The Woods

06

06

Corrine sat on the edge of the bed clothes in only an oversized t-shirt, watching Roman sleep.

He looked so peaceful, his full lips parted as he let out soft snores.

The sun was setting, and a yellow ambiance shown through the shutters on his windows, making the dark room look slightly serene.

She contemplated footing it and having an endless amount of regret for sleeping with him for a second time, but she stopped herself. She needed answers to what's been happening.

Her hands started to shake, but she pushed it down. She didn't need the risk of a breakdown right now.

She didn't take her pills for two days, and she was now starting to feel the effect of her negligence.

When she heard him intake a sharp breath, she knew he was starting to wake up.

She watched as he stretched his toned arms above his head and sat up.

His eyes focused on her, and an eyebrow raised, as if he were impressed that she stayed that long.

Corrine rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She heard him chuckle, and the sheets rustled.

He was now in front of her, only clad in a pair of boxers. She gazed up at him, in awe of his chiseled body and his handsome face.

His beauty was breathtaking, immortal almost.

"I'm surprised you didn't jet by now," he teased, taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"I was thinking about it," she replied, while looking at the ground.

"Wait," he said, tilting his head to the side before rushing to his nightstand. "Don't move an inch."

She sat frozen, thinking something bad was about to happen, but she relaxed when she saw what Roman had in his hands.

"You want to take a photo?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at the Polaroid camera. "Of what?"

"Of you," he replied, before clicking the button.

She gasped. "What? Roman, I just woke up!"

"And you've never looked better," he responded, grabbing her chin to meet their lips with a kiss.

He shook to photo for it to develop faster, and Corrine blinked when he showed it to her. Her light brown hair seemed to glow in morning light and she saw herself smiling like she hadn't in a while.

He placed the photo on the bed, and they sat quietly together, silence enveloping them.

"Roman?" She asked softly, looking straight ahead at the top of the dresser.

"Hmm?" He responded, his head snapping towards her.

"Is that your family?" She questioned, gesturing to the photo on the dresser.

A picture of a beautiful girl younger than him, beamed into the camera and an older woman, presumably his mother wrapped her arms around the children's shoulders.

"Yeah, it is," he replied stiffly, lifting himself off the bed. He flipped the picture frame over, blocking it from her sight.

Corrine didn't bring up the topic; instead she rose up and walked out the bedroom.

"Want dinner?" She called from the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards for a pot.

Roman grabbed her hips from behind, and pulled her to him. "Depends what you're making."

She filled the pot with water and softly pushed Roman away from her. "Move, I have to cook."

Chuckling, he stepped back and walked into the living room.

While Roman was walking towards the living room, Corrine picked up the pot, and slammed it against the back of his head.

He groaned and his body fell to the ground with a heavy thump, effectively knocking him out cold.

"Fucking idiot," she murmured, before starting her search around the apartment.

She needed answers, and if this was the way she had to get them, then so be it.

Stepping over his motionless body, Corrine made her way over to his bedroom, and locked the doors.

"If I were Roman, where would I hide important things?" She asked herself, while rummaging through his bedside drawer.

"Corinne!" Her body froze as she heard Roman outside the bedroom door.

How did he recover so quickly?

She continued her search in the drawer, but stopped when she felt a gap on the bottom of the drawer.

Knocking against the hollow wood, she lifted the bottom to expose a book and a small ring box. Snatching them up, she grabbed her bag and shoved them both in. She didn't even bother to put her pants on, so she was still wearing Roman's shirt with her beat up converses being jammed onto her sockless feet.

"Open the fucking door!" He growled, banging the door.

Panicking, she moved over towards the window to step onto the fire escape.

The door slammed open, just as she got her body fully outside. Climbing down the ladder, she jumped from the top rung to the sidewalk and took off running.

"CORINNE!" She heard Roman roar as she sprinted down the pavement.

She didn't stop running.

----

Once she was in her apartment, she sat in the middle of her bedroom floor and opened the ancient book.

"Ugh!" She groaned, as she looked at the pages. The book was completely in Latin!

Slamming the book shut, she sighed and moved over to the ring box.

Opening it, she inspected the engravings, and narrowed her eyes to look closer.

Corrine recognised the symbol on the ring. She remembered someone she knew wearing a pin with the same stone and image on it.

Maybe I should ask Roman, she thought, but then she realised that she knocked him out with a pot less than an hour ago.

"Why don't I think these things through!" She yelled at herself, slapping her palm to her forehead.

Sighing, she leaned against her bed frame and looked up at her ceiling.

There was something strange about Roman, and she'd be damned if she didn't figure it out.

Grabbing her laptop from its hiding spot underneath the bed, she started it up and logged onto the internet.

Using google translate, she translated the title to Legends of the Lycanthropus.

"Lycanthropes versipellium fabulose homines sunt. Ut nomen sonat, est susceptiva formae horum lupus," she butchered as she spoke the ancient language aloud.

Typing it into her computer, her eyes widened as she skimmed over the translation.

"Werewolves are mythological shape-shifting humans," she read, her eyes swiftly moving across the screen. "As the name suggests, the shape these creatures take on is that of a wolf."

"I fucking knew it!" Corrine yelled with new found knowledge. She knew Roman wasn't completely human, and with this book she was going to find out everything she could.