Little Red Wolf

Chapter Three ~

Chapter Three ~

 

 

 Rebecca woke the next morning, panting heavily and feeling like her skin was burning. She stood up slowly, despite an ache that was settling in her bones and the feeling of pins and needles.

 Her room was small, cramped and smelt like cheese, but it brought a smile to Rebecca’s face as she looked at the walls. The walls that normally felt as if they were pressing down and caging her in were a comfort as she stretched out a hand and touched the nearest one.

 It was solid under her fingertip, something that gave Rebecca the strength to stand all the way up and stretch. Her muscles protested as she twisted her body first one way and then the other.

After her stretching, Rebecca reached for the wall once more. When panic settled in on her and she was convinced that she’d invented it beneath her hand, she leaned forwards and pressed her lips against it. It tasted like wall.

 Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief that seemed to echo around her room. Her dream had started to seep into her reality, blurring her vision and her mind.  She could remember bits and pieces, but they started to rush back to her the harder she concentrated on the brief flashes she did have.

 She’d been running through the forest, panic pushing her to move faster as she slipped over dead leaves and twigs. Her mother’s old jacket was wrapped around her the sleeves dangling past her hands and needing to be pushed up every thirty seconds.

 There were angry screams following Rebecca and her face burned with shame as she continued to run. Running was second nature to her, but her feet were clumsy.  The moment she thought it, her stride became more even. Faster, smoother, she was stronger now. Her mother’s jacket was lying in pieces behind her as she bounded across the ground.

 Heavy thuds accompanied her running and she finally paused when she was nearing her copse of trees. They were hers, in her mind because she frequented them the most.

 The trees provided the perfect shelter for the business she had.

 Rebecca shuddered, leaning against the wall for support. Her legs were shaking so badly that they couldn’t hold her. She had to close her eyes and she was seeing it all over again.

 The dream had been so vivid, she could clearly recall the colour of the leaves, the distinct crunch sound they made when they were trampled, and the smell of the trees. She could see the copse perfectly even though she hadn’t visited it in months. Returning to the copse was dangerous; if she visited too much she risked revealing her secret.

 Not only was her secret in danger, in Rebecca’s mind it equaled weakness. It showed her relying on someone else’s strength. She needed to be strong if she was going to be able to handle the coming weeks.

 It was in the air, Rebecca could sense it. Something big was going to happen and soon, and Rebecca wanted to be able to slide by the side instead of be thrust into the spotlight.  The only spotlight she wanted was the one that came from the pie contest.