Ghost Wolf (Wattys2014)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: New Friends

When Todoka and I entered the cafeteria for dinner, we found the large room was packed. The ladies behind the bench were cleaning up but they still had some servings left in the large square containers behind the glass window.

We quickly lined up and got what was left—cold meat and vegetables that stuck together like cold soup.

“Shouldn’t we get Kaiden something?” I asked, turning to Todoka standing behind me. He held a tray for both of us.

He snorted. A wide smirk spread across his face as he shook his head. “Kaiden refers food at least 98.6 Harper. Not cold.” The woman standing behind the bench, with curly grey hair pushed into a net, features hardened as she scowled at Todoka. He didn’t seem to notice.

I raised a brow, clueless to what he was saying. “He had seafood this morning.”

“Fresh. Not reheated,” he said while stepping away from the woman and headed towards an empty table. “It’s instinct.”

“So, you’re telling me he’s probably out there hunting some innocent rabbit or deer right now?”

He burst out laughing. “What part of fresh and hot do you not get?”

“How you’re explaining it,” I mumbled, sitting down. I stared at the long strips of spinach on my plate as I moved it with the tip of my fork. My stomach turned at the greasy, sloppy sounds it made. When I looked to Todoka, I noticed he hadn’t eaten anything. “So you’re saying he’ll eat anything fresh and hot, whether it’s alive or not?”

“Correct.”

“Finally, an answer in English, not wolf!”

He snickered. “I’m getting why he likes you.”

I raised a brow.

“You’re bunt, truthful. It’s refreshing. People usually sugar coat things.”

“Thanks… I think.” I glanced over the crowd and spotted Mel, Jared and Jaiden sitting at a table in the far corner. I instantly wondered where Kaiden was. He must have been still hopelessly searching for him.

My head elevated towards the high windows of the cafeteria, where I seen the skies were setting pink as large snowflakes floated in gusts of wind. Tree branches shook from left to right. I hoped he was okay.

When my gaze came back to earth, I found Todoka staring at me. “He’s okay Harper.”

“How do you do that—know what I’m thinking? It’s the second time you’ve done it.”

He shrugged. “I’m native. We read animals to heal them. People are easier. It’s body language and intuition.” He finally picked up his fork and put its blade to the dried out piece of chicken. I was surprised when I saw his plate almost bare. Not once had I seen Todoka chew or pick up the silverware.

I began picking at my food and trying to swallow the evidently reheated, tasteless food. It was like chewing cooked rubber and paper. I pushed the plate to the side and sighed. I was beginning to grow impatient as I waited for Kaiden.

“So is Hugo yours or Kaiden’s?” I asked in attempt of taking my mind off things. It was a random question that had been swirling around in my head since I’d seen how Hugo took to Todoka like he did with Kaiden.

“Hugo is not owned Harper. He comes and goes as he wishes. It’d be a shame to tame him, don’t you think?” Todoka held my gaze under his long lashes.

“But he is tamed. A wild animal wouldn’t act like he does with you two.”

“It’s in his nature. He was like that when we first met.” He smiled and leaned back in the chair. “Hugo has always been like that. He was a baby when I found his nest had fallen out of the tree after a storm the night before. His mom was there, flapping her wings trying to scare me off. She even bit me,” he paused and extended his hand across the table to show me a silvery V shaped scar. “But since he could fly he’s always played and flew around me. He stole my lunch box when I was younger.” Todoka snickered and lifted his head in the direction of the hallway. I followed his narrowed gaze to Kaiden entering the cafeteria with his hand covering the side of his neck.

A small gasp escaped my throat as I pushed the chair back and met him halfway. Todoka was on my heel

“Kaiden, are you okay? What happened?”

“Jaiden happened,” he murmured and nodded. “Yeah, it’s just a mark.”

“We should go back to your room,” Todoka suggested. Kaiden nodded and sharply winced.

I bit my lip seeing a strip of red liquid trickle over his fingers. It was quickly soaked up by his grey shirt as we rounded the corner down the hall to the elevator already waiting for us.

As the door closed behind us, Kaiden leaned back against the wall and shrugged off his jacket. He hung it over the handrail and pulled off his shirt. I bit my lip watching his stomach muscles extend before he pressed the shirt to his neck.

My gaze must have been questioning for what he said.

“My mum was a nurse. She knew how to slow bleeding.”

“What happened?” I asked, looking to Todoka as he shook his hand from side to side.  Kaiden shook his head and nodded towards the elevator’s right corner. As I levered my head, I spotted a security camera.

As the elevator dinged and the doors opened Kaiden shouldered his jacket and led the way down the empty hall of wooden doors and dark grey-black carpet. At the end of the hall he pulled a key from his front jean pocket and unlocked the door to a smaller room than my own. The room basically consisted of a double-bed on the left corner and a desk on the far right.

“Alright, talk,” Todoka demanded as Kaiden threw himself back on the bed in the shape of a starfish.

“What were you thinking going after him in the first place?”

“I was acting on impulse. I thought I might have been able to talk him around or shut him up. I guess I just made it worse though…” Kaiden shifted in the bed to sit back against the wall as he pressed the shirt back to his neck. He glanced to me standing in the corner with my arms over my chest. He patted the side of the bed. I stepped over and crawled onto the bed. Kaiden’s arm came around my shoulders as I curled into his side.

“You need to learn to think and then act,” Todoka said with order in his tone. He almost sounded like a boss ordering around an employee.

“Think then act…” Kaiden nodded, dragging his teeth over his lower lip and looked to me. “Then I think I need to act as your guard dog.” He smiled.