The Slumbering Alpha

* Chapter 3 *

- The Thief, The Wolf And The Old Lady -

Now sited at Lady Mcrell’s dining table with a cup of hot chocolate each. Old Mcrell was ready to tell her story and young Judy was ready to listen.
"So, which one do you want to know exactly?" the lady asked while taking a sip of her cup, paused and continued "The time when a thief entered my domain or this time when it was a wolf ? I must say... Both share some similitude....now that I think about it"
"How about you tell me both" Judy suggested. It was the first time she set foot in someone else’s home and had a cup of hot chocolate with them, and she enjoyed it.
Lady Mcrell smiled, put down her cup with an amused look on her face. She actually liked this girl, she had some wits unlike most of this town unfortunately. And what harm could there be to let her know, she’s been wanting to be heard all this time, and finally someone had asked. It was a win-win situation for the both of them the white haired woman thought.
"Then let’s begin with the thief shall we" Mcrell said and Judy nodded in approval.

"A week before it all happened, I started feeling like I was being watched, and as if someone was following me. I thought nothing of it first. I mean I am pretty much hated in this town, so what of it if some kids decided to play some tricks on me. We would see who was more tenacious. It continued for a whole week and I was starting to have doubts on my tormentors because children tends to bore easily especially if it did not give the results they had wished for. Right?" she ended up asking the girl.
"Yes, that usually is the case."Judy agreed.
" It all confirmed when one afternoon, I left Mr Sentiola’s house angry because he wouldn’t agree to put some leash on his cat... Anyway I am drifting off the subject" she continued after taking a bite of some cookies. "Don’t you want some?" Mcrell asked because the young girl has not touched a thing except her cup that she was holding with both hands and taking in the heat emanating from it. "Oh! Yes of course! I was just so engrossed in your story that I forgot it was there" she justified.
The lady like her even more now, she knew her way around people she thought.
"So where was I.... Ah Yes! That rotten Sentiola. So I left his house in a fury and I was walking fast because the sun was already coming down and who knows what could happen to a lady at night. I looked right in front of me not to trip, and that’s when I saw it. Another shadow, mine was right in front of me, I looked back to see if maybe someone was walking behind me. But no, there was no one. This shadow was too long to be that of a kid, so it could only mean one thing. I had a stalker, and a serious one! I panicked and rushed home. I only went out for necessary things and a couple of days later, I had to go to the market so I decided to go early that way, I would be home before sun down. And that’s when it happened!" she stopped and was now filling their empty cups again." And then what happened?" Judy asked, eager for her to continue. She was excited to know what came next like a little kid listening to their grandmother on story nights. Then she remembered that she could also have had that, only, she didn’t grow up with her own grandparents. It saddened her a moment, but she brushed it off quickly, but not enough for lady Mcrell had plenty of time to notice.
She then continued her story and decided to make it quick for she herself was starting to get tired and she was sure the girl had other things to do.
"To my surprise, when I came back, the door was open. I got scared and went to the neighbours to ask for help. They were stunned a thief would roam in the town but still followed me with some gardening tools. Mark was the first to enter, you know him right? Tall man, slightly dark complexion and brown hair and brown eyes. All of us then followed behind him, we searched everywhere in the house, we could find no one, and not a single trace of someone being in there and nothing was out of place. So eventually they got mad and accused me wanting to get attention and wasting their time then left me there alone. At first I also doubted myself and thought all that week of being followed was all my imagination until a couple of days later when I finally noticed what was wrong. Now, yes now I am sure someone was in my house that time, maybe not a thief, but someone was here and they were looking for something." "How can you be so sure?" the redhead asked, perplexed.
"That" the old lady answered, pointing her wrinkled finger towards something. Judy followed the direction she was showing, but all she could see was a perfectly neat bookshelf in a corner containing more than thousands of books.
"It belonged to my husband, he was quite a reader. He didn’t want me near it so even after his death I would just dust it from time to without touching anything but... Come, follow me" she said, gesturing the young girl to come. "You see these books here, I might not have read them, but I have been dusting them for the past sixty years and I know their spot by heart, just the way my husband left them. And it was mixed up and some books where misplaced when I came to check and some dust was on the floor." She said beaming at her discovery and went back at the table after saying that, almost skipping on her way.
Judy had a bad feeling about all this, she could not explain it, but she knew someone was here, at this moment, listening in on their conversation. She took a look on the floor and noticed something else that the old lady failed to see that left her questioning considering all the information she just got. But she knew someone was here, and that someone, was looking for something, something they didn’t find and would come back. That alone she was sure... But when was the question.

"I was asleep when some kind of pressure woke me up. I felt as if I was being stared at, and this was far worse than before. It was like it could see through me. I was so scared I decided to fetch myself a glass of milk to calm me. On my way to the kitchen, I still felt those eyes on me, I filled the glass of milk and was about to drink it when I turned and took a glimpse through the kitchen window that gave to the garden. It was then that I saw it. A big black wolf with silver menacing eyes, they were so scary. I didn’t wait twice before screaming and that when everyone came to me and... Well... You know everything from then" Mcrell explained "Quite the story right, I mean when I voice it out now, it seems unreal, even to myself" she said with a sad look on her face. She got up and started tidying things up. "No, leave it, I will do the rest, you just go and rest. It’s the least I can do" Judy offered. "Well! If you insist. I have to say, you are not at all like they picture you to be" The old lady stated while drying her hands on her dress and going back to sit on the chair. "And may I ask how they picture me exactly ?" "hmmm nicely put, I would say strange, lunatic... I would rather hang on with the others if you don’t mind. But darling, that red hair of yours just freaks them out because it’s the only one they’ve seen in their lifetime, a bunch of morons if you asked me!" She said the last part laughing.
" Really now, and how do you see me then?" Judy questioned.
" Well... Simply put, I like you, and I don't like just anybody. That's all you need to know for now" Mcrell answered her truthfully.
Judy was now drying her hands on the rag when she sensed it. She wondered if it was that kind of pressure Mcrell was talking about but it was different from the one she sensed before. She left the kitchen in a hurry where she noticed the old lady was not there anymore. She ran to the living room where she saw her and let out a sigh of relief.
"She is sleeping" Judy said more to herself then someone. She gathered her things and ready to leave when she felt piercing gray eyes on her like the one she saw on the poster on her way here.
Curious, she went to the back of the house, to the old lady’s garden, she looked through the window and saw the kitchen, looked around her she could see nothing out of the ordinary. No eyes staring at you and definitely no wolf.
She was ready to go back when she noticed something or more like an area at the far end of the back yard. Vines were growing in that specific spot, nothing out of the ordinary here, but there is something about their shape that suggests otherwise. Vines Extended everywhere and took roots, these ones looked like they were placed her and taken care of. Judy approached the area and observed it carefully, again, she saw nothing but vines, she was about to give up when she smelled something weird, like fur. She walked to the spot emanating the smell "Found you!" she said smiling, she crouched then knocked "Wood" She was sure now, there was a well under here and this piece of wood was covering it. Judy moved off the wood, pushed some vines to make it more visible then tried opening it. It was hard and dusty but she managed to open it after some effort. Now completely opened, she crouched again to look inside. Too focused on her discovery, she didn’t notice someone approaching her and it was too late before she realised but she was pushed into the well. The last thing she sees before loosing consciousness was a pair of shoes and someone closing the lid.

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