Chapter Three

I cursed my dad for making me open the door as I stood there smiling awkwardly at the perfect family before me. The lady smiled at me and extended her hand.

"Hello, you must be Faye." She said, her voice angelic. "My name is Teresa, and these are my children, Abigail and Cain. We've been friends of your fathers for a long time now so it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Oh uh, hi." I stuttered as I took each of them in. Teresa and Abigail smiled warmly at me, but I noticed Cain avoiding my gaze. He was standing more awkwardly than I was, closely examining a leaf. "Oh sorry, come in!" I said, realising I'd been staring at him, and I stepped aside to let them in. They walked in so comfortably, like they'd been here a thousand times, Cain still avoiding my gaze as I shut the door behind them. Teresa wandered off into the kitchen and I could hear her joking with my dad. Abigail was sitting at the dining table on her phone, and Cain was staring at some photos of deer on the wall. I sat down in front of Abigail, my eyes looking past her at Cain who was now awkwardly examining a small carving of a deer. He was tall, at least 6'2", with short black hair. His shirt didn't hide the fact that he was ripped and I could only imagine what Kat would say after I told her about him. I sent her a quick text to make sure she was still up when I called.

"So, you're Lucas's daughter." Abigail said, bringing me back into the real world.

"What?" I looked at her confused.

"You are Lucas's daughter...right?" She questioned it this time, perking up a perfectly tweezed eyebrow.

"Yeah. I mean, yes, I am." I said assuringly. "How long have you known my dad for?"

"Long enough to be shocked that he has a daughter. I'm Abigail as you already know, but call me Abi." She introduced herself and smiled pleasantly.

"Faye." I replied, smiling back. "Is your brother alright?" I asked, my eyes darting between her and Cain who was looking more and more agitated.

She put her phone down and sighed. "Honestly, I don't know." She whispered so quietly I had to lean in close to hear her. "He's been in a weird mood all day. If you ask me, he's just crazy."

I didn't know why she was whispering, he wasnt anywhere near us. I looked over her shoulder at him and he had stopped playing with the deer, his head slightly tilted in our direction as if listening in on us. He walked out of the room suddenly and I heard muffled conversation coming from the kitchen, then the front door slamming shut.

Teresa came into the dining room soon after, her face apologetic. "I'm so sorry about Cain's behaviour." She said. "He's just very... Well-"

"He's crazy, like I told you." Abi finished for her, earning her a stern look from her mum. Maybe they weren't as perfect of a family as they looked.

Teresa went back to the kitchen and I sat with Abi in silence until dinner was served. It was awkward, even though Teresa and my dad seemed to be acting as though nothing had happened. I picked at my food, occasionally exchanging eye contact with Abi who was looking just as uncomfortable as I was feeling.

"How was your first day of school?" Teresa asked me, sipping on what I could swear was her 6th glass of wine.

"It was good. I just sorted out my classes and went on a tour. They sent me home after that, so I can't complain."

"Oh that's nice. Maybe you'll be in some classes with Abigail, she could do with a friend like you."

"Mum!" Abi hissed and blushed, shying away behind her long hair.

"How about you take Abi up to your room, Faye?" Dad asked. "Maybe she can give you some tips on cleaning."

The adults laughed, clearly finding it entertaining to embarrass their kids.

It was my turn to blush as we stood up and Abi thanked my dad for dinner. She followed me up the stairs to my room and I was thankful that the pictures on my vanity caught her attention so I had the chance to kick some dirty clothes under the bed.

She picked up a photo and walked over to me. "Is this your mum?" She asked, showing me the picture of the three of us as a happy family and I nodded. "She's so beautiful."

She put the photo back down and looked at the one of me and Kat. "Who's she?" Abi asked, pointing at the photo.

"That's Kat, my best friend from Oakheart." I told her.

"I've never had a best friend." She said almost sadly. She walked towards my bookshelf and ran her fingers along all the spines. "I love your book collection. Do you mind if I borrow some one day?"

"Yeah, go for it. Take some now if any caught your interest."

Her smile was so big as she turned back to the bookshelf and started pulling books off the shelves. "I'll return them to you at school on Monday, if that's okay with you?"

"Can you even finish them all by then?" I questioned, looking at the pile of books she was holding close to her chest.

"You'd be surprised." She said and winked at me. "I'm a really fast reader."

She was nicer than I thought she would be and it would be nice to know someone at school. She leaned the books gently against the vanity and pulled out her phone. "Um, can I have your number?" She asked anxiously. "It's okay if you don't want to though!"

"Of course you can." I said as I took her phone off her and put my number in it. The look on her face was priceless, as if having my number was the most precious thing she now owned.

I followed her as she randomly decided to leave my room and go downstairs without saying anything, and I noticed that her mum was waiting for her at the front door, ready to leave.

How had she known?

"Sorry to leave so soon." Teresa was saying to my dad. "But I need to make sure Cain isn't up to no good back at home." She looked over at me when I walked up to them. "It was so good to finally meet you though, Faye."

"Yeah, it was." Abi chimed in. "Thanks again for the books."

"No worries, Abi. It was great meeting you guys, too."

They waved goodbye as they walked through the door, a cool breeze giving me goosebumps.

I head back up to my room after exchanging goodnights with dad and got comfy on my bed as I called Kat.

She picked up after two rings, her high pitched voice making the phone crackle.

"Faaaaye!" She called out. "How are you?"

"I think I'm okay" I said and giggled. "Probably a little deaf now though. You won't believe what I had standing in my dining room not too long ago."

"Oh my gosh, what?!"

"The hottest guy I have ever seen, Kat. Like I've never seen a guy like him."

I heard her suck her breath in, trying to imagine her own version of him and getting overly excited.

"But-"

"No! Why must there be a but?!" She whined and I pulled the phone away from my ear. I'd obviously ruined her perfect image of him.

"He was so weird, Kat. He went from staring at a leaf, to playing with a statue of a deer. He looked really troubled by something. I dunno." I said.

"That doesn't mean he's "but" worthy though, does it?"

"I dunno, it creeped me out though, and then he just left. Slammed the front door on his way out, too."

Kat continued persuading me that Cain was totally perfect, and must have just been shocked by how hot I was. So hot that he couldn't look at me and had to leave.

I listened to her drone on about her non existent love life and how school was so boring without me. She hoped to visit me over the holidays and I was eager for that day to come. I tried to keep my mind on Kat's conversation, but I had started to feel weird thinking about Cain. I apologised to her and ended the call, crawling under my bed sheets, suddenly feeling extremely tired.

I was running again, the forest around me as dark as the creature chasing me. I fell when I reached the clearing and this time saw the giant white wolf come leaping out of the trees, it's eyes as red as the blood it lusted for. It landed in front of me and I could feel it's damp breath on my face. The sound of snapping teeth caused me to spin around and only just manage to move away as another wolf's mouth clamped shut where my foot had just been. Several wolves now circled me, growling and baring their teeth. My eyes caught a dark figure standing on the edge of the clearing, the shadows hiding what he was, but his eyes revealing who he was.

[i]Faye. [/i]

I awoke as I heard a male voice call out my name, my whole body covered in sweat.

Those eyes, they were the same as the ones from the man that had dented my car. I still remembered them clearly so I was positive they were the same, but how could I be dreaming of this stranger?

My muscles were sore and protested when I rolled out of bed, but I had to clear my mind. Dad was still asleep as I crept downstairs, so I left him a quick note and jogged out into the forest surrounding our home. The air was crisp and the surprisingly clear sky let the sun, which had not fully risen yet, cast a warm glow through the trees. My mind cleared and I occupied it by examining my surroundings. A lot of the foliage had started going brown and red, but because of the rain, there was always new growth and dark green ivy crawled up and around some of the trunks of the gargantuan trees. I walked deeper and deeper into the forest, crossing streams and picking some wild flowers that chose to flower in such cold. A loud snapping sound made me stop in my tracks and I turned in a slow circle, scanning my surroundings. My heart stopped as I took in the huge black wolf standing not even ten meters away from me. I took an unsteady step backwards and my foot caught on something, sending me falling backwards onto the hard ground. I took in how unbelievably huge the wolf was, willing myself to move, but I was frozen in fear. It sniffed the air, taking a step towards me and I opened my mouth to scream, but the wolf turned away from me and ran off through the trees. I stood up shaking, and when I regained my footing I ran back home, the trees a blur as I bolted past them. I burst through the front door, falling to the ground trying to catch my breath.

"Faye?" Dad called out and rushed to me. "Faye, what happened?!"

I struggled to get any words out but finally calmed down enough to get a sentence out properly.

"I saw a wolf."

Dads face suddenly became serious. "What?" He asked, his tone just as serious.

"I went for a walk and heard this loud cracking sound. Next thing I know, I'm staring in the face of a huge black wolf! And its eyes, they-"

They had been golden. My head as spinning and I fell back on to the ground. I could hear dad talking to me, saw him crouch beside me, but I couldn't understand the words that came out of his mouth. It was like I was underwater, my head getting heavier and heavier.

Just what was happening?

Dad sat me down in the kitchen and placed a big mug of steaming coffee in front of me.

"You gave me quite the scare there. Why did you react like that?" He asked, sitting down opposite me. I just shook my head. "Well regardless, you couldn't possibly have seen a wolf. They haven't been seen in these parts for over half a century."

"I know what I saw." I said firmly.

Dad sighed. "I think you were just frightened. It was most likely a bear that you saw."

"Dad, I know the difference between a wolf and a bear." I clenched the cup in my hands, hating how my own dad was saying that I was seeing things.

"How about you give Abi a call today? Maybe you need some girl time to get your mind off things." He stood up from the table and messed up my hair as he walked past.

I shut my eyes in frustration, but maybe he was right and I just needed to get my mind off things. I sent a quick text to Abi and put my head down onto the table. My phone vibrated almost instantly and I jerked from the shock.

[i]Hey Faye! I'd love to. I'll come pick you up in an hour?[/i]

I smiled over her eagerness and sent a reply.

Abi was out front of my house beeping in much less than an hour, her smile so big as she waited for me to get in the car. I couldn't help but have my own big smile as I got in the car and we drove down to town.

It was still early as we made our way to a cafe. Not many people were inside the shopping centre, the cold weather keeping them inside their homes which made me wish I was back in bed.

"Ah, Abi! I haven't seen you for a while now." The middle aged man with some sort of strong European accent called out as we walked in. "And who is your friend?"

Abi giggled and smiled warmly at the man. "Hi Aldrich. This is Faye, she just moved in with her dad."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Aldrich said, extending his hand over the counter. "Such a beautiful friend Abigail has."

I shook his hand and blushed as he winked at Abi who giggled again and agreed.

We placed our orders, which were on the house, and sat at a small wooden table, a single rose in a small vase sitting in the middle. I listened to Abi go on about the books she had borrowed, giving her my opinions on parts we both liked in particular books. I'd never had a person to talk to about my books like this back in Oakheart, so I was enjoying listening to her get into so much detail and passion over some of them.

As we went to leave, I left a big tip that also covered the fantastic coffee I had just had. I knew things would be good here in SilverAsh as I followed Abi out, her mouth now a permanent smile.