In the Eyes of the Wolf

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

-Farley-

My workday was quick. I had met one new person and signed them up for some classes with Kelsey. It wasn't a busy time in comparison to January, where everyone flooded in to get memberships to motivate them to keep up with their New Year's resolutions. Kelsey and I, along with some of our other colleagues have a chart in the separate staff rooms with our bets on it. It didn't win us much, but it was something fun we liked to do. It made me wonder if they did it when I was a member there and how much money I collected.

I had been thinking of the forest all day. Meeting Pax there had given me some hope of getting to know him better, or helping him in some way. I phoned my mam last night; she scolded me for a good quarter of an hour about going against what Caspian told me to do. I didn't want to argue with her, so I just let her get it all out. It didn't stop me being excited to go back to the forest.

I didn't get to see Mary today. It made me feel some guilt; I had been seeing her every workday for the past six months or so. I had gotten on a different bus, going in the complete opposite direction. I got off at a different part of the woods, for the sake of a few more minutes of contemplation. If I chickened out, then I would have more time to think about it before I did. It took about twenty minutes to get to the place I was used to, the familiar chipped signpost with a single piece of paper behind a display case.

It was a pleasant walk as the wind brushed through my hair, I was even a little bit chilly. I had seen some rabbits along the path, as well as one or two squirrels. They were adorable, but I didn't stop to appreciate the cuteness for too long.

A twig snapped behind me.

Usually, I would've assumed that it was one of those creatures, but my instincts told me to turn around. I felt my ear twitch as I turned my neck. My shoulders, which I didn't even notice had tensed, relaxed at the sight of red between the trees.

"Rowan," I said slowly. "Come out."

The dot of red disappeared for a few moments, then out came Rowan, dragging his sister behind him.

"He told you to come out, don't drag me in this." Iris looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here. It was probably the truth; Rowan must've dragged her here.

"You said that you wanted to know where he was going," Rowan argued. "You can't be angry at me when we succeed."

Iris crossed her arms the best she could whilst one was being dragged. "Wanting and finding out are two different things." The two of them had finally reached me.

"Either way, following me is creepy." I pointed at both of them. "Do you think it's alright to just follow people around?"

Iris shook her head whilst Rowan nodded.

"Well, it's not," I told Rowan. "It's called an invasion of privacy. Not that you would know anything about privacy." I turned around and let them follow me.

"What were we supposed to do?" Rowan asked, the sound of his hands hitting his jeans followed. "You weren't telling us where you were going."

"That's because I wanted away from you," I admitted bluntly. "I like my peace and quiet."

"It's not a bad place to get some peace," Iris said. She was walking slower then myself and Rowan, stopping every few feet or so to admire the scenery. "I don't blame you."

"Now hang on there," Rowan said with an offended tone. "Does everyone just want to get away from me?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Not necessarily you." I didn't know what to say in order to make the situation better. "I love you, but you're a bit much."