The Rejected Werewolf Princess by Didiadeyemi

The water began to move, almost as if someone were controlling it. It started with a small wave that quickly grew angrier. Marie was screaming swords but | couldn’t hear her. | could hear the roaring of waves in my ears. The waves rose highly and with them did Peggy's body until the water was almost lifting her out and washed her onto the shore. Marie and | stood there for a full minute, no one dared to speak or move as we tried to process what had just happened.

| broke free of my spell first and rushed over to Peggy. She wasn’t breathing and she looked paler than | would have preferred. | wasn’t sure how but | knew exactly what to do. | dropped to my knees in front of her and started to push hard on her chest willing her awake but she wouldn’t. | wasn’t at it for long when Marie's hand conto my shoulder and she pushedback almost harshly.

“What the hell just happened?” she yelled out loud as she took over from me. | wanted to help but she shota scathing look. “What was that back there?” “I don’t know,” | admitted. She looked terrified and | should have been too but I felt more curiosity if | was being honest, | stared at the water again trying to ignore the soft tug | felt in my chest towards it.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to try to help me?” Marie snarled and | turned back to her. She was furiously pumping her mother’s chest but there was no change in Peggy and | cursed.

I didn’t know what to do. | could barely remember my own life, how was | expected to know how to help Peggy? | froze in place staring at Marie's grief stricken and panicked expression. Peggy was her only family and she was so close to death's door, | could almost smell it. The best | could do was utter a small prayer to the goddess hoping that the sway she heard my prayer about the water, she would hear this one.

“Don’t just f**king stand there!” she exclaimed. “Helpyou bitch. She saved your life, so cover here and helppump the f**king water out of her chest goddamit.” She was crying now and her movements were becoming sloppy. | gently pushed her away from her mother’s body but she wouldn't move. She was clutching her like her life depended on it. | knew | couldn’t do much about that, so | maneuvered around her and took over. | wasn’t sure how long | could last pumping her chest but | could try and try | did. My eyes welled up with tears and | repeated the sprayer under my breath until my throat was sore.

“Please,” | whispered, my voice cracking on the end. “You cannot die right now.” As the words left my lips, Peggy's body seized. It was slight and | thought | had imagined it until | heard Marie gasp beside me. She asked a few questions but | couldn’t focus on her words. My eyes were fixated on Peggy and the tug beneath my fingertips. | could feel something tugging at my wrists and it felt like muscle memory as my hands moved. | didn’t know what the hell | was doing but | watched as Peggy's mouth opened and water flowed out almost following the movements of my hands.

My eyes widened in complete and utter shock. My finger shook and Peggy coughed snapping my attention back to her. The water sloshed overand before | could even figure out what had just happened, Marie pushedto the side. She took a protective stance in front of her mother and narrowed her eyes atin slits.

“What the f**k are you playing at?” she spat with narrowed eyes. “You can bend water?” “I don’t know,” | glanced down at my hands unsure of what had just happened. “I can’t- | don’t remember.” “Did you push her in there?” she asked and my eyes widened in shock. “Don’t look atlike that. What the hell do you wantto think? One second you are here and the next you are pulling her out of the water with powers that you didn’t tell us that you had.” “I didn’t know | had the powers!” | exclaimed. “I don’t know what the hell is happening. This is as terrifying foras it is for you.” “You're lying,” she snarled. “You're a witch aren't you? Get out of my house or | will make sure that you leave in a body bag.” “I didn’t-" “Leave or | will tell the entire town that you are a witch.” | opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by a groan that cfrom Peggy's lips. Marie turned away fromto focus on her mother. Her hands were gentle as she stroked her hair which was a sharp contrast from how she had spoken toa few seconds ago.

“What is all the yelling about?” Peggy groaned but Marie waved her off. “Don’t yell at Camilla, she had nothing to do with this. | fell in while | was trying to touch a lily pad. | knocked my head on something and blacked out.” “She’s a witch,” Marie tried to explain but Peggy waved her off.

“She smells like a wolf, Marie, she isn’t a witch. Listen, can we talk about this later? | am freezing my ass off and I would like a warm cup of tea first, okay?” Marie nodded and helped her mother to her feet.

She kept her eyes onas if worried | would do something. | couldn't help but scoff at the stark contrast to how she treatedin the afternoon. It took less than half an hour for her to hatemore than she did when I first arrived. Due to her stares, | couldn't even find it in myself to go after them. They were almost to the front door when Peggy stopped and turned to me.

“Are you going to stand there? Cin.” | let out a sigh of relief. | could tell that Marie wasn’t pleased but in that moment, | was just relieved that Peggy was not upset with me. Still, | kept a respectable distance so as not to piss anyone off. Peggy was dried off and brought back to the living room where a blanket was slung over her shoulder and she was sporting a cup of tea.

“Now,” she began clasping her hands together. “Is someone going to tellwhat the hell happened outside?” | opened my mouth to speak but Marie beatto it. “She controlled the water. She made waves so big that they spat you out and she controlled what was inside of you. Do you know how insane that is? Why would she keep it a secret? How could she hold that kind of power?” “I didn’t know | had those powers,” | tried to reason but Marie ignored me. “If | did, | would have told you. All | wanted was to get her out. | had no ulterior motives.” “Of course,” she snorted but Peggy held up a hand to silence her.

“Cut her sslack, Marie, she cannot remember the last six years of her life. Even if she remembered and forgot to tell us, it isn’t her fault,” Marie crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “She didn’t hurt me, she rescued me. If anything, you should be thanking her.” “No one should have those kind of powers.”

It is unwise to fear everything that Po you cannot explain,” Peggy whispered and Marie opened her mouth to protest but changed it at the minute and stormed off. | heard the door to her room slam and Peggy winced. “Please, forgive her, she is a very untrusting child. She has . ” been that way ever since-" “Since?” | asked and she hesitated.

“I'm not sure it is my story to tell. | completely understood that. There were sthings that were better heard from the lips of the one who experienced it. | nodded and gave Peggy a small smile as | stood to my feet. | wanted to give her sprivacy and was almost at the door to the kitchen when she spoke.

She loved a boy, we do not speak his nanymore. They went out into the woods for a night out underythe stars. The girl she considered her best friend had planned with the boy to betray her. They wanted to be with each other and thought to get rid of her. She overheard them and was » : able to run away.” I stilled. “That must have been horrible.” FD “It was and when she tried to tell people, no one believed her. She is fine now but sscars are not visible.

Give her stime, she will caround.” “Of course,” | agreed. “I'll just take a walk outside. You should rest.”

| stayed outside, not because | needed fresh air but because | just needed to be away. | stared at my hands shocked that such little things were capable of housing such power like the one | saw earlier. Before | could stop myself, | found myself walking back towards the lake and sitting cross legged in front of it. | felt stupid as | reached out over the water but | needed to know for sure if it was a fluke of nature of if truly | had these powers. | exhaled deeply and focused on the movement of the water, | listened until it had settled in my soul, until my heart moved with it in one slow beat.

My hands started moving before | even realized what was happening and | heard the sloshing of the water as it moved with me. | cracked one eye open shocked to see that the water truly was following the movements of my hands. | stared in disbelief which quickly turned into glee as a small laugh left my lips.

“Oh my goddess,” | whispered watching the water. | had never felt as alive as | did in that moment. It felt like every nerve cell inwas on fire. “I can control water.” “For someone who claims not to have known, you sure are good at it.”