CHAPTER 2

EMMA

The next morning, my dad made a big breakfast before I emerged from my room.

“Morning dad,” I signed, then rubbed my eyes to accommodate the blinding sunlight coming from the window.

“Hope you had a restful sleep, Emma?” my dad asked smiling. “Come eat, I made your favorite.”

I knew he did all that for my birthday but I wished he hadn’t. I had made it clear that I didn’t ever want to celebrate my birthday or ever talk about it. It only brought back sad memories, memories I couldn’t wipe off but hoped we would heal from.

I signed a ‘thank you but you shouldn't have bothered,’ to him with a beam on my face, of course, I didn’t want him feeling bad.

He stood in our crammed kitchen, placing dishes on our little wooden dining table with just two chairs. Our house was a little, built with woods and looked like it came out from the house drawings I made with colored pencils as a child. It was divided into four unequal parts, my room, dad’s room, the restroom and our kitchen.

My dad made my room the biggest which was still small compared to my room back in our home with my mum. He always left home in the morning and returned by evening, sometimes coming back with books or edibles. He knew I loved to read.

I sat down on the chair facing the many plates of delicious looking meals he had to wake up early to make and I felt a rush of gratitude towards him.

“I know you don’t like this, but today is a special day for you, Emma.” he started, sitting down opposite me.

“What makes it different from my other birthdays?” I asked him with my hands.

“Well…” he studied the food before him thoughtfully. “Your eighteenth birthday is not like others because you get to meet your wolf, even shapeshift if she is ready, manifest other powers that you may have and you get to meet…”

He paused and started stuffing my plate with food. “I get to meet what?” I signed with impatience, knowing it was something really important for him to pause like that.

“You get to meet your real self.” he spoke concentrating too long on his plate and evading my eyes. I knew instantly that he was lying but I didn’t push.

It was all part of his idea of keeping me safe.

We both started to eat, aware of the tension simmering in space between us. I needed to clear the air as I didn’t want him to guess what I was planning.

I dropped my fork noisily to attract his attention. “Dad, you have a wolf right?” I signed with two raised eyebrows

“Sure,” he smiled and I could sense the relief in his voice and his eyes.

“What’s his name?”

“Reel.” he said, chewing his food slowly.

“Reel? As in real?” I asked with a playful scowl.

“No, Reel as in R-E-E-L” he mouthed, chuckling silently.

“Dad, I read in some fantasy books that werewolves actually have ranks, how true is that?” I probed, trying not to let the height of my curiosity obvious to my dad. He caught on very easily.

“It isn’t just written in books, it is true. I’m a Beta wolf, my father was, his father was as well and so on.” he explained with a sad grin.

I nodded and continued forking pasta into my mouth. My dad finished his hurriedly, took his plates to the sink, put on his winter coat and walked to where I sat almost done with mine as well.

“I really wanted to stay with you today, take a walk with you out of the house, but I can’t, I’m so sorry sweetheart, I have to work for us to be comfortable, you understand?” he gazed down at me remorsefully, rubbing down my hair in a gentle manner.

“But I’ll see you when I’m back by evening with more of your favorite books and snacks okay? Now come close the door” he finished and walked to the door with me behind him to lock the door after he leaves. I was sure he would come back with more fantasy books in his leather bag.

He locked the door outside himself till I turned fifteen, then he allowed me to lock myself in after repeating three or more times that I would never come outside or open the door for anyone who wasn’t him.

I followed him to the door and before he went out, he said, “Remember?”

“Don’t open for anyone that isn’t you.” I signed with a frustrated sigh. “I get it dad, I can take care of myself, and I’ll be fine.”

“I know, Emma, daddy loves you.” he dropped a light kiss on my forehead, hesitated while staring at me with cloudy eyes before leaving the house.

I let out a breath of triumph and closed the door after him, putting the nine bolts in their place. I had to wait for an hour after he left because sometimes he came back to get things he forgot like his winter coat or muffler or grocery list. I couldn’t risk letting him know I left the house, knowing how much of a fit he was going to throw if he found out.

In a bid to kill time, I took care of the dished, folded my clothes, and did some of the minor chores in the house and before I knew one hour had sped by.

My heart was racing with excitement, wondering what I was going to see and people I could meet, to my surprise, I wasn’t a tad scared despite all my father’s warning. I was only a little worried that someone might recognize me, but that was close to impossible since we were in the human realm.

I would just go out for a few hours, see the things happening around me and how people behaved if those books were true or as fictitious as they my dad said they were, I said to Ashley, wondering if she was even listening.

One thing I wanted badly was to make friends and if possible, find someone my heart would beat for just like in the books I read. Someone who would sweep me off my feet, I thought giggling with glee.

“Do you have a destination in mind?” Ashley suddenly spoke up in my head making me stop in my track. She sounded even more excited than I did.

“Of course not” I scowled at her even though we were still trying to get to know each other. “I have no idea when I’m heading to, just moving randomly from place to place while you take note of all the routes we pass so we don’t get lost. Or do YOU have anywhere in mind?”

“Yesss!” she squealed jumpily.

“Where?” I snorted, narrowing my eyes.

“Well, I can’t say the exact place but I would know it when would get there. Now let’s go!”

Her excitement made me feel more certain about what I was about to do. I mean, my own wolf would never put me in danger right?

“I can hear you…” she giggled into my ears “You have nothing to fear, Emma, I gat you.” she said and I couldn’t help but laugh at her half-baked reassuring words in my head.

I went into my room, took my biggest winter jacket, some granola bars with a water can my dad bought for me last year. I wasn’t big on food, but hunger could strike at any time.

And when I was certain that I was prepared enough, I drew in a deep breath, open the door (without my dad knocking, of course) and stepped out of the house for the first time in Thirteen years.

I quickly came out and closed the door behind me before ‘sense of reason and guilty conscience’ forces me back into the house.

“Which direction, Ash?” I asked standing in front of my door looking from left to right.

Ashley hopped mischievously and nodded towards a direction completely opposite from where there were other houses.

The place my dad and I lived was meters away from where humans actually lived so I couldn’t really see much, but I could see moving people hear voices due to my heightened hearing and long vision.

Ashley was pointing into the direction that led into the bush and trees and I couldn’t help but worry if I should really trust her.

“I don’t want to go and see trees and grasses, Ashley, I see them every day from my window, dammit,” I glared at her feeling upset.

“For Pete’s sake, Emma.” She rolled her eyes at me, “I thought you were interested in a real adventure? What do you want to say to humans anyway? ‘Hi my name is Emma, I’m one of the creatures you only read about in books, a she-wolf precisely.’ And they’ll welcome you with open arms with your muteness and socially crippled condition?”

I felt a little hurt but wasn’t interested in pushing that with Ashley at the moment.

“There’s no time, Ashley!” I stomped my foot on the ground angrily. Time was ticking and my dad would soon be back.

“Then trust me and follow my lead!”

“Fine,” I grunted and marched towards the direction she pointed at.