Chapter 2

Lexy's POV. .

Looking out through the window, the rain drops and dews encoasting the cab's window seemed out of the ordinary but expected. It felt pretty cold the instant I arrived at the airport. 

I couldn't wait to get off the cab and fly into my father's arms. I was gonna meet him at his hospital, I knew he would be stark busy there as always. I continued to look ahead as the car drive along the streets.

His hospital soon came into view. It stooped big and beautiful among the green lawns. It wasn't the biggest hospital around, but it was a nice one.

As soon as the cab came to a stop, I told him to wait while I go inside. I walked in to the front desk and met a woman dressed in a nurse outfit of greenish blue dress. Around the wide hall sat some few people and some hospital staffs walked around. The woman who has a name tags bearing "Melissa" on her chest beamed a smile at me the instant she saw me stop in front of her desk.

"Good morning, how may I help you ma'am?" She asked.

"Good morning. I'm here to see Doctor Bronte." I replied with a small smile.

"Sorry do you have an appointment?"

"No. Actually I'm his daughter. . . . . . . . I just came into town and decided to stop and say hi to him"

"Really? It's so nice to have you here um. . . . . . "

"Lexy Bronte" I told her.

"Yes. I'll just put a call to him then. He's supposed to be out of surgery now" she picks up the telephone on the desk. I quickly stopped her with my hand.

"Can you not call him? I wanted to surprise him. I think I can walk to his office"

"Very well dear. Just take that corner, the last office"

"Thank you"

Clutching my back pack, I walked down to the corner and took a sharp turn. As hurriedly as I walked past the doors in the hallway, I slowered down once I reached his window. I took in a sharp breath before slowly taking light steps till I was pushing his door open and letting myself into his office room.

He's standing with his back to me, facing his window. He's clad in his blue surgery top and trousers, his hair ruffled. 

"Dad?" I called.

Slowly, he turned around, our eyes meeting before he stopped. his eyes holds surprise as he saw me and I let out a smile I'd been holding in.

"Alexa?" He called.

I hurried towards his table and threw myself at him in a bone squashing hug. When I felt his hand touch over my back, I let out a big smile again.

"I missed you so much dad!" I squealed.

" I miss you too sweetheart" he replied, pulling away. I stood back and watched his face. "God, Lexy, I had no idea you were coming"

I shrugged amidst laughter and replied " I. . . . Wanted to surprise you and here I am!"

"Congratulations on your graduation, sweetie. I'm so proud of you"

"Thanks dad"

"Your mother would be so proud of you"

For a split second, I just gazed back at him, his words sinking deep inside me. Bitting my lower lip, I smiled sadly and replied " yeah"

He smiles again, " you must be hungry. Let's go eat"

"Actually dad, the cab is still waiting outside. I just stopped to see you first, I'm heading home now"

" Oh really? Then I guess I'll be closing early today then"

"I'll be alright Dad, don't hurry okay?" He nods with a smile, " I love you dad"

" I love you too. I left a spare key inside the pot next to the window" he replied.

" Okay, I guess I'll. . . . . . . . See you later" I said, hand on the door knob to pull it open.

"Yes" he nodded with a smile. I walked out soon after, feeling my heart flutter in my chest. I have a good feeling about all these. This is gonna be a good year for me, I feel it. I couldn't wait for Dad to hear my good news when he comes home.

I walked back out, biding Melissa goodbye before getting into the cab and let it drive me home. Nothing seemed to change. Everything was just as I left it, even my favorite dinner, The Johnsons, where I always ate out with my father didn't seem to change even for one bit. The streets, the stores, everything welcomed me.

The house I grew up in was a complex house with a well chopped lawn, a garage and some nice flower beds that dad always tended very well to regardless of his busy schedule. I guess I'm back to help him out. I fetched the key from the cactus flower pot just below the window and let myself in, dragging in my bags with me.

The house welcomed me with a cosiness that set a strange warmness deep inside me. I took a minute to look around the sitting room before taking the narrow hall leading to my bedroom at the back side. Pushing my bedroom door open, I let myself in. My room looked tiny, a little small to me now but nothing changed. My wallpapers were still the floral yellow, sea blue and brown colors I'd been so happy about the day my dad painted my room during my senior year. My table stood out, my books well arranged in place, my study lamps and others all seated. 

I pulled my bags in before walking over to the wonder to push them open, letting the cold morning air hit my face. I remember waking up every morning to look out over the city through this window when I was in highschool. The sweet memory made me smile heartily.

I dropped my shoulder bag on my well made bed and pulled off my boots before slumping down supine, watching my ceiling. No, I'm not gonna think about that. I jerked up, shaking my head of the sinking feeling that was slowly starting to sleep into my head. The thought of a dream I'd had back at the dorm.

I decided I wasn't gonna let some mere dream I had about my dead mother weigh me down. First, I need to get my clothes back into my closet, freshen up, call Millie and then wait for Dad to come home. Oh, I'll make him some soup too. He always loved it during the winters.

I pulled my closet doors apart and stared inside it. A few of my dresses I'd left behind stood out on hangers. I unzipped my bags and pulled my dresses into hangers, hung them and folded the jeans away.

After putting everything in, I decided a shower would be the next great thing to do right now. I dashed into the shower and had a quick warm shower before dressing up in an old pink top and a bum short. I picked up my phone, ready to call Millie when I thought I heard something from outside, from the sitting room. I stopped scrolling through the contacts on my phone and looked up. I'm swear I heard something, like a certain movement coming from outside.

I tried to ignore it but couldn't. Unsettled, I slipped my phone inside my back pocket and slowly opened my door, stepping out onto the narrow dark hall. I walked out into the sitting room where everything seemed in place.

"Nothing out of the ordinary here, Lexy" I assured myself silently, attempting to turn around but something stopped me.

A door at the far west side caught my eyes, causing me to stop. Dad's office room.

Watching the door, I could suddenly remember how busy he always was when I was in highschool. My mom had died giving birth to me so I didn't meet her. I grew up with my Dad. It's pretty hard growing with a man who's always so busy with work and I get it, that's why I never complained. He's a medical doctor and the world needed him.

I remember back in highschool, he barely made it to some of my PTA meetings and students-parents activities in school because he needed to travel out to treat some patients. I never really cared much cause I knew he loved me. I knew how much he did and he never failed to tell me that every chance he got. I felt truly lucky.

I decided to look through his office and walked towards the door, slowly pushing it open with a creaking sound. I let myself into the dark room. The room seemed stuffier than the last time I'd been here. Oh dad. . . . . . . . 

I reached for the light switch besides the door and put the light on, casting out the darkness that once filled the room. His chair sat just infront of the window, his black suit hung over the chair's backrest. The desk table has several books on it, also consisting of study lamps, large textbooks, pens of different kinds, papers binded with rubber bands, a coffee cup and other stuffs. Opposite and sides of the room sat tall shelves carrying textbooks, all medical.

He was always studying. I stopped at the table, looking over the papers. Then I took interest on a particular white sheet of paper sticking out of a large red covered book. On the paper's protruded side was a drawing of some creature. I hate to admit that it actually looks like a werewolf but it did. Picking it out from the book and up to my face, I could clearly see the picture now. It's an image of a werewolf, it's body parts fully labelled.

I shook my head as the thought of my father actually studying werewolves occured to me. I put the paper down but my eyes caught another one. It's another sheet of paper and this time there's a more interesting image on it. An image of a big werewolf, it's body full of deep brown hairs. It has it's face pointed up, howling, it's eyes flowing a bright blue. For a long while, I stood there, lost in it's eyes, watching and feeling myself drawing into them.

Then I snapped out of it, my eyes going over to my father's handwriting just below, scribbled words.

"The werewolf of the Lycaon". then a hash tag saying a werewolf went rogue after his attempt to run off with his Alpha's daughter. He's wanted all over many packs and alphas would never stop until he's been captured and stopped from his torments."

And below it all were names which I couldn't quite put together even after squinting my eyes.

That's strange. . . . . . . . . . 

I chuckled at myself, putting back the paper. I couldn't believe dad was still doing all these researches about some mythical creatures. Mythical! Sometimes I wondered what he expects to find? A pack of werewolves hiding somewhere in the woods? The thought is just hilarious. There are no such things as werewolves.

I started walking out when my eyes caught some red dots on a white paper fixated on the wall just before the door. I stepped back to look at the more properly, the white dots now turning out to be office pins holding the white paper in place. On the paper was words scribbled, like jotts or something. I hurriedly looked over it to even make out what it said but I did pick some words like "werewolves" "Lycaon" "watermoon" "eclipse" "rogue" "doppelganger" and others.

Jeez. . . . . . . . . . What has Dad been getting into while I was away? Really?!