1. UNINVITED GUESS

Two women were talking on the porch, looking very serious.One older woman and one much younger.The older woman was wearing a coat and carrying a large bag as she prepared to leave. As for the woman in front of her, she looked tired, although she was neatly dressed in office clothes.

"Remember, talk to Zoey carefully," the old woman said in a whisper.

"I know."

"Moving to a new school, of course there are things that will make her uncomfortable. At first."

"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Charlotte. I wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't been there to help me."

Old Charlotte patted Willow's shoulder lovingly. She had worked with the young woman since Zoey was only a few months old. She knew very well what Willow's life had been like, from being down and out to being more stable now.

The problem Willow had to deal with lately was Zoey's troubling behavior. Her little girl had just started elementary school. Zoey often cried and whined, and Charlotte was often overwhelmed trying to calm the little girl down.

Charlotte knew what the problem was. Zoey needed more attention from Willow. The mother.

"I'm afraid I can't be with Zoey anymore," Charlotte said suddenly.

Willow's eyes widened. "Why do you say that? Has Zoey said something bad to you? I—"

"Oh, no. Zoey's always nice to me, dear," Charlotte interrupted.

"Then what?"

"She needs you more. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Willow seemed at a loss for words. Her eyes glazed over. "I wouldn't know if you weren't here. It's too sudden."

"I'm sorry, I meant to tell you a few days ago. But I forgot quickly." Charlotte cleared her throat quietly. "My son wants me to stay with him. His wife just gave birth. They will need me."

Willow nodded weakly. "I understand, Mrs. Charlotte."

"It's not that I want to neglect my Zoey."

"Of course you do. Your family needs you more, Mrs. Charlotte. I understand that very well."

It began to occur to Willow that if Charlotte had quit, the laundry and housework would be waiting for her. Maybe she should work out a schedule with Zoey so they could have cozy, clean days without Charlotte.

Finding a new nanny was difficult. Willow felt the weight on her shoulders grow.

"I'm still working through the end of the week, Willow."

"If you don't mind, at the end of the week... how about we have dinner together?" Willow offered.

"Of course. I'd love to."

The two embraced, and yet Willow felt so sentimental. A sudden sense of loss invaded her heart, even though Charlotte hadn't really left. But the closeness was overwhelming, and Willow tried desperately to hold back the tears. She was so sad.

Charlotte gently patted Willow's cheek. "You'll be okay."

"I hope so."

"Oh, one more thing, today is Zoey's birthday, I hope you got her a nice present."

Willow swallowed. She had forgotten.

Completely forgotten.

But the 26-year-old nodded immediately, making as casual a face as possible.

"I put it in the trunk. I'll get it later," Willow said.

Charlotte's smile widened with a nod of her head. "I'll say goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Take care, Mrs. Charlotte."

Willow's eyes continued to follow Charlotte's figure as she walked slowly down the deserted sidewalks that night. It was already eight o'clock, but it was safe enough for Charlotte to walk around. Her house was not far away, so there was no reason for Willow to worry too much.

There was something else, something important for Willow to worry about.

She looked at the door and sighed softly. "Ah, Zoey."

Willow went inside and put the car keys on the table with her bag.

She walked through the narrow corridor and up the stairs to the second floor.The door was slightly ajar, revealing a room that was still brightly lit. Willow knocked gently on the door.

"Zoey?" she called.

The little girl was drawing and turned around with a glum face. She had raven black hair, chubby cheeks, and a stocky body. Zoey was so pretty, her face was like a doll.

"Hello, sweetheart," Willow greeted, hurrying over to her daughter. "What are you doing?"

"Drawing."

"May I see what you're drawing?"

Zoey just showed that she was drawing a house, with a swing, very ordinary things. But what made Willow gasp in surprise was the figure of a girl, then her mother, and a man with a halo over his head.

"Why don't I have a dad?" Zoey asked suddenly.

"Honey, you know your father is ...." Willow swallowed. "I lost him."

"He's dead? Is Mom sure?"

The issue from school had not yet settled in Zoey's mind. Charlotte explained that Zoey was devastated because it was the day the fathers of the other students came to school. Each father told her about their work, while Zoey was the only one in the class without a father.

"Honey, we talked about this. I'm not sure either, but if he's gone... we should pray for him." Willow looked into Zoey's eyes, which were starting to tear up. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. This must be really hard for you."

"I miss him."

"I know you do. I…"

Willow stopped talking and looked at the dog lying on the bed. Probably some kind of husky, Willow just didn't know. The dog had been found by Zoey two weeks ago. It was full of wounds, on the street. Zoey adopted it. And since then, Alpha—as Zoey called him—never wanted to leave Zoey's side.

Even Willow didn't have the heart to turn the dog over to Animal Control.

In the past week, there had been no news of anyone losing a pet, especially a dog. So it seemed safe, Willow thought.

"I don't want that dog in the room, Zoey," Willow pleaded in a low voice.

"He's not a dog. He's a wolf," Zoey replied easily.

"Zoey...."

"That's why his name is Alpha. Mom said it." Zoey went back to drawing.

"Yeah, okay." Willow relented.

"I'm almost done with my drawing."

Willow remembered something. "Happy birthday."

The little girl, who was celebrating her sixth birthday that day, only blinked her eyes for a moment. Then she just nodded stiffly.

"Did Mrs. Charlotte tell you?" Zoey asked suddenly.

"Of course not!" Willow exclaimed.

There was a grin on Zoey's face. "Yeah, right."

Again Willow felt blindsided. Was she that transparent? So predictable. But the 26-year-old nodded. She didn't want to be called a liar by Zoey. If you're guilty, admit it, that was all that mattered to Willow.

"Let's get ice cream tomorrow? How about that?" Willow offered, nodding her head, hoping that Zoey would do the same.

The girl leaned forward slightly, then rested her head on the table. "I don't want to."

"Then what do you want?"

"Can I have some pizza?"

"Now? Didn't you have dinner?" But hurriedly Willow said again, "Okay, I'll order now."

Before Willow darted out of the room and ordered the pizza, she looked at Alpha, who was still lying comfortably on the bed.

"Alpha, come on. You can't stay in the room. Your fur will get all messed up," Willow warned him.

As if he understood what she was saying, Alpha got up from the bed. Then he left the room before Willow. Willow was half astonished.

They had never kept animals in all that time.

So Willow didn't know if all dogs—or, as Zoey put it, wolves—were intelligent. At least the white-furred, sharp-eyed Alpha had never caused any trouble while living in the house. The dog rarely barked, never broke furniture, just sat and watched.

Nothing more.

"Mrs. Charlotte is retiring next week, Alpha. So I need you to take care of my daughter while I work until I find a new nanny," Willow said as she came downstairs and saw Alpha already sitting up, waiting.

The dog just stared at Willow, tilting his head.

"But I don't want you in the bedroom. Understand?"

As Willow walked into the kitchen, she noticed a black bag on the island. She had guessed it was Charlotte's. She rushed forward and grabbed the bag, rummaging inside for the cell phone. Her fingers deftly searched for Charlotte's number, and just as she was about to press the green button, there was a knock at the door.

"I think it's Mrs. Charlotte," Willow murmured.

Willow opened the door and smiled when she saw Charlotte standing in the doorway. Only Charlotte's face looked so pale.

"Your purse," Willow said, showing her the purse in her hand.

A quick inhale and exhale came from Charlotte's lips. Suddenly she screamed, "Shut the door, Willow!"

Willow gasped in shock, not understanding what Charlotte meant. A large, tall figure suddenly came from the side and stood behind Charlotte. A slashing, tearing sound rang out so clearly that Charlotte's body swayed and fell at Willow's feet.

The old woman's back was badly torn.

Willow moved backwards, unable to scream in shock. She just shook her head in disbelief. Hoping this was all a dream. Her trembling hands dropped her purse and cell phone to the floor. Willow's gaze shifted to a tall, bulky figure not far in front of her.

A creature she had never seen before.

It had grayish fur all over, a large snout, and sharp fangs. The roar of its breath was loud, coupled with a deep growl. As if it was ready to kill anyone in its line of sight.

"No," Willow squealed.

She moved backwards and tried to run, but her body was too weak. She fell to the ground.

Willow had already given up when the creature lunged at her.