In the Eyes of the Wolf

Chapter 6

"Sounds very energetic and bubbly," I said with a playfully disgusted tone. Honestly, I could hear their music whenever they had classes, which was always. I knew that the upbeat sounds and vibrations helped me get through my work, never letting me rest for a single moment.

The two of us walked in and signed our names at the desk before heading separate ways. The staff cupboards were situated in the changing rooms, so I went to the males whilst Kelsey went to the females. I put my bag down, hung my jacket up, grabbed my water bottle, and left after locking the door behind me. I rested against the wall with my stopwatch out. It had been a joke for me to time how long it took Kelsey to get settled after she took twenty minutes. We always arrived approximately an hour before we were scheduled.

I waved to anyone who exited, the early risers or ones who came at four am for no particular reason were always in a delightful mood when they left. They either jogged out with smiles, or barely got to the door. We had arrived once to see a man faced down in the middle of the floor, sleeping like the dead. Kelsey had nearly called an ambulance when we first saw the man, but after turning him over and checking for breathing, we found he was just asleep. I won't forget that day anytime soon.

"Eight minutes and forty-three seconds," I said without looking up to see it was her. The sound of her trainers was very distinctive. I pushed myself off the wall and dropped the watch around my neck. "Need help setting up?"

She was wearing a cropped version of my vest, with pink yoga pants and white trainers. "You know I do," she replied with finger guns. I clicked my tongue and followed her as she skipped to the white door across the room. The walls were the same miserable white colour, as were the doors. I didn't even need to look at which door I was entering, though the slim windows in the doors helped to ensure the avoiding of knocking heads.

The room was the complete opposite of the entrance and the hallway. It was bright, with every single colour of the rainbow represented by hula hoops, balls, foam squares, mats, and any other piece of equipment you could see.

"It burns," I joked once again with a grin.

"Yes, wicked witch of the west, let the fun consume you." She hit me on the shoulder before doing three cartwheels into the room. "I need mats over here."

The workday wasn't too bad in my opinion. I had some people who came in and didn't know how to use the machines, but that meant I got to show off my knowledge. I liked any opportunity that allowed me to do that, it made me feel useful and like my job was actually worth doing, along with my paycheck.

Kelsey didn't have such luck, she had a few temper tantrums in her children's classes, and I had to help her clean up some sick. It wasn't too bad; it could've been much worse.

The two of us walked to the bus stop together, and she waited with me until the bus came. "See you...week after next?" I tilted my head as I stepped onto the bus.

"Yup, I'll send you my rants." I waved to her as I took the seat closest to the driver,

"I look forward to it."

I sat silently for two stops until the person I wanted to see got on the bus. I noticed her cane on the floor of the bus before I saw her.. She was wearing a long yellow skirt and white button-up top. She had long white hair which blended near perfectly into the fabric.

"Regular Mrs. Hubert?" The driver asked with the same smile as everyone has when interacting with Mary Hubert.

"Now, now. How many times have I told you to call me Mary?" The driver chuckled and shook his head.

"At least once a month since I was eighteen," the driver joked as he handed her a small slip of paper.

"Then you should do good to remember." Mary teasingly pointed a finger at him before turning to the rest of the bus. I slipped out of my seat and walked behind her. I knew the driver wouldn't start the bus until she sat down, but she'd fallen a few times in the past. "Good afternoon, Farley."

"Afternoon Mrs. Hubert," I replied as I let her sit in the window seat. "Any luck?"

She gave me a scolding look after my tease but sighed dramatically. "Not a sausage. I tell you; I'll stop going one of these days."

"No, you can't stop until you take me." I looked at her seriously whilst pointing a finger. "You've got to introduce me to the world of bingo, since you enjoy it so much. So, you have two years before you can quit."

"I've been there for thirty years, only missing a few weeks," she said with her head held high. "I even won the national twice."

I had no clue what that was, even though she's tried to explain it to me before. "See? Maybe cutting down...but not stopping all together." I nodded as I talked.

Her lips broke out into one of her signature smiles. The bus had reached the next stop. Two people got on and they waved towards Mary. She waved back to them with bright eyes. "I saw your mother the other day," she started. I bit my lip; my mam hadn't said anything about bumping into her. "She's so proud of you, you know? She wouldn't stop talking about you." She chuckled and rested back into the seat.

"Ah, I'm sure you're sick of me by now." I regretted saying that almost immediately.

Her eyes became sharp, and she rested a hand on my shoulder. "Don't go there Farley, talk like that isn't good for your health."

I tilted my head and looked at her with guilt. "I know, you taught me that."

It was true, Mary used to work at my primary school. She was the counsellor, and I was in her office at least once a week. I wasn't really a troublemaker; I was just bad at the work I was set to do. Most of the teachers put that down to not caring about the work, or rebellion. Mary had helped me figure out what it was.

"Toffee?" She reached into her bag and searched, pulling out the golden wrapped sweet.

"Please and thank you," I replied with a smile. "Rowan and Iris really enjoyed your fudge, by the way." They were the only two who had a chance to try it, I didn't have the sense to take some before Rowan got his hands on it,

"That's delightful to hear," she said as she handed me the sweet. I unwrapped it to find the light brown deliciousness in perfect condition. "I'll have to make some more."

"Or you could give me the recipe?" She raised her eyebrow at me in mock shock. I raised my hand in surrender. "Or you could tell me where you get these toffee's from?"

"Those are secrets I'll take to my grave." She laughed and nudged me. "If I tell you that, you'll run away whenever you see me."

QUESTION OF THE DAY!!

What show are you watching right now?

I'm currently trying to re-watch Merlin :D