Escaping the Monster's Embrace

Come home to me

The small pitter patter of feet woke me up from my uncomfortable sleep. Rising up off the lumpy bed I groaned stretching my constricted muscles. My feet glided across the cold floor as I exited my door and crossed the hallway. Opening the flimsy wooden door I smiled seeing Beau struggle as he tried to get his head and arms through the same hole in his jumper. "What are you doing mister magoo," I lightly laughed walking towards him. I helped him put it on before helping him tidy up his bed head as he had already put his pants and shoes on.

He looked at me baffled "LiLi why you here?" He pursed his lips in wonderment something we both do when we're deep in thought.

"I'm taking you to school today bud." I tried hiding the stress in my voice but the frown on his face told me deep down he knew that I was worried about something.

No matter how much I tried sheltering him he was very intelligent and knew that I wasn't a fan of our situation. He would behave normally as a child but sometimes he'd get this look in his eyes after Nana and I would discuss something and he would say something highly advanced for his age.

"Oh so you not going to work cause the hunt LiLi?" he asked in his slightly still there baby voice not completely forming his sentence. I nodded before silently cascading down the loose creaky staircase gripping his tiny hand in mine. Once In the kitchen I hastily began cooking porridge over the stove. The steam slowly began to float upwards before I served it in a bowl, placing it in front of a sleepy Beau.

"Eat up mister," hearing my voice his eyes flicked up to mine. I sighed seeing the purple shadows that sloped down from his eyes, staining his sickeningly pale skin. My shoulders fell forward in defeat no matter how much I tried I couldn't take care of him like I wanted too.  

It was sad for me to think of my childhood, I had grown up knowing this place as Georgia but Beau knows it as The White Whispers Territory. The Beasts had split the territory into two sections, sector one and sector two. The Beasts and the unlucky humans that were taken as mates lived in Sector one, I had never been to it but the rumors of how clean and how well kept it was made me hate the monsters even more. The people in Sector two practically lived in squalor and disease while the mongrels lived a high lavish life I doubt any of the Monsters had even been on this side of the territory unless they worked here.

"I'm done LiLi" he stood up taking his bowl over to the sink. I nodded slipping the shoes I had on earlier heading towards the door. Beau's tiny hand slid into mine again as we walked towards his school.

I glanced up to the sky seeing a few birds flying by chirping happily, my eye's drifted towards the slanting power lines. Shoe's sadly dangled down towards us.

It became a tradition when someone passed, a pair of their shoes would be thrown over the wires. Humans that weren't taken as a mate didn't have the rights to a grave to be put to rest in. Their bodies were taken to be burnt, we never got to keep their ashes like when someone was cremated years ago. This became our only way in remembering loved ones and the fallen.

The tradition happened for those who were taken as well, as they most likely would never see their family again. The Beasts thought it was a waste of time focusing on their human mate's family of the past when they wanted to start a new one. It saddened me seeing the amount of baby shoes swaying gently as a bird landed on the line. My hand tightened on Beau's afraid he might turn into thin air and I'd be throwing his shoes up there.

Humans simply aren't thriving anymore, we're dwindling. Beau only had seventeen class mates in his grade compared to when I started there was sixty eight of us. All of us were healthy and well taken care of, it wasn't the same for the children today.

Crossing the road I seen a thick mop of chocolate brown hair that I'd recognize anywhere. He turned around as if sensing my longing gaze, his rose coloured lips tilted upwards seeing me. He stopped until I was strolling beside him, his sister and Beau began to run ahead towards the dull building with weeds and tall black gates surrounding it.

"How you holding up?" His deep baritone voice made my heart flutter as I fought myself from smiling. If any of the Monsters seen us acting so friendly we would surely be flogged.

"I'm doing fine. How's your ma?" I whispered staring at a snarling officer who was short of hitting a young boy in temper.

"She's hanging in there," he sighed. "Are you nervous for later?" I glanced into his big blue eyes that I had stared into so many times before nodding.

"What if-" he cut me off abruptly with a pained look.

"Lets not think about that Lilah. Your going to go and come home to me every year until we can finally be together okay?" He raised his hand before letting it fall to his side knowing it wasn't wise to touch me in public. I nodded before walking towards Beau who was waiting in his line.

"I love you." I whispered in his ear hugging his small body. His tiny arms wrapped around me as tightly as they could.

"I love you too Lili. Please be safe!" His voice was barely a whisper. I kissed the crown of his head and stood back as the teachers came to bring them inside.

I mustered up a false smile encouraging him to go in. I could see him mustering up a brave face before giving me a thumbs up. "Be good Beau," I called out as he began trudging inside with the rest of the pupils I seen his little head nod before the heavy doors closed and guards taking their post separating us. 

"Good luck with the hunt later." Philip called over to me nodding his head in a friendly manner as a guard focused in on us suspiciously. To a beast his words seemed as though he was wishing me luck with finding a mate, but I knew what he meant. Don't get caught.

"You too." I sighed out turning on my heels heading for the town hall. I could feel my heart rate beginning to pickup its pace as anxiety sunk its claws into me grasping me in it's cruel grip. I neared the one dreaded place I only ever came to when getting on a coach once a year. Four coaches lined up one after the other two for each gender.

My ears perked up hearing a woman shouting out instructions. "Ladies between the ages of eighteen and twenty five follow me the rest follow Natasha!" she barked out. "Form a straight line the quicker this is done the faster we can go."

After waiting a few minutes I finally came to the top of the line. "Number?" she grumbled boredly.

"60317974" I answered flatly before hesitantly stepping on the bus. Finding a seat at the very back of the bus I sighed not want to do this. Even though this was my third year to enter I was just as nervous as my first time the fear of the unknown eating away at me.

Once everyone was seated the doors closed deafeningly behind the Narky bitch who was in charge of this bus. I glanced outside the window the unsettling sound of the engine starting as the vehicle began moving making my stomach clench.

The plush green trees flew by us in a blur as the fur of some wolves could be seen in the fringes of the woods. My upper lip curled upwards in a snarl at the creatures before turning away and closing my eyes. It would take nearly a day to get too our destination, a sacred place to the wolves. And an early grave for most humans as once we were taken we were never going to be the same person we once wore. The Beasts break their human mates until they are the shell they want them to be.

This graveyard was once known as Maine but now it's known as no man's Land or as some call it the hunting grounds.