Aileen walked to the bus stop, shaken and confused at the same time. Her senses had heightened after the encounter with the werebeast. She was aware of every passerby's scent, words face the dripping of the water, the crumbling of the rocks. It was too much. She covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes, taking in three breaths and letting it out. Just as she was taught by her mother. Aileen got on the bus for her town and slept on the long journey.
Thankfully, her mother was doing the night shift at the pharmacy. When Aileen entered her small house, she smelled it long and hard. Her mother's lingering scent and the warm blankets waited for her. She called Anya to tell her about her arrival and told her about everything, from the mugging to fighting a werebeast, leaving out the part on how hot the wolf she had met was.
"They should've seen you. You should've recorded it." Anya said over the phone. "I didn't know I was being attacked by a werebeast. How could I have recorded it?" Aileen answered, frustrated. "You said the guy looked like a member of the spirit bones. Can't, he acts as a witness or something." Anya had a thing for reasoning and facts. Aileen pondered on the sentence for a long time and then said, "I don't know his name. I know nothing about him. He could be just a wolf and not a member." I said, but a deep voice inside me answered. Only the spirit bones know how to kill a werebeast. Before we could talk more, I heard the keys and smelled my mother before she entered. "Bye, Anya. My mother is home, ill see you on Monday." I said and ended the call.
"were you out?" her mother asked, walking into the living room. Shit, I should've showered. "Yes, with Anya." I lied. "In the woods," she said, raising her eyebrow and taking off her coat. "Yeah, we went for a hike." I lied again, keeping my heartbeat normal, knowing she can detect it. "Keep away from the woods. You know how wolves feel for non-pack wolves. I don't want you to wander off alone." She said and went to her room. After her brother's death, her mother had always asked her to be within her eyeshot. She wasn't allowed on field trips with the school or to attend colleges in other cities, let alone the country. But now, at 21, Aileen was determined to move forward with her goal. Anya is right, she thought, slumping on the couch. I should find the guy. He can act as a witness for my audition. I will not wait for another year.
She was heading to her room when the phone rang in the living room. Raybron Valley? The thought popped into her head, and she ran for the receiver, picking it up and saying hello. There was no response from the other side, only shallow breathing. Aileen said hello again, but no response. Prank callers, she thought, "Go to hell." She said on the receiver and slammed it angrily.