Chasing Wolves (completed)

Chapter 18 Isadora

Chapter 18

Isadora

I know his office is around here somewhere... I've tried scenting the air, but there's some problems with that. One: I have no idea what anyone here smells like, and two: the hall is so heavily trafficked that any discernible scents are now not. I would use the comms but then they'd hear me and know I'm here, so that's stupid.

Lin finally catches up to me and tells me where Paul's office is, leading me the few doors to it. I don't bother knocking, though in hindsight I should have, and open the door to reveal Paul and Winna making out. Squealing in embarrassment, I quickly close the door and mumble an explanation as everyone looks to me for a reason to my reaction. Lin bursts out laughing, explaining that he accidentally used to do that all the time, and I feel slightly better. At least I'm not the only one. But still, an oldish guy making out with someone that looks close to our age, and considering that they're kind of vaguely like my vampire parents... it's just kind of creepy.

The door opens (the door I'm leaning against, mind you) and I just barely catch myself from falling backwards. Turning around I come face to face with Winna. She stares at me for a second before bursting out screaming, picking me up and twirling me around as she tries to crush me to death.

Once she finally puts me down she looks over me, complimenting my hair before noticing my rings. She grabs my hand, looks at it closely, complete and utter disbelief evident in her expression, and then she starts in on a tirade similar to Jan's.

"Isadora, is that you?" A new voice breaks through hers and I look around her to Paul, smiling as I do. "Ah, it is you. I thought so, but I couldn't be sure when you slammed the door so quickly. Why didn't you knock?"

"Well... I... I wanted to surprise you."

"Then you achieved your goal. Win fell over in surprise!" I giggle and shake my head at everyone's questioning looks. Win is slowly winding down and we both tune her out, amused she has no idea we're talking about her. "What are you waiting for? Come give me a hug!"

"Aye aye, Doctor!" I give him a mock salute as we both start laughing again, and bounce over to hug him.

After I let go I'm crushed in another hug from behind me. My body instinctively tenses, preparing to retaliate, but then I realize it's only Winna again. Now that I notice, she has an almost... fruity scent. Paul, on the other hand, faintly smells like a hospital, like formaldehyde and cleaners. Which makes sense, he does work around them practically constantly.

"Are you staying this time?"

"At least for a while."

"Mhm, I'll believe it when I see it. You said you were staying last time but didn't even last a day." She doesn't sound like she believes me and I don't blame her in the least.

"That's hardly fair. You know why we had to leave..." Jem.

Now she looks slightly confused, "that reminds me, we haven't seen Jem since about a week after you guys left. Have you seen her? I know that would be a long shot, and hopefully you haven't, but..."

"Unfortunately... we did. It's a long story and I'll tell you some other time." She nods, accepting this, and we both tune into the outside world just as Lin is starting the introductions.

.
"This'll be the girls' room," I point to my old room and then to the one on the other side of Lin's, next door to the TV room, "and that's the boys' room." After we talked to Winna and Paul for a while we talked to Phil (Meg, Lin, and Em could actually speak to him, whereas I had to use comms and everyone relied on us to interpret) and then decided to hunker down to bed. It's not very late but we've had a busy day.

We never did run into Walter (something I'm immensely relieved by, I still don't know if I could face him after what I almost did), but knowing how huge the Complex is, he might still be around here somewhere for all I know.

Meg steps up, a knowing smirk on her lips, and I'm instantly suspicious. "Are the walls sound proof?" Lin nods and she heaves a sigh of relief. "Good, I want to actually be able to sleep." It takes me a second to realize what she means and then I can feel my face heating to an inferno. She thinks we're going to...? Oh man.

It's pretty obvious Lin and I would be sharing a room (we are married, after all) but I hadn't even really thought about that; which, now that I am, I feel like an idiot for not thinking about it earlier.

But I have a plan for when it gets completely dark, so it's going to have to wait.