Passion and Despair

Chapter 26- Change

A sixteen year old Penny sat on a large branch a tree on the property. She read a book while humming and smiled gently as Darcy, also sixteen, ran around the tree on the ground. "Penny! Come on! Your mother's going to be cross with me?! You know what she'll do!" Darcy yelled from the ground. "Come on up. I doubt that she'll do anything if she can't reach you in the tree, Darcy," Penny assured, "She's going to be in town all day." 

Darcy sighed, then began to climb the tree, "Well, why didn't you say so?" She adjusted on the same branch as Penny and sighed. "See, that wasn't so hard," Penny chuckled. "What are you reading?" Darcy asked. "Poems," Penny replied. Darcy shifted to where she was hanging from her knees. The dress pinched between the branch and her legs was keeping her modesty. 

"Wow, the world looks so different upside down," Darcy giggled. "A new perspective will do that to you," Penny replied with a chuckle. Then the girls heard a snap, and Darcy screamed as she fell. "Darcy!" Penny cried out, trying to catch her sister. Before Darcy could hit the ground, a tall and mysterious man with long snow-blonde hair stood there holding her. 

Penny jumped down and fixed her dress. "P-Put my sister down," Penny warned with frightened eyes. The man just smiled as he checked Darcy's crying form. "She will be okay, She's a strong one," He assured as he set Darcy on her feet. Darcy fixed her dress and paced over to hide behind Penny. The man gave them a kind smile and bowed a bit. "Hello," He greeted, "I am Roman Knight. It is a great pleasure to meet the two of you." 

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Darcy gasped awake and looked around the dark room. It was early in the morning, but the sun had not risen yet. It was hot despite freezing weather outside their hut. Sweat poured down her face body, and she panted. She was burning and felt as though she were on fire. 

She quickly crawled out of the bed and ran out the door. All while not even trying to keep it from slamming. Her dress swayed in the crisp breeze, and the snow practically sizzled against her skin as it fell around her. She panted from the heat as she stumbled down the walkway. "Addy!" She called as she made her way to the elder's house. When she made it there, she knocked on the door. "Addy?" She asked. 

Addy opened the door and looked at Darcy with a frown, "Are you felling alright?" "N-no. I'm burning. I feel like I am on fire," Darcy explained. "Well then I suppose you won't want inside," Addy chuckled and grabbed her coat. She walked out of the hut and shut the door to keep the heat in. They stepped out of the door's way, and Darcy sat on the railing. "Alright, do you mind if I look you over?" Addy asked. 

Darcy nodded as she panted miserably. Her hair was sticking to her face, and she wiped the sweat off her forehead. She winced as she suddenly felt a pounding in her head and held it in her left hand while Addy took a pulse in her right. "Your head hurting?" Addy asked noticing how Darcy's heart rate rose with the spike in her head. "Hmm, have you noticed anything off about yourself?" Addy asked.

"Other than right now?" Darcy frowned, "Things are always off." "That's the thing with banshees, you're always changing," Addy sighed, "But this is different. This is... Pardon me for my next question, but has- has Thomas marked you?" "That's- that's- how dare you ask-," Darcy's face contorted to confusion and near-offended, then Addy interrupted her. "Has he marked you?" Addy repeated her sentence. Darcy sighed and nodded.

"Let me see it," Addy replied. "There," Darcy said as she pulled on the collar of her shirt and showed the mark to Addy. Addy hovered her hand over the mark and hummed. "Just as I thought," Addy finally said. "What?" Darcy frowned. "You're changed," Addy replied leaving Darcy highly confused.

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Anne and William awoke suddenly to the sound of a very loud cry. Not a scream, but a cry. Someone was in a terrible amount of pain. Anne quickly crawled out of bed and paced over to the window. "What is it, love?" William asked as he got out of the bed. "Something is happening over at the pack village," Anne answered as she left the window and pulled on her coat and boots.