Alice and The Rogue Wolf

Chapter 16

"Hey, Alice!" The stranger greeted me from behind me.

"Hey! You scared the hell outta me," I exclaimed, gently pushing her off.

I spun around to take a good look at her and I almost instantly recognized who she was. A close friend of mine, Trisha. She was four years younger than I was but was the most impish and had the most brains between the two of us. Her brunette hair was always braided into a ponytail and she wore spectacles that always either rested on her pointed nose or were suspended on a rope around her neck.

Despite our age difference, we used to get along just fine. I could recall her always showing up on our doorstep every Sunday, her gray eyes glistening behind the spectacles to have a chunk of my mother's special cookies. But here she was all grown up and baring her teeth in a smile while I stood there with no idea of what to say to her.

"My name's Trisha, in case you forgot." She said, her tiny voice squeezing a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, I didn't forget you, Trisha. I'm just so surprised to see you and I don't exactly know what to say," I honestly replied.

"Well, I do agree it's an awkward situation," Her eyes suddenly lit up. "You have to come and say hello to my mother, she will be so elated to see you."

"Oh no! I'll be late for lunch." I tried to explain but she wasn't having it.

"C'mon, you want to disappoint her? Besides you could have breakfast with us," she retorted, pulling me by the arm.

I had no choice but to let her lead the way while I followed behind. Her father wasn't at home, I could tell by his car's absence from the driveway. Her mother was in the kitchen fixing a meal but when she heard my voice she rushed out mopping her washed hand on her apron.

"Hey Mrs. Polly," I managed to greet before she engulfed me in a hug.

"It's nice to have you over, Alice." She said as we pulled apart. "I didn't know you'd come by, I would have made you a cheesecake or something."

"Oh, don't worry about that Mrs. Polly." Seeing her alone was enough for me. She was so generous and spoke so kind-heartedly, that I couldn't disappoint her by not staying over for lunch. So I quickly told my mother over the phone, before settling down on a nearby cushion.

After the usual pleasantries, she rushed back into the kitchen and announced that dinner would be ready in five minutes. I and Trisha helped set the table for three as her father wasn't joining us. The meal was delicious and to make lunch more interesting were the stories Mrs. Polly told us and the laughter we shared.

When we were all satiated, Mrs. Polly cleared the table but I insisted I join her and help out for a while in the kitchen where I confided in her about my predicament.

"Mrs. Polly, I know this is a lot to put on you but I need your help on something."

"Anything, Alice. Just name it."

"After the accident, I fell into a coma for two weeks and when I woke up, I lost my memories, " I began, laying down a plate I had been scrubbing on for a long.

"I'm sorry about what happened. We tried to reach out to you but Jonathan insisted we let you rest and that you would come to visit when you were better, " she said, her voice expressing worry.

"Well, that's the problem. I fell unconscious for two weeks after the accident."

"What?" Mrs. Polly exclaimed quietly. "A coma?"

"Yes. When I woke up, I lost all my memories from three years back, and ever since I woke up I've been trying to get them back."

She took my hand in hers. "I'm so sorry to hear this. I never knew about it."

"I know. Jonathan probably wanted my unconsciousness kept a secret but that is not my concern right now. I desperately need those memories back and if you could tell me a way I could do that I would be eternally grateful."

She thought about it for a while before her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Listen, I want to help you but I have to warn you it could get dangerous," she advised.

"I understand, Mrs. Polly. And you don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. " She shifted closer. "witches aren't allowed to dwell around here, Jonathan's orders, but I could direct you to a witch who could help you get back memories. "

Hardly had the words left her mouth, had I begun uttering as much "Thank You" as I could. I was so elated that there was a chance of getting my memories back that I hurriedly embraced Mrs. Polly for her help.

"Don't thank me. You gave a good heart and you would do the same for me." She grabbed a nearby notebook with a pen and wrote out the witch's number from her phone. "Here. Her name's Sophia."

"I can't express how thankful I am for this, Mrs. Polly," I said, tucking the paper in my breast pocket.

After tidying up, I hugged them both goodbye and left promising them another visit.

I kicked about happily on my way home, singing cheerful greetings to everyone I met on the way. Mrs. Polly had given me the remedy to my happiness and it lay safely in my breast pocket which I caressed from time to time.

I was so anxious that when I arrived at the house, I ran straight to the Master bedroom and shut the door behind me. With trembling hands, I pulled out the folded note slowly, and after stretching it out, placed it on the bed like a fragile egg which at any greater speed, it would shatter. Quickly, I typed the number, and after dialing, placed the phone on my ears and moved out to the balcony.

With each suspenseful beep, I could feel my heart pounding right out of my chest, and when the call was picked up on the third ring, the phone almost slipped off my grasp.

"Hello!" I heard a feminine voice speak. From the sound of her voice, I could tell she was an elderly lady.

I cleared my throat nervously. "Hi, Uhm, am I speaking with Sophia?"

"Yes. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a witch which can restore lost memories and I was referred to you by a friend who told me you're the right one for the job."

I heard her chuckle. "And I'm guessing that this friend must be Mrs. Polly. So that makes you Alice, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, how did you know my … "

"Well, that's pretty much the job definition of being a witch, isn't it? Now, if you're free, you could meet me tomorrow at nine in the morning by Nine."

"Where, ma'am?"

"You just wait at the ice cream truck down the road, I'll come to get you. Remember, you must come alone."

"But how will I know it's you?" I asked, but before I could finish the line went dead.

I was still hanging on the phone, trying to dial her line when a knock on the door startled me. Quickly, I tucked away the note into someplace safe and quickly arranged the bed before unlocking the door to see a slightly annoyed Jonathan.

"Who were you talking to?" He asked, moving past me and scanning searchingly across the room.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, bewildered.

"I heard you talking to someone, so where is he? Where did you hide him?"

"Jonathan, please stop this. How would you accuse me of cheating with someone on our marital bed? I was only talking to my friend, Trisha, who I had met today."

He sat on the bed running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired," he said, chewing on his words.

"Well, That doesn't make it right to vent it on me," I retorted, joining him on the bed.

"Why do you keep locking the door to our room anyway?" He asked, catching me off guard.

"Well, uhm… I… just needed to, you know, have some privacy," I stuttered, hoping it was convincing enough.

"Privacy? Privacy from who?" He pressed on.

"Let's just say, a woman needs some alone time," I quickly changed the topic as I began to massage his broad shoulders. "What did you do that made you so tense?"

"Evans had some legal cases so he requested I accompany him. How's the case with Brayden going?"

"Not so good, but I'm making progress."

"You know, considering that the Rogues have been pushed back enough to give us some breathing space, you should refrain from seeing Brayden," Brayden advised as he began taking off his clothes for a shower.

"I know, but he isn't dead, is he? I plan to end his life so I will not rest until I do."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you!" He strapped a towel loosely around his waist. "Do you mind joining me for a shower?"

I rolled my eyes at the naughty smirk he had on his face. Slowly, I turned my back to him and took off my clothes, and draped a towel around my chest.

"Don't you get any ideas, mister," I teased, as he pulled me by the waist into the running shower?