Chapter 2 – Who Or What Am I?

~ MELONIE ~ The death of my mother took a lot from me, but the fact that I woke up one morning to celebrate my birthday only to discover that I was wanted in an unseen world brutally was even more draining, scary and exhausting. “We need to go now,” Arwan sounded behind me, dragging me back into the reality I was avoiding. “What?” I asked in disappointment. “I said, we need to leave,” he retorted. “Can you please deactivate that thing that is making you invisible? I need to see you properly,” I requested sarcastically. “Melonie, we need to leave. We don’t have much time,” Arwan calmly stated. “My mother just died,” I yelled. “And you will die too if you don’t snap out of it,” he yelled back. “Do you not have feelings…Arwan?” I asked out of nowhere, shocked at how no one cared that a young girl had just lost her only parent. “I'm sorry, but my mission here is to save you. In peace or pieces, dead or alive, and yes, I don’t have emotions,” he retorted, carelessly. “What?” I yelled in shock as he gripped my wrist brutally and led me outside. “Let me go, or I'll scream,” I threatened with a serious face, enough to make him realize I meant everything I said. “I'm invisible to humans right now, girl, no one can see me. So go on and scream… You will only look crazy,” he calmly replied. The rest of the team that came with him chuckled, but I didn't find it funny. I didn't find anything about my life funny. We got outside the building, and Arwan motioned for someone to create a portal. I gawked at them, just like that, a day in my life everything suddenly changed…it changed from good to worse, and I could only stand on a thread of hope that things wouldn't get any worse than they already are. Soon, I was standing in front of a huge building, amazed by its large features of the building. I couldn't help but ask. “Where are we?” I asked, perplexed. “Another dimension, the surrounding walls, cannot be penetrated by things from other realms,” Arwan responded. “Things... are these real? I mean the building and everything,” I asked again. “No! They were projected. Nothing you see around you is real,” he replied softly. “Not real, so why are we here? Where exactly are we going?” I asked, unsure. “We are where we are supposed to be…and we are going down,” he retorted, pointing down. After a snap of a finger, the ground opened, and we climbed down the tunnel. I stared at him in expectation, but nothing happened. “Okay…where's everyone?” I asked, gawking at him. “They are right here,” Arwan replied. “I don't see anything or anyone,” I yelled in frustration. “You have to activate it, Melonie, you are eighteen years old now,” he retorted. “And how am I supposed to do that?” I asked from exhaustion. “Accept who you are, Melonie,” he blurted out. “Who am I? I don't even know who I am anymore. A day ago, I was a normal high school girl, and now…” I retorted. “I don't know who or what I am anymore,” I cried out, desperate for answers. “You'll have to stay out here until you can activate it… That's the only door in,” Arwan firmly stated, and before I could protest, they all vanished into thin air. I stared into the empty tunnel in fear and dissatisfaction. “He-help,” I stammered, frightened. “Somebody…anybody,” I yelled out. “Who am I?” I muttered with teary eyes. “You are Melonie Aeron, the daughter of Warrick Aeron…” an old woman's voice echoed deep in the tunnel, making me jump in fear. “Who are you and why do you know my name…why does everyone know my name?” I whispered, frightened. “Follow the sound of my voice, and you shall find me,” she retorted, making my fear multiply. Reluctantly, I pushed my legs forward, inspecting the dark tunnel. After taking a few steps, an old woman appeared in the dark. I ran back in panic; it was obvious she had come out of nowhere. “You have questions, I'm here to give you answers,” the old woman blurted out. I froze. Indeed, I wanted answers that no one was willing to give. I turned around, taking that as a yes, and she started talking. “Thousands of years ago, a forbidden child was born. It was forbidden for two different realms to be together, but sadly, it happened and bore a forbidden fruit. That child was frozen for a thousand years, but after so many fights and battles for that child, she was taken to the mundane world to be taken care of by a human,” the old woman blurted out. “Who is the child, and what does it have to do with me?” I asked, unsure. “You are Melonie Aeron, the forbidden fruit,” She declared. I stared at her in terror; those words that easily fell off her mouth felt too heavy to carry. “I-I-I don’t understand…are you indirectly telling me that I was frozen for a thousand years, and who I called my mother is not my birth mother?” I yelled out to be assured. “You are correct.” She stated. Even though I was trying very hard to understand, my questions multiplied with every answer I got, like the realms my two parents are from. Who or what are those things fighting for me? What killed, and why did it kill my mundane parents? What or where are my real parents? And most importantly…what am I? “To be honest, I am still confused. I have so many questions, I’m not sure how to ask,” I blurted out truthfully. “I know the questions you have; I’ll try to give you a better answer,” she assured me, and I nodded in acceptance, walking closer. “Your mother is a lycanthropic dragon, a powerful dragon with the ability to take on wolf-like forms, breathing fire and destruction, while your father is an Apex predator, a being from another realm, taking on a wolf-like form to hunt and devour human prey, with abilities surpassing that of a werewolf,” she stated. “I’m sorry, but all this still doesn't make any sense. If my father is an Apex predator and my mother is a lycanthropic dragon, which is hardly possible… then what the hell am I?” I asked. That is the only thing I was desperate to know at that moment. “You are a hybrid, a dragon wolf… a forbidden seed, one that has never happened and should never have happened. A nightmare for our world. You were frozen for a thousand years, it was enough to kill you, but you just wouldn’t die. And now… You have to fight for life, every breath you breathe without the enemy hunting you down is a blessing. Isn’t this what you were so desperate to know? Dear Melonie Aeron,”