The White Wolf (2020)

Chapter Three

SYDNEY

Emmery and Meg dropped her off at her family's home before driving off and singing at the top of their lungs.

"Idiots," Sydney laughed before walking up the gradual slope of their lengthy driveway to the isolated house. The woods arced around her home, almost embracing it, or wanting to reach out and brush their limbs of velvety green pines against the warm wood and glass exterior.

Making it to the oversized wood door, she typed in a key code into the oiled bronze handle. Sydney watched the light flash confirming the code followed by the sound of the dead bolt retreating, granting her access to the place she once called home. For the past year and a half, every time she entered the lofty house, she felt the heavyweight in the back of her skull knowing his presence would never fill the home again. She wouldn't hear him call out to her when she arrived home from school, or shout goodbye and to be safe when she was leaving with friends.

That feeling lasted but a moment, as she stepped into the house and was bombarded with another presence, the one that tried holding this home together.

"Syd! Is that you?" Her older sister called. Not waiting for Sydney to answer, the dark blonde rushed out from the kitchen to the front door. "Why weren't you answering your phone!? I was worried sick!" She whirled the spatula around in the air emphasizing the overflow of worry she had. Once she was finished with her yelling she placed her fists on her hips and she huffed a string of loose hair out of her flushed face.

Guilt nawed at Sydney's stomach, she knew all too well the concern when someone didn't come home and not being able to get ahold of them, only to find out hours later when police came to their door in the late evening to deliver the news. But still she found herself lying about the events from earlier, "Sorry, Racheal. I left it in the locker at school and by the time I realized I was missing it the school doors were locked. I should've borrowed Em's or Meg's and let you know, I'm sorry."

Her sister let out a sigh of relief. "I would have appreciated it if you had let me know, but come keep me company while I cook." Racheal invited walking down the short hallway to the kitchen. Sydney kicked off her dark blue Vans dropped her book bag by the stairs then walked into the kitchen aimed towards the refrigerator.

As she poked her head into the fridge to retrieve a water bottle a dull ache consumed her shoulder, 'probably from running into that tree...I'll need to remember to take it easy on it.' She rotated her arm in hopes of getting some circulation better flowing through the aching muscle then proceed to hop up on the counter and took a sip of the cool refreshment.

"So how was your day?" Racheal asked as she cooked some sort of meat.

"It was alright. Gym was boring as always, the guys hogged the basketball court, leaving no room for any of the girls, so me and a few others played volleyball instead. But in statistics we had an exam, so I am pretty such I aced that. Oh! And our history teacher-"

"That's Mrs. Hays the older lady right? What her son's name? The one who asked me about before even though he's at least eight years older than me? " Racheal asked.

Sydney nodded, "Benji, she talks about him pretty often, but yeah that's her. She told us we are going to be doing a project soon on mythologies or urban legends, trying to refine our research skills, and so it can match with our English material."

"Oh, sounds fun. Do you know what you are going to do or is she going to choose for you?"

"Well she's going to pick our partner, then her partner and I will agree on a myth from the selection she's chosen."

"Well that sounds interesting," She mused giving the pan a shake to flip some of the ground up pieces of meat.

"So how was work?" Sydney inquired before taking another sip of water.