The Man Behind The Wolf

The Boy in the Hoodie

Ugh why does this always happen to me. I was running late! No, no, no, no, no! I had just gotten a great job as part of the marketing team for a small company in the city I lived in, Vancouver. The office was located fairly close to my apartment, just a 20 minute walk, which is awesome considering how crowded it is here. My apartment isn't cheap considering its located in central Vancouver, but my parents helped me buy it as part of their gift for graduating from university. I live here alone and don't have too many friends. The rest of my family lives in L.A. I moved out here to have a fresh start, get a taste for living alone. I also loved the nature aspect of Vancouver, how you can live in a giant city, but still be less than an hour away from beautiful mountains and trees. I'm a pretty independent person, my names Ava by the way, Ava Brown. In terms of looks, I think I'm decent but definitely not beautiful per say. I've been playing sports my whole life and love to work out so I have a pretty fit body, but I'm not exactly gorgeous. In terms of boys, well I've never worked out with boys, they don't seem to like me, I'm pretty awkward. 

I looked down at my watch and sighed, 3 minutes late and I still had another 5 minutes of walking at least. I impatiently stared at the traffic light, c'mon where's the little white walking man when you need him! I can't be late for this job, I'm fairly new and my boss hates it when people are late. I need this job, I won't be able to pay for my rent without it. I sighed. Of course my phone died and the plug wasn't in all the way so it didn't charge and my alarm didn't go off. I seriously have the worst luck. 

Finally! The white walking light came on and I sprinted as fast as I could ahead of everyone else. 

And then, it was like everything went in slow motion. I know it sounds so cliche. You know in movies where it's like time stops before the main character's gonna die and their life flashes between their eyes. But, I swear it happened to me. I watched the car speed a few meters in front of me, I didn't even see where it came from, I was just so focused on getting to my job. My youth flashed before my eyes, birthdays, graduation, sleepovers with friends. My body froze, and in that moment I realized I was going to die. 

But before the car could reach me, I heard what sounded like some kind of warning growl. Like the kind your dog makes when he sees someone unfamiliar that he thinks could harm you or be dangerous to you. Strong arms grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the side into a strong chest. And then time resumed as normal. The car sped by inches from my face. I was shocked and couldn't speak. I looked up to my savior and saw a boy, not much older than me, looking at me. Concern written all over his eyes. And then, he was gone. Like, I'm not kidding you. It was like he vanished. Like his body melted away into thin air. My mouth hung open. 

Suddenly a hand shook at my shoulder and pulled me to the other side of the road. People passed by us and some gave me concerned looks. "Miss are you okay!?" An older woman asked me. I shook my head "No..., no where did that boy go? The one in the black hoodie and dark brown hair?" She shook her head. "No Miss, I didn't see any man, you jumped out of the way of that car just in time." What. No I didn't. I know I didn't. Am I going crazy? I swear I can still see those round doe eyes filled with concern and that smooth silky hair that looked so soft and delicate. Not to mention that strong hold that pulled me from danger and that strong chest. Impossible. I didn't imagine it. There's no way. People don't imagine stuff like that. 

I shook my head. "No there was a man. Maybe a little bit older than me. Black hoodie, brown hair, a head taller than me, brown doe eyes, looked east Asian, possibly Korean?". She shook her head "No Miss. There was no one. You're so lucky, be more careful next time!". I stood there shocked. No way. I didn't imagine it. I know I didn't. Then the woman said "Well I have to go, I'm going to be late for work. Take care of yourself." 

Work! Oh my god I am so late. I pushed the events that just happened to the back of my head and sprinted down the street. I rushed into the office and quietly entered the meeting room. My boss gave me a disapproving look and I knew I was in a lot of trouble. My friend Charlotte gave me a sympathetic smile across the table. I quickly stuttered out "I'm sorry I'm late there was a ton of traffic and I had some family issues in the morning that were urgent" A little white lie won't hurt anyone. My boss looked unimpressed but continued on with the meeting. I got settled and started to listen, but my mind couldn't stop thinking about the boy who saved me. Who was he, or more, what was he?