"Mom I'm home. Where is dad?" I shouted after opening the door.
"I'm in the kitchen darling. Your dad is in his den" , replied my mother. My dad's den is where he did his medicinal research. It was his library, study and lab. I went in search of him and surely enough he was immersed in some work.He was wearing gloves and was doing titration. There was a bluish color liquid in the buret in front of him. I didn't know which liquid was what and dad had warned not to touch anything as many of these were corrosive.
I kept my distance and called out , "Hi daddy."
"Hey sweetheart. How was your day? Did you get the job?", he replied with a sweet smile which was reserved only for me.
"What do you think?" , I asked with a huge grin on my face.
"Of course you got it.Like they could offer it to anyone else with the math genius in town. "
"Yeah, I got the job. And I am not a genius dad. There are many other people in this world who is better and smarter than me" , was my modest reply.
"But they are not my sweet, loving, beautiful daughter and we are blessed to have you" , he replied still smiling.
Blessed to have you. We must always protect her. Were these just sentences of a concerned caring parent or I am reading too much into this? Only time will tell. Though I want to prod and find out more about this matter for my own peace of mind, I am scared of the truth.
If my suspicions are right and if I am adopted then what next? My love for my parents won't lessen because of that. Then why should I dig into it and burst my bubble.
"What are you thinking about Alex? "
"Nothing dad. Just wondering about this green town. There are so many trees and bushes here. It's like we are living in the middle of a thick jungle."
"This is a jungle. Only that people have decided to occupy a part of this jungle without disturbing the natural flora and fauna here."
"Don't worry. There aren't any wild animals here" , he went on to add looking at my frightened expression. "But nevertheless be very careful and watch where you go."
"So is it safe or is it not to stay here?", I asked thinking about the warning issued.
He crinkled his face, making the scar at the corner of his right eye prominent, and said " It is always better to be safe than sorry."
He had got that scar when he had tackled the thief. If the thief had wielded the knife a little to the side then it would have been very fatal for my father's eye.
"Okay I'll watch out and be safe. What are you working on?"
"Don't touch anything" , he promptly warned and continued "Nothing unusual, same old, to cure ailments and fasten the healing process."
"Okay so nothing new then. Why don't you continue tomorrow and let us have dinner now."
My dad agreed and both of us left the den towards the mouth watering smell coming from the kitchen.
My mom had finished cooking by now and she was making my green,unpalatable potion. I am supposed to drink this everyday without fail. Apparently I have this rare disease and this potion is to keep my health in check. Both of them have reassured that it is not a fatal one, but I need to drink this potion anyway.
Last time I had forgotten dad had a fit.I had gone on a school trip once and had forgotten to carry the potion. My dad had come all the way to the place where we stayed and made sure I drank. I felt sorry for him since he had to travel all the way. All my friends were telling that I had such a great father who cared so much about me and my well being. After that incident I make sure to carry it.
We ate dinner and I drank my potion with great reluctance. We joked around, talked a bit and retired for the day.
"NO going back to then den" , me and my mom both yelled at the same time. Dad was walking towards his den.
"Just making sure that the lights are off."
"Really dad. Couldn't you come up with a better excuse?"
"Okay okay.I'll go sleep."
After making sure that he went to sleep I came to my new room. I went near the windows pulled back the curtains to see around. I had a green view. Trees and bushes were all I could see. Amidst the green I vaguely could make out something in black moving. Was it the same wolf or just the darkness of the night?
I closed the curtains and went to sleep. My dreams were filled with wolves and trees.
The next day I went for a walk in the same path where I met the wolf. I had an eerie feeling that someone was watching my every move. Like I was being followed. But nobody was there when I looked around. After sometime I forgot all about someone following me and started enjoying my walk.
Suddenly, I heard a twig breaking.The sound was near to me and didn't sound like the ones animals made. I turned around and saw the black wolf with green eyes. Very slowly it walked towards me and started liking my face. I smiled.
"Hey dog. "
Grr. Wolves are dangerous isn't it? They can eat humans. I know this fact but instead of being scared of this beast I'm riling it up. Somehow I'm not exactly frightened of it.There is a sense of calmness and peace when I am with it. First of all I need to stop referring the wolf as it and give a name.
"Hey wolf ", the wolf also seemed to be smiling now.
"Are you a lone wolf or do you have a pack?"
The wolf just stared at me. I realized that what I asked what not a yes or no question.
"Do you have a pack?" , I asked again.
It nodded.
"Where is the rest of your pack?"
It just looked straight ahead. All I could see was trees. Maybe they were in the jungle.
"I can't keep referring to you as it. I need to give you a name. What shall we call you?" I was thinking of names and kept walking without watching where I was going. The wolf was leading me. Should I stop and head back to known territory? I knew the wolf will protect me from danger. But what if it was the wolf that I needed protection from? I pushed away my silly thoughts and went back to thinking of names.
"How about Lupin? You know from Harry Potter?", I asked and the wolf was shaking its head in way of saying no.
"Damon, from Vampire Diaries?" A no again.
"Niklaus? Elijah? Kol? " No, no, no.
The wolf continued shaking its head in no for all the names I was suggesting while it was smiling continuously , like I was amusing it.
It went about like this for another fifteen minutes. I was suggesting names and the wolf was saying no.
We reached a clearing and there was a beautiful tomb. The wolf nudged me towards it and pointed out at it. There was something written on it.
"Adrian. Adrian? You want me to call you Adrian?" I asked in a surprised voice. This wolf could read. Not everyday you come across a wolf that can read.
The wolf nodded.
"You can read?" The wolf nodded again.
"Well someone has trained you well. Are you a pet wolf?" I asked.
I am no expert in reading animals' expressions but Adrian seemed to be smirking at me.
"I'm Alexandria Novell." I introduced myself and the wolf was looking at me strangely. It looked like Adrian was thinking about something.
We walked back towards my home. Just like the other day, once we reached the clearing near my house and I shooed Adrian away. Adrian licked my face before going back into the trees.
I came back home and spent the rest of the day whiling my time away.
Next couple of days passed pretty much in the same fashion. Adrian accompanied my morning walks. How he came to know about my presence was still a mystery. He would always be there like he knew I was coming.Or maybe it was just a wolf thing and not a mystery at all.
Adrian is a smart wolf. He understood whatever I told him and was even responding with gestures.
Monday morning came too soon and I was supposed to start work.
I got up, got ready quickly. I wore my formals as I didn't know the dress code here. We were allowed to wear casuals in my previous work place but here I did not know.
I quickly ate breakfast and left home.
Adrian was waiting for me near my house where the trees started.
"Hey Ad. Good morning." He was looking at me weirdly. It could be because of my clothes. I was dressed differently. I also wore a little makeup since it was my first day at work.
I continued walking and he fell in step with me.
"I am starting work from today. Remember I mentioned it the other day to you?" I asked and he nodded. From past few days I had shared bits of pieces of myself with Adrian. It's always nice when there is someone to listen to you without judging and giving their opinions.
I told him about my embarrassing incidents from school. He looked like he was laughing, whether at me or at the story I didn't know.
We arrived at the office. We stopped a little distance away and I told Adrian to go away. He came to lick my face.
"Adrian, noo. You will ruin my makeup." I pushed him away. His tongue was still out and instead of licking my face he licked my neck.
"I am nervous Adrian. It's just first day jitters. The fear of the unknown. What if I don't like my boss?The interviewer said that he is not my boss but that I would be working with the interviewer and reporting to him. His boss and now my boss is apparently a very strict person.He has other things to handle and comes only once in a while to review the accounts." Adrian licked the other side of my neck in a soothing manner.
"Anyway, time for me to go. Bye Adrian". I waved at him and he disappeared after a moment. Work here I come.
I could be myself with Adrian. I realized that I could reveal my deepest, darkest secrets and fantasies to him. I could tell him my fears. There was nothing he could do about it. It was not like he could relay them to another soul. Only if I knew how wrong I was.