Chapter Three

Isabella POV 

He had a sports car. A freaking sports car. I knew he was a nerd. He looked like one. Yet, he had to be the most stylish nerd in existence.

I was in a cute little black dress with a pair of New Balance, sitting in his passenger seat. He rolled down the roof, even if it was dark and windy, before starting the car. 

Still in silence. 

I shifted uncomfortably in the leather seat, pulling at the seatbelt and doing everything other than cure the awkward silence in the air. He was leaning into his seat, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the window. 

“So what do you think about my baby brother?”

I wasn’t expecting him to say anything, so hearing his voice was a shock; one that took a few seconds to recover. Under the dim street lights, I saw him roll his eyes. 

"A few hours in town and he already has you speechless?” he murmured, making a turn. “That’s a first.”

I ignored him. "Why is football played here in the middle of the night?"

He glances at me. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

"What? Where I'm from, this is such a strange thing. Football is played before the sun goes out. How else do you want to see all the fouls and touchdowns?"

There’s something in his tone when he says, “You’ll see.”

What is it that he’s not telling me?

I leaned in closer. “Do you have contacts on behind your glasses? Your eyes… they are like…golden.”

“You’re in my personal space, Miss.”

I swallowed. “Sorry.”

“Good.”

Another minute of silence. 

“Hey, do you know anything about the howls that sounded a few hours ago? You must have heard it. It was so loud.”

“Why are you asking me about that?” He sounded like I was bothering him. 

“Because Marv didn’t tell me what it was. He looked really worried, though, and I just…”

"Do you always talk this much?"

I stopped. “What?”

"Marv had better stop asking for favors. Driving is meant to be peaceful and quiet."

My lips parted to say something, but I slammed them shut when I realized that for the first time ever, I'd been rendered speechless. 

The rest of the ride happened in silence, and the moment he pulled up at the parking lot of what looked like the high school football field, I was out of the car, practically running away from him. I knew it was probably a foolish thing to do since I didn’t know anyone else around here.

But I couldn’t bear to spend one more second with him. I was scared I was going to be rendered speechless even more.

And I hated feeling that way.

It must be a major game because every inch of the bleachers was full. I didn’t know what seats were allocated to strangers like me, so I just stood by the side, staring as the cheerleaders danced in the centre of the field. 

“You must be Isabella,” I heard someone say from behind me. When I turned around, I came face to face with the feminine version of the jerk I’d just spent the last fifteen minutes with. She was pretty, with golden eyes and wavy brown hair. 

And she had glasses on too.

I must look like a burlap sack in front of her. 

“Yeah,” I breathed, flashing her a grim smile. “At this point, I won’t be surprised if every single person in Westside Eden has heard about my arrival.”

She laughed easily. “I’m Fiona. It’s nice to meet you.”

She looked so young. I still couldn’t fathom how she had two grown boys. 

“Same here, although it’s going to be an incredibly short meeting because I’ll be gone by tomorrow morning, and I…”

"Told you," the nerdy jerk appeared from nowhere, leaning on the side of the bleachers. "She talks too much."

"Come on, Aiden," Fiona chided. "You don't have to be a jerk around her."

“Ouch, Mother!” He placed a hand over his heart. “You just hurt me. You called your favorite son a jerk.”

“Okay, smart mouth. You are not my favorite son. I love you and Marv equally.”

“That’s what you say to make yourself feel better,” he laughed, moving towards her. He wrapped a hand around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her hair. “But I’ll take it.”

It was strange. I hadn’t known Aiden for more than a few minutes, but I’d been so certain he never smiled. And now, he just laughed with his mom. 

But when he turned to me, every bit of that humor was gone. “Marv saved you a seat along with the players’ family up there. Mom can walk you there.”

“And where do you think you are going?” Fiona asked him, turning around. 

“I got some stuff to handle.”

Something seemed to pass between them, because Fiona nodded and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

I looked back at Aiden for a minute as he crossed the parking lot. But he didn’t go for his car. Instead, he stalked out into the woods, his brown hair disappearing with him. 

“Okay,” I breathed. “Strange.”

"What's strange?" Fiona asked, leading me to the front row. People moved naturally to let us pass without asking a question. It seemed like they were expecting us. Like they knew better than to complain. It was odd that I thought so, but it was the most accurate explanation. 

“Everything…the town… the howling…”

I felt her pause abruptly, but it was gone so fast that it might have been a figment of my imagination. But the worried look that crossed her face… I couldn’t have imagined that. 

“Fiona…”

“Oh! Look! There’s Marv.”

She reached our designated seats and plopped down, waving at Marv excitedly. Marv waved back, and then gave me a nod when his eyes fell on me. 

I sat down next to Fiona. “Do you know anything about the howling?”

She pursed her lips, then turned to me. “What did it sound like?”

“Like a pack of wolves or

something.”

“Then do well to stay away from the woods.”