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“Are there,” I shift nervously in my seat, “wild animals in the forest around your house?”
“Uh,” nervousness sweeps over Tilly’s face which has me sitting up a little straighter. “There is. I mean,” her giggle sounds nervous, “it’s really their habitat and we just happen to live there.”
There’s a hint of excitement in my voice, “Like what? Deer?”
“I’ve seen deer in the forest before,” her words are slow and measured. “There are a lot of birds, of course, and some small animals that you wouldn’t be surprised to see.”
“That’s kind of awesome,” I muse. I find myself searching the trees that line the road even though we’re going far too fast for me to be able to see anything.
“The forest is home to some predators as well,” there’s a little bit of a warning in her voice that has me whipping my head around to look at her.
“What kind of predators?” My voice goes up an octave and is just on this side of shrill, “Bears?”
“I’ve seen a bear before,” Tilly affirms my suspicions.
I have no idea what to do when confronted by a bear. Maybe I’ll just stay close to the house, and I won’t venture out into the woods. That seems like an awful waste of an opportunity, especially when I don’t know if I’ll get another one like it. There is part of me that was looking forward to a lazy stroll through the woods surrounding where Tilly lives.
But if I’m going to run across a bear then I don’t think it’ll be worth the memory.
“Bears don’t come very close to where we live, but I’ve taken longer hikes in the area and have seen them,” she clarifies.
I breathe a sigh of relief and relax back into my seat. I didn’t even realize I was tense and on high alert.
“There is a wolf pack that frequents the forest though,” she adds offhandedly.
My entire body freezes and my heart starts to beat in my chest at a speed which can’t be healthy. It doesn’t even make sense. Would a wild animal be interested in being around people?
“Do they come close to your home?” I shoot her a wide-eyed look full of worry. “I would think they wouldn’t want to be close to humans.”
“The wolves in the area usually stay away from humans, but sometimes they come near the house.” Tilly glances over at me and must see the fear on my face. “It’s nothing to worry about, Elodie,” she tries to placate me, “I promise.”
I make a humming sound, but I’m not so sure I believe her. The only thing I can do is let it go. For now. Well, I guess I can hope that I don’t come across any wolves or bears, anytime soon.
The drive is quieter now that we’ve talked about the wolves which call the forest where Tilly lives their home. I can appreciate the place those wolves have in the food chain and their importance to the ecosystem they call home. That doesn’t mean I want to come face-to-face with any though.
I get lost in thought that, for the first time in so damn long, isn’t about school or work. It’s almost as if the farther away we get from school the lighter I feel. It’s an odd feeling because I’ve been focused on survival and moving forward to a place where I’m safe and secure. It’s been the only thing pushing me forward.
I’m not even sure who I would be if I didn’t have that drive, like a flame licking at my heels. It’s made me a good student, because an education seemed like my only way out and to have a life where I don’t have to rely on anyone else. I didn’t have anyone to rely on anyway. It made me a hard worker because I couldn’t afford to not work, and to not have some money to ease my life and provide me with the things that no one else was going to help me with.
When we pull up to a gate where there are a few men milling around or standing in the guard house, I sit up a little straighter. Tilly glances at me out of the corner of her eye and a small smile plays on her lips from whatever she must see in my expression. I’m not sure what I expected, but a guard house was not it. Maybe I should have since she told me she lives in a community.
“We take protection seriously,” Tilly offers up as explanation without me asking.
I nod solemnly as we slow and realize just how huge the men are. Damn, I guess they do take security seriously and only employ the biggest and strongest for protection purposes. I’ve never lived somewhere where my safety was put first, even when it should have been.
Tilly rolls down the window and offers the guy a big smile as she greets him, “Hi, Anthony. It’s good to see you again.”
Anthony tilts his head to the side slightly as if he’s giving deference to Tilly. It’s a strange thing to see a giant of a man showing preferential treatment to Tilly. It has me a little suspicious and even more curious about the community she’s from.
Are her parents in charge of the Homeowners Association, or something? I always got the impression people didn’t like their HOA? Maybe that’s not the case here, but I can’t imagine another reason for his treatment.
“Miss Ryan,” Anthony’s voice is deep and matches his large frame perfectly, “it’s good to see you again. Welcome,” he pauses for a moment and looks over at me in the passenger seat, “home.”
I narrow my eyes at him because it’s clear he was thinking about saying something else. I have no idea what, but it has me on edge, that’s for damn sure. What else could he possibly say?
He steps away quickly, and the gate is opened for us. My thoughts are pulled from the odd interaction by the scenery outside the car as we make our way down a winding drive. It looks like the trees are reaching out toward us in welcome and greeting.
“It’s beautiful here,” I murmur softly, unwilling to speak louder because of the way our surroundings have woven around me.
