I was sitting outside on a bench, enjoying the sunshine with a million questions running through my head, when a shadow fell across me and I looked up to see Isaac standing over me with a scowl on his face. Maybe that grumpy scowl ran in the family?
"So, Jackson just let you wander around town all by yourself?"
"I've been old enough to walk around alone for a while now, Mum." I joked, before standing up so he didn't tower over me quite so much.
"Why do the people around here react so badly when they see me?"
"You're different."
"Well, that's what I don't understand! How am I different? Just because I wasn't born and raised in this weird town?"
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked around him, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
"Look, just listen to whatever Jackson tells you to do and you'll be okay. It will just take a while for people to trust you, but once they do you'll be fine."
I raised my arms in exasperation, struggling not to punch him square in the face.
"I haven't even given anyone reason not to trust me!"
"But you haven't given anyone a reason to trust you, either."
I spluttered as I tried to think of some argument, cursing myself silently when my vocabulary seemed to disappear and it was only noises that came out.
"Once people trust you, you'll see the place differently. I promise you we're not that bad." He gave me the same mock salute I gave Jackson earlier, before disappearing in to the crowd that had formed around us whilst we were arguing. Everyone quickly dispersed, as something suddenly caught my eye through the trees on the right. I looked closer and got chills when I saw a pair of pale yellow eyes, staring at me through the woods. I blinked and the eyes disappeared. I stared harder, trying to find where the creepy pair of eyes went but all I could see now were dense trees. Deciding I must have been going mad from the stress of the previous few days, I grabbed my bag and headed off to meet Jackson.
****
That evening at the bed and breakfast was a lovely night, with the drinks flowing and the most amazing food on the table. Jackson and Ethan had both stayed for dinner and I was pleasantly surprised to find Jackson making an effort to get to know me. He spent the evening asking me questions about myself and how I'd wound up there. I skimmed over most of the details and just told him that I'd had a bit of drama and wanted a fresh start. Annabelle tried to stay up as long as possible but ended up falling asleep at the table, with Noah picking her up as if she were made of porcelain and carrying her upstairs. I talked for a little longer with Jasmine, learning more about the town and their little family, before deciding to take a walk to gather my thoughts and explore my new surroundings. The night was still young so the sun was shining, with the air fresh as I grabbed my boots and set off through the back garden. I'd already decided I was going to stay there and find somewhere to live, because it offered everything I had been looking for. I couldn't deny the place had a strange feel to it and call me a nosy bitch, but I was dying to discover its secrets. I wanted to know why the locals hated strangers and why the police force or ‘enforcers' as they called themselves, all shared a tattoo and did regular patrols of the area. Coming to Wolves Creek - I still giggled when I heard the name - had been an experience I had never expected. As a firm believer in fate, I knew I had to just go with it and see what happened. I'd rather grab the chance with both hands, than sit somewhere wondering ‘what if?' As I walked further in to the woods, I came across a beautiful stream, surrounded by flowers with a strong current flowing through it. The whole place just screamed magic and I smiled as I became surrounded by the beauty of it. The peace and serenity I felt was exactly what I needed, feeling a slight pang that I no longer had anyone to share this with. Who needs a man though, huh? Coming to a place like this was exactly what I needed to feel empowered and embrace my newfound independence.
I decided to take a closer look at the lake, when I heard a child's scream from right behind me. Turning quickly, I cried out as I saw a tiny body rolling down a small hill and falling straight in to the waters of the stream. Annabelle! I looked on in horror at the fast moving current, my heart stopping as she didn't resurface. Without another thought, I threw my bag down and dived in to the waters, the ice cold hitting me with enough force to take my breath away. I came to the surface and fought against the strong current, terrified as it started to push me down stream. I threw my arms out and managed to grab on to a large branch descending in to the water from the stream's edge, as I coughed and tried to get my breath back. I looked around desperately to find some indication of where Anabelle had fallen, when I saw a tiny hand across the other side of the stream, flailing in the water as Anabelle clearly fought desperately to get to the surface. With no good ideas springing to mind, I had no choice but to dive through the water as I used strength I didn't even know I had to propel me through the water. The current pulled me under a couple of times, but I managed to pull myself back up and felt a huge relief as I grabbed on to Annabelle's tiny body, pulling her to the surface. The current seemed to be getting more violent and my only thought was making sure that I got Anabelle out of this alive and well. The thought of any harm coming to this precious child made me feel physically sick, but I knew I needed to stay strong enough to get her out of there. My heart dropped as I pulled her out of the water to find she was unconscious and I pulled us both to the edge of the stream, trying to grab on to anything I could to make it easier. I felt myself getting weaker, my arms shaking as the strength started to leave my body. I fought with everything I had and eventually managed to land us both awkwardly on a large rock near the edge of the stream. It was slippery from the water, but I got us both stable and pushed Anabelle up on to the side, trying to be as gentle as possible, before I heaved myself up. I wanted to collapse from how weak I felt, but I used the adrenaline to keep me fighting, as I carried Anabelle's tiny, lifeless body to a flatter area at the top of the hill. I laid her down, already administering CPR before I had her settled properly. As I performed compressions on her tiny chest, I felt like my heart was going to burst as the panic started to build, thanking god that I decided to attend the first aid classes that they offered in school when I was younger. I cried out as she suddenly started to choke on water while she regained consciousness and I sat her up gently as she spat and threw up water, coughing and crying all at the same time. She threw her tiny arms around my neck, sobbing in to my shoulder as I stroked her back and tried to calm her down at the same time as trying to stop my heart from beating right out of my chest. I could barely breathe as the panic belatedly hit full force, worrying I was going to have a heart attack and terrify the poor child even more.
I spoke incoherently in her ear what I hoped were soothing words, as she clutched me even tighter, continuing to cry. I noticed her starting to shiver and I knew I needed to get her home, in to the warmth as a matter of urgency. Suddenly, I heard a howl which sent shivers down my spine. It was a sound unlike any I had heard before and I became acutely aware of how alone we were in the woods, in the vulnerable position we were in right now. I looked to my right as I heard a branch snap, screaming as I saw what must have been a hallucination before my eyes. Stalking towards me was the largest wolf I had ever seen, even on the television. I started to scuttle backwards, with Anabelle in my arms and prayed that I could keep her safe. The wolf continued stalking towards us, slowly as if eyeing up his prey, releasing a growl that caused my heart to stop and dread to fill my stomach. If I'd been by myself, I would have just run and hoped for the best, but I had a five year old child to think about - one who was weak, terrified and needed help quickly. The wolf stopped growling and I held my breath as I saw him tilt his head to the side slightly, as if hearing something in the distance. I vaguely heard something too, struggling not to cry out for help as I heard Jackson's distinct voice calling his brother, Isaac's, name.
"Isaac! Come back here!" I heard him shout out, as I prayed that the wolf would run off so that I could call out to Jackson for help, but I was terrified of drawing more attention to myself. Anabelle had stopped crying, bar a few sniffles here and there and I saw she was also watching the wolf, but with no fear in her eyes. This girl's a lot braver than I am. Her eyes lit up as she heard Jackson's voice and I squeezed her tightly, hopefully communicating to her to stay silent. I thanked the heavens when the wolf turned, boundinf away, leaving me shaking with fear and clutching a small child who looked a lot better than a mere moment ago, but whose lips were turning blue from the cold. All of a sudden, it was like the adrenaline from the accident in the stream and the run in with the wolf just evaporated, with my vision starting to blur as I realised I was a few seconds away from passing out. I was terrified at the thought of leaving Anabelle unprotected, but my body wouldn't cooperate, and I silently apologised to her as I fell forward and everything went black.