The Secret of the Wolfs

Chapter 1

It was a rather cold autumn day when Scarlett arrived at the old village. She felt her hands tighten around the wheel as she passed the old sign on the side of the road. It had been years since she had last set foot here and in all honesty, she had never thought that she would be coming back. 

As she rode through the village, her eye immediately fell upon the old school building she had once known so well. She even felt a small smile creep onto her face as she passed the playground she had spend so many afternoons. 

The smile, however, didn't last long as she drove past the gates of the old mansion. Never had she seen that mansion from up close, but the stories she had heard had always been enough. The mere sight of that gate had her mind flood with all the nightmares she had had about that place. 

It was not long however before she reached her destination. Right before her stood the old inn, a place run by old Mrs. Geller. 

Scarlett smiled once more as she saw the sign, Geller's Inn. 

The little bell that hung above the door rang as Scarlett walked through it. The old lady that was sitting behind the counter jumped up a little, surprised by the arrival of a new visitor. 

Scarlett felt strange being here again. She remembered how her mother would sometimes drop her off here when Mrs. Geller would babysit her. The flowery wallpaper that had been there when she was young still proudly hung on all of the walls. The floor was still covered with the same old pink carpeting and behind the counter still sat the same old Mrs. Geller.

"Good afternoon." Scarlett said to the lady, beaming ear to ear. 

"Good afternoon dear." The lady said apprehensively.

"I called," Scarlett replied and hastily added, "about the room." 

Mrs. Geller seemed to suddenly remember the conversation and said. "Ah yes, my dear. I forgot to write down your name, but no one really ever makes reservations so it was easy to remember for who it was." The lady turned around and grabbed a notepad and started writing. "Now my dear, what is your name?"

At first, Scarlett felt slightly hurt that the lady she had spend so much time with did not remember her name. It was only when she thought about how long she had been away and how much about her had changed that the hurt disappeared. 

"Scarlett, Scarlett Graham." 

The second she said that name she could hear the pen that the lady was holding falling onto the desk. "What did you just say, dear?"

"Scarlett Graham." She repeated, carefully watching Mrs. Geller. 

Mrs. Geller looked up at the young lady standing before her. This time it was Mrs. Geller who wondered how she had not recognized her as she had walked in. 

A smile formed on the face of the old lady as she took in the girl before her. She noticed that Scarlett's once short brown hair had become longer, and darker. But her face... That sweet face was the same. Sure it had matured over the last ten years, but one could see easily recognize her features. 

"It's good to see you again my dear." Mrs. Geller said, a smile evidend on her face. "It's good to see you too Mrs. Geller."

For a moment the two of them just stood there and talked about things that happened a long time ago. After a while, Mrs. Geller, however, said, "I'll bring you to your room. is that alright dear?"

"Yes, that is alright." Scarlett chuckled. 

"But now you can tell me, though I am delighted to see you again. What brought you back?"

The smile on Scarlett's face faltered when she heard that question. "I've come because of my Grandmother." She said, not meeting the eyes of the old lady. 

"Eleonor?" The old lady said confused. 

"Yes."

"But she does not live here anymore." 

Scarlett sighed as she looked back at the old lady. Confusion was clear on Mrs. Geller's face. "Grandmother died not to long ago."

"Oh no..." Mrs. Geller said, tears glistening in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, I should have been a bit more tactical, I know that you two were friends." 

"No, its alright dear, When you're my age you know that these kinds of things happen. Your grandmother wasn't the youngest, I'm surprised she lived this long." The old lady said wiping her tears. 

"It happened in her sleep," Scarlett started, looking away from the lady next to her, "The night before she called me over to her. She asked if I remembered this village. When I told her yes she told me that she wanted me to do a something for her. 

You see in her Will she left me her old cabin and she wanted me to come here and take care of it. I don't exactly know what she meant by it, but here I am..."

"Strange..." Mrs. Geller muttered as the two of them reached Scarlett's room. She was about to say something when the very faint sound of a telephone ringing started. "Ah! The phone, here are the keys, I'm sorry dear but I have to go and get the phone." Mrs. Geller said right before she disappeared down the hall again.