Fighting by Anaya Phoenix (black books to read txt) 📕

“Come on, I don’t look that bad.” I said softly, noticing that nobody seemed to be able to do anything but stare at me.

“Luna?” Libby asked imploringly, her eyes so bright and full of life it almost burned to look at.

“I’m fine, just ran too hard last night.” At the lie, Ander squeezed my side and I closed my eyes.

“What’s for breakfast?” I could smell the eggs and ham, it was Libby’s favorite. The smell made my stomach roll, but I refused to let that show. Ander helped me stagger to the table where my place was already set. I picked up my fork and noticeably winced at the pain it caused. I forced the eggs into my mouth, trying not to focus on how they tasted and felt like rubber in my mouth.

“Luna?” Ander asked, right before I threw up last nights dinner and the eggs on to the table. Lina fainted and Alissa cried with mom. Dad, Jesse, and Ander picked me up; right before my eyes rolled to the back of my head and the seizure kicked in.

I woke with strong arms around my stomach and sweat coming from every pore on my body. I blinked awake, a headache already wrecking my head.“I smell the sickness on you.” Ander said, a growl under the deep sadness.“What did you do?” He asked, kissing the back of my neck, which I knew took a lot of effort. I could smell the sickness wafting off of me and it made me want to gag.“What was right.” It came out groggy and scratchy, but it was words. He whined softly and squeezed me closer to his body. I held in the whimper and grit my teeth.“Why.” It was a question, he knew why, it was a statement to the Gds. I swallowed and closed my eyes, not wanting to get up just yet. Or ever, really. My bones ached more than I would ever admit to as I lifted my arm to lift his. I don’t think I’d ever been this weak. As a baby I was stronger than this. This was just feeble, pathetic.“Help me down stairs.” I said through the pack link and he nodded, pushing and pulling gently. I fought to not whimper or growl in pain. It was a slow process, but I finally got downstairs; my lip was close to being mutilated after how many times I bit into it. My family was laughing and happy, they could smell the change in Libby, see the change. She was more confident, brighter almost, and her smile reached her eyes. They saw me and horror filled their eyes, Lina dropped her glass of milk on the floor.“Come on, I don’t look that bad.” I said softly, noticing that nobody seemed to be able to do anything but stare at me.“Luna?” Libby asked imploringly, her eyes so bright and full of life it almost burned to look at.“I’m fine, just ran too hard last night.” At the lie, Ander squeezed my side and I closed my eyes.“What’s for breakfast?” I could smell the eggs and ham, it was Libby’s favorite. The smell made my stomach roll, but I refused to let that show. Ander helped me stagger to the table where my place was already set. I picked up my fork and noticeably winced at the pain it caused. I forced the eggs into my mouth, trying not to focus on how they tasted and felt like rubber in my mouth.“Luna?” Ander asked, right before I threw up last nights dinner and the eggs on to the table. Lina fainted and Alissa cried with mom. Dad, Jesse, and Ander picked me up; right before my eyes rolled to the back of my head and the seizure kicked in.

I woke up, sadly, surrounded by victors and my mother and father. My head pounded against my skull, but thankfully the nausea was gone. I sat slowly, lifting my head as slowly and gently as possible. I looked to my right and saw a hand on my shoulder. I smiled weakly at Ander and tapped his hand softly.“Why?” Leotis asked, his arms crossed and his eyes angry and bright.“It had to be done, she couldn’t suffer any more.” I said weakly, looking at my family and friends.“So you stuffed it into yourself!?” Filly asked, standing from the seated position she was in on the floor. Her hair, though normally frizzy and uncontrollable, seemed more frazzled than normal.“I wouldn’t let her suffer, not again Felicia!” I hissed, then immediately regretted as my bones ached and my head rattled. I clenched my teeth against the pain and narrowed my eyes on my friend.“You can’t just disturb the balance, Lilia! A DemiGod you may be, but you do NOT usurp the Gods!” Her eyes turned red and I was faced with Tabby. My eyes popped red before I could stop them and a silent snarl came from my lips. The pain was gone instantly, and I sighed internally in relief.“It was not my doing Tabitha! We were told to give them free will, I cannot fight her. Besides, she didn’t disturb the balance; the sickness is inside of her.”“Fool! With you in control she’s able to control the sickness; you can’t get sick, but her human casing can. The disease can be hidden and the balance, placing the disease in her, would’ve been all for naught.” She hissed.“Ladies, let’s all be calm now. Let’s not lose our hats over this. She’s done a very good job,” he looked at me then “very good job.”“Of course you take her side, you always take her side!” Tabitha hissed, Leo’s eyes hadn’t yet turned red but just then they did.“Hey now, no I don’t.”“Yes you do, always on her side never paying attention to your mate!”“There are more important things on our mind.” My eyes widened, even Lilia seemed shocked at those words “She’s the only one that gets that, maybe that’s why I hang around her more than I do my mate, but that matters naught.” Filly’s eyes turned back to their flecked green and tears filed her eyes. With a grunt, Leotis’s eyes changed back to green too and they widened in shock.“There are more important things?” Filly asked, her breath hitching. My eyes stayed green, I didn’t complain and neither did Lilia.“That was him, not me.”“That’s why you hang around Luna, because she understands better than I do?” One tear fell and it looked like it ripped Leo to shreds. At that Leo said nothing, if he did he knew it’d be a lie. And a lie would not be good right now.“You don’t think I understand? You don’t think I’m scared shitless of this war? I am, I am so scared that everything I love will be taken from me that I hang on to them. I keep them close and I recognize that I need them just as much, if not more, than they need me. Just because I don’t shun away even the slightest emotion, or if I don’t treat everything with brute calm. I have feelings, I love!” She screamed, tears flowing from her eyes. Internally I bit my lip and hoped that Ander heard her words. They were words that I’ve wanted to tell him for a millenia.“Not to be rude or anything, sweety,” Mom said softly “but is there anything you can do for my daughter?” Filly looked at me then and frowned, hatred crossing her eyes for a brief second before sadness lingered there.“You heard Tabby, stay in that form and none of the pain will hit you. It’ll bounce off of Lilia and probably be saved in a reserve, waiting for you to come out. The balance, remember?” She said softly, before she turned toward the door.“Fil-” Leo started but she turned then, her hair whirling with her and her eyes a dark green.“Not right now, let it simmer and soak.” Her brooklyn accent came out and she turned back around and stormed out of my room.“Great going, Luna.” Evangeline said, her tone joking but her eyes somber.

I was terrified, an emotion that I could never really associate myself with. I would never admit that I was terrified because I wasn’t allowed to be. I was the red luna, the antonym of terrified. I didn’t want the mind trembling pain that came with stepping back up and taking myself back from Lilia. I paced mentally, struggling to decide what to do. I couldn’t let Lilia loose on the people, God knows what kind of control she had. I’d done a good job at handling the bullshit that life threw at me, my wolf not so much. I’d only managed to control her by the thinnest of threads, reigning as much patience and strength as I could to do so. The people that were in my life were only there, I was sure, to provoke me to murder them all and cleanse the world of their dirtied soul. I couldn’t though, the watch over ther were’s had gone down some; the only thing they were waiting for was for one of the victors to step out of line. For me to step out of line. It was no surprise that I was considered the most volatile out of the victors, not fair but no surprise. I just had a sensitive temper and too many people liked to test to see how far they could get. Mandy from eighth grade learned that it wasn’t so far. I still wince everytime I think of how awkwadrly her arm had bent. I told her not to touch my hair.

I spent the rest of that day with Lilia in the front seat, it felt good to take a rest for a while and let my wolf take over. It also felt great not having to growl in pain and wince in anguish. I made a mental note to hug Libby the next time I resurfaced, she had to deal with way too much on a daily basis. It also felt surreal watching the daily things I did, done by somebody else in the same way. After I got out of the shower I looked at myself, my hair seemed thicker and my lips plumper. The stages for changing had been frozen for me, and I didn’t mind it not one bit. My body was stuck in the form right before the animal, where the wolf came out to play and analyze the surroundings before the person shifted. The only thing tha gave me slight hesitation was my eyes; bright and vibrant brown. I was surprised when I noted the color change, I’d simply thought that all the animals in us had red glowing eyes, eyes that burned you in the dark of the night. Once they’d shifted from red to milk chocolate brown, I knew that this was something I could get used to. I sucked on my bottom lip and felt my teeth, now ten times sharper, graze against them carefully.“I’ll stay this way, I’ll protect you like you’re protecting them.” Lilia said softly, looking towards me and smiling softly; a caring smile. I thanked her and noted that she should probably head