Poison and Wine

If there was one thing I could change about my life, it would be my parents. Not like completely different people, just who they were as people. They weren't like normal parents. They didn't treat us like normal kids. We got treated like employees rather then their children.

It was quite off putting to be around our friends' parents and see how different they acted then our own. They were loving and friendly and caring. They let their kids do as they pleased and didn't force them to do any extra curricular activities that they didn't want to. Their fathers were their protectors and their mothers were their confidants. It got to the point where it hurt so much, that Brynn and I just quit hanging out with people. We secluded ourselves from everyone. Our days were the same. They ran together, turning into one big blur.

6 am- Wake up
6:15- Shower
6:30- Eat breakfast
7 am- Go over previous nights homework
7:15- Leave for school
7:45-3:30- School
3:45- Piano/Singing lessons
5 pm- Study/dinner
6 pm- Chores
8:30- Study
9 pm- Bedtime

It had been that way ever since I could remember. It was the main reason Brynn and I snuck around. They always say "Strict parents make sneaky kids." And that's a quote I whole heartedly agree with. Our parents were as strict as they came. Hitler wasn't as strict as they were. If one hair was out of place or they didn't like what we were wearing, we got berated. And they weren't easy punishments. They were awful. We were one step away from being slaves.

"Annie!"

I jumped, startled. "Shit! What?"

"I've been talking to you for the last half hour and you haven't been listening to a word I've said," Brynn grumbled. "I could've been telling you I was pregnant with Peters werewolf baby and you wouldn't have known."

My head swung around to face her, my eyes wide as baseballs. "You aren't are you? Because I heard strange sounds coming from his house the other afternoon when I went on a run, and his mom wasn't there. Only you and Teen Wolf." Before she could respond, I kept rambling, knowing it'd get under her skin. "I don't want any pups running around here, chewing up the furniture and my shoes. I'm not ready to be a Titi."

A swift punch landed on my shoulder. I glared at her, holding my now throbbing arm. "Bitch."

"You asked for it."

"I did not!" I exclaimed. "You're just being a bully!"

"Am not! You're just being a bratty baby!"

"Better then being a baby," I shot back. "So ha."

"Stick that tongue out one more time and I'll grab that butcher knife and chop the thing off." So I did the only logical thing a little sibling would do. I stuck my tongue out. Her reaction was quick; she grabbed the knife and hopped off the barstool, chasing after me. I was already halfway upstairs before she even rounded the corner. With the new abilities we established after finding out we were Lamia; we were faster and stronger. Both our speed came into play as soon as our feet hit the ground. She was a mere two feet behind me when I slammed our bedroom door shut and locked it.

"Antoinette!" She banged on the door. "Open the damn door!"

I let out a chuckle. "Neighbors are gonna think you're murdering someone with all the screaming going on."

She let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm still going to hit you when you come out."

Ha! Annie 1 - Brynn 0


Pulled aside as if I was the wrong one,
You said it all and you made me the lost one.
Elevated by your greatest mistake, now I'm all alone.
I bet you couldn't tell that I felt the same way,
Struggling just to get to the next day.
I'm not force fed lies while I'm by your side.

Shaking your head doesn't change this.
Preparing myself for a train wreck,
I can't be saved.

So tell me why can't you see
This is where you need to be?
You know, it's taken its toll on me,
But I don't feel invisible, whoa.
So tell me why can't you see—

One foot in front of the other. Deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. Keep the same pace. Don't speed up or slow down. Keep running until you can't run anymore.

Holidays tend to make me feel whole again.
Rainy days make me feel like the dream is dead.
I can show you what it's like to be down when you're all alone.
I'm quite aligned to your design.
What's mine is yours, and that's just fine.
I'm finally acquiring the state of mind that everything is gonna be alright.

Shaking your head doesn't change this.
Preparing myself for a train wreck,
I can't be saved.

So tell me why can't you see
This is where you need to be?
You know, it's taken its toll on me,
But I don't feel invisible—

I stopped any and all movement. My breathing was labored, but I did my best to even it out. I feared anything would set off the wolf in front of me. A few feet directly in front of me was a pure white wolf with piercing yellow eyes. It was the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen. A twig snapped in the woods to the right, making its ears perk up. A few seconds later it's attention was back on me as it took a few steps toward me. I noticed as it got closer, it was lowly growling. With each step it took, the growling grew louder. By the time it's snout was a few inches from my face, it was showing its sharp teeth.

Another twig snapped, but this time neither of us looked away. Instead, I was knocked out of the way by a brown blur. I didn't stay around to witness anything else. I took off running in the direction I came from and made it home in record time. Chris was sitting in the kitchen, reading the morning paper and sipping a cup of hot tea with milk. I never understood how he could drink tea with milk. I mean, we aren't in England for shit sakes. I managed to toss a rushed hi and wave over my shoulder as I thundered up the steps to mine and Brynn's room.

Brynn was just starting her morning yoga, but stopped when I slammed the door shut. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath, before letting what all just happened rush out of my mouth like word vomit. Running. Almost being attacked by a white wolf. Brown wolf attacking white wolf. Running away. She immediately picked up her phone and dialed Peters number. In the middle of her dialing, a loud howl came from outside, startling us both.

"That wasn't Peter," we both murmured. Another howl sounded, but much closer this time. I rushed to the window that separated our beds and stared out into the dark tree line behind our house. Off to the left, I spotted two glowing eyes staring straight at me. "Holy shit!"

"And Annie said—" Brynn cut herself off. "What's wrong Annie? What did you see?" I shook my head, slowly stepping away from the window. No. Nope. I didn't see that. I didn't see those eyes. I saw nothing. "Thought I saw a spider," I rushed out. "It was just a dust bunny."

She gave me a look like she didn't believe me, but went back to talking to Peter nonetheless. I fell back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea. Nothing good has come out of this place. Ever since we've been here, our lives have been nothing but major cluster fucks.


"Roman, quit," I whined, swatting blindly over my shoulder. His deep chuckle rumbled against my back. He was nipping along my neck, while his hands squeezed my hips. He bit right below my ear, making me yelp and elbow him in the stomach. "Oh fuck," he groaned.

Brynn and Peter chuckled. "Lettin' your girl beat up on ya?" Roman glared at his friend.

"Fuck off."

Today was yet another dreary day in Hemlock Grove. But that didn't stop me and Brynn from wearing tank tops. Everyone else had on long sleeves and coats, saying it was cold. Brynn and I had grown used to the harsh winters in New York. This sixty degree weather wasn't anything compared to New Yorks below freezing weather. We relished in the warmth.

As we stood in front of the school, we got many looks from passing students. And not only because of our tank tops, but because of our scales. No one had seen them except us, Roman, Peter, and Peter's mom. So everyone was whispering and gossiping about our new found 'tattoos'.

"Have you guys seen the new guy in town?" Letha appeared in front of us with a smirk on her pale face and a hand on her protruding stomach. I almost laughed out loud. Her whole spiel about being a virgin and never having had any kind of sex and this baby being an angels baby who came to her in her dreams, was beyond ridiculous. Who in their right mind would believe that? Oh that's right. Her equally as insane family would believe her. Even Roman. I called bullshit. But that's just me. I have a knack for knowing when people are lying. Just like Brynn has a knack for knowing when something bad is going to happen.

"Nah," Peter replied. Roman, myself, and Brynn all shook our heads no. She then went on to explain what he looked like, swooning every few seconds. It was quite annoying to be honest. "And he's insanely tall. Like, I'm talking, taller then Roman. And I heard he's from New York or something. Like, the Upper East Side or something fancy like that."

Brynn and I instantly looked at each other. It couldn't be—

"Well if it isn't Red and Curly." Holy shit. Brynn and I slowly turned our heads to the left. There behind Letha stood our oldest friend, Jordan Danvers.

"Jordy!" We left Roman and Peter behind, going to attack Jordan. There wasn't anything we hated more then hugs. Except from Jordan. His hugs were the best. He was like a big teddy bear, but less hairy. "What're you doing here?!"

"Parental got jobs at the hospital down here," he replied. "So we packed up and moved. If I'd of known you had moved here, I would've called or text. You left so suddenly that no one knew where you two had went or what happened to you guys. Everyone was worried back home."

Jordan was the second brother we never got. He stepped up in a major way when Chris walked out of our lives. He was there for us when we had it out with our parents or just needed to vent about the day's events. There was no way we could repay him for doing all that he's done. A thank you wouldn't suffice. And even if he told us not to worry about it, we did. We felt the need to thank him and do whatever needed to be done to repay him. Even if it meant being in his debt for the rest of our lives, then so be it. If it wasn't for him, Brynn and I more then likely wouldn't be here today.

"Woah, wait," he spoke. His hands stopped on our arms, right on the scales. "What in the name of all that is holy happened to your arms?"

Here comes the answer we had practiced. "We got tattoos for our eighteenth birthdays."

I shrugged. "Go big or go home, yeah?"

He snorted. "Obviously!"