Lie [Part 2]

"What's going on, Lydia?" 

"Hmm?" I looked up from my untouched teacup of coffee and blinked, "What?" 

Bill sighed, "You haven't touched your cup yet." He gestured to the cup, "It's cold now. Let me hot it."

"It's fine, thank you." I sipped on the cold coffee and grimaced, "No, it's not." 

Bill held the ring of the cup and placed it aside, staring into my eyes as if he would find his answer that way, "You don't look as your usual self." He cupped my face, "Your cheeks are awfully heated and there is no color in your face. I don't think you're sick so talk to me."

"A wolf," I started, "The wolf was a—"

"Human." Bill finished my sentence, "So you know now?"

I frowned, "And you knew all along? Did father make you not tell me?" I felt a pang in my heart. Was I the only one without a clue?

"Yes he did, but Lydia, " He took my hands in his, "You know you can trust me, right?"

"Why did you agree with him to keep this from me, Bill?" 

"Trust me, I did not want to but once I heard it was to protect you, I had no choice. I hated lying to you Lydia but putting aside how much I hate the old man, he is right. Wolves are dangerous. You have a big heart but I don't want you getting hurt again because of it."

"But I'm old enough to know what danger is. I don't need protection, I don't want anyone hiding things from me. I know what they are," I furrowed my brows, "A wolf killed my mom, that's all I needed to know what they are."

"I'm sorry for not telling you," He said, "And I'm sorry about your mother." He turned my hand and brushed his thumb over the bite mark on my wrist, "At such a young age, all alone in a broad forest, calling for help without a response. It must have traumatizing." 

I often have nightmares about my younger self alone in the forest, I feel connected with it, but I don't recall it ever happening.

"Bill, what was my mother like?"

"The first time I met her was when she visited my uncles' farm. She was a kind woman, and offered me fertilizer for the dying roots."

That made me smile.

"I'm sorry but I don't remember meeting you then."  My memories of Bill four years ago are scrambled. He said he knew me when we were only children but I only remember my after the age of fourteen years.

"No it's alright. After your mom's death and your injury, I rarely saw you. We stopped seeing each other for a long time as you were always inside. Flint said you needed time to heal."

"I want to know about her." I feel as if she's with me though she is not.

"Perhaps your father kept some of her belongings. Like an old picture, perhaps.. It might help you remember."  He pressed a soft kiss on my temple, "Come back to me if you find anything."

***

I stood in front of Father's office, my mug of coffee in my hands. I was forbidden from his room. I know I shouldn't do this but I needed answers. I was not sure of how much time I had left before he returned but still I pushed open the door. 

I didn't know what I was looking for or if I would find it but I started with his desk drawers. I went through every drawer but all had the same; cigarette butts and pages. Pages that did not include information on my mother. 

Sweat trickled down my forehead and I started to get desperate, fearing that any moment he could walk through the front door. 

I hustled around the room, searching through the bookshelves but with the multiple books, fatigue hit me and I sighed, pressing my back against the wall as I breathed. My skin touched the wall filled with papers of research he stuck up and my brows knitted.

'What?' I turned toward the wall and tapped my knuckles on it. 'It's hollow.' I started removing the papers, the more I removed, a hidden door  was being revealed. I passed my fingers along the hinges, confirming that it was a door. 

I pushed it open and was met with a staircase. There were lit torches on the wall and I took one as I wandered into darkness. Once I was at the bottom, I shone the torch through the hall which had multiple cells. I entered the only door in the hall of cells and tightened my hands around the torch, my chest hammering when I found more of his research. 

Cabinets of mixtures lined the room and a table filled with testing equipment was at the center—Beakers stained by the mixtures. 

An old crumpled newspaper was pinned to the wall and I placed the torch in front of my face to read it. The paper was dated eleven years ago. 1982.

I passed my finger under the words when I began reading. 

'IN THE YEAR 1982: a hunter named John Ronald died at age seventeen. A friend of John explained that, 'John was in the forest, aiming for a deer when a creature attacked us.' That said creature was a wolf, but the boy explained that it was not an ordinary wolf. This wolf was stronger and bigger than any wolf he's ever seen.'

'IN THE YEAR 1983, Date: Wednesday. Wolves after wolves swarmed the forest of Whistle Wood, attacking the population of humanity. Humans are decreasing, the wolves are rising."

I read another title. 

'SILVER KILLS WOLVES.  In the year 1984, a hunter caught one of these wolves with a silver bullet and examined as the wolf's body disintegrated, instantly. But what left him speechless was when the wolf's body turned to flesh. It was the body of a human boy, Garfield Peter who went missing after a week.'

'WEREWOLVES AND SHIFTERS. Recent studies have revealed that the wolves attacking Whistle Wood are not just wolves. These wolves are human at day but creature at night and now being called werewolves. Other werewolves do not need the likes of the full moon to shift but can supposedly shift when desired. There is no explanation for these wolves but everyday rumors have been circulating. A recent question was brought to the news. ' 

I felt goosebumps on my skin. 'Werewolves and…Shifters?'

I fell to my knees, not knowing how to process the information I just read but before I could I heard  rattling of chains followed by an unnerving cry of help. I stood immediately and followed the sound of the cry, stopping in front of a cell. 

"Is someone in there?"  I called and pushed open the metal gate, my heart dropping to my stomach once the darkness was lit by the torch and I could've seen what was inside. What I saw was…