Wolverton Falls

04. A Fear of Wolves

"I'D ASK YOU to stay for coffee or something, but I have a lot of unpacking to do," Maggie subtly tried to tell Emmett to leave; his presence was suffocating.

He somehow managed to make her feel feverish and anxious as the confinements of the living room suddenly seemed stifling.

"I can see that," He replied, observing the scattered brown boxes.

Maggie shivered. His tone was masked by a chilling calmness that unsettled her.

"Perhaps another time then," He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Certainly," She forced a smile; the faux politeness she had to assemble during their walk was leaving a foul, bitter taste in her mouth and cheeks sore. All she had discovered was that he has lived in Wolverton Falls his whole life and he knew everything about the place.

Maggie led him out to the door and hastily opened it.

"See you soon, Maggie." With her name being the last word, Emmett left her home. His powerful strides crunched the hard layer of snow and undergrowth beneath his boots as he slowly faded away.

Maggie slammed the solid door shut; her trembling hands ran through her hair leaving it a mess. She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath. Her fatigued body let gravity pull her down until she landed on the floor. Maggie leaned against the door, closed her eyes tight as her she turned her head up to at the ceiling.

She was beginning to doubt living in this town as she listed off the sudden abnormalities and strange circumstances she's experienced in her head.

The wolves. The silhouette outside her house. Mr. Windchestly and his absurd warnings.

Emmett.

Shaking her head, Maggie tried to pin her irrational worries to her paranoia. Deciding to distract herself, she busied herself with mundane chores.

After unpacking the food, Maggie got straight into unloading the full boxes sitting stacked in the small kitchen.

Once emptied and crockery was put away, Maggie went into her room and began to unpack her belongings. Her mind was finally calm and settled due to the tedious labour.

It didn't take long, as she didn't have a lot of possessions or furniture. She placed her clothes in the cupboards and moved around some of her furniture. Maggie filled them up with simple pieces that she had collected over the years.

Collapsing onto her bed, Maggie exhaled as tiredness crept up to her. She was too exhausted now to unpack any more boxes; she'd leave them for her brother.

Maggie craned her neck to glance at the vast collection of her cherished books aligned on a high shelf.

It ranged from historical romances to intriguing science-fiction to werewolves and vampires and even the odd collections of poems; she's read pretty much every genre of books. Old folklore and adapted fairytales were her favourites to pass time.

Maggie was beginning to think that the real reason why she read so much, buried herself in so many novels, was because she was trying to solve a mystery of her own.

Herself.

Maggie lived a relatively normal life, looked a normal person but she could help but feel that there was something abnormal inside her. She just didn't know how to find it.

#

Her mind was elsewhere as the hot water glided down her bare, sore skin. The tense muscles in her back relaxed as the heat surrounded her in a welcoming embrace. Her brown eyes fluttered shut as the spray of water hit her face; she relished the feeling as her hands mechanically spread the scented soap over her stomach.