Part of the Plan (Book 2 in the 'part of' series)

Chapter 9 encounter

I made sure to leave a note for my mother before I left that afternoon. I told her that I was just heading out for a rather long walk. That wasn't entirely a lie. I managed to get a bus rather close to the forest.I spent a few minutes debating whether or not to actually go in. I had also spent the rather long bus journey wondering that. I know that I wouldn't be long, I wouldn't go too far in, why was I worried?

The different stories worried me. The fact that I had heard that there were both bears and wolves in the forest terrified me. I didn't know what was the truth, I would prefer to interact with neither of those creatures for the sake of my life. It wasn't an unpleasant day out either, it was just slightly overcast. I preferred it when it rained.

The forest seemed rather welcoming, it seemed to be a kind of escape. Aiden said that he would be able to see the stars at night. I wouldn't be able to see them but I could feel the invisible presence up there. I could also feel the presence of the wild, that was much less welcoming.

I took a deep breath and started heading into the trees. I followed the trail, I wasn't stupid. I would get incredibly lost if I were to even attempt to go off the trail. I had seen a few squirrels and other miscellaneous animals which didn't seem too threatening. I had been camping, I can't quite remember much of it but I have been before.

I didn't dare wear my headphones which had been in charge of calming me down for the past hour. I knew that I would have to hear any noises which came from the forest. That was why I froze as soon as I heard a twig snapping. I looked around without moving. I would have usually just brushed it off, thinking that it was an animal. The idea of it being an animal was what put me off.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to outrun anything dangerous, even if I was really trying. After a few moments my breathing became more steady and I continued on. I could see that there were signs of people being there. There was scattered bits and pieces of rubbish all around. I couldn't dwell on it too much. I had to see if there were any clues around before I had to go home.

I had brought my phone with me just in case of emergencies. Hardly anyone phoned me, a fact I believed before last night. I had to keep reminding myself that I was on a path, a trail, there was not a high chance of being attacked. After about thirty minutes of nothing, I saw it.

I only saw it for a split second. I couldn't deny the fact it was in front of me, or rather the side of me. It was a mass of brown fur. The colour was warm and it fit in with the rest of our surroundings. I couldn't see the colour iof it's eyes but it was tall. I was mainly focused on its mouth which was shut. It saw me for a moment before darting off again. It had me darting back the way that I came.

I had just seen a wolf in the wild. I was lucky not to have been eaten. It ignored me but that might've been because it sensed some other,more worthy, prey. I couldn't believe that Aiden didn't tell me about them. He would've been sure to see them in the forest. I didn't go too far in. THere might be a whole pack in there, I could've been heading straight towards the wolves' den.

I sat on the curb for about twenty minutes as I tried to get my life in order. I had just gone into the woods and saw a wolf. I did this simply for the answers that it could potentially give, even though it's a simple forest. My brother, one of the bravest people that I know, said that it scared him too much.

After putting some sense into my head I stood up and looked around. I knew where the bus stop was from there. I was just a little bit hesitant to get it now. Dad would still be home. I'd rather prolong the anger for as long as I can. I could probably let it be on hold for at least a few days.

I ended up at the park on the swings. It was the place I tended to go when I was a little bit upset or annoyed. Though it wasn't this one. I was too far out. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, it was extremely peaceful. There didn't seem to be as many kids around as there was at the park I frequented.

I was going to wait until I got home but I wasn't sure if I would have the time. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed a number. It was the previous number so it wasn't hard to find. It rang a few times and with each ring it made me more anxious. When I was about to give up I heard a voice on the other end. "Hello?" I heard Emi ask with an annoyed tone.

"You were right." I said quickly into the phone. My voice was a little shaky. I didn't want to say the next words. "There are wolves in the forest." There was silence on the other end, I took the phone away from my ear to check if we were still on the phone. "Emi? You there?" The silence wasn't helping me.

"Where are you?" She seemed more worried then I was. I could what her breathing through the phone along with some rustling, like she was moving around a lot. "I'll come meet you." I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head slightly with a sigh. I don't know why she'd want to meet up with me, we were talking.

"I'm at Quartvear park." I mumbled after turning around to look at the sign. "Why do you have to meet me?" I asked but it was too late. She had hung up the phone. I frowned at the abrupt action and put my phone back in my pocket. Emi was on her way and this only meant that I'd be getting into more trouble. I'm not sure who I feared more, Emi or dad.