ARTEMIS' POV:-
It was late at night. It was past ten o'clock. I had my bag hanging on my shoulders. I was wearing a summer dress. It was a dark night. Even though the moon was shining brightly in the sky. But the thick grey clouds had surrounded the moon. Blocking its pretty silver shining light. That always lights up the whole world when the sun goes down. "That's it, Missy. Just across these thick woods and dark and horrifically terrible cemeteries, is your home. I know it's dark and I am terrified. But it was just another night when dad bailed on me. And I have to go back home alone. Nothing I have never done before. Let's go." After a little prep talk, I took a deep breath and started walking towards the cemeteries.
My name is Artemis Carter. And I lived in Queens. I lived with my dad and his wife. She was not my mom. She can never be. She was a horrible person and I definitely hated her. My biological mother, well, she and my dad divorced when I was five. And my dad got my custody because he was a wealthy man. And after that, he made sure that I would never see my beautiful mother again. It really broke my heart that I would never be able to see my mom again. But as always, I adjusted myself with the time. I still miss her. Especially when my step mom does something to hurt me.
I only remember her face and her voice. From my dreams I remember my real mom. She used to read me bedtime stories. While cuddling with me in bed. Those five years were the best years of my life. I used to have someone's warmth around me. To keep me safe. After that, I never felt safe. And that was the reason why I took taekwondo classes. To learn to defend myself. And to be honest, I never thought that I would be that good. Not even my taekwondo teacher when he saw me first. He even bet with his assistant that I would not last a month. And he lost a hundred bucks for that. Well, it was not my fault that he judged me like that. I was a green belt after two years.
I started walking on the only path I could see in the cemeteries. I was in highschool. I was fifteen years old, well, I would be sixteen in four days. To be honest, I just could not wait anymore to be eighteen. So I could kick my stepmom's ass and get out of that hell hole. And get a life of my own. A life where I could do whatever I wanted. Where I could eat whatever I wanted. And where I could dance whenever I wanted. As my stepmom was a horrible bitch, she never let me do anything as I wanted. Even with my future, she tried to ruin my future as well.
I always wanted to become a fashion designer, like my mom always wanted to be. But my stepmom told my dad that I wanted to join med school to become a veterinarian. She wanted me to become a veterinarian. And my dad, he was just wrapped around my stepmom's fingers. He did not even ask me. He assumed that I wanted what my stepmom had told him. No, he believed his bitchy wife that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I would always be grateful to the principal of my high school. He told my dad about my achievements as a fashion designer. And at last, he was convinced that I never wanted to be a veterinarian. I wanted to be a fashion designer just like my mom.
She was not a fashion designer. She got married very early and my dad never let her follow her dreams. But her dreams were too strong to just set down. Her dreams became my dreams when I was born. I just knew that she will be so proud of me when I become a famous fashion designer. Even though she was not around me anymore. But it felt like she had been protecting me all along. Helping me grow stronger. It felt like she became my guardian angel. Every time I felt like I had no way to go, the very next day I would find another path to solve my problem. Maybe she prays for me more than I can imagine.
I was half way through the cemeteries while thinking about my trashy life. It was just the other half that was left to be crossed. And to be honest, that part was scarier than the first half. Once my dad divorced my mom and got my custody, he sold his big mansion and bought this Villa across the cemeteries. He knew my mom was afraid of wild animals and the dark. He did it to keep me away from my mom. But he never knew that I was also afraid of the wild animals and the dark. He did not know, but my stepmom knew. And to make my life miserable, she never picked me up from school, she never let me take my own car and she never let my friends drive me back home when I stay late at their house to study. Because my stepmom never let me study too. As I said before, she was a bitch. And I hated her and my dad too. They both were the reasons why my life was practically a living hell. And I couldn't do much about it. Because I was still a minor. Every single night, I prayed that my mom would show up at our doorstep one day and take me away from that hell. But that day actually never came. I didn't lose hope though. I had planned to look for my mom the day I would turn 18. I wanted to find her and live with her for the rest of my life.
As I was walking very fast to reach the other end of the cemeteries soon, I started to feel tired and thirsty. I had my water bottle with me. But I did not want to take a break. Until I realised that I could not walk anymore. I stopped and looked around. I saw a huge tree on the right side of the road. I went towards the tree and sat down with my back resting with the log of the tree. I pulled the water bottle out of my bag and started drinking. As I was almost out of breath, I tried to drink slowly. But then I heard something. Something that scared the hell out of me. Something that made me get up and run. And that something was a howl. It all started with a Howl.
