The lone wolf's call

chapter three

Liam had a smile on his face as he nodded, but it fell when Isaac shook his head.

“haven’t seen anyone like that around here…” he lied effortlessly. But Liam wasn’t convinced. That description was too perfect, even he couldn’t remember the kind of hat she had on.

“bullshit! Isaac. J…just give us the girl!” Liam raised his voice, something Isaac wasn’t too pleased about. His green eyes shut him a glare and he instantly backed up.

“if you know what’s good for you and your lackeys, get lost…I mean, unless you want me to beat you senseless again. If so, please, by all means, come at me…” threatened Isaac with a low growl. Memories of their last encounter came at Liam in a rush. The bridge of his nose throbbed just from remembering how Isaac had beat him to the point his face was all swollen.

Gritting his teeth, Liam decided the girl wasn’t all the trouble, so he fell back. And that was it, it was over.

As they retreated down the winding alley ways, Isaac tracked their retreating steps, making sure they had actually left and they had. Not even bother to check up on the strange girl, he decided to end his break, maybe go check if the packages were ready for him to take them out.

The girl who had been hiding behind the dumpsters finally came out, running to where Isaac was. Her brows where drawn together in a deep frown. “are you seriously leaving me alone?” she asked, feeling a sudden unease about him just leaving. Isaac let out an annoyed sigh when he heard her voice.

“if you’re still scared, call the police then. My break is over, I need to get back to work now…” his words came out sounding annoyed, as though speaking to her was already draining the life out of him, she was not pleased by his tone. But even though he was rude, he did save her life, so for that she was grateful.

“thank you!” she said as she grabbed his tattooed arm, an action she instantly regretted, especially when he turned and glared down at her as though he wanted to burn her.

“s…sorry…” she apologized as she let go of him.

“don’t ever touch me without permission again…bean hat” isaac growled. He hated being touched. But the sudden fear in her eyes irked him. Without saying another word, he pulled the door open and got into the building, shutting her out. Hopefully this would be the last time they met.

” tsk…the name’s Regina” said the girl to herself before running down the steps, thankfully, nobody ambushed her on her way home. And once her apartment doors were shut, she could finally sigh a breath of relief.

Moving to the city of Alora had always been her dream, to study psychology. Not many people understood why the youngest daughter to one of the richest men in the country wanted to study such a small course. But none of the negative comments could make her change her mind, especially when she already had her father’s approval to study whatever she wanted. Just as long as she didn’t give up when it turned out to be something she hadn’t expected. Regina was notorious for dropping things halfway through, especially when it got difficult. Dance class, ballet, archery, horse riding etc. just a list of things she had given up on as a child.

Mortimer, her father, just hoped that by letting her choose a course of her liking, she could learn some values, and maybe someday, join her family in the business tradition. But Regina, grateful for her father’s support, had always dreamed of making a name for herself, doing something that mattered, and not just following in the family business. Besides, her oldest brother, Kev, already had that aspect covered, after all, he was the heir to the family fortune. She just hoped she would not disappoint her father…too much.

The weekend felt like forever, maybe it was because she was afraid that if she left her apartment complex she might accidentally run into those men again, or even worst, the rude stranger…Isaac. To bad she still had to go to school by Monday. After all, what kind of impression would she make if she skipped school on just the first day.

Trekking through the large campus ground was like trekking through a maze. Eventually she did find the administrator’s office, which took half of her time, making her later, since the admin woman was a chatty person who wanted to know more about her family empire after realizing who she was. Regina sighed inwardly, understanding there was no escaping her family’s shadow.

She nodded politely as the woman continued to chatter on, her voice a high-pitched drone that drowned out any thoughts she had. With each passing minute, the weight of Regina’s anxiety grew heavier, the clock on the desk ticking along to the frantic beating of her own heart.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Regina managed to escape from that conversation, but not before receiving a detailed explanation of the campus layout, a rundown on the rules, and a pamphlet on ‘university life 101’

This was a new beginning for her, and she made a promise to see it through to the end!

"calm yourself Regina, everything will be okay, just smile and say hello" Regina said under her breath trying to calm herself as she approached her class. “…hello, my name is Regina Addams, and it’s a pleasure to be joining you today…” she muttered under her breath, preparing to pull the doors open.

"Hii" came the shrill greetings of a fellow student, startling Regina who had been fully engulfed by her anxiety. “you’re late, come on!” the strange woman scolded her, confusing Regina the more.

“i…I’m sorry?” she apologized a bit unsure, but before she could say anything else, the woman dragged an unprepared Regina into the classroom full of students, and a rather rounded lecturer with a fuzzy beard who stood in front of the whole class. The old man sighed.

“Elizabeth…nice of you to finally join us…” said the man with an unamused look on his face. The woman named Elizabeth giggled sheepishly as she apologized for her tardiness. Which wasn’t something new to the old professor. But what was new was the new student Elizabeth had come with.

“and you are?”

Regina, still caught in the whirlwind of anxiety and confusion, found herself stumbling into the classroom, a deer in the headlights of the professor’s unamused gaze. Regina swallowed hard, her voice cracking slightly as she introduced herself, “I’m…I’m Regina Addams”

The professor’s bushy brows furrowed as his gaze shifted from Regina to Elizabeth and then back to Regina. “Addams? As in the Addam’s?” he asked, the surprise in his voice tinged with something akin to doubt. “well, miss Addam’s, it’s an honor to have you in my class. I trust you won’t be too much trouble.”

Regina felt her cheeks flush at the implication of the professor’s words, her stomach fluttering from embarrassment. But before she could respond, Elizabeth piped up, “oh, don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.”

The professor chuckled, a wry smile spreading across his wrinkled face. “…I would hope so, now, please take your seats.”