Chapter five

Collin.

For a hundred years I've lived with the same memory of the same event. When I close my eyes, it's the same set of eyes. When I open to listening, it's the same high-pitched voice I hear.

Moving to places whenever people started to catch on about our secrets was a thing that I always hated. But here in Fox, things suddenly seem so different. It's hard to ignore the voice inside my head that keeps whispering to me, telling me that our run is over, telling me that there's much more to find and love here, telling me my answers are all here. New Orleans had been a special place to be at and I'd stayed there for over many years before leaving for Tokyo. 

Being a werewolf, we always had to be on the low, hiding from our shadows, hiding from the events of the past that haunted us, hiding from mistakes that is a constant reminder that being a werewolf isn't a blessing, it's a curse. During your long lifeline, where always and forever is inevitable to you, you realize that's just punishment, God's way of punishing you for your past sins. In the end, living was just a curse that we'd have to carry on ..... Until we died.

Settling into the house wasn't as exciting as Seth made it seem. He was always happy with his travels. I was never. We'd only stayed in Tokyo for five years. And we had to leave eventually. Stay on the low, that's what Charlie always said. We couldn't afford to be known, this was a different age. Gone were the days when werewolves lived freely.

For countless of years, I've encountered different people, mingled with many but when I saw that woman at the quarter, something different occurred to me, something I knew not of its existence, something strange and almost hard to ignore. I felt my heart beat uncomfortably when she looked at me, when she did that thing with her lips; when she smiled at me.

Her face held the spitting image of someone. Someone I'd seen in the past. Someone I'd loved but the memory is foggy and it's hard to place my thoughts in order. 

I felt my heart tuck as the guy she was with withheld her, I felt the strange urge to rip his hands apart and off her. I've never felt so disturbed about any woman before.

I shot my eyes, pulling my shirt off.

"Collin!" I turned back to the door to see Seth. "What are you doing here all by yourself? Don't tell me, yours busy cos..... Rodger and I wanna hit the valley at the back. Wanna come?"

"You were gonna go swimming without me?"

"Good thing Rodger said to come get you. You know I'd have left your sorry ass here"

I threw my shirt at him but he caught it before it even reached him.

"Wolf speed" he smirked proudly. 

I started to pull off my jeans.

"Hey what were you doing in town earlier?" Seth continued "we just got here and you're already going to the city? Looking for women?"

"Shut up"I walked towards him now in my shorts.

"Okay I really need some hooking up too" the tease in his voice was loud and clear. Everything was always a joke to him.

"Just shut up already" I shot at him.

By the time we got out onto the porch, Rodger was already waiting at the door, strangling me with his big arms around my neck as soon as I stepped out. He starts to laugh really hard, Wayne who's standing on the lawn laughing at the short play. 

"Isn't Annette coming with us anymore?" Seth asked Wayne as he passed by Rodger and I, taking the steps that lead to the lawn ground.

"Nah," Wayne replied "she's not up for a swim anymore"

"Is she alright?" I asked as I finally cut myself free from Rodger's arms.

"Yeah," Wayne replied "she wants to do the dishes with Mom"

"Race me to the waterfall?" Seth barely finished saying before he super-sped through the back of the house, towards the waterfall.

Rodger shook his head as he fell beside me and said "that idiot always cheats with every little chance he got"

"Well I'm not about to lose to any of you," Wayne said before super speeding towards the waterfall too.

Rodger and I exchanged looks before super running towards the waterfall too, covering the long distance in three seconds. By the time we got to the deep waterfall, Wayne was already on his shorts, Seth already diving into the water below.

"See you down there mate, " Wayne said to me before falling face up into the water.

Before I knew it, Rodger was diving in too. I took off my shirt and laid it back before diving into the water. I felt the water body lift me, drench me till I felt myself go numb and totally unaware of anything else. I remained at the bottom, the peace and quiet paralyzing me. I tried to shut everything out. Everything that happened today. I began to search deep and far into my mind till I came across something. A face. The face of the young woman from earlier. Her bright oval eyes, the life in them, the smile on her lips, the tenderness in her voice, the unsureness in her words. 

That strange yet satisfying smile.........

I peeled my eyes open and went back to the water surface, the thought of that woman still lingering on my mind.

Alessia.

Just merely imagining her face woke up the smoldering fires in me. 

"You're thinking about a woman right?" Rodger asks the moment I popped out beside him on the surface.

"Why would you say that?" I asked pretentiously.

He shrugged, facing forward "I mean you've got the looks. Not to mention other things. Why were you in town?"

"I was getting tired of just sitting around. So I took a walk"

"Just be careful okay? Fox is a really nice town," he looks back at me "reminds me of New Orleans. You know what I'm talking about don't you?"

I nodded, trying to remember some things that had happened In the past.

"We should hit the town some other time," Rodger continued "might wanna catch some fun before we get made again"

"Yeah, it's really annoying. Having to move all the time"

"Yeah" he replied, tight-lipped.