The Wolves in the Woods

Our Choices Make Us

We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.

— Ken Levine

***

The immediate ramifications of Lila's lies are seen and felt when the trio head out into town.

***

            "You can stop laughing now..." Lila groused, pulling her jacket closer to hide her face. Beside her outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Amaia and Andres were struggling to keep straight faces. Accompanied by the seven-week-old dog that just panted like there wasn't a mockery happening in front of him. Earlier, Lila had tried one of her tricks to get out of going into town with them. Complete with a milder version of what she had warned Marinette with in the bathroom. Except this time, neither were intimidated nor were they swayed. And then Mireya popped up behind her with a creepy smile and a knife.

The entire block heard Lila's shrill scream of terror.

"Is your voice alright?" Andres snarked. "I'm pretty sure I saw a few boxes flying out." Amaia doubled over trying — and failing — to suppress a laugh. Lila shot him a glare at the comment. To which, Andres only grinned his gremlin grin.

"You are impossible," she groused. Then yawned. "I had the weirdest dream last night..."

"About what?" Amaia asked. Diego obediently sat by his owner while awaiting his mama's command. As a treat for his good behavior, Amaia knelt and scratched him behind the ears.

"I saw some weird wolves running across Paris," Lila said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not even sure they were wolves. They looked more like ghosts." Then there was that black one that looked like part of the night sky. "There was also one that looked like a human running with them." She adjusted her warmer jacket. "It felt so bizarre."

The siblings hummed.

"Did you watch anything with wolves last night?" Andres asked. "I sometimes dream about a music video I watched. Like that time I dreamed I was a puppet at a carnival of rust."

"Was that seriously a Poets of the Fall reference?..." Lila questioned. Andres shrugged. "Music taste aside, I don't remember watching anything with— Oh, wait." The brother and sister duo looked up. "It was Amaia's documentary. I'm sure it was." Amaia grinned.

"I have to feed the wolf inside," the redhead sassed. Diego barked in agreement with his mama. "I just hope none of them chased you." Lila withheld a shriek.

"What the heck does that mean?!" Lila squawked. Amaia shrugged while she read the list Mireya gave them, her other hand firmly grasping Diego's leash.

"Well, for one, wolves are coursing predators," Amaia recited from memory. "That means they can run for miles to catch prey without getting tired." She relished how pale Lila's face was getting. "But of course, one rabbit isn't enough to—"

"I get it I get it, can we go now?" Lila fired off in rapid succession, darting between them. Amaia and Andres laughed a hearty laugh. Much to Lila's visible irritation and chagrin. Oh, sure. As if dreaming about ghost wolves in the middle of the night wasn't enough. Now they had to go and spook her about a nonexistent threat. Good grief.

"..."

Amaia looked behind her, a strange feeling nagging at the back of her head. At any other time, she would have dismissed this feeling as silly paranoia. But the presence lurking in the shadows set her alarms on high alert. Andres glanced behind him, the gesture so subtle Lila didn't notice. But the sudden steel in his eyes sent a warning to whoever was following them to back off. When the nagging feeling in the back of her head disappeared, she knew whoever was hiding had listened.