Chapter 3

Ophelia

Weak. Pain. Parched. That was what I felt as my eyes peeled open to the light, my thoughts disoriented. My head and shoulders ached, especially as I tried to gather my thoughts. Groans escaped my lips as I struggled to sit up, trying to remember where I was until everything flashed back.

Uncle Richard. The attack. The letter. My home is burning. Wolfbane. I sat up suddenly as I remembered everything. I was knocked unconscious. I looked around and saw that I was in what looked like a cell.

I couldn't tell how long I had been captured as I couldn't differentiate between the harsh artificial light and the dim natural light from a small barred window. The nauseating scent of rotting flesh and blood and the stale smell due to poor ventilation made me throw up nothing but water. My first time being on my own, and the first thing I could do was end up captured with no hope of how to leave.

"This was all Uncle Richard's fault." I thought as I adjusted myself from the uncomfortable position I was in.

"Althea?" I reached out to my wolf but received no response. The dosage of Wolfbane shot at me must have been high, as my wolf was no ordinary. Uncle Richard had tasted my wolf with it before, and Althea didn't react to it. Wolfbane was used to weaken a wolf and its human. A little dosage can knock out a strong wolf for days; even a weak wolf can die from the pain or leave the human-wolf less. I wondered who created such a deadly thing.

"What could you have done to make them throw you to the cell section of where deadly criminals are?" A thick, baritone voice chuckled, making me jump in fear. I hadn't noticed someone was in the cell with me. I looked around sharply; my body stance pulled up protectively.

My eyes connected with blue, lifeless eyes that looked like they had seen and experienced ancient times. This was the first being I would talk to in my entire lifetime, apart from Uncle Richard. The first was a young teenage boy I had spoken to when I snuck out of the house ten years back, and I couldn't even remember what he looked like.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously as we stared at each other. I stared at him with vigilance and could also feel his curious gaze on me. I couldn't describe how he looked, as his body was hidden in the shadow; the only thing visible was his blue eyes.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is why you are here, Ophelia." My eyes widened as he spoke my name.

"How did you know my name?" My tone was stern as I stared at him in vigilance.

"I know everything, little Lia. You don't belong here but you have to be here for destiny to take its course, Ophelia." He whispered, making sure only I could hear him.

"Shut up! Who are you, and how did you know me?" I threatened. He stood up slowly and somewhat majestically and walked to the middle of the cell, where I stood rooted in my spot. I felt a familiar energy as he walked towards me, making me wonder where I knew him from.

As he stood before me, my eyes widened in surprise as we stared at each other.

"Uncle Richard?" I asked before throwing myself into his arms. I squeezed him tightly, happiness coursing through my body. After a while, I pulled away to stare at him before something suddenly clicked in my head.

"Why are your eyes and voice different, Uncle Richard? Did they do something to you?" I asked, checking his body for any sign of injury.

"I am not Richard," he answered, staring at me with some unfamiliarity. I laughed at his words, and when I saw he wasn't laughing along with me, the happiness I felt disappeared almost instantly.

I moved away from him. "You're a shapeshifter," I stated. I had read about shapeshifters, who could change into other people or animals they wished to.

"No. I am not. You just mistook me for someone else. In this world, there is always a person with the same features as you."

"Then how did you know my name?" I asked, glaring at him. I wondered how he knew who I was. Maybe he was Uncle Richard, and he behaved like he didn't know me to protect me. That was the conclusion I could come up with.

"Don't feel special, kiddo. He is a wizard and can see through everyone." I heard a voice interrupt. I looked around and saw I was in a cell with four people.

I realized that without my wolf senses and my elf part hidden, I was almost human, the most detestable of all creatures according to what I had read in the books. I didn't notice we weren't the only ones. I subconsciously moved closer to Uncle Richard's lookalike.

"Cut it off, fang." The wizard snarled, pulling me closer to him. The others laughed as they made snide remarks about me, but that wasn't my concern. Deep down, I could tell this wasn't Uncle Richard. I leaned against the wall, hoping to escape the clutches of the cell.

Days passed in the cell, and I had almost given up on the hope of escaping this cell, especially of how each creature told of their escape plans and how many times it failed as a powerful witch was spellbinding it. Even the wizard, whose name I later knew was Simeon, the most powerful of them all, couldn't unbreak the spell.

Something stirred inside me, and my eyes lit up with joy.

"Althea!" I mind-linked her happily. Goodness, I was so worried about you." I said.

"It isn't like I was dead." She snickered playfully. "I can't talk much. Those bastards really injected us with a high dosage of Wolfbane."

Immediately, she stopped communicating, the door to the cell opened, and bright lights flashed in, almost blinding me as I quickly closed my eyes to protect them from the harsh rays of the sunlight