Hollow's Grove (The Revised Version)

Chapter Five: The Wolf Within

I sat down at the table, drooling ever so slightly. The appetizing aroma of fried chicken and garlic mashed potatoes wafted through the air. I still couldn't believe that it was my last weekend at home. I had until Sunday afternoon, then I would be off. I would be gone, living in a dorm and going to school. It was a terrifying realization, I was going to be no longer safe in the country. I would be around other teens for the first time in ages.

Mum was trying to make my transition easier by acting all kind and loving towards me. She made me my favourite foods, let me watch my favourite movies, she was doing anything to make the thought of going back to school easy on me. Some of her ideas were working, while others weren't. "Here we are, fresh from the frying pan," mum's voice was almost sing-song like as she entered the dining room.

She carried a large platter into the room. The smells were overpowering. Mum couldn't help but notice the drool hanging off my lips. "Someone's hungry," was all she commented. It was an overwhelming sensation, I was starving. It was like I couldn't eat enough. I piled my plate high with chicken and potatoes, I was ravenous. Mum just sat herself down and watched my overindulgence. I tore into a juicy piece of chicken leg, the fat dribbled down my chin.

It was as if there was a part of me that had become an animal. Mum just sat there quietly, chewing away on a carrot. We said nothing to one another for awhile and then mum coughed. "So, are you all ready to get going this Sunday?" I glanced up. Mum had put down her carrot and had intertwined her hands, she was going into serious discussion mode. I took one last bite of the chicken, putting it back down onto my plate. "Um, yes, I just have a few more things to pack and I'm good."

I wasn't really interested in chatting about Hollow's Grove at the moment. I licked my lips and looked back at my plate, I was so hungry. "Mum, can we talk about school later?" I reached for my chicken, mum just sighed and shook her head. "Tobias, I really think that we sh-" She was cut off by a loud knock at the front door. Mum and I froze. We locked eyes, both showing signs of confusion. "Who could that be at this hour?" I asked.

Mum shook her head, pushing her chair back. "Stay right here, I will be right back." She walked out of the dining room. As I waited I looked around the room, it would be a long time until I saw it again. The flowery wallpaper, the hardwood floor, the dormant fireplace in the far corner of the room, the shelves piled up with all mum's old tea sets, the ugly painting of the sheep and their shepherd.

I knew that I would miss sitting there, having dinner with mum. Even the painting looked better then I recalled. Just then I heard someone yelling, my ears perked and my eyes narrowed. "I don't care, you haven't paid your taxes for a year now and I now understand that you are sending your delinquent son off to a boarding school?" My blood ran cold.

I knew who it was and I knew that mum wouldn't be too happy. I decided to go and join my mum. The last thing I wanted was for another dispute to end in threats and a possible evacuation warning. I headed out of the dining room and headed down the hallway towards the front entrance. Sure enough there he stood. He and mum looked like they could rip each other apart. "How dare you," mum spat.

The man smirked, he was not a nice looking person. He had grey hair that was slicked back, he wore a grey suit with gold buttons, his ice cold blue eyes stared through my mum's eyes as though he was searching for her weakness. "Listen here Marian, I am going to give you one last chance, hand all the papers in this year or you lose all of this." I had never heard anyone use my mum's first name before.

Mum looked completely defeated, I could see her face was going red. "Fine, you win..." She broke off and started to cry. I couldn't deal with it, I stepped towards them. "Hey, you know what, you can't just come in here and threaten us like that." I don't know what exactly came over me, but before I knew what I was doing I had started yelling at the man. He stopped and turned to glare at me.

"Oh look here's the delinquent now." The man sneered, as I made my closer to them. "Leave us alone, you have no idea what we have gone through." My voice had gone scratchy, growl like. Mum had stopped crying now, she was staring wide eyed at me, her eyes were red and puffy. "Toby, don't do this, don't patronize him," she began to plead. I snarled at the man, "Get out of our home."

His smirk grew into a wide grin, "Who are you to tell me what to do?" He was really asking for it. I glared up at him, "Leave now, you don't know who you are messing with." I could feel the wolf within me, it was like I had awoken it. The man's expression flickered suddenly. "Fine, I'll leave, but understand this Toby, you better make sure your mum gets her taxes in." I couldn't help but notice that he was backing away from me.

I growled, "I will, now go!" He needed no more persuasion, he left the house, the door slamming shut behind him. I stood there for a few moments, breathing heavily. Mum was now glaring down at me. "Tobias, what have you done?" Her voice was soft, worry played on her tongue. I shook my head, I couldn't explain what had just happened. It was like the wolf and I had both worked together. I knew that it couldn't have been possible though, the wolf only awoke on the full moon.

The full moon was another week away. I suddenly felt a twinge of fear, I would be at Hollow's Grove by then. I turned away from mum and ran down the hallway, my heart pounding against my chest. If I couldn't control myself at home, then how would I manage while in school...