In the Eyes of the Wolf

Chapter 9

I shuffled out of the room. That was terrifying, as any interaction in Kian's office was. I went straight to my room and lay on my bed. Tomorrow didn't sound very different to what my day would usually be.

The sun was warm on my skin, the leaves under my feet crunched rhythmically. The birds were singing their never-ending song, and the water was rushing. I could smell sweet flowers and the fresh leaves. A cool breeze caused my hair to dance softly on top of my head, tickling my face.

"Pax!" A voice called from behind me. I turned towards the voice and smiled. A genuine smile, which showed all my teeth. "I've been looking for you." A hand grasped my forearm, the familiarity flooded through me immediately.

"Where've you been looking?" I shook my head. "I've been here the entire time." His hand trailed down my arm and to my hand. He interlocked our fingers.

"I checked the bridge first." He swung our hands back and forward. "Rookie mistake." The sound of footsteps surrounded us. The creatures were small, some were hopping, and others creeped.

"I wouldn't call you a rookie." I nudged him with my shoulder." We've been talking for months now."

"True." he sighed. We had reached the waterfall by now. I could feel the water hitting my legs and face. "Pax?"

I turned my head in his direction, mint and coffee filled my nostrils. "Hm?"

"Pax." The voice started to grow urgent. It became harder to breathe. "Pax, wake up." I turned my head to see where the new voice was coming from. It was the same voice, but different. It was louder, panicked. The voice was distorting and glitching. "Pax!"

The floor was moving under me. My eyes opened but didn't focus on anything of any use. There was light coming in through the window, so early in the morning. "Pacs. wake up."

My eyebrows furrowed; I'd recognise that voice anywhere. "Alder?" I lifted a hand and rubbed my left eye. "What're you doing up here? How'd you get in?"

A giggle came from the small child as he fell onto his bottom. "I found te key." An inch of coolness hit my cheek. I took the key off him, attempting a stern look.

"Your mother's going to be angry," I told him as I slowly moved my legs, so I was sitting on the side of the bed. "I'm the one who'll get the blame."

"I wanted to see you though," he whined. I crossed my arms. Why would he want to hang out with me? He hadn't even been in my room before.

"Where'd you find the key?" I reached down and felt for my shirt, which had found its way there when it got a little too warm.

"It fell." I didn't believe him. If it'd been on the floor, someone else would've picked it up or tried to lock me in.

"Sure," I answered. "Do you want breakfast?" I stretched my arms above my head and stood up.

"No," he said defiantly. My shoulders slumped and I raised an eyebrow. "We'll get caught that way." He was starting to move around. He picked things up and put them back down.

"Don't touch things you don't know what they are." I know I was being hypocritical, but I didn't know what he was touching.

"But I haven't been here before." He continued to pick things up. I sat in the middle of the room, where the light was.

"All the more reason for you not to touch what you don't know." I held a handout, waiting for him to place the object in my hand. Soft material met my fingers, the bag nearly slipping through. "They're marbles."

"Mables?"

"Marbles," I corrected. "Here, I'll show you if you sit down." I pointed towards the empty space in front of me with a finger. He plopped himself down and spread his legs out, one of his feet bumping into my leg during the process. I reached into the bag and pulled three out. The biggest one was extremely smooth. I handed it to him. "Be careful now, it's glass."