Julia was waiting for me at the driveway when Caleb and I arrived at Dillian Street.
"Valerie!" Julia waved her hand with excitement and welcomed me with a big smile. She giggled like a happy child and came to open the car's door for me. The moment I stepped out of the car, she pulled me into a tight celebratory hug. "I can't believe this is happening right now. We're going to live together again."
I also couldn't suppress my happiness. "Yes, it's like a dream come true."
"Beta Caleb." Julia bowed her head to him. "Thank you for picking her up."
Caleb simply gave a subtle nod and looked at the road. The moving van that was trailing behind us also pulled over. "Take the boxes upstairs," he ordered those men.
"I will show them the way." Julia took the duty of guiding the movers.
Caleb and I stood by his car, facing the house before us.
"You sure you will be comfortable in this old house?" He sounded skeptical.
I smiled. "I will be staying with Julia. So, I'm pretty sure I will be comfortable. And the house isn't that bad. Rather, it somehow makes me feel nostalgic. Maybe it's because of Julia's presence."
"Alright, if you say so." He put his arm around my shoulder and leaned closer to my ear. "But if you feel that this house isn't working for you, you can always give me a call and I'll come to pick you up."
I smiled and looked down in response.
And he pulled me closer and reminded me again. "I'm going to do that after your graduation though. Don't forget about the deal that we made."
"I remember." I looked at him, his eyes held emotions I couldn't discern.
Just like before, the movers completed their tasks quickly. I thanked them and paid for their service. Caleb wanted to pay them saying he was the one who hired them, but I couldn't accept it. I was already grateful that he came to pick me up and arranged the movers for me. He was also helping me with the school transfer. I couldn't ask for anything more.
"Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?" I asked Caleb.
However, he took one look at the house and denied. "Maybe some other time." He brought his face close to mine and whispered, "When Julia isn't home." He winked and quickly stole a kiss.
Initially, I was stunned by his reaction, but when his words slowly seeped inside my head, I was embarrassed. "Caleb!" I pulled my brows together but ended up giggling.
"I have a meeting with the alpha, so I will get going. I will call you later." He enveloped my nape with his big palm and pulled me for another kiss–a long, passionate kiss. "See you soon."
"See you." I watched him get into his car and waved my hand. After watching him drive away, I walked inside the house–the place I would call home for a few months now.
Julia was ready with scissors and gloves when I went upstairs. "I've cleared up some space in the wardrobe and the bathroom." She pointed at the empty rack beside the couch and said, "And you can use that for your books. Let's get started then, shall we?"
"Sure." I nodded and grabbed a pair of gloves. As I was opening a box with books in it, I suddenly remembered something. "But don't you have to go to your office? Or wherever it is that you go at this time of the day."
Julia waved her hand and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. I took a leave today."
"What? You didn't have to, Jul. I could have managed it myself."
However, Julia didn't think so. "And how exactly would you have managed it yourself without a key to the house?"
"You could have given it to Caleb." I shrugged.
"Yes, I could have given it to the Beta, but I don't trust him with my house key." She sighed. "Don't worry. I'm not working on any important project at the moment."
"Okay, then." I had thought that I would slowly arrange my belongings in the span of three days. But if Julia was willing to help, I was more than happy to receive it. "Thank you!"
Julia and I were so engrossed in arranging my belongings that we forgot to eat breakfast as well as lunch. By the time we were done, it was already evening. We both were exhausted beyond measure, so we ordered some takeout.
While waiting for the food, I took a quick shower, changed into a fresh set of pajamas, and crashed on the couch.
"Hey, don't fall asleep before eating." I was feeling drowsy when Julia poked my cheek and woke me up.
If I hadn't skipped my meals during the day, I wouldn't have hesitated to go to sleep without eating. But since I hadn't had food, I waited, although I was feeling too sleepy.
"Did you sell your queen-size bed?" I asked in my half-asleep state.
"Yes." Julia sat down on the floor with her back resting against the couch. "Yes, I bought two single-size beds in exchange. It will be like going back in time, don't you think?"
"Mhmm…" I smiled, recalling our room arrangement when we shared a room at the orphanage. "Thank you for doing so much for me, Julia."
"Oh, it's nothing."
It's everything to me. Having a soul sister like her is a blessing.
Our food arrived shortly after that. After gobbling up the food, I went to the bedroom and lay down on the bed closer to the door. Julia also followed me and sat on her bed.
"I think I will sleep now. I couldn't get much sleep last night." Before Julia could get worried, I added, "I was too excited to sleep."
Julia laughed and lay down as well. "Alright. I think I will sleep too. Goodnight, Val."
"Goodnight."
I suddenly found myself shrouded by darkness. The air around me felt a hundred times chillier, making me shiver and my teeth chatter. I felt as if countless invisible blades were slicing my bare face and neck.
Why was I here? It's so cold.
I crouched down and hugged my knees in an attempt to warm my tiny body but the cold wind was freezing me up.
I needed to get away from this place.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" I tried calling for help but I didn't get an answer. All I heard was the echo of my voice.
A sense of uneasiness crept into my skin.
"Mom? Dad? Where are you? I'm scared." Again, I was greeted by the sound of the wind howling and nothing more. I felt so helpless that I burst into tears.
However, I stopped crying when I heard howls from a distance. The earth below me trembled as the howls got closer and closer to me by the second. I felt an immense sense of danger in my bones. I could foretell that if those wolves found me, they would tear me into pieces in a split second.
My survival instinct kicked in and I got up to run, however, I found myself on a rocky terrain. How was I supposed to run on this path? There was no single flicker of light as far as my eyes could see.
Even then, I was determined to survive. I stuck to the wall and slowly moved my feet. But before I could take more than five steps forward, I stumbled upon a rock and fell. I kept tumbling down the sloped path. Sharp rocks kept hitting my body, some even bruised and cut me. I was inhaling an insane amount of dust, some dust particles even got in my eyes, not that it mattered in this absolute darkness.
I felt a great sense of relief when some kind of light shot through the sky, lighting up the whole area for a few seconds. The next moment, however, my eyes popped wide open. That great sense of relief quickly turned into despair when I saw that I was headed for the cliff.
I was going to fall off the cliff!
I tried to stop my momentum and grab onto something, anything, but all I did was graze my nails and hurt my fingertips. Any moment now, I was going to take a great fall and get my bones crushed.
Right when I was about to fall to my certain death, a loud ringing sound shook me to my core. I flung my eyes open and inhaled sharply. I gulped dryly and blinked multiple times. The ceiling felt foreign. I quickly scanned the surroundings, panicking upon finding myself in an unfamiliar room.
It took me a moment to realize that I was at Julia's place now and that I was just dreaming earlier.
Although it was just a dream, I was panting and my whole body was covered in sweat. The dream felt so real that I was still trembling in horror.