chapter 2

                 A WEREWOLF?

Kehlani looked around the pub absent mindedly. She thought of the silly name she would give her new fantasy fiction, Growl? That was too grotesque for a name. Maybe not grotesque but quite not the usual. Kehlani had a weird liking for gothic fantasies. She was the kind of girl who didn't really fancy the pink pattern of most girls. She most times always went the opposite direction instead.

Oh well, she would just do her research which involved going through the ton of Werewolf themed novel packed at the back of her truck. She found humor in the thought that people thought those things were real. Her Nana had even believed that in the modern day and age, human beings could transform into wolves at midnight. A truckload of bullocks. Just about one of the few things they both disagreed on.

The pub was actually really spacious. It had so many round tables and an elevated platform of some sort. Kehlani liked to think that the petite woman standing by her side talking intimately was not the only worker in such a big pub, but then again, it has no big deal since there was little to no customers around here.

"What would you like?" The lady asked as she then walked to the other side of the counter. 

She maintained a professional look and a lopsided and yet so endearing grin.

"Oh." Kehlani said more to herself. She did not drink. She never fancied the idea of losing control and not being to control be actions, that was her biggest scare. She proceeded to turn her down. Beside she had just come by this place to ask for directions and it was getting late. She could not afford to sleep in wherever her Nana's house was, it was obviously going to be infested to cobwebs, roaches and bugs. She wanted to see the house and then lodge at a motel at night. The next day she would brave it and head over the house for a very deep and intense cleaning but for now? She would need a quick shower and some beauty sleep. Okay those motels sucked so no beauty sleep but at least a nap.

"Nothing actually. I'm just looking around for Nestle creek ?" She asked quietly while carefully gauging the lady's expression.

This was how she was able to notice the quick change in expression on the woman's face if not she would have missed it because the woman was quick enough to arrange her expression.

"Who are you looking for all the way there?" The lady asked, "That is if I'm not prying into personal business ."

"Oh, no,no, no." Kehlani shook her head, "My grandmother used to live here, so I came to spend sometime at her house as a way to pay respect to her." She purposefully left out the story writing and inspiration detail. Not many people would understand the art of moving environments in other to receive a new inspiration to write? They'd look at her funny if she ever uttered that to any person other than a writer like herself.

"Right." The lady nodded. "The thing is, the person who would have been most suitable to take you to this certain place just left a few moments ago, but if you could wait a little, I will call him to confirm if he is still around maybe he could help?"

Kehlani's ears pricked at this. Did this lady mean the fine tall man? She was quite fascinated by the thought of him yet she felt an ominous air around him. She had yet to figure out whether it was a good or a bad feeling.

She shook her head in gratitude to the lady. She bared out a soft smile, "thank you so much, I'd appreciate that."

"On it then." The lady went ahead and moved to a land line where she punched the keys and connected a call. 

Kehlani felt so fascinated. The town seemed reversed in technology and in its own bubble. It seemed like the outside world didn't exist here. No wonder Nana had told her it was the perfect place for a writer's inspiration. Just watching the lady and her deserted pub was enough to clear her head and give her an inspiration to work on in her new fantasy novel, maybe the main character would be a pub owner in a mystic city where several creatures thrived? It sounded nice to her ears.

Great. She had a head start now.

The woman spoke in hushes for a long time before she got off the phone. Kehlani who was absentmindedly bobbing her feet on the ground thinking of her manuscript immediately lifted her head to look at the woman.

The lady shook her head, a pitiful look on her face,  "If have the patience, you can wait, but for now? He is indisposed." 

"Ohh" Kehlani's voice fell. She was only bothered about how she would have been able to see her Nana's house faster. It definitely did not have anything to do with the way her chest hammered at the thought of seeing his bottomless pit of pair of eyes. It most certainly did not.

"Alright, thanks really for your help. You have been nice to me so effortlessly. That is so nice of you.

"No, its fine. I'll do that for my daughter too." The woman smiled back at her.  Kehlani looked at the woman's finger to see a wedding ring sitting on her pretty finger.

"She will be so happy to have you as a mother." Kehlani offered.

"Well, she already is, well not so much right now. Sandy the girl who had left earlier, she is my daughter."

Daughter?

What?

Kehlani couldn't help but size the woman. The woman was arguably like her age If not a few years older than how then was she able to give birth to someone of the same age grade? 

Weird.

Kehlani's did not feel the need to inquire or understand, maybe it was a kind of inside joke she did not fully understand.

"So are you going to wait for him? I can whip you something of your choice while you wait though." The woman asked.

"Is he really the only one that knows the way around to the place?" She asked carefully, trying not to sound nagging or needy.

The woman shook her head, "Sadly, the rest are all at sea and out for hunting for tonight's feast, besides it's just Dean who stays at that side of the town so he is the most suitable escort."

"Ohh." Kehlani was down casted. She would have to sleep in a motel for another night without seeing her Nana's place. Honestly, she felt like a Kid waiting all night to unwrap the Christmas presents by the tree on a Christmas morning.

"Will you...?" The woman asked.

"Oh, no, it's fine, I'd just find a Motel around where I can spend the night, when he is less busy he can then show me to the place then?"

"Errr... There are no motels around here. We never really have any use of one, so no functional Motels around here, but you can..."

Kehlani's head almost burst in frustration, no Motels??! She did not even ask of a hotel, just a Motel! Was it too much to ask of the town?

Urgh! Now she had to sleep in her truck once more since she could not head back out of town.

"It's actually fine." Kehlani smiled at the effortlessly nice and kind woman who had even offered her a place to stay for the night. She would feel more comfortable in her truck.

She had imposed for a long time now and she needed to leave.

"Okay." The woman did not push it further. 

"But at least, test out our newest treat, you'd be the first to try out my newest recipe." The woman beamed.

"Okay, I will try it out then." Kehlani smiled tightly. She had the urge to use the childish line; "I don't collect things from strangers." But she did not, rather she pinned her lips in a thin line and watched as the woman began busying herself which bringing out ingredients for her special delicacy.

Kehlani was thinking of her manuscript which was why she opened her big fat mouth and asked, "Do you believe in fantasy?"

Now she sounded like a creep, poor kind woman would be thinking she was a Lunatic with where she was headed.

"Why, of Course." The woman nodded her head so excitedly like she had just won a lottery or something,

"Hmm, what kind of fantasy do you believe?" Kehlani ventured.

The woman paused and gauged Kehlani for a second before saying, "Humans are really oblivious to the fact that there are more creatures roaming around, Infact we have seen a Werewolf with our very own eyes around here during a hunting escapade. I saw with my very own eyes, er? So they very much exist."

Kehlani froze, "You saw a Wolf who turns into a human being?"

"Yes." The woman nodded. "You think I'm lying? Ask Dean, he had been the one who handled it er?"

Kehlani was frozen in her seat. Countless thoughts ran through her mind, she wondered how that was even possible. Amongst all the thoughts that trailed her young mind, one of them stood out. At that point, all she could think in her head was,

 WHAT THE FREAKING HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO?