© Claimed By Him ~ 

The warm breeze blew back my chocolate curls as Ella and I walked through the crowded streets of the city. People rushed about but I took note when a few took note of us and why wouldn't they? We're the oddest looking pair. Ella is dressed brightly in her canary yellow cotton dress opposed to me the dark sister of the family dressed in a silvery-grey dress with long sleeves and a black ribbon tied around my neck like a choker. Are they admiring the beautiful, cheerful and colourful Ella or fearing the cold, Maverick and dull Luna?

"Why do you smile Luna?" Ella whispered. A woman shoved her shoulder into Ella's making Ella grimace. I glowered at the woman and she kept walking with wide surprised eyes staring at me. Shows her to be careful who she is rude to. We've been getting this a lot lately, rude shoves or trips from the lower class.

"What do you mean?" I asked putting back on my smile. Ella's eyes as usual held suspicion. "Are you confused by my happiness? Am I smiling without your permission?"

"You've had that smile for awhile now... Did Evan die?" She asked sarcastically.

"Not yet." I replied sinisterly. Mother turned around to us from her position on father's arm, her eyes held dark rings but still she managed to look like a queen all decorated in red.

"Girls remember even though your uncle looks like an evil villain with that curly moustache you don't need to comment on it." She gave me a pointed look.

"He grew it back?!" Ella and I exclaimed in unison. We burst into mad laughter.

"Hush girls." My father ordered silencing us. The day suddenly seemed to turn grey as clouds swirled in ruining our parade. I swear only my father can change the weather just to annoy you.

"I hope it doesn't rain." Ella sighed gazing up at the sky. "I spent an hour on my hair."

"You mean I spent an hour on your hair." I smirked down at her.

Her eyes widened in horror. "Now I'm frightened. You're too cheerful I fear as if you're about to do something bad."

I linked my arm with hers and whispered. "I'm feeling too jolly to go on with one of my evil master plans."

"But why? That's my question." She whispered back as mother gave us a suspicious glare over her shoulder.

Why? Yes why am I so happy?

"I have a feeling today will be a good day." I admitted.

"Really?"

"Yes. Don't ask me why because I don't know."

"Did you hit your head?" Smacked it into a wall actually but that is beside the point. Thinking about those brutes slapping me and chasing me made my skin crawled. "You do realise we're seeing our dreaded cousins and the rest of the psychopaths in our family?"

"I do but I still..." I hesitated. A swelling feeling of happiness growing in my chest. "I cannot explain it."

"Well just remember the little pest that loves throwing food down our dresses." Ella scrunched up her little button nose at the thought of the little terror of a cousin.

I gazed around for prying ears before whispering in hers. "I swear last time my breasts ate more than me." She giggled as we neared the town square.

"He loves picking on us because we're you know..." She shrugged.

I cackled. "Better developed than the rest of the girls in our family?" I suggested shimmying my chest forward and Ella hauled me back blushing furiously.

"Well there's a reason we get bad back pains." She breathed quickly curling her lips in to hide her smile.

"Now I remember how we're related!" I screamed to further her embarrassment. She shot me a glare then father suddenly glared at us over his shoulder and we put up our blank expressions staring at the ground like good little girls.

"I said be quiet." He growled.

"Leave them alone Hugo." Our mother said probably rolling her eyes at this point. When I gazed back up through my lashes I watched their backs. Everyone can see right through the charade. They're walking together but not really together. Her hand is sitting on his arm but she still has kept a distance between their bodies as if he repelled her. Maybe he just stinks. They rarely even look at each other unless they have to and speak only when they're arguing. This morning their fight of the day was the carriage and that was my fault. I made a joke and Ella's uproar spooked the horse so the next thing we know the carriage had toppled over and my hand lost blood circulation under my father's fat arse.

I tried talking to Ella about their marriage but she kept veering the subject to something else as if she does not want to face the truth just yet. Speaking of facing things I can see Valerie and Satine sitting up high on the roof glaring down at someone with a fierce concentration. From a few metres back I thought they were just black splotches on the building.

"Ella?" I started not wavering my eyes off the two.

"What is it now?"

"Who do you think they're glaring at?"

"I don't know. Wait look there's a man on the stage." She pointed out to some twat standing on a giant wooden box in the centre of the street. With a navy blue background holding a picture of some creature.

"Hear thee hear thee!" He roared.

"Oh no another preacher." I murmured. No wonder the girls look so upset we hate these ass lickers trying to force religion down people's throats.

"Just pretend you have faith, at least in front of dad. The last thing you need is another whipping." Ella whispered. My hands stung at the word and I instinctively ran a thumb over my right black glove that's hiding the sensitive red flesh underneath.

I spilt wine all over dad last night but by accident, everything is always by accident and he threw a fit getting his long ruler from his desk and he forced me onto my knees in the middle of his study and made me hold my palms out.

I think the rest is self explanatory.

They stung for over an hour and it was mother who took care of them.

I'm never usually that clumsy and it wasn't seriously clumsiness that made me trip on my feet. It was shock of seeing a face at the window. I thought I did but it was just the trick of light.

I hope so anyway.

"Gather around! Hear the tragedy!"

"What do you have against God anyway? I don't understand your hatred." Ella said with venom.

"I have no problem with God Ella I have a problem with the people claiming to speak for God."

"They are spreading awareness."

"They're spreading bullshit. They making simple town people tremble in fear for their own 'sinful' souls and representing women as nothing significant. They continuously claim we're all born in sin and only when we obey the church then we can sit next the almighty's throne. It's a scam."

"Quiet now little moon don't want to get burnt at the stake." Marilyn whispered in my ear making me jump in fright.

But I snapped out of it quickly exclaiming. "Another point of this bull-"

"Hush now let's listen." Mari whispered gripping firmly on my arm and somehow we had ended up behind my parents standing right at the stage.

"The beast was spotted less than a few weeks ago crawling through our homes!"

Weeks ago! Yes I was there! Why is this only coming up now?

"By whom?" I shouted out. Everyone turned their heads to stare at me except my mother who shook her head. I can just picture her grimace.

"By brave men who are not to be named at this very moment."

"Luna I wouldn't-" Mari started but I ignored her.

"Then how do we know this is not more propaganda for the church!?" Many gasped as the preacher glared angrily at me through dark eyes.

My mother whipped around and clutched my arm. "Luna be quiet." I sighed stepping closer to her which seemed to signal to the preacher that I would shut up. Marilyn stepped behind me with a hand resting on Ella's back and I heard her whisper to my sister. "Be ready for an eclipse."

"The moon will unleash her dark fury." Ella whispered.

"I can hear you." I growled over my shoulder. "By the way your remarks are not clever." They giggled knowing they got to me.

"The beast now lurks in our city! The abomination made by Satan himself has prowled through the streets and killed our brothers!"

"Or a bunch of psycho-murderers have escaped again because our city are more interested in 'witches' and 'demons' rather than the real monsters that are in the human community." I stated.

"Luna..." My father growled.

The preacher walked to the end of the stage and knelt down staring directly at me. Is he purposely trying to look like Jesus? That's how he looks, Jesus dressed in black only uglier. "You calling me a liar?" He challenged.

"Maybe not a liar just someone given incorrect information." My mother's grip tightened on my arm. Not an encouraging pinch or reprimanding one but if feels more like a warning.

"Oh really?" He pushed with a voice sly as a snake.

"We do not have time to dwell in stories! The beast is not within the city and we all know it can only survive out in the forest's darkness, it is in fact impossible for it to be here. The church needs to stop making us fear what does not need to be feared."

"Luna you will be quiet this instance!" My father harshly whispered in my ear. But we both became astonished when someone shouted, "she's right!" My eyes spotted a tall man standing on the stage behind the preacher.

It's Sam.

"What the f-" Marilyn hissed. "What is he doing here?"

"You know him?" I questioned Marilyn.

"No." I glowered at her. She's keeping things from me again.

Sam's voice cooled my fury on Mari and I watched as he continued. "The beast only comes on full moon. If he has been in our city all this time what's stopping him from coming for us now?" I smirked holding myself back from jumping excitedly at the preacher's expression.

That shut the preacher up but the crowd went ballistic verbally attacking the preacher then at each other.

I was suddenly smacked into squishy body. "You're in big trouble Luna." My dad sneered.

"Me? Why?" He suddenly dragged me behind him knocking other people out of his way with his clammy hands.

Mother and Ella are following behind us and my breathing is quickening.
"Father." I gulped as he suddenly stopped. "Sir..."

He sneered at me. "You spoke out of line." I felt his spit hit my chin. "You will not be joining us for the brunch you will go home immediately."

"She has to be with us we're catching up with family!" My mother intervened.

He ignored her. "First you're disrespecting me then you're disrespecting a fellow man of the church."

"He's probably a scam artist for all you know." I spat back.

"Don't you raise your voice at me." He snapped then looked around us if someone would be interested in our petty lives. Everyone's too busy arguing with each other and demanding money. The preacher must have been selling protective charms or something.

"Hugo, she merely spoke her mind when is that ever wrong?" Mother whispered softly to him then stared warily at my hands.

"Don't worry mother it's all small food with big prices. This way without me it's cheaper that's what this is really about am I wrong sir?" I muttered before storming off. I didn't really want to see everybody anyway. Besides my father is foolish enough to think I'll go straight home. HA!

As my parents they should know me better.

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