My Wolf

Chapter -5

Then my mind turned around and I wondered why she was our here. “Why are you doing out here?” I gestured toward the forest.

She looked around the forest, with the look of comfort of home on her face. Her eyes hinted that she knew everything about this forest. “I was…” she paused. She looked panicked while she tried to think of something to tell me. “.. I was just looking for some quiet place to think. How about you? What are you doing?” she said clearly trying to get the conversation off of her. I wonder if she knew that her eyes always gave her away.

What was she hiding, and what could be so terrible that she couldn’t tell me?  I quickly went over some of the worst possibilities of why she could be out here. I worst I could come up with was that she killed someone and was disposing of the body.

“I’m here sketching animals with Lucas.” I said and regretted those words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I knew what she would ask next. She would want to see some sketches. All the sketches I had in this pad were mostly of my wolf, she was bound to notice.

“Can I see what you drew?” she asked more excited than she seemed before.

Well I couldn’t say no because there was no refusing that face. She was just too adorable. Oh well if she asked I guess I would just have to tell her. “Sure” I said cautiously, and sat next to the trunk of a massive tree. “Come sit over here.” I patted the ground next to me.

She sat down unlike any other girl I have ever seen sit on the ground. Usually girls don’t like to sit on the dirt. They find something to sit on or at least complain a little about sitting on the ground. Anna simply didn’t care she just plopped down next to me, completely content with the dirt of the forest. I opened my sketch pad to my latest drawing of the squirrel. I couldn’t look at Anna out of uncertainty of her reaction to my art.

To be honest I barely let anyone see anything I drew. My art teacher and Lucas were really the only people I showed my work to. I don’t know why but my art always felt really personal, and no one else would understand the emotion that every pencil stroke held for me. Finally I gathered the courage and look at Anna to see if she like it. She had awe and something else on her face.

“You are amazing Shane” she said incredulously staring at the squirrel. “Can I look at the others?” she was almost pleading.

Could she? I didn’t really want her to, but I couldn’t just say no. I tried to think of a reason why, but I came up blank. I couldn’t think of one reason against her seeing my wolf. Something inside me clicked. The familiarity of Anna was on the tip of my tongue but I could think of it. I struggled to identify it but it got away and I came back to the present.

“If you don’t want me to…”

“No go ahead” I interrupted.

I had taken to long I had no choice now. I guess it had to happen eventually. I need to get used to others seeing what I drew. Might as well start with Anna.

She looked up at me unsure of what to do. She looked concerned, like she somehow offended me. She eventually held out her hand to take the sketch pad from me. I turned the sketch pad to the beginning and handed it to her. The first sketch was of one of the wolves from the wolf pack. The muscles in her arm tightened. Why would she react like that? Maybe she’s scared of wolves.  But when we talked about wolves a week ago she seemed fine with them. She looked at each sketch cautiously and slowly. Every page she turned the more I began to second guess myself. When she finished she closed the book and looked up at me with the most perfect face.

“You are the greatest artist I have ever seen.” Her eyes were filled with sincerity and I just want to hold her close to me. Suddenly her emotion changed, she looked away uncertain. “Will you…. Would you….” She paused again trying to figure out what she wanted to say. “Never mind.”