Life Without You

Chapter 8 - Eva

As soon as my father picked up the keys for the shop, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in and put our stamp on the place. At the moment it’s a plain white box, a blank canvas, which is just crying out for a beautiful seascape to be painted on it. I’m no great artist and it’s not long before I start to question whether I have bitten off far more than I can chew. Anyway I’m kinda committed now that I’ve bought all the supplies and painted a wavy blue line on each wall, so I continue painting with the radio on to motivate me to keep going. I can’t help singing along to the songs, off key, whilst I work. I faintly hear the sound of the door opening and then closing. I presume it is Sunny or my dad coming to check on progress. It definitely won’t be them coming to grab a paintbrush and help. I knew that the decorating would all be on me before I even started planning what I wanted it to look like.

“Oh I love this song.” A female voice, that definitely doesn’t belong to Sunny or my father, says from the doorway before she joins in with the song quietly. Although she is singing really quietly, her voice is incredible, really soothing but with a strange, dangerous undertone to it.

“I’m sorry. We’re not open yet.” I finally manage to stutter when she stops singing.

“I’m not here to shop. This is my stepfather’s place. I just came by to say hi. I’m Scarlet by the way, bust most people call me Lettie. I answer to both.” She says with a warm, welcoming smile, but her eyes are locked on mine, as if she is searching inside me for something, which confirms my suspicions that there is way more to this visit than just saying hi.

“She’s a wolf.” Nya says with certainty in my head.

“I know.” I reply nervously as I panic slightly at coming face to face with another werewolf for the very first time. I can tell that she smells different to everyone else that I have ever met before. Similar to the smell that lingered here before, yet completely different somehow. I guess that means that there are at least two other werewolves living close to here. This one has come to find out what she can about me.

“Where are you from?” She asks and I can tell that she is trying really had to keep her demeanour approachable, but she is failing miserably.

“Everywhere and nowhere.” I reply offhandedly, and she sniffs the air indiscreetly, before nodding as if she can tell that I’m telling the truth just from a couple of sniffs.

“Are you running from someone?” She asks ominously, and I suddenly feel anxious at the thought.

“No. We just travel a lot.” This response elicits a small chuckle from her and her mood seems to lighten for a second.

“You’re not alone?” She asks, although it sounds like she is telling me rather than asking.

“My father will be here soon.” I’m not sure he will be but I hope that by saying this it encourages her to leave before he gets here.

“Great, I’d like to meet him too.” She states, looking around the shop as if searching for a chair or something she can sit on to make her wait more comfortable, but finding nothing she shifts her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly.

“Why?” I ask her directly.

“I’d like to welcome him as well. You see this is my home. Lots of people I care about live here. I don’t want someone new spoiling what we have through carelessness. It would be relatively easy for you to move on and start a fresh if the s**t hits the fan, but it’s not so easy for us. We have a lot to lose.”

“I’m not careless.” I say determinedly.

“I hope not. What about your father?”

“My father won’t say anything.” I promise without hesitation.

“I would still like to make sure for myself. Like I said, there is a lot at stake if he does.”

“He won’t.” I confirm determinedly.

“So you say. Is it just you and your father?” She asks as she starts to walk around the shop surveying my handiwork.

“And my boyfriend, but he doesn’t know about me.”

“Even more reason for you to be discreet. I don’t know what it was like where you were before, but it gets busy here on a night, especially near the beach. If you want to run after dark, the woods are a much safer option. It’s only people like us in the woods at night and I’ll let them know that I said it’s ok for you to run there. You should be alright in there, just don’t go in too deep.”

“Ok.” I confirm with a slight nod that almost feels like a bow. I want to ask why I can’t go deep into the woods? Along with what would happen if I did? But Nya stops me.

“I’ll call back later to speak to your father.” Scarlet says before walking out of the shop. I let out a huge sigh of relief. That was intense. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and I try to get it back under control with some deep breaths.

“Are you sure it’s such a good idea to be so close to other wolves?” I ask Nya, as I worry that we have made a huge mistake by taking on the shop here.

“Absolutely.” She says, bouncing around elatedly in my head. “I like her. I hope we bump into her wolf in the woods.”

“I can’t say I’m with you on that one.” I retort pensively.