LEGEND OF THE LAST WEREWOLF

Where is James Knight?

Hylla

Stories normally begin to become boring at this point. Somehow you already know what's going to happen. But everything is about to change about that because I sure thought I knew what was happening in my life. And then suddenly everything collapsed atop each other. I wasn't ready for it. I mean how could anyone be ready for something so sudden?

My eyes drifted all over the dusty room. I heard the rest of the group ranting about something in the background. My thoughts drowned out their conversation when unexpectedly something caught my eye. A rather small bookshelf in the corner of the dusty room, untidy and rather unkempt. Books pulled upon each other on every shelf, crammed into the smallest spaces. But something about it looked so familiar.
I looked at the books, dusting away as my hands glided upon the nasty surfaces, then right next to it, the fading in the paint along the wall, as if another shelf had been placed there previously. Could it be? I thought. The shelf in the basement back home? A replica thousands of miles away in a completely different fold?
"What seems to have caught your eye love?" Andrew asked.
"This old thing..." The boy laughed. "Being here since the day I arrived."
"The day you arrived?" I asked curiously.
"Well..." He began.
"Hylla." Alaric breathed. "Long before the packs were cursed, we warlocks were always in debt to werewolf families. A werewolf, she asked me to hide her son away here."
"Why?" I asked.
"I guess to protect him, I mean why else?"
"But you two...look damn right similar." Charlie laughed pointing to me and the boy.
"Right. What happened to the other side of this shelf?" I looked at the boy demanding an answer.
"Okay...what's with you and this shelf Hylla? It's junk, an old piece of junk furniture."
"No! It is not!"
"Yes, it is," Andrew argued.
"Enough you two." Alaric snapped. "If you think there's something to it, there should be a reason right."
"Exactly." I shrugged.
"Go on then...explain it." Charlie nudged me.
"Well..." I stopped. I thought at first if I should share this stupid suspicion with the rest of them. Maybe it seemed special to me. But to them, not the same at all. After all, it was just an old piece of junk furniture. But the one at home had a key. I shook my head and continued.
"We have an exact one at home."
"In the basement." Andrew continued.
"Yes. But that's not what's interesting." I smiled excitedly.
''I see,'' Alaric said. "The paints being faded here.''
''Im not following.'' the boy said.
''Well...'' I began.
''Wait, just wait.'
''What's wrong now?'' charlie said.
''What's wrong? This is my house.''
''Not technically,'' Alaric shrugged.
''Then go on, introduce me to your friends Alaric.''
Alaric let out a small sigh and turned to the boy. ''This is Diago! Say hi everyone.''
''Hiiii...'' We all sang awkwardly.''
''Now, the shelf people,'' Andrew said impatiently.''Looks like another had been here.''
''Right?'' I asked.
''So then?'' Charlie asked.
''There was a key for the shelf back home, grandma always wore it on her.''
''A key?''
I quickly began removing the books from the shelf and placing them on a table nearby. The dust was thicker than a blanket, layered along with the pages of each book. I turned to Diago.
''A key.''
''Not that I know of.'' He said shrugging his shoulders.
As I began to remove the books from the third shelf, there it was. A tiny little square space. Anyone could easily miss it. I pushed my fingers firmly around the edges, starting from the top and going down. Out popped an old keyhole.
''The key,'' I said again.
Diago shrugged at me helplessly, maybe he knew where it was, maybe he didn't. Or he just didn't care. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him out of the way, Andrew looked as if he was about to rip someone's throat out.
''There's plenty of stuff lying around. Take a corner.'' He said, pointing out some old drawers to Diago.
''Okay, ill help. But to be honest, I haven't touched some of this stuff in years.''
''Yeah... The dust kinda says a lot.'' Charlie said nervously laughing as he dusted away some thick spider webs.''
''How do you live like this kid?'' Alaric asked him, frowning his neatly trimmed eyebrows.
''Hold on!'' Andrew gasped, stopping in his tracks.
''Found it?'' I asked.
''Yes.'' He smirked at me for a quick second before, turning to Diago. ''Earlier... Do you remember Hylla mentioned something about her grandma?''
''Grandma always wearing the key?'' Alaric asked.
''I did say that, didn't I?''
Charlie nodded at me slowly smiling.
''I noticed.'' Andrew began. ''A chain with a pendant around your neck. What have you done with it?''
He shoved his hands into his pockets almost immediately and looked away. ''I...I dont know what you're talking about.''
Andrew let out a smile, before grabbing him by the collar. ''The key. NOW!''
''Look it's just to check it out, I promise I'll return it after,'' I said to him. ''It probably means a lot, I understand.''
He slowly pulled it out from his pocket and handed it to me. ''It doesn't look like a key...'' He whispered.
''Olden style keyhole, means olden style key.''
I looked at the pendant for a few seconds. Rectangular-shaped, nothing seemed odd about it. Reaching for a brick wrapped in a newspaper near my feet, I quickly grabbed and smashed it onto the floor.
''YOU SAID YOU WOULD GIVE IT BACK,'' Diago shouted launching himself at me.
''Easy tiger...'' Andrew said calmly, grabbing him by the back.
''Im a wolf!'' He snapped. ''Not a tiger.''
I carefully dusted the excess away, revealing the key. Olden style it was, vintage. I turned to them and smiled. We walked over to the shelf. I placed the key into the keyhole and carefully turned it.
Nothing happened at first, then the shelf began to rumble, dust, and pieces of dirt falling to the floor. the keyhole closed in, disappearing with the key.
''Welcome, Mrs. Knight. Please take a step back.''
I gasped in awe as the shelf spoke to us. I felt Andrews's cold hands pulling my shoulders back. I stumbled and fell into his arms. looking up into his deep blue eyes I smiled weirdly. He smiled back. His eyes twinkling down at me. He gently pushed me up as the shelf and the wall space around it began to turn. An entire room is hidden behind here. Dark as it was, we couldn't see a thing.
''What the bloody hell?'' Charlie asked. ''You telling all this while...All this while there's a big black space here and you didn't know.''
Diago shrugged. I could tell he didn't know.
''Whose Mrs. Knight?'' He asked.
''My...WHERE THE HELL IS JAMES?'' I shouted.
Andrew and Alaric immediately turned around looking for him.
''Whose James?''
''Her brother... You brought us here where is he?''
''No,'' Andrew said. ''It isn't him.''
''How do you know?'' Alaric asked.
''Andrew...?'' I asked.
''We lost him on the Bridge.'' Andrew sighed. ''I should've been the last one.''
''That doesn't prove me innocent, you know'' Diago said.
I looked at Andrew concerned. He blamed himself for something that isn't his fault. James was a quiet kid, it was his fault he was always getting kidnapped.
''When you surrounded us. You said the four of you.'' Andrew said.
''He didn't cross the bridge,'' Alaric said. ''Im so sorry honey.'' he looked at me as I drew my hand through my hair and sat down slowly. Andrew walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
''We gonna find him love, Hylla I promise.''
''Dont,'' I said. ''Dont promise please, Kevin probably has him for all we know.''
''Kevin Knight?'' Diago asked. ''Impossible, he left the fold probably a day before you'll came here.''
''A day?'' I asked. ''A whole day! This man is way ahead of us!''
''Your right,'' Andrew said. ''We should split up.''
''I'll take Charlie,'' Alaric said.
''I'll be with Hylla.''
''If...Anything happens. The forbidden fold. Gorgias place.''
Andrew nodded his head and we watched as Charlie and Alaric disappeared.''