CHAPTER 26: MEMORIES OF THE DOLLHOUSE

MEMORIES OF THE DOLLHOUSE

Casually walking on the streets usually brings a lot of attention to Richmond and today was not an exception.

Still in his wolf form, he ran to the mansion. On his way, he encountered a few onlookers who were scared of him.

"Where is the owner of this freakish-looking dog?" An onlooker muttered.

"It is too big to be a dog, is that not a wolf?" One of the onlookers said, looking at the wolf with a terrified gaze, her hand clasped over her mouth.

"Yes! That is a wolf walking in daylight," one said, quickly running away in fright.

"Is that not blood on its body!" A man screamed out as terror washed over him.

A wolf running about in broad daylight in a city known for its advanced infrastructure was a rare occurrence in Capitol, some people stared at the wolf with fright while some stood in awe at the majestic being.

The back furs of the wolf were a rich dark brown, from the snout of the nose to the abdomen covered in snow-white fur, blood stained his beautiful white furs not that Richmond bothered about it, but what captivated the onlooker's attention was the eyes, it was red as crimson and looked menacing.

With the red eyes coupled with the height and weight of his wolf, Richmond was having a hard time moving around, some people were already calling animal control on him.

Richmond has always been proud of his wolf form, it was big, strong, and powerful to take down any wolf including his father if he wanted to, but with his present condition, Richmond wished he could shrink his size to the size of a puppy to avoid unnecessary attention.

Richmond continued running, without pausing until he reached the gate of Creek land, the gate automatically opened allowing Richmond to pass through, as he stepped into the land, he became relaxed and less tense. 

The main mansion was still kilometers ahead, the Creek land was vast, and thick trees covered most of the area, big enough for the residents to roam about in their true forms without fear of being discovered by strangers.

 He entered into the forest, feeling the grassy ground under his feet. The frogs loudly croaked, the crickets making noises with their wings, and the birds chirping all around the forest and beyond.

He walked towards the banks of the river, his reflection shining brightly on the waters, noticing his unusual red eyes, he peered closely in the water.

His eyes weren't always this red, he tilted his head slightly to have a better look, lately, his eyes would change color randomly but it was unusual for a werewolf's eyes to change color, the transformation from man to beast never affected the eye color, only an Alpha wolf could change his eyes color.

But he wasn't yet an Alpha wolf, his father hadn't handed over to him the Alpha position, not that he wanted it, he was undeserving of the position, Richmond thought.

His unusual eyes were becoming more and more alarming day by day, ever since that fateful day the evil witch laid the curse on him, his body had never been the same but it seemed it was turning worse by the day.

Richmond ran his eyes over his body, spots of blood stained his furs, even his behavior was getting volatile nowadays.

He sighed and morphed into his human form, his furs disappeared replaced by hair, he stepped into the water, relaxing into the water.

There was something special about the water that calmed him, maybe the smooth swaying of the wind on the water or the feel of the cool water on his warm skin, he couldn't tell.

He closed his eyes, allowing the waters to work his magic on him. He felt so peaceful and free, He didn't know when he fell asleep, dreaming of the past, the time before the curse.

Richmond, curled on the bed, his head buried in an interesting book, his father bought for him.

Sheila entered his room as if it was hers, she bounced on the bed, "Richmond! Come and play with me" his sister Sheila said, her eyes twinkling brightly as she watched him.

"Sheila, can't you see that I am busy," Richmond said, his eyes still on the novel he was reading.

Sheila's face was filled with determination, she just wanted to spend time with her big brother, "Come and see the dollhouse Daddy got for me and I won't disturb you again"

"No, I am busy Biggy, later"

"Richmond come on, it is the latest dollhouse from Mattel and Dad said that it cost him a lot of money," she said trying to cajole Richmond but Richmond found her presence very irritating especially when he was reading a nice novel by Jacob Steele, the best selling novel of all time, The Journey of the Bridges.

She kept on pestering him until Richmond felt he had had enough.

"Sheila! He barked her name.

"Leave me alone, I don't want to see your stupid dollhouse, it is freaking useless, a total waste of Dad's hard-earned money" 

Sheila's eyes swelled as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, her mouth wavering, she walked out of the room, tearful.

Richmond could not concentrate on the novel anymore, the sad expression on his sister's face before she left the room was pricking at his conscience, even though he was cold and seen as uncaring, he loved his sister and hated to see her sad especially when she just wanted the both of them to play but she always comes when he is busy with something, talk about bad timing.

He sighed resignedly, "Annoying little pest, always disturbing and making stupid demands," he muttered, dropped the book on the bed, and set out, looking for his sister.

He went to her room to see her but she wasn't there.

He walked around the mansion, shouting her name but there was no reply.

"Where could she be? " He thought, worried for his sister.

Suddenly, he heard a muffled sound of tears. Instantly, he knew it was Sheila.

He went out of the house and walked to the backyard. A pink plastic dollhouse, big enough to fit three adults was placed, he peered through the plastic window of the dollhouse, behold, his sister, her head bent on her arms, her hands folded on her laps, she was crying slightly. A beautiful doll, almost as tall as Sheila herself, dressed in a pink gown lay on the floor, forgotten beside her.

"Hey Biggy," he said softly.

"Go away! I don't want you here" she said, her voice shaken with tears.

Richmond wasn't offended by her outburst, he knew she was hurt by his words, "I am sorry and I am here now, willing to play in your dollhouse with you Biggy"

She sniffed and faced her brother, her nose red, "Do you still think that my dollhouse is stupid? 

"Of course, a huge waste of space" he wanted to say but knowing his sister's fragile heart, he couldn't say those words, it would break her heart the more, "No, it is not, it is kind of cool,," he said to her.

Staring into her big brother's eyes, A big smile appeared on Sheila's face, she opened the door, motioning at Richmond to enter the dollhouse, "Sit down! Let me go and get tea and some cookies"

He sat down on a pink plastic chair as Sheila went out of the house to get the items from the kitchen, hopping and bouncing as she went.

Richmond shook his head, awhile ago, she was crying, but now she was happy, he allowed himself to smile, knowing his sister was happy.

"Richmond! Wake up" a voice said suddenly, disturbing Richmond from his slumber.