He is the Bad Wolf

INTO THE MAZE

It was strange to think that an object as small as this harbored the power to extend mortal life on earth without any consequence. Even stranger was the fact that a stranger decided to give Sia this chance. She was not stupid, it was more than clear that the Countess had her own agenda and it was not compatible with Sia's, both women had different ideas, plans with a different value. They were two sides of the same coin stained by years and years of filth and greed. It was all too strange. Nothing made sense. Wandering aimlessly alongside Caden was even more useless than staying in her room but at least Sia could breathe relatively fresh air, well ... if you omitted the smell of death and s**t that was permeating the floor now.

The strange woman slipped out of the bedroom before Caden came for her. He carried with him a messenger bag and a strange weapon. It looked huge and heavy, metallic. Caden told her it was a gun and he would use it only in emergencies. He assured her that he had not had the opportunity to shoot it yet because it was strange to have security altercations in this place. Soon after, they both left the huge house and entered a hedge maze. Sia didn't want to go on for fear of being trapped there. To her surprise, Caden did not yell at her, force her to hurry, or make her feel foolish by such a rational fear. He was patient and he waited for her to take a couple of steps forward to take his hand all on her own. "I know the way like the back of my hand, you need not fear."

It was a peaceful walk through the corridors of the maze. The wind blew and stirred the bushes as Sia touched the walls with her fingertips as she moved forward. A comfortable silence stayed with both of them until they left the labyrinth. "Where are we?" Sia asked softly moving away from Caden a bit and effectively regaining control of her other hand.

As they passed under the arch of white roses above their heads a cobbled path greeted them. Everything was green except for that artificial path. "We follow the path to where there is a small creek, then we have to turn right a few steps further and we will reach the road.” He replied with confidence. He did know his way. Good.

"Can I ask you something?" Sia found herself saying. She immediately regretted opening her mouth as soon as Caden said yes. “How long have you been a wolf?”

Caden didn't answer immediately. He was a bit serious all of a sudden but then he smiled. A shy gesture. Boyish. “About twenty years.”

“Really?” She couldn’t hide the surprise from her tone.

“You thought I was as old as Gideon.”

"I guess I hoped you were. Five hundred years ago wolves were a new species, monsters of scary stories to frighten spoiled boys and disobedient girls. I didn't think you were that young."

“I understand.”

“And how did you…?”

Caden hid his hands inside the pockets of his coat and his smile widened slightly. A subtle change but there it was. "It's done. Let's just say it turned out to be exactly what I needed."

“Did she turn you?”

“No.” His smile was gone now. Cold, hard.

“Sorry. I just want to understand and know a little more about the people with whom I am living now.”

She really couldn't blame Caden for not wanting to share about his life with her since she was nothing more than a stranger after all. Sia still hadn't thought about what she would do to be able to contact Gideon - assuming she wanted to talk to him - for whenever she visualized his face, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by old feelings. That great love she felt for him was still as burning as five hundred years ago. Was it normal to continue loving whoever hurt us? Was it masochism? Sia did not consider herself a pushover. She was strong and the more times she repeated it the more she would believe it.

"Can I ask you something?" Caden's callous voice interrupted her thoughts once they reached the creek. The water flowed freely and was strangely ... crystal clear. Sia had been given the impression that the seas and rivers had been polluted after she died, however this stream appeared quite healthy. "Sia?" She sat on broad, flattened rocks, as if a giant had rolled them like mud pie.

“Tell me.” She tried her best to remain stoic.

“What was it like?”

“What was it like… what?” She frowned not sure what he meant. The way he shifted his feet and avoided her eyes told her he was ready to ask the questions but not to receive an answer. “Just say it.”

“To die.”

Sia wasn't angry. At first she did not know how to react, first a whirlwind of sadness seized her, then a hurricane of uncertainty and thus a lot of emotions so strong that she almost exploded right there. But the more she analyzed what she was feeling, the more evident it became that melancholy prevailed over any other feeling. "I don't know." she said, "It's like falling asleep and opening your eyes somewhere else. It all felt like a dream and now I'm here."

“I know it must sound silly but… did you see the light?”

“The light?” She repeated. “What light?”

“From Heaven.” Then he shrugged and turned away from her as if trying not to show he really cared.

“There was no Heaven.”

“Is it real?”

“If magic exists, if werewolves and vampires and…” she chuckled, she couldn’t believe she was saying this. “If all of that is real, Heaven and Hell must exist as well. Whether we are dead or not.” Caden sat next to her without saying another word. Caden's eyes searched the horizon for something and whatever it was that he longed for, he had found some peace in knowing that those realms were real. Sia didn't know how long they sat there in silence, the rounds had been forgotten and the sun hid behind the misty mountains. Even when the first snowflake fell on the tip of her nose and a white blanket covered the ground, they remained there fantasizing about what was beyond death.