The Wolves in the Woods

Between the Shadow and the Soul

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

— Pablo Neruda

***

Lila adjusts to living with a new family after the trial.

***

Mirror mirror, on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Is it the baker's daughter?

Or the child of the diplomat?

Like lambs led to slaughter,

Or like a pretty doormat.

Mirror mirror, what's behind you?

In time, all costs will be due.

One liar revealed, one con artist troubled.

Tension and hatred bubbled.

Mirror mirror, please tell me.

When oh when will I be set free?

***

Lila set the plate down on the table while Amaia and Andres got the cups and silverware. The afternoon sun cast a golden light into the living room while Mireya finished preparing the day's lunch. Which was something called a paella Valenciana full of fresh meat, rice, golden saffron (where did Mireya get that?), and a variety of herbs and spices. Lila would never admit it, but her mouth was watering just smelling the dish. It reminded her a bit of the risotto her nonna used to make back in Italy.

"Hmm," Lila hummed. "A bit of bone marrow would really pull this together..."

"Something?" Andres asked, looking up from placing the bread on the table. Lila touched her chin.

"Nothing, just talking to myself," she said.

"I could've sworn you said something about bone marrow," Amaia teased, setting down the cups. Lila rolled her eyes.

"Gee, it's almost like I can't talk about food anywhere," Lila groused. A wet sensation and a paw on her foot later, she adjusted the placemat on the table. All the while giving Diego a playful nudge. "My nonna grew up on a pig farm back home." Amaia and Andres leaned in to listen. "Whenever she'd make her risotto, she'd always add some bone marrow to the dish." She inhaled, pretending she was smelling her grandmother's signature dish. "It just added something irreplaceable."

"That sounds delicious," Andres said, smacking his lips.

"Oh, it was," Lila added. "Bone marrow isn't that gross. It just tastes fattier and creamier since it comes from a bone." She gazed at the plate of bread on the table. "My nonno used to make the best stews with it." Fond memories came back one by one. Many of which included her sitting at her grandparents' table wiping the plate with a slice of freshly baked bread after chowing down on piping hot stew. She had to smile hearing the other two humming in delight. "Trust me, you have not been to heaven unless you've had freshly baked bread with ossobuco." She had to smile when they both hummed "mmm".

"That sounds a little like the ham Hidalgo would make," Andres commented.

"Hidalgo?" Lila asked.

"Family friend who lives back in Spain," Amaia answered, heading to the pantry. The little husky followed her. "He was in the armed forces for some years before he retired to be a pig farmer." Andres went to the kitchen to help Mireya carry the paella to the table. "He says he doesn't miss it. At all." Lila kept her face blank while Amaia filled Diego's bowls with food and water. The puppy happily lapped up the fresh water after chowing down.