Matthew withdrew his hand, resting it on the back of his neck. He looked away and sat down in the leather arm chair. A smile crept onto my face. He was shy. I fought down a laugh and rested my feet on the arm of the chair.
“What are you looking for? Is there something specific?” I asked him. With the silence broken, he looked more comfortable. He ran a hand through his short messy hair as he sighed and set the folder down on the desk.
“I wish I knew what I was looking for,” he shrugged and looked up at me. I picked up the file and leafed through the pages. A photograph fell out, landing on my lap. I picked up the sepia print and looked it over.
“Who’s this?” I asked. Matthew came to stand by my side, leaning against the desk. The picture was of a young man standing in the woods.
“That’s my father,” Matthew responded, leaning over my shoulder to see it. The man in the picture looked identical to the one by my side. They had the same messy hair and sheepish grin. Freckles dotted the man in the picture’s cheeks, setting the two apart.
“You look like him,” I said, holding the picture up. Matthew studied it thoughtfully. I passed it to him.
Carefully, he set the picture on the desk and looked up at the clock.
“I have to go check in with the patrols. I’m up next shift,” he said. I nodded and picked up my empty hot chocolate mug.
“Do you…. Have you found anything?” I asked.
“No, all trails are old. We haven’t picked up anything since we were at the cabin,” he told me. I realized I had been holding my breath. I exhaled, trying not to show just how nervous I was.
“I’ll let you know if we find anything, ok?”
“Thanks,” I replied as we walked out of the office. Matt closed the door behind us and headed off to the kitchen. I put my mug in the sink and went back upstairs. Oakley bounded up the stairs behind me.
“How’s life?” He teased, playfully punching me in the arm.
“Well I recently found out that I’m being hunted down by a pack of vicious werewolves. But other than that pretty great,” I couldn’t help the sarcasm from creeping into my voice.
“Could be worse.”
“Really now?”
“Could be a pack of man eating cats after you,” Oakley smiled. It was contagious. I walked into my room with Oakley following close behind.
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” I smiled.
“Perhaps,” he flashed me a cheeky grin.
“OK, answer this: am I supposed to stay inside all the time?”
“Oh, well I’m not sure. I don’t see why you would have to though as long as you don’t go off into the woods all alone.”
I nodded and yawned.
“See you in the morning,” Oakley saluted me and walked out the door. I laughed to myself as he retreated down the hallway. He was a charming character.
YOU ARE READING
Ensnare
Teen Fiction“What are they looking for?” I asked again. No one answered. Realization dawned on Katie’s face as she looked up to meet my eyes. She said what no one else wanted to. “You." One night, Laura Sorren comes face to face with a wolf. With fur as black...
