1

**ONE YEAR LATER**

**ANGELIQUE**

It can't be true.

I looked at the grades. And in the grades, there were only zeros—well, almost none, but yes, I had failed the year. I was left looking like a complete fool. I can't believe it. I knew this would happen, knowing that by focusing on other people, like Angelique and Colton, I'd end up ruined. It was true that I had forgotten my principles and done bad things, but I was in a bad place—it was a very tough time for me. Now all I wanted was to get away; I couldn't go back to high school knowing everyone would mock me. I left the school super fast so no one would see me, got into my white Volkswagen, and drove home. As I drove, tears streamed from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks and dripping onto my neck. I dialed my dad's number, hoping he would answer. My father made work trips to Lewiston, and those trips lasted a week or even longer. I needed him right now, and he wasn't here.

"Angelique?"

"Dad, I need you."

"What's wrong, honey? You sound upset."

"I can't stay here any longer. I want to leave, please take me with you."

"Why? What about graduation? Your sister..."

"There won't be a graduation," I confessed. There was no point in lying to him since he would find out through Monique; I didn't want her to be the one to tell him. "I failed the year. I can't stay here anymore. I need a change of scenery, to meet new people. Please," I almost begged.

My dad stayed quiet for a moment. I thought he would say no and make me go back to that high school again.

"Alright, come here. I'll send you the address, but drive carefully, okay? This place can be very dangerous sometimes, and you don't know what kind of animals you might encounter."

I frowned.

"Animals?"

"Yes, honey, so drive carefully, okay? And don't forget, I love you, so stop crying. You're my girl. Come here, and we'll spend more time together."

I smiled, wiping away my tears as I parked in front of the house.

"Thanks, I'll pack my bags and be there by nightfall."

"Of course, call me if you need anything. I love you."

"And I love you."

I felt relieved that my dad had finally agreed. I always thought he preferred Monique over me, my twin sister who was sweeter than pie. Everyone loved her because she was prettier, despite being identical to me. I got out of my car and went inside the house, climbed the stairs to my room, and packed all my clothes into three large suitcases. I didn't plan on coming back to this place that had hurt me so much. I carried the suitcases downstairs one by one and loaded them into the trunk. I went back inside the house, making sure I wasn't leaving anything behind that I might need. But no, I looked at some family photos but only took one where it was just me and my dad. I left the house, giving one last look at my neighborhood, my home, got into the car, and drove away. I had a long road ahead of me.

•

Lewiston, I've heard stories about that town. It's full of forests, a rather beautiful and lonely town, besides being mysterious. I was maybe halfway there when I got hungry. I pulled into a gas station to fill up and grab something to eat.

•

Hours later, my butt hurt. I was tired of driving, tense. I felt immense relief when I saw the sign that said, "Welcome to Lewiston." Entering here made me realize how many forests there were. It was almost dark, and there was even fog in some parts, fog that even made it hard to see the road. I slowed down because I didn’t want to accidentally hit anyone. After passing through the fog, I entered the town. Everything looked normal, like a regular town. The people, the atmosphere, everything. I followed the location my father had sent me on my phone; it seemed to be a little further from the center. I drove down a road; there were no houses here anymore. There was more fog, it was colder, and everything felt more ominous. Why does Dad live in this place? Does he live alone? Are there no neighbors? So many questions started running through my head. I was driving calmly when suddenly, a huge animal crossed the road. I slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting it. My pulse quickened. It was a deer. I put a hand to my chest to calm myself. It was just a deer, I told myself. I slowly started the car again to continue my journey, but I came to an abrupt stop once more when a huge animal jumped onto the hood of the car.

"AHHHHHH!" I screamed, seeing that enormous black wolf staring at me and licking its lips. I honked the horn to make it go away, but nothing made it leave. It was a huge wolf. The wolf jumped off the hood of the car, circling around it, never taking its eyes off me. With trembling hands, I took out my phone and dialed my dad's number, but, great, there was no signal. I slammed the gas pedal and sped away, getting as far away as I could from that wolf.

"You're about to reach your destination," said the GPS voice. In the distance, I saw a house on the side of the road. There were no neighbors, no fence for protection, no security. I saw Dad waiting for me. I parked immediately and got out.

"Get inside the house!" I exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm.

"Angi, what's wrong?" he stopped me.

"We're not safe here! Please, let's go inside!"

"Wait, hang on, breathe," he said. I did, I breathed— "Now explain what's going on."

"When I was driving, I saw a huge wolf on the road."

He didn't seem surprised.

"I know there are wolves, but you're safe here; they won't harm you."

I didn’t understand why he spoke with such confidence. He knew there were enormous wolves around here, close to this place, and he acted like it was nothing. I didn’t understand. I looked around, toward the forest, feeling insecure. I felt like I was being watched, as if something or someone was there, watching us.

"Don't worry. Come on, I'll help you with the suitcases."

I calmed down, telling myself that those enormous wolves wouldn't harm us, that they were just regular wolves that ate deer and those animals. But deep inside, I knew that wasn’t the case; that wolf was super large, its gaze was like that of a serial killer, and its jaw was full of enormous fangs. I followed Dad and helped carry my suitcases.

"You brought everything," he said, noting how heavy they were. I noticed a tattoo on his arm; I had never seen him tattooed before. It looked like it was new, and I had never seen that symbol before.

"Yes, I don’t plan on going back to that place," I said as we walked toward the house. I felt very insecure being outside. I hurried along with Dad, and once inside, I locked the door. My father’s house was quite large. Wooden, two stories, white walls, fine furniture. Apparently, he was doing well in his job. What I didn’t understand was why he always had to leave and come back. I never understood that. "It’s nice."

"Thank you, I built it thinking of you girls. That when you finished high school, you could come here."

"Monique is with Colton, and now that they’re going to university together, I doubt she’ll come."

"I never understood what happened between you two," he said. I sighed deeply.

"I don’t want to talk about it right now," I said as I set the suitcases down, hugging myself. "It’s cold."

"It must be the heating; I’m still fixing it. I’ll go check it out; explore the house if you want," he said, heading to the basement. I walked around, looking at everything Dad had. I still couldn’t forget the killer gaze of that black wolf. I shivered at the memory. I looked at a picture of Dad, but he was with another woman. I picked it up; I didn’t know her. I also noticed that the woman had the same tattoo as Dad on her arm. I frowned, not understanding; so Dad had gotten the tattoo for her. Wow, I didn’t think he was one of those guys. I put the picture back in its place, moving closer to the huge glass window that looked out into the forest, but beyond the forest, I could see something shining. I couldn’t believe it. Just past a few trees, there was a lake. And since there was a full moon, it was reflected in the water, giving it a very magical touch. How incredible.

"All set," Dad appeared next to me. "This place is quite beautiful," I told him.

"When summer vacation is over, we'll go enroll you in high school. We'll spend Christmas together."

The holiday season was very close; I felt a bit nostalgic about this time of year. Thinking that last year we were all three celebrating Christmas at home, not knowing that this year would be the worst.

"Tell me what happened between you and your sister, Angie. You’re sisters; you can’t keep fighting all the time."

"We just fell in love with the same guy, that’s all."

Dad sighed, as if he already knew.

"I figured. You're young, you're beautiful, and you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't feel bad."

"I'm not upset. I know I did wrong, which is why I wanted to seek out my own future. Besides, I missed you." I hugged him, looking at the picture of him and that woman. "Who is she?" I pointed at the frame. "And why do you both have the same tattoo?"

I pulled away from Dad, waiting for an answer.

"She..." He took the picture and looked at it. "...I was going to tell you and your sister that I met someone. Her name is Meredith, we work together, and now we're in a relationship," he said, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows, surprised. It was obvious that Dad would seek out a woman to keep him company. Mom died many years ago, and after that, he dedicated himself to taking care of us. I felt jealous, but I wouldn't let it take hold of me—I wasn't that girl anymore.

"I'm happy for you," I smiled. "I hope to meet her soon."

"Of course, you will," he gave me a quick hug. "Thank you for understanding; I thought you wouldn't. You tend to be very jealous, Angie."

"I used to be. I'm really hungry though."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I made some pasta with meatballs, just the way you like it."

We walked to the kitchen. It was spacious, with a small island and a dining table with four chairs.

"Sit down, I'll serve you."

I sat, feeling strange not eating in my small house.

"I was thinking of calling Monique and telling her now that you know."

"Yeah, I know she'll understand you better than I do."

"It's not that, but she doesn't take care of me as much as you do."

He served me a generous portion of pasta with meatballs. I took a fork and started eating.

"Hmm," I savored it. "It's delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," Dad said as he sat down to eat too. "Tomorrow I have work, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day. It depends on how things are. So please, I want you to stay calm. You can go for walks around town or by the lake. But don't go too far, and don't venture too deep into the woods—it can be very dangerous," he said, pulling a necklace from his pocket. "That's why I made this for you; it will protect you." He stood up and put the necklace around my neck. It had the same symbol as the one on his arm.

"Thanks, Dad, I'm sure it will protect me."

Very sure. Especially now that I know there are huge wolves around here.