Running Away with a Wolf p6-10

"Well, my brother still lives with us.  So, take that as an answer.  Other than that, it's still good.  Mom's been sticking to the recipes, as far as we know.  Dad's been getting requests for handy-man jobs all over town.  His job's going good.  So, all that adds up to a positive number."  I nodded.  "School is starting up again tomorrow.  That will put a dent in my day."
"At least, you somewhat enjoy school.  You're smart and popular- you fit in.  That's got to help, right?"
"I guess…  Everyone's nice and all, but most of what they say is fake."
"Oh.  I never realized that- I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for.  So, you want to stay for dinner?  I don't know what Mom's cooking for dinner but…"
"Don't you have to ask your parents if that's okay?"
"It's like you have never met my parents.  Come on."
So, we hopped down the branches- racing each other for the dinner table.  We washed up and sat down right before she placed some steaming bowls of gumbo on the table.  Mrs. Wolfe never ceases to amaze me with her cooking.  Mr. Wolfe walked in the door, wearing muddied jeans and flannel shirt that was covered in oil.  He even had a streak of mud right under his right eye.  His eyes were something no one sees too often- the left was a light blue and the right was hazel.  He took off his orange hard hat.  His hair was a dark chestnut color, and, unfortunately for him, it stuck tight to his head.
"Hey, Mr. Wolfe!  How was work?"
"Oh, hello, Luna.  It was good but tiring.  You know, you can call me Blake, right?"
"Oh, course I know."
"Hon, you might want to clean up before you eat dinner."
"Oh, okay, Cathy.  I'll be right back."
"I swear, everyday, he comes back looking worse than the previous day.  I'm glad that jeans are built for work- and, that he has a lot."
Mr. Wolfe came back in and sat down.  We all enjoyed Mrs. Wolfe's dinner, but something was off about it.  I looked back and forth from Ian to Cory to Mr. Wolfe.  I know something's off.
"Mom, what did you do to this gumbo?"  Ian asked.
"Oh, nothing, really.  I just added a little something to the recipe."
"What did you add?"  I asked because I knew it could be bad.
"Squirrel."  We stopped eating and stared at her- she was smiling so innocently.  "I grilled it after I shot it."
My mouth dropped.  I'm not sure what I'm more surprised and scared of- Mrs. Wolfe actually handling a gun, shooting it, or having the heart to cut up and grill a squirrel.  I couldn't imagine her doing any of the three.  The others were looking at their bowls now.  Cory had pushed his away and muttering something about "diseased vermin."  Mrs. Wolfe was already eating more of her gumbo.  Ian and Mr. Wolfe finally decided to just eat bread.  I didn't want to disappoint her.
"What if it was diseased, mom?"  Cory asked.
"It wasn't.  At least, I don't think it was…  It looked perfectly fine and it's not that bad.  It tastes like chicken."
I had eaten most of it out of my bowl.  "I'm so full, Mrs. Wolfe.  Thank you.  It was…  good."
"Seconds, anyone?"  She took our bowls.
"NO, THANK YOU!"  We all said.
I finished a piece of bread.  Everyone had gone their own way.  I sat there- feeling somewhat out of place.
"Thank you guys so much, but I guess I'll be on my way.  It's getting kind of late."
"You going already, dearie?"
"She's been here all day!  Of course, she is!"
"CORY!"  Mr. Wolfe said.  "Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I'll be okay."
"Well, I guess I'll see you later."  Ian said.
"See you later.  Thanks for letting me stay for so long.  Bye, guys!"  
Then, I headed home.  Thank goodness that it's not cloudy tonight.  The half moon shone on the path- leading me home.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of the most annoyingly loud alarm clock in the world.  I dragged through the process of getting ready for school.  Then, I waited at the end of the road for the bus- where Ian was waiting.
"Cory got a ride?"
"Yeah, we need to get a car, but there aren't that many jobs for us to have here."
"Unfortunately, we'll be taking the bus for a little while longer.  We poor sophomores…"

* * *

The school day had soon passed.  I had a lot of Calculus homework and went home with Ian.  Calculus wasn't my best subject, but it was Ian's .  I managed to keep my grade up.  With homework soon finished, we headed out to the shooting range.
"I don't think I'll shoot today, Ian."
"You okay?  You've never wanted to sit out before."
"I don't feel up to it, is all.  I'll be fine."
"If you think you'll be okay…"
"I'll just watch today, thanks."
So, I watched as Ian perfectly hit the targets with every shot.  Eventually, he got tired of wasting bullets on cardboard.  So, inside he went.  Mrs. Wolfe was cooking away to make dinner.
"Are you sticking to the recipe tonight, Mrs. Wolfe?"
"Dearie, squirrel was in the recipe, kind of.  It said, "any game of choice."  But there won't be any surprises tonight.  I promise, dearie."
"Okay, your food always comes out pretty well- no matter what you put into it."
"Oh, thank you, dearie."
"Don't give her any ideas, Luna."  Ian whispered.
I shrugged.  I sat on the couch, and Ian sat on the floor.  We watched television until Mr. Wolfe came home- which meant another dinner time mystery.
"So, what did you cook tonight, Mrs. Wolfe?"
"BLT's."
"Bacon, lettuce, and tomato?"
"Why, of course.  I decided to keep it simple tonight.  I stuck to the recipe, too.  No surprises."
I think I was the last to take a bite- it was very good.  It tasted normal, which is always good.  Dinner soon passed without any problems.  It may have been that way because Cory wasn't home.  I thanked everyone for the meal and started on my way home.
"Wait!  Can I walk you home?  It's just that I saw a snake slithering that way.  So…"
"You can walk with me, if you really want to."
So, we walked down the path- halfway there and still no snake.
"So, what's up?  I can tell something's going on, Luna.  I can feel it."
"Stress from school, I suppose.  Nothing big."
"You're a terrible liar.  You know I can tell.  What's really on your mind?"
"I can't tell.  I guess I'm getting sick.  I swear if I told a lie in that, I didn't know it."
"It's your family, isn't it?  Did they do something to you?  Take your money?  I seriously don't think it's anything you have told me."
"If there was anything I should've told you, I would have."
"Okay, I'm gonna trust you."
"There wasn't a snake out here to begin with was there?"
"Yeah, it's on that tree over there."
"That sucker is huge!"  It had wound itself all the way around a tree trunk.  "You weren't lying about that snake."
"I would never lie to you, of all people."  Then, Ian stopped at my backyard.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Luna."  Then, he turned and went home.