Wulven [A Different Wolf Novel]

Chapter 8 | Surprise Visit

Standing by her office table, Miss Ruth carefully arranges a batch of documents. Meticulously, she organizes the papers, making sure that everything is sorted out accordingly. She finally slides the last document inside an envelope and places it on top of a neat pile of folders.

"So, that should be all of it Ruth, yes?", asks the gentleman in a black suit seated on a soft cushion chair across the room.

His clean-shaven face compliments his calm yet cold aura filling the whole office space. Standing right beside him is a young woman with black shoulder-long hair, also in a black suit. The stern look on her face resembles a guard dog ready to defend her master.

"Yes, Mr. Jones. These are all the files of the residents eligible for transfer two days from now."

"Great! The high council, especially M'Lady, has been expecting fresh, young bloods for quite some time already. They would be very pleased..."

His assistant steps forward and moves towards Miss Ruth's table to pick up the batch of folders. Miss Ruth follows her to the door as she carries the documents out of the office.

"It's quite a surprise to have you visiting Littlewood unannounced, Mr. Jones. You should have at least informed me ahead of time like you usually do so that I could have made preparations earlier...", says Miss Ruth as she closes the door behind her and returns to her table.

"It's alright Ruth. I'm doing this for a change, just to break the monotony. Doing the same old thing for almost a century has gotten unbearably dull."

Noticing some books on the side table, Mr. Jones picks up one titled, "The Wolf and the Fox" and opens it.

"By the way, I heard the kids are being well taken care of and well-fed. That's good. But I also heard that you were reading fairy tales to them and bringing them to hikes and other non-essentials."

"Well, the kids have lost their families and we are the only family they have now. They need to feel a sense of belonging. They need parental care from us. And I strongly believe that they still need to feel a bit of normalcy, one way or the other.", reasons Ruth.

"Thing is, one; our job is just to feed them, not become their foster parents. And two; their lives are in fact, not normal and no amount of fairy tale reading or childish nonsense can change that. Instead, you should prepare them, make them tough for the future that awaits them. You need to be realistic in your approach, Ruth."

Suddenly, a knock on the door.

"Please come in...", says Miss Ruth.

It's Liez and Valerie, bringing in a cart with tea and biscuits on it. Miss Ruth's eyes widen seeing that Liez came along. She never expected her to be there as well. Liez picks up a cup of coffee and some biscuits and serves them to Mr. Jones while Valerie places Miss Ruth's share on her desk.

"Thank you...I never saw you here before. What's your name?", asks Mr. Jones.

"I'm Liza but you can call me Liez."

"Hm...good to meet you Liez.", replies Mr. Jones, his eyes squinting.

"How old are you?"

"I'm turning 18 next month", says Liez.

His mobile phone suddenly rings. Mr. Jones barely notices it as he stares at Liez with utmost curiosity.

With his eyes still fixed on her, he pulls his phone from his pocket and answers it.

Feeling uneasy, Liez tries to avoid Mr. Jones' gaze and shields herself with her hair. Meanwhile, Miss Ruth is anxious for some reason.

Eventually, Mr. Jones looks away and turns to the window, looking outside as he speaks on the phone.

Seeing the opportunity, Miss Ruth nods at Valerie, signaling her and Liez to leave the room. The girls immediately move out, albeit confused by the Matron's unusual demeanor.

Ending his call, Mr. Jones senses ‌the girls have left.

"Valerie and that new kid, Liez. Where are they, Ruth?"

"Sorry, I needed to let them go, they have several things they needed to attend to...", Miss Ruth replies.

Still facing the window, he turns his head towards her. His eyes are suddenly glowing red.

"Attend to? Attend to what?!", scowls Mr. Jones with his voice turning to sound like the growl of a beast.

"T-tasks. They have tasks to attend to here in the orphanage...", shudders Miss Ruth, her eyes downcast avoiding Mr. Jones' intimidating gaze.

"Hm, of course...", Mr. Jones in complete contrast, calmly replies. Clearing his throat, he straightens his tie and impassively returns to his seat.

He takes his coffee from the side table and takes a sip.

"This is good coffee! Not bad!"

Perturbed, Miss Ruth tries to maintain her composure.

"You look pale, Ruth. C'mon, relax.", he comments, almost to the point of chuckling.

Anxious and lost for words, Miss Ruth barely responds.

Taking another quick sip, Mr. Jones stands up and moves towards the door.

"Alright then, I've got to go. I expect all the kids to be completely ready for pickup in two days. And I mean all of them..."

"Yes, Mr. Jones..."

"Good.", says Mr. Jones as he closes the door behind him.

Miss Ruth sits down on her office chair in consternation.

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