Chapter 10: Remembering

Before I could leave the kitchen, there was loud banging against the patio doors. Wondering if something was trying to get into the house, I scrambled in a kitchen drawer for a knife before creeping to the door to peer through the glass.

It was Grey, standing on the patio in just a pair of jeans. I unlocked the door and let him in.

“I thought I heard you scream,” he said as he closed the door behind him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine … now.” Double crap. I had no choice but to tell him I was in the woods. I wasn’t looking forward to telling him about it. But at least I wouldn’t need to wake Lily now.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Something did happen, what?”

“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “I guess I sleepwalked, and … I woke up in the woods.”

He ran a hand through his hair and turned in a circle. “I told you to stay out of the woods, to stay inside the house at night”

My temper flared. It was kind of nice to know I had one. “Hello, did you miss the part when I said I was sleepwalking? It wasn’t on purpose. Those woods are the last place I’d want to take a stroll, night or day.”

I gave him a glare. How dare he jump to the conclusion it was my fault.

“Are you sure you were sleepwalking?” he asked. “It wasn’t curiosity, or something?”

“I was asleep in my bed and woke up lying on the ground in the woods,” I said firmly.

Wow, look at me, standing up for myself.

“I walked in my sleep a couple of times when I was ten. My mom got really bad and … never mind. You need to take my word for it. I remember having a bad dream before it happened. I’m not sure what about, and then a noise woke me. Believe me, I wasn’t happy about waking up in the woods. Bugs were crawling on me!”

Grey made a snorting sound, but he didn’t look amused. Wait till I told him about the wolves.

“Was that all that happened?” he asked, raising that eyebrow at me. “Why did you scream?”

I didn’t want to tell him. I didn’t want him to be angry with me. But I had no choice. “I was walking back to the house and sort of got attacked.”

“Sort of attacked. By what?” He kept his eyes averted as he waited for my answer.

“I think they were wolves,” I admitted.

“Wolves. How many?” he asked. Both of his brows were raised now.

“Four shaggy, brown ones chased me to the garden,” I replied. “I was fighting them off with a hoe I found leaning against the garden fence when three more wolves arrived and fought off the four attacking me. They saved me and one of them made sure I got back inside the house.”

“Yeah, are you sure they were wolves? I’ve never seen one around here.” Grey shook his head in disbelief. “And sweetheart, I don’t think wolves would fight over prey and then let it go.” He gave me a grin and a palms up. “They wouldn’t escort you to safety either.”

“Maybe they weren’t hungry,” I said. His anger would have been better than mocking me. It hurt that he thought I would make up something like this, even if it was an incredible story.

I turned away and started to leave the room. “I don’t care if you don’t believe me.”

“I never said I didn’t believe you,” Grey said. “Where are you going?”

I stopped walking and turned to answer him. “One of them, the smallest wolf, was hurt trying to save me. I’m waking Lily to see if she knows a vet that will come here and help it.”

“No!” Grey yelled. “Don’t wake Lily. She works hard all day and needs her sleep.” He blew out a long breath of air and began pacing. “I’ll text a friend to check it out.”

Grey took his cell from his back pocket and typed in a message.

A moment later his phone vibrated, and he checked the screen.

“There,” he said. “My friend Ethan knows the area and all about wolves. He said there have been a few sightings lately. So he’s going to look for it and make sure its wound is treated. Okay?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” He stared at my hand. “Um, Emma. Why are you holding a knife?”

I looked at the steak knife in my hand and shrugged. “I don’t have a gun.”

Grey laughed. “You know, you’re become a little bolder since coming to Denhurst.”

I realized he was right. “Is that a bad thing?”

“It means you’re healing,” he replied. “Nobody has any right to not like that.”

I tried to smile. “I want to wait up until you hear about the little wolf.”

“I’ll wait here with you,” Grey said. “It’s only midnight, and Ethan said he’d text me when he finds it.”

I realized I was in my nightgown. “I’m going upstairs to get dressed. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

When I returned to the kitchen, Grey was gone. I went to the patio doors to see if he stepped outside. But he wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“I’m in here,” his voice called.

“Where’s here?” I called back.

“In the den,” Grey replied.

“What’s a den?” I grumbled. “Keep talking so I can find you,” I yelled.

I followed the sound of his voice to a wood paneled room with sky blue carpeting and overstuffed furniture.

“Sit on the couch,” Grey said from a matching recliner. “This was your father’s favorite room. He spent a lot of time here.”

“I can see why,” I said as I sunk into the couch. It was like sitting on a cloud. I lay back and grinned. This was my kind of furniture. I let out a yawn. “I might fall asleep here.”

“Go ahead and sleep,” Grey said. “I’ll wake you when Ethan gets back to me. It could be hours.”

***

A few hours later, I woke up screaming.

“Emma,” Grey said, gently shaking me. “You’re having a nightmare.”

I sat up. “I had the dream again. I think it was the same one I had before I sleepwalked into the woods.” I rubbed my eyes and shuddered.

“Now I know why the pool house makes me feel sick,” I told him, “And why I hear a woman screaming whenever I’m inside it.” I was shaking so hard my teeth rattled.

Grey put his arms around me. “Tell me about it. You’ll feel better.”

“It was a wolf that destroyed my mother’s face,” I sobbed. “I saw some of it happen.”

“Keep going, Emma,” Grey said softly. “I’m right here with you.”

I nodded. “We were playing with a frisbee in the yard. A brown wolf ran out of the woods. It knocked my mother down and started biting her face and neck. She screamed and told me to lock myself inside the pool house. I was so scared that I did, but I could still hear the wolf attacking her, still hear her screaming.”

Grey rubbed my back while I cried in his arms. “It’s better you remembered, Emma. Let it out. Let it go,” he murmured.

I cried harder for a minute until I remembered another detail. “The wolf that attacked my mom … it looked at me before it attacked her as if it couldn’t decide which of us it wanted to kill. Its eyes were such a cold black. They were evil.”

Grey looked stunned. “You’re sure the wolf who hurt your mother was brown with black eyes?”

I nodded and blew my nose. “Yes, I’m positive. That dream was like reliving the attack. Why?”

“No reason, sweetheart.” he handed me another tissue from the box next to me. “You’re still shivering, and your hands are like ice. Stay here and relax while I go to the kitchen and make you some hot tea. I’ll be right back.”

I dried my eyes while I waited for Grey to return. What a night! I survived a real wolf attack and one in my dreams. But Grey was right. It was a good thing I remembered what happened.

But my poor mother. What a horrible thing to go through and then deal with the injuries for the rest of her life.

I looked up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, Mom, for losing my patience sometimes and for making you feel guilty for not giving me a normal life. And thank you for saving me from the wolf.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I love you, Mom.”

When my tears dried up again, I thought about how it wasn’t normal to remember nothing from when you were six years old.

I had full recall of every moment of my life from the time we moved into the little house near Philadelphia, but nothing before that. But now I know why my mind blocked those earlier memories from me.

Maybe more memories would return now. I’d like to remember my father and Grey as a little boy.

Maybe there were photos somewhere in the house!

My mother didn’t allow a camera in our home after the accident. But I read that most people took lots of photos over the years and saved them in albums and boxes. Maybe my parents did too.

I’d look around. This was my house now, right? I should start using more of it than the kitchen and my bedroom. I eyed a large cabinet strategically placed in a corner opposite of the couch and recliner.

Reminding myself I was no guest in this house, I crossed the floor and slid the cabinet doors open. I was stunned to discover I had a ginormous flat screen TV.

TV had been my only friend over the long years I lived in solitude with my mother. I’d come to rely on it as a link to the outside world. It was comforting to see one in this house.

By the time Grey returned with my tea, I was curled up on the couch watching a movie. I took the mug of tea from his hand and sipped it. It was good, with just enough milk and sugar.

“Thanks,” I said. “I found the TV.”

“I see that.” Grey returned to the recliner. “You have good taste in movies. I like this one.”

We watched the movie together, and I dozed off again.