, it appears you are having another baby. I need you to push at the next contraction.”

“What? That’s impossible! I can not have twins, please tell me it’s not twins!” The Queen shouted in fear.

Cassandra and Lia both huddled close to me as they whispered in surprise.

“Do you think it’s the prophecy?” Cassandra whispered as quietly as possible to Lia.

“Shhh Cassandra, do not say another word about it!” Lia whispered back with a hint of fear.

I turned my attention away from them and back onto the Queen. After a couple of more pushes another newborn cry pierced the air around us, this time without the crack of thunder.

“It’s another girl.” Lady Rhea, like before, held up the baby for the Queen to see.

Unlike before, The Queen did not reach out to grab the baby. In fact, she seemed repulsed by it.

“No, no it can’t be. It’s not possible. Take it away!” She cried out.

“But my Queen, she’s your daughter.” Lady Rhea protested as she tried to hand the baby to The Queen.

The Queen shook her head frantically. “Get that thing away from me!”

Lady Rhea bowed her head before handing the baby off to Lia. “Here, take her and clean her up. Let’s give The Queen a minute to process things.”

Cassandra and Lia both bowed their heads before leaving the room with the twins.

I suddenly felt a pressure in my head and my surroundings became blurry. I blinked a couple of times and was suddenly standing in a field of red tulips. There was a warm soft breeze that was blowing through the meadow as the sun shone down.

“EMBER!” A small child’s voice called out.

A little girl, no older than five or six, was running full speed towards me. Her golden hair was flowing behind her along with her white dress. She ran right through me and kept running. I once again turned around and followed the little girl. She stopped suddenly, right next to a small shaking figure. The little girl dropped onto her knees and patted the other little girl’s back.

“Ember, are you okay?” The girl asked.

I walked closer to the two of them to get a better look at what was going on. The young girl, Ember, lifted up her head and sniffled. I stopped immediately, as I was shocked at what I saw. The little girl had deep green eyes, just like mine. But, that’s not what stopped me. It was the fresh handprint on her left cheek.

Ember wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “How did you find me Eve?”

I gasped as I realized who the two little girls were. They were the same ones from the previous scene that I had witnessed, just a few years older. They looked similar in every single way, except the eyes. One had a deep green, and the other had piercing blue eyes. I still wasn’t sure why I was seeing these things or if they had anything to do with me.

“I’m your sister. I’ll always find you, no matter what!” Eve proclaimed as she threw her arms around her sister and brought her in for a hug. “What happened Ember?” She asked as she pulled back.

“Mother thought I had taken one of her rings again, but I didn’t. I tried telling her that I didn’t, but she wouldn’t listen. She never listens to me. Why doesn’t she like me?” Ember began to cry again as she finished talking.

My heart ached for the little girl in front of me. I had no memories of my own mother, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t a normal way to parent or to love your child.

“I’m sorry Ember. I’ll go tell mother that I took the ring.” Eve said, trying to console her sister.

“Why did you take it?” Ember asked.

“I didn’t do it, but if it keeps you from getting in trouble then I’ll just say I did it.”

Ember shook her head. “Please don’t, you’ll only be lying and I don’t want you to get in trouble.

“I don’t care!” Eve exclaimed.

“Why would you do that for me?”

Eve let out a sigh. “Because I’m your sister and we have to look out for each other. Remember, it’s us together forever!” Eve stuck out her pinky finger towards Ember.

Ember giggled before wrapping her pinky around her sister’s. “Together forever.”

I once again felt the pressure in my head and the scene around me became blurry. I blinked my eyes again and was in a completely different setting than before. This time, I was in another room. Unlike the last room, this one was tiny. It barely fits a small bed and a small desk in one of the corners. There was a medium size window above the desk that showed nothing but darkness. On the small bed was a young girl, about ten or eleven. I recognized the girl immediately through her green eyes.

She had tears streaming down her face and mud all around her pale green dress. Her blond hair was also matted in mud. This time she was alone and looked absolutely terrified.

A small knock on her door made her jump in fright.

“Come in.” Her soft voice called out.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as I saw who walked in. The last person I ever expected to see.

“Hello Ember, do you know who I am?” She asked as she gently shut the door behind her.

Ember hesitantly nodded her head. “I think so, you’re the Moon Goddess.”

Selene nodded her head as she sat down next to Ember.

“I am my dear. Do you know why I am here?” She asked Ember.

“Because I…. because I…” Tears started rolling down her face as she stopped talking.

“Because you shifted for the first time, Ember. It’s okay, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Selene said, trying to provide comfort for the distraught girl.

Ember shook her head as her tears fell harder. “I’m a monster. Please Moon Goddess, please take her back. I can’t be a werewolf. My mother hates them and she already hates me, please don’t do this to me.”

Selene let out a deep sigh. “Oh my sweet girl, I can not. Amarie has chosen you and once she has, there is nothing I can do. You have a very special wolf, one of a kind. And for your mother, well don’t worry about her. I will speak to her about this.”

“Why is this happening to me? Does Eve have a wolf too” Ember asked as she brushed the tears away from her cheeks.

The Moon Goddess shook her head, “No. Eve does not and will never have a wolf. You were chosen by Amarie because you are special.” Selene brushed some of the hair away from Ember’s face before gently placing her hands on her cheeks. “Listen to me Ember. You were chosen because you are destined for greatness and you and Amarie will accomplish great things together. The things you both will achieve will not only affect your kingdom, but it will affect all the realms.”

“I’m scared,” Ember whispered to Selene.

Selene’s eyes softened. “I know Ember, I know you are. But if it provides any comfort, know that I will always be willing to help you no matter what. You just simply have to ask and I will answer. I will watch over you and protect you as much as I can.” Selene leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Ember’s forehead before standing up and walking to the door. “Until we meet again, little one.”

Selene opened the door and I quickly rushed past her before she could walk out. I wanted to follow her, curious as to where she was headed. She closed the door and stood there facing it, not turning around to where I stood. She stood there for a while until she cocked her head to the side and finally turned around. My eyes grew wide as she looked directly at me.

She moved closer and stopped inches away from me. “You’re not supposed to be here.”