Red Ridding Hood

Chapter 3

As much as Rose had tried to stay still and silent, she'd whimpered as the wolf came closer, its breath heating her face in the frost. A tear slid down her face as she shook with fear. With another growl, the wolf lunged at her, and her scream echoed through the dark sky masked by a thick fog. Silence

That early morning, when the sky was just beginning to let the light through, a wolf howled. The moon was still in the sky, but starting to fade as the sun made its ascent across the sky. The much feared attack had finally happened but all were asleep: the birds, the rabbits, and even her sworn guardian, James. The ribbon Rose had only recently been reunited with, was blown by the wind, fluttering till it landed on a rose bush covered with thorns.

Birds chirped as the sun peeked through the holes in the barn's curtain covered window and with a groan, James put his hands over his eyes, in an attempt to shield himself from the light which had interrupted his sleep. Ivan, next to him, rolled over, with a smile of content sleep. Pulling his pillow from under his head, James placed it over his head, and fell, once again, to the murky depths called sleep.

It was late morning when the group of teenagers finally woke up. James being the first. He went outside to wash his face, ridding himself of any remnants of sleep. When he went back into the barn however he discovered that what happened next would have alerted him and woken him up instantly either way. "Rose?!" Her bed was empty. Looking around the barn, he didn't see her. "Rose?!" He shouted once more, searching outside for her. Everyone was now awake, their attention going immediately to the missing girl.

"Who was the last one to see her?" asked Ivan.

"She definitely was here when we went to bed." Tom replied.

James rushed back into the barn, "Last night she woke up and went to the toilet!" He ran to grab his clothes and put them on, "Everyone get ready! We need to look for her!" Within seconds, everyone was stumbling over trying to get ready.

"Why didn't she come back?" Ivan shouted over to James.

"How would I know? She said she would come back!" James shouted back. 

"Something must have happened!" Cried Lily. "She could be anywhere!" 

James rushed to the barn door turning to the rest of the group, "We have to find her! We need to split up. Lily, Ed and Sam, you all stay together. Ivan, Eliz, you're another group. Tom, come with me. We'll start at the gates of the city and work our way around. Search every building and ask people if they've seen her. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's get going then!" They all ran out of the barn to the gates, before deciding their paths and separating off to search for the missing girl.

The groups sieved through the small village looking for Rose in every place possible. They asked every one they saw asking if they had seen a petite brunette with pale skin and possessed a child like innocence. By noon, the whole village was awake, and every villager knew about the missing child. The men were sent out to search the village again, some brave enough went to search for her on the edge of the forest, yet still not daring to go a step further in to the eerily silent forest. The women hushed their children inside, terrified that their children could meet the same fate and locked them somewhere safe. By late afternoon, shadows were creeping out as evening came closer. The group had been forced inside the barn, all of them worried. Pacing or sat down with their heads in their hands thinking of all the horrible possibilities that could have happened to their friend.

"Arg!" James shouted and in his outburst he flung the chair next to him across the room. Everyone abruptly stood up and moved out of James' way. "How could this happen?!" He turned away from the group to face the barn door. "How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I go with her to make sure she was safe!" James was now shaking.