The Wolf in the Woods

Charlotte watched the lush green trees flash by as she gazed out the window of the sedan. It had been a while since they passed any sort of civilization. The winding roads just seemed to go up and up; deeper into the mountains and forest. "Beautiful isn't it? I think you'll be very happy here." The caseworker stated cheerfully. He was trying to make her feel better about the move but it came off as a little forced. "Mhmm" Charlotte murmured in agreement hoping it would be enough to satisfy the man. She wasn't in the mood to speak. Fortunately, he appeared to take the hint. Charlotte fiddled with the string on the trash bag that contained her clothes and the few other possessions she owned. She hadn't had much time to pack. Her last foster mom died suddenly of a heart attack on Christmas day of all days. Perhaps it was the glazed ham or the rich stuffing that finally sent the overweight woman over the edge. Still, Charlotte felt bad for the woman, she was only 58 and had been more kind than most. The social workers showed up like buzzards as soon they found out. They arrived almost as quickly as the ambulance to usher the foster kids away. It was Christmas so they probably wanted to deal with the situation as quickly as possible and get back to their families she supposed. Charlotte's eyes began to get a bit misty as she recalled not being able to give the younger ones proper goodbye. She was used to being uprooted abruptly. The little ones weren't. It was always harder on them. Charlotte had been in the foster care system for 14 years now, so it was nothing new to her. "Here we are!" The caseworker announced as the brakes squealed to a stop. What was his name again? Paul? Peter? She supposed it didn't matter. Charlotte stepped out of the car, evaluating her new foster home. The house was small and worn-looking. Its siding was so weathered that you could hardly see what color it had started as. Only the bits of chipped white paint and blue trim gave it away. The porch was equally as rough. However, the steps leading up to it must have been replaced relatively recently. The color of the wood didn't match the rest of the house. It wasn't bad. Charlotte had seen worse. "Oh, you must be our new foster child!" A tall thin lady squawked as she ran over to Charlotte and hugged her. Charlotte flinched not expecting the spindly woman to touch her. "Such a sweet face! What is her name?" The woman asked looking over her head at the caseworker as if Charlotte couldn't answer for herself. "Erm, it is Charlotte Lightdancer I believe" He answered. "My what a strange name!" Charlotte rolled her eyes. This lady lived in a town called North North Rochester and she thought her name was strange. "She's a little older than we expected. We were hoping for a younger child. It says so in our file." The woman stated bluntly. Her claw like hands were petting Charlotte's hair, making her feel uncomfortable. Charlotte got the impression that these people were new to fostering. Maybe they couldn't have kids and were hoping to foster and adopt a younger child. That was pretty common. "I know but as I told you on the phone, the state prefers not to send younger children to far off places such as this. They prefer urban and suburban placements." The caseworker explained uncomfortably. "Charlotte is already 17. She will be 18 in less than a year. Maybe your next placement will be a younger child." "I promise I won't be any trouble ma'am." Charlotte added trying to reassure the woman. "Ok, we'll see how it goes. As long as the girl is on her best behavior I don't think we will have any problems." The woman responded. "I am Elaine and this is my husband, Walter. We will show you to your new room. Walter will help you with your... things." She said finally turning to address Charlotte. Walter grunted unhappily before snatching the trash bag from her hands and throwing it over his shoulder. "Well, I'll let you get settled in your new home. I'll be back in a few days to make sure everything is going ok." The caseworker said over his shoulder as he hurried off. Charlotte took a deep breath before following her new foster parents into the house. *** GIO *** The sun felt good on his black fur as he ran through the woods. His massive paws dug into the snow leaving imprints. He howled into the sky as he sped up trying to reach full speed. Several calls answered his. Not as many as there used to be.