Red

Chapter 2

I ran to my room and slammed the door; I could kill Uncle Kane for what he’s doing. There is no way he’d get me to marry some stranger. I feel a little bad for Duncan. There is no reason he couldn’t marry. Girls all over the village seem to be really fond of him. He is fairly handsome and very kind. Duncan isn’t corrupted by Uncle Kane’s mind games, not like everyone else. He could see that something deep inside Uncle Kane had changed when my father left.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, Red?” mother ask as she comes into the room and sits at my side.

“I want to go back to the cottage.” I say into the pillow.

She gently pets my head the same way she used to when I was sick as a child, “I know but we’re staying in the palace now,” mother says and I shoot-up and glare at her.

“Why?” I ask sensing something wrong is happening.

“Your Uncle and I are going to unite Kensington and New Kensington,” mother says smiling softly at me and rubbing my cheek.

“But that means…” My eyes widen when she nods her head in agreement.

“I’m going to marry Uncle Kane.”

“But what about father?”

“I know my love, but we need to make sure the village is taken care of,” she says.

“I want to be alone!” I yell at her.

“Look Red, just try to understand”-

“LEAVE……NOW!” I yell again.

“I’ll come check on you in the morning, and we can still visit with your grandmother if you like.” Mother waits for a response, but I say nothing. I have nothing else to say to her. She is the one that keeps reassuring me that father is coming home, and now she is giving up.

“Red, your mother’s been calling for you for hours.” Josefina the maid’s daughter says.

“I don’t want to speak with her,” I say as I run my hand against the gentle water in the little fountain in the garden.

“Red what happened?” she asks.

“She’s marrying Uncle Kane.” I say giving Josefina an icy look as if this is all her fault.

“Red people are beginning to talk.”

“I don’t care about talk. Let them all talk. They still pay their tide and honor the family, so why should it matter?”

“Red it’s been five years.” she says in a calming, soft voice.

“I’m not giving up on him Josie, he’s my father and he promised to come back,” I sob.

“Red, Duncan and I both think it’s time you accept that he’s gone, forever,” Josefina says sitting on the edge of the fountain with me.

“I’m going to Grams don’t tell my mom where I am, ” I say.

“You should wait for Duncan. The hunters spotted a wolf a few days ago.” She calls after me.

I just kept going and try hard to stop thinking about Uncle Kane. He’s lost his mind. I know in my heart my father’s coming home. There had to be away for me to get to Nuttwood and find him. I had to convince Gram to take me. She is the only person in the village that hates Uncle Kane more than me. She can feel the darkness inside him. She won’t let him.

“What do you mean you won’t take me, Gram?” I ask stun.

“Sweetness, if this is what your mother wants to do there’s nothing either of us can do.” She says smoothing my hair.

“Gram, I miss him,” I cry as I lay my head on her shoulder.

“I know love,” she says cooing the song my father use to sing to me. “You should get going before it gets too dark.”

“Yes Gram.” I say wiping my face. “I love you Gram.”

“I love you too,” She grabs a basket from the kitchen, “Share these with Josie and Duncan okay.”

“I will,” I say taking the basket and closing the door.

Something feels off about the forest tonight. The sun’s quickly disappearing over the canopy of the trees, the air nestles around me is fill with an alien awareness. I’ve never felt this, this surge of power. I’ve never felt so strong. Then I feel someone’s eyes on me. Someone is following me. I can hear them breathing. A deep labored breathing. Then I saw him. The little wolf that everyone is talking about, the scrawny little thing looked strived. In this state he looks more like a stray dog. He sits in the middle of the road and stares at me. He doesn’t growl he doesn’t sneer. He just looks at me like he wants to say something. I take a step back and he starts to whine. My heart’s racing and I don’t know what to do.

“Hey boy,” I say getting on my knees. The wolf slowly walks over. “That’s it come on boy,” I say egging him on. He lays his head in my lap and I caress his ears. “You’re not so scary after all hunh?” He sets up and his ears point out. He starts howling and sneering at something behind me.

“Red!” I hear someone screaming my name off in the distance. The wolf just growls louder. “Red are you okay?” Duncan asks rushing to me. Then the wolf starts to growl at him and I know he is going to attack Duncan if he comes any closer.