Chapter 2 What is the best choice?

Leona‘s Pov After I run away from the hospital, I don’t want to go back to school either. I’m not welcome there anyway. To most of them, I’m just a nerd. I don’t talk about makeup, mini skirts, cheer practice, or cute boys… And after what happened on the bus yesterday, things are only going to get worse: I feel like I’ve turned from a bookworm into a monster. I run my fingers through my hair, almost digging into my scalp out of frustration. If only I were just crazy. That would be easier to explain. I wander through the streets with no destination, memories flashing in my mind—so vivid they scare me. I’ve always been good at studying, but now… I can remember things I shouldn’t. I can feel, exactly, the first time I held Lia when she was born. The soft warmth of her tiny body… it almost takes my breath away. But another sorrow surges up and swallows me whole. I only realized yesterday how terribly wrong I’ve been about Lia. She gives me the purest love in this world, and yet, for so long, I foolishly resented her, jealous of the love I thought she stole from our parents. I want to make it right. I want to love her back. But now… I will never get the chance. I can’t even call myself her family anymore. It’s all so absurd. Why is fate playing such a cruel joke on me? No one knows what I’ve been going through—not even I can explain it clearly. Lately, my life has been split in two. On the surface, I’m still Leona, going to school. But inside—inside, a wild, restless storm is breaking loose, and I’m just the debris in its path. I’ve blamed puberty, a convenient scapegoat for everything. But deep in my heart, I know this isn’t the whole truth. The changes happening to my body… they’re not something puberty can explain. Questions explode in my head. I’m so lost in thought that I don’t notice a man wearing a hat rushed toward me and throws a handful of white powder. “It’s time to go back to the world you belong to,” he hissed. I dodge, but some of it drifts into my nose. Instantly, my heart swells, a frantic, pounding drum against my ribs. The world tilts, colors swim, and a metallic taste floods my mouth. I didn’t even have time to ask what he meant by my world before everything went black. When I wake up, neighbors surround me. Their faces are full of fake concern, their eyes full of fear. “Leona, are you alright? We called your parents. Do you need an ambulance?” I stand up slowly. As I move, they all take a step back. They’ve seen too many strange things around me lately. They’re afraid of me. “I’m fine,” I say. “Probably just low blood sugar.” They disperse, but I can still hear them whispering. “Did you hear? At midnight, a wolf howl came from their house… then they took Lia away in an ambulance…” “My daughter said Leona lost control at school. Attacked someone.” “I don’t want to assume the worst… but we must protect our families. Better not get close to them.” I shouldn’t have heard them from that distance. But I did. Every word stabs straight into my chest. Five minutes later, my parents rush home and hug me tight. “Oh God, Leona, my baby… are you hurt?” Mom holds my face, scanning for injuries. She truly looks frightened, holding my face in her trembling hands as if I were the most fragile, precious thing in her world. Mom’s love for me has always been sincere, overflowing—so sincere that I never once doubted our blood. If I were just a stranger with no ties to her… why she still love me like this? Maybe I misheard at the hospital? Or misunderstood? “I heard you fainted. Should we go back to the hospital?” Mom’s voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts, her brown eyes full of tears. I shake my head. “I just didn’t have your breakfast. Low blood sugar. How’s Lia? Can I see her?” At the mention of Lia, they exchange a look. Dad clears his throat.“She just has a fever. She’ll be home soon. Right now, we need to focus on you. I’ll drive you to school this afternoon.” So that’s it. They want me away from Lia. For her own safety. I understand… I do have many traits that don’t match my parents—my eyes too close to crimson and my golden hair. They once said it was inherited from my grandmother, but I’ve never seen any photos of her. I blink away the tears before they notice. At school, I force a smile under Dad’s worried gaze. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m the model student, remember?” Even if I’m not their biological child, for sixteen years they’ve given me the best love parents could offer. The only thing I can do now is stop giving them any more reasons to worry about me. I take a deep breath and step onto campus. “I heard her eyes… turn red. Like blood.” “That’s a demon. I swear. A demon.” It’s Susan—the cheer captain. If she says it, everyone believes it. They stare at me like I’m contagious. Even the teachers change. Ms. Thompson, always kind, now glances nervously at my hands, my face—like I might explode any second. Ironically, this is the safest day I’ve ever had at school. No one dares to touch me. On the way home, I feel eyes on me. The street is empty, but I know someone is watching. The man from this morning? If it is, I’ll make him answer me. I walk on high alert, every sense stretched taut—but the street remains empty, silent except for the frantic beat of my own heart. Am I being paranoid? Or am I finally starting to listen to instincts I was never supposed to have? At my door, I notice a postcard on the ground. “To Leona.” Just a normal landscape photo. Except… it smells strongly of sage. It makes me want to sneeze. Inside, Lia sits pale at the table. I run to her.“Lia, my little angel—you’re back!” She jumps away, hiding in Mom’s arms, eyes full of fear. Mom forces a smile. “She still needs rest. Go eat first.” That night, I hold the postcard under my desk lamp. Dear Leona, Nice to finally meet you. I am Elysia—your aunt. I want to invite you to live in Weremoon Town. This is a sincere invitation. I’ve arranged transportation for three days from now. Just be at the station at noon. Here, you will begin a new life. — Aunt Elysia Aunt… Elysia? I’ve never heard that name. I’ll ask Mom tomorrow. But I realize one point quickly: if I’m not their daughter, none of that matters. She is just a stranger who found me a new place to go. This night, I dream again. I’m riding a giant white wolf—through the exact same landscape as the postcard. When I wake, it’s 12 o’clock again. Thirsty, I creep downstairs for water—and freeze at the sound of my parents’ voices, low and strained from the living room. “Honey, I can’t send Leona to a place like that,” Mom sobs, ragged and broken. “It’s getting out of control,” Dad replies, his voice heavy with a defeat that scares me more than anger ever could. “The neighbors want us gone. Lia’s kindergarten… they’ve refused to take her back. They said… they said until things are ‘settled’…” My heart doesn’t just drop; it plummets, leaving a cold, hollow void in my chest. This… all of it—the fear, the rejection, the danger to my sister—it’s all my fault. I am the poison. I am the storm. I look at the postcard lying on my desk, the sage scent still clinging to the air. So… if I leave… everything will go back to normal?