4. Stranger

[Freya's POV]

As I felt every eye on me, my legs began to tense up and I could feel them rubbing against each other. I am well aware that acting suspiciously is a bad error that I have done.

I guess you can't blame me for that! My response was a direct result of the circumstances I found myself in. To put it another way, how could the body of the manager vanish all of a sudden? There was most certainly another person in the woods the other night who saw all that took place, that much is certain.

It explains how I received a new outfit this morning despite having all of my clothes disappear when his body abruptly disappeared as well. However, who could have possibly seen us the night before? What exactly did the person see or experience? At that very time, several things were going through my head.

"Are you okay?" The sound of Nana's voice brought me fully back to myself in an instant. When I noticed that everyone was still staring at me, I hurriedly jerked my head to the side and turned my attention elsewhere. "So, what exactly does all of what you've stated have to do with Freya?" Nana asked.

"According to the information that was obtained from this young lady right here, she indicated that at the time of the incident, they were searching for your granddaughter in the woods." Inspector Andrew responded.

"Searching for Freya in the woods? What for?" A hard expression appeared on Nana's face in an instant, and she was horrifiedly looking at me as she twisted her head in my direction.

When Nana glared at me, I had the sensation that my soul was leaving my body very immediately. The quickening of my heartbeat made it difficult for me to look her in the eyes. On the other hand, learning that the inspector did not appear to be aware of everything that took on the night before, brought some measure of relief to me.

"That is exactly why we have come to talk to her about the events that transpired last night!" Inspector Andrew replied. 

Now that I know they are simply here for questioning and nothing else, I can relax and feel at rest. It is in my best interest to have a level head, consider things before responding to any questions that are posed to me, and keep my composure to avoid looking guilty. 

'I'm up to the challenge!' Before putting on a brave front, I thought to myself that I was going to be okay.

"Please, feel free to grill her on anything!" After Nana informed the inspector, he turned his attention to me.

"Miss Freya, I would like to know why you left the restaurant so suddenly yesterday and headed into the woods." He asked.

After listening to his inquiry, I let out a long sigh and spoke in the following manner: "Mitchell accidentally cut me on the finger, and as a result, I stormed out of the restaurant in a huff. The rage that I was experiencing caused me to lose control of my senses, and I had no choice but to run into the nearby woods. But I was out of there in a matter of minutes after I realized I was in the woods, and I made it back to the house right away."

I answered in a collected manner, and did not stutter even once while I was explaining. Even though I was, to a certain extent, feeling bad about what I had done, I steeled myself to let go of the guilty conscience.

"So, you weren't there to see what went down last night?" He inquired once more.

"Yes sir!"

"Good... That will do for the time being. If there is any fresh information regarding the case, we will contact you for additional questioning."

With a calm and cool attitude, I said, "Okay Sir, I will gladly be available to help out whenever you need me."

As soon as I finished my response, the officers got in their car and drove off with Mitchell. As soon as I heard him say that they were going to take her to the hospital so she could get treatment, I felt a lot better.

I can say with absolute certainty that the manager is still alive even though I bit him. I was able to put up a fight against my wolf to keep the wound from becoming more severe, and I was successful.

Who abducted him, however, is the question at this point. What prompted the hasty removal of his body? And where exactly would that person have brought him? I believe it will be necessary for me to figure things out on my own rather than waiting for the assistance of the police, which could take an extremely long time.

"At what time did you come to this house earlier that evening?" As we entered the living room, I turned around and was startled to hear Nana's raspy voice coming from behind me. When I twirled around, I was struck with her scary look, the kind that could send shivers down a person's spine.

"I-i arrived home after you'd gone to bed." I stumbled through my response as I struggled to find my voice again after several attempts.

"You are telling a lie!" She proceeded to give me the cold shoulder while wrapping both of her arms around her chest. "From the time I went to bed last night until the moment I entered my room this morning, I didn't so much blink my eyes once." She said with absolute conviction. "So, I want to know, where were you last night?"

As soon as I heard her response and the final inquiry, I became rigid with astonishment, and I was unable to utter another word after that. If this is the case, then she must have been aware of the fact that I lied to Inspector Andrew earlier. Since she disagreed with what I had just said, why did she not challenge me then? I was confused.

"Why haven't you been getting back to me recently? Is it because I was able to see through all your lies?" She inquired, but I continued to remain silent about the matter. 

I tried to avoid making eye contact with her by bringing my chin slightly closer to my chest. "I guess it means we are finished here!" She mumbled before heading back to her room.

What exactly just happened now? Did Nana keep her cool despite my lying to her, and she just strolled on by me? I couldn't believe what I was seeing! My memories do not match up with this version of my grandmother at all. Why has she started treating me with such patience all of a sudden?

I put a lot of effort into determining what could have caused her sudden transformation, but I came up with nothing in my thinking. Or, does she have any insight into the incident that took place and what led up to them?

My mind continued going through a few questions, but I couldn't come up with a logical response to any of them. "No, it doesn't make sense! There is no way Nana is aware of anything." I immediately muttered something to myself as I exited the living room and entered the room where I was getting ready.

I was in the process of rolling up my long, blonde hair into a bun, when I had a flash that reminded me today is my day off from work at the restaurant. 

Because of all that has been going on as of late, I am beginning to forget a lot of things about my normal life and work. I just really hope that all of these difficulties are resolved more quickly.

Since I don't have to go to work today, I thought I'd take advantage of the time and investigate what happened last night. I may discover who is responsible for the disappearance of our manager's body as well as the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of my clothing.

My top concern right now is to locate the clothes I brought with me. If the police officers were the first people to get their hands on the clothes, there is a possibility this will become a problem for me in the future.

I had just finished getting dressed when I went to grab my cross bag that was hanging on the wall before sneaking out of the house without telling Nana. Since I am now nineteen years old, I have reached the point in my life where I am capable of deciding certain matters without consulting her. 

After hearing what Nana had to say earlier, I believe the only reason I brought up my age was as an excuse for not planning to meet with her. From this point forward, I believe the best course of action for me to do is to work hard not to get on her nerves.

As soon as I got outside of the house, I hailed a taxi and hopped inside it. After I informed him of my destination, he continued driving oppositely.

We had been on the road for close to a quarter of an hour when I finally arrived at my destination. After getting out of the car, I handed him his money. I started strolling towards the woods as soon as he left the area.

I had only taken a couple of steps when all of a sudden, I noticed some police officers approaching in my direction. To make it worse, inspector Andrew was the one escorting them around in the woods. I suppose they must also be looking for evidence, as that is why they are here.

"No way! I can't let myself get caught like this!" I said in a low voice before turning to my right, and moving in the direction that was indicated. I continued to walk quickly to get away from the police officers, even though I have no idea where I was going.

I was constantly looking behind me at random intervals to see if they were heading in my direction or not. I can hear people conversing even if they are far away from me, which is the sole benefit of being a werewolf that I believe appeals to me. This is the only perk of being a werewolf.

I was able to hear the voices of the officers and pinpoint exactly where they were wandering about, thanks to the improvement in my hearing. And I learned where I may move to avoid running into them again.

However, given how much I have been wandering around here, it appears that I am lost. No matter how thoroughly I searched the area, I was unable to locate an exit from where I was standing.

My lower lips were constantly being bit by my teeth as I clenched my fists in irritation and my forehead creased. I was thinking about how I could get out of there without the police officers noticing me, and I wondered what my options were.

I made the split-second decision to turn to my left to determine whether or not there was a way to get out of the area. I was walking along when all of a sudden I became aware of my body, trembling. My chest was tightening, and it seemed like my heart was pining for someone who is nearby.

When I couldn't stand it any longer, I came to a stop in the middle of my path and placed a palm on my chest, where my heart was still thumping faster than usual. I tilt my body slightly downward while maintaining eye contact with the ground.

"What the heck is going on with me?" As I softly murmured, I saw that my breathing had become heavier, and I was unable to exhale freely. I was attempting to get a grip on myself and stand on my feet when all of a sudden, my left leg sprained, and I lost my balance. 

Someone immediately grabbed my waist from behind with a powerful grip as I was ready to collapse to the ground. This person saved me from smashing into the earth.

"Who are those over there?" The sharp, unexpected voice of Inspector Andrew could be heard coming from the other side as well...