NINETY FOUR

_Ellen_

-

"Hey..."

"Hey, sleepyhead. It's time to wake up.."

Daffodils. The smell of daffodils hit my nostrils as my senses awakened. My mouth was salty, and I could feel my body floating, but the soft voice continuously spoke to me, urging me to wake up.

I tried to open my eyes but it seemed my eyelids were stuck to each other.

"Are you really going to give up like this?"

That voice. It was familiar, and I didn't know why, but it twigged at my emotions and made my eyes water.

"Ellen. You can't give up now, you have to keep fighting..."

The tear dropped and my heart raced in my chest, my body fighting to inch near whoever was talking to me like it was the haven I had been searching for all my life.

"Natalie.." it was in my head. I couldn't move my mouth but my voice was clear in my head.

"Is it you, Natalie?" I tried to ask, more tears pouring out. "Please answer me, I can feel you."

"I have always been by your side. You were never alone.."

I broke down. My eyes were still shut, my lips still stuck, but I could smell her, and I could feel her, and I could hear her. It was enough. Natalie was here.

"Oh my goddess, Natalie! You're alive.." I cried, "I've missed you so much."

"I know. We're in different worlds now, but you never stopped being my best friend; I never stopped looking out for you, so you have to wake up, Ellen."

"No, I don't want to go on without you. It's too difficult.." I began to shake my head, trying to reach for her with my body.

"You must keep fighting. It is not your time to leave yet."

"I can't. I don't want to stay here anymore, Natalie. Please take me with you, I'm ready to go."

"I want nothing more than to be with you too, but you're not talking from your heart. Your head and heart are in a conflict, and your head is winning right now; this is not what you truly want."

"Natalie.."

"You say you want to come with me, but your heart is reaching for someone else; your heart is yearning to stay here and be with that person."

More tears poured. No. I was ready to let him go, I was ready to leave. I didn't want to stay here anymore, I was very sure it was all that I wanted.

"You have to continue and win.."

"I'm not winning this, I never won. Everyone is against me now and Ace..." the voice in my head broke even more, "I don't know if I'll ever see him again. There is nothing here for me anymore except death, so you have to take me with you."

"If I take you you will never see him again. Can you cope with that?" She asked, "Here, there might be a chance to cross paths with him again, but if you leave, it's the end. You will never see the one that you love again..." Her voice was laced with concern. "Knowing that, do you still want to come with me?"

This time it was hard to answer. Imagining a life where I would never get to see Ace again was a pain in my chest, but with Natalie, I wouldn't have to fear for my life anymore.

I tried to answer, to tell her that I was ready to let it all go, that I was fine with simply watching Ace from a distance just as she was watching me but the voice in my head was quiet. My heart was winning.

"It is not your time yet, Ellen. At the perfect time, we will be together. Until then, you must continue to fight..." her voice trailed.

"Now, wake up!"

I felt the warm salty water drizzle from the side of my mouth as I coughed, and my eyes fluttered open.

The sky had gotten dark, and my sides hurt; I tried to sit up, but my legs felt sore from the injuries I had sustained.

My stomach churned in hunger and my head banged with an ache. I felt something on my palm and I looked to my side to find the necklace, Ace gemstone.

As though staring at the piece gave me strength, I finally sat up and groaned as pain shot through my insides.

Natalie, I mumbled. A tear slid down my eye.

I was cold and hurting, and I had no idea where I was. The only thing I knew was that I somehow escaped the sea and landed here. Did Natalie save me? Where was I?

My stomach grumbled again, jolting me from my confusion.

I was Alive, and so was Ace. That was all that I knew. I had no idea where to go or how to begin, but I knew I had to stay alive.

I was kept alive for a reason and I needed to see it through until the very end.

I looked around my surroundings. I could see the beach, and I looked around for some familiarity, but I found none.

With the dexterity left, I pulled myself from the ground and limped away from the shore. I found a dry place to sit and then healed the cuts on my body.

Once I regained my strength, I started for the beach to find some fruit. It was empty, the entire place looked deserted, but I found some wild fruits, and without hesitation, I plucked and munched on them.

Once I had had enough to stop my grumbling stomach, I started off to find a place or at least someone. I was pretty sure that Derek must have been informed of my escape and I knew he would be tearing the world down to find me. I had to find a hiding place until I figured out a plan. If Derek manages to find me again, I doubt I will be able to escape him again.

As I walked along the shore, praying to find a spot before the night closed in, I found a cliff. I was immediately attracted to a dim light illuminating from a corner and I realized it was coming from a cave.

Someone must live there! It was very unlikely but I kept my hopes up.

Without hesitation, I transformed and rushed down the path as quickly as I could. I landed on the ground and ventured into the cave.

It was deep so I kept walking in, following the light until I arrived at a wide space. It almost looked like a home; it wasn't standard nor like anything I had seen, but it was habitable. It smelled like incense and looked a bit odd.

"Are you lost, child?"

I jerked hard at the voice, and my hand instantly grasped my chest as I turned toward the direction of the voice.

There, seated close to a fireplace- alive with a burst of flame and a warm glow, was an old woman.

Her silver-white hair was longer than I had ever seen, and they sat beside her feet in thick curls; she was looking at me with eyes that held skepticism.

She seemed to have been living here for a while.

There was something about her that was strange but I brushed off the fear. To survive, I needed to be confident.

"Yes, I don't know where I am. I need a place to stay," I kept my voice neutral. "Can you help me?"

She scrutinized me, her gaze running up and down my body with a stoic expression before she stood up. It wasn't surprising to see her hair still flowing on the ground despite her height.

"Where do you belong?" She questioned.

"I-" I opened my mouth to tell her who I was but I stopped on a second thought. If I told her I was running away from Derek and that I was the Luna who had abandoned and betrayed her pack, would she still consider helping me?

"I do not entertain outsiders.."

"Please," I fell to my knees. "I have nowhere else to go, and.." my voice trailed. I couldn't tell her I had people on my track with no other intention but to kill me. "You're the only one here."

Her scrutinizing gaze returned and her brows furrowed. She left to another spot and sat on a wicker chair with a square black wooden table in front of her, adorned with candles and incense. The setting was strange.

Her lips moved as she muttered incantations, and that was when I noticed it. It was where the oddness came from. She wasn't a wolf.

Seeing how she occasionally used sage to cleanse the surroundings while her lips danced in odd pronunciations, I had a hint of her identity.

Could she be a witch?

"I will let you stay here," she finally faced me again. "But I do not trust your kind."

"I mean no harm. I am just a helpless Omega who lost her way, I stand no chance against you," I assured.

"An Omega?" She repeated. I couldn't depict the tone but I feared that she had discovered who I was.

"Sit."

I sat at a corner and while she resumed her mumblings, I busied myself with examining my wounds. The sores had dried up and most of the scratches were healed already. I breathed out in relief.

"What are you?" Her tone drifted me from my observation and I looked up to find her eyes on me. Her brows were furrowed deeply and her gaze was studious, as though they intended to burrow into my soul.

I froze but I kept my head high as I returned her gaze. I couldn't show weakness.

"My name is Ellen Ol-

"What are you?" She repeated, cutting me off. "You are not an ordinary wolf," her nose flared. On the inside, I was a scared mess but I let that emotion remain there. I couldn't show it. I must not.

Her deeply furrowed brows relaxed, but her face leaned forward as she asked, "Are you the healer?"