ã€ŠShattered Worldsã€‹


 Witching Hour Party Chapter 1

    Veronica stared out the window bouncing on the bed as she said, "Come on, come on. Hurry up!"

    Suddenly, a bat swooped down from the ceiling and landed on her shoulder. She didn''t even glance at it as her eyes were focused on the full moon up in the sky.

    "Veronica, what are you doing?" the bat asked.

    "I want to go to the party already," she said as she finally stopped bouncing on the bed.

    "I don''t think there''s any ritual involving jumping on the bed to make time go faster."

    "Not funny, Echo."

    "I''m just saying you should stop that. It gives me migraines."

    She huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine."

    Now that she stopped jumping on the bed, she started tapping her feet on the floor. Echo swatted her face with one of his wings in response before flying away. Veronica sputtered as she glared after him. The bat settled back on the ceiling and wrapped his wings around his body.

    I''ll get him for that once we reach the mansion.

    A knock on the door distracted her, and she turned her attention to who was on the other side.

    "Veronica, we need to have a talk," a familiar voice said.

    Standing up, Veronica said, "Coming, Mom."

    Veronica swiftly crossed the distance and opened the door. Her mother''s disheveled appearance greeted her, making Veronica''s jaw drop.

    "Veronica, I''m so sorry, but there''s an emergency," her mother said as she frantically urged Veronica to come out of her room.

    She didn''t hesitate to follow her mom to the living room as she asked, "What''s wrong?"

    "Your father was caught up in a traffic accident. I have to go."

    Her eyes widened. "Dad''s hurt? Is he okay?"

    "I don''t know. All I know is that an ambulance arrived to take the injured to the hospital," her mother said.

    Veronica stared horrified.

    She never thought her father would ever get into an accident. Both her parents were responsible drivers. They had never been in an accident before. In fact, Veronica was pretty sure they never had car problems, period.

    As her mother threw on a coat and grabbed her purse, she said, "That''s why I want you to stay here and keep an eye on your sister until the sitter shows up."

    Caught off guard, Veronica blurted out, "What?" She quickly recovered from her shock and asked, "Why am I not going with you?"

    "The situation is not ideal. I don''t want to leave you two alone, but bringing both of you to the hospital isn''t possible."

    "But¡ª"

    "Veronica," her mother snapped as she spun around to face Veronica. "Please. I can''t deal with this right now. I already called the sitter, and she said that she''d come soon. We''re lucky that she was able to come in last minute." Then her mother mumbled, "If only the rest of the family lived close by. Then I wouldn''t have to worry." In a louder voice, she said, "Remember. Keep the doors locked until she shows up. Do not answer the door for anyone else. Stay safe, you two. I love you."

    Then she was out the door. Veronica stared at the closed door in disbelief.

    Just early, she had been excited to sneak out at midnight to go to the witches'' party. It was something she had been dreaming about for months since the last one. Now she was stuck anxiously waiting for the sitter to show up and wait for news about her father.

    Suddenly, there was a sharp cry coming from the baby''s room. Veronica ran, throwing the door open. Her baby sister brawled from in her crib, her tiny arms reaching up the ceiling. Without missing a beat, Veronica marched towards the crib to carefully lift her baby sister and gently rocked her to sleep. Unfortunately, her baby sister didn''t make it easy and wailed into her ears. She grimaced but didn''t stop. Eventually, her baby sister fell silent.

    This is the worst. How could this have happened? I hope Dad is okay.

    Veronica nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard ringing. Her baby sister whimpered.

    "Shh. It''s okay." Her words didn''t seem to have any effect, as she could see tears forming at the corner of her sister''s eyes. "Please don''t cry. If you cry, I''m going to cry."

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    The ringing still hadn''t stopped, and she gritted her teeth as she stormed out of the baby''s room to grab the phone.

    After ripping the phone off the stand, she placed the phone against her ear and snapped, "What?"

    "Veronica, is that you?" asked a familiar voice on the other end.

    It was the sitter.

    "Yeah, it''s me," Veronica said as she adjusted her grip on her baby sister. "When are you getting here?"

    "Actually, about that." Veronica had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I don''t think I''ll be able to come."

    "Why not?" Her baby sister whimpered at her sharp tone, and she took a moment to soothe her baby sister before returning to the conversation. "Mom said you were coming. What happened?"

    "There''s horrible traffic. Apparently, there''s been a terrible accident that''s keeping everyone stuck. I won''t be able to get to the house until a couple hours later."

    A couple hours?

    By then, it would be way after midnight.

    "But my mom already left," she said.

    "Oh no. I''m really sorry, but none of the cars in front of me are moving. I''m literally stuck. Can you call your mom? If not, I''ll call her," the sitter said.

    "I''ll try."

    "I''m really sorry about this. I promise to make it up to you."

    How are you going to make this up?

    She hanged up. After dialing her mother''s number, she waited for her mother to pick up, but it went straight to voicemail. Veronica tried a couple more times only to get the same result. Giving up, she returned the phone back to its stand. Then she collapsed onto the nearby sofa and stared at nothing.

    What now?

    <hr>

    Veronica never expected to end up in such a situation. This was probably the first time she had been left alone, much less solely responsible for her baby sister. She never had to handle her baby sister alone, at least without another adult nearby, to make sure nothing bad happened. Even now, she was worried she might accidentally drop her sister.

    She eyed her baby sister warily, making sure that she was holding her correctly. Her baby sister had the audacity to blow a bubble at her.

    With a grimace, she muttered, "You''re really lucky you don''t understand what''s going on right now."

    What am I supposed to do now? Do I just stay awake and watch my baby sister until Mom and Dad come home? I don''t even know when they''ll be back.

    A familiar ringtone caught her attention, and she stared in the direction of her room. Veronica sighed before getting to her feet and walked to her room to grab her phone. She picked it up and saw it was a text from her friend asking if she was excited to go to the party. Unable to properly text with one hand, she called her friend.

    Her friend immediately picked up and asked, "What''s up? Why did you call?"

    "I can''t come," Veronica said in a dejected tone.

    "Huh?"

    "I can''t come."

    "Why not? Weren''t you the one begging to come to the party even though you''re only twelve? You even managed to get them to waive the rule that you have to be thirteen to join as long as you fulfilled the conditions."

    "My dad got into an accident."

    "Oh, sorry. I guess you''re in the hospital right now."

    "No, my mom said I need to stay home to watch my sister."

    "Wait. You''re home alone?"

    "Yes."

    "Isn''t that illegal? Don''t you have to be thirteen or something?"

    "It''s fourteen. I checked."

    The only reason she knew about this was because she had been researching when she could be left home alone so she could sneak off to meet other witches. As the only witch in the family with her entire family completely in the dark about it, she had to keep it a secret. Witches were not supposed to reveal themselves to humans, and Veronica just happened to be one of the rare witches to be born into a purely human family.

    "So what are you going to do?" her friend asked.

    "I don''t know. The sitter my mom called says she can''t come because of traffic, so I''m stuck alone with my baby sister," Veronica said as she shifted her baby sister.

    "That''s rough. It''s too bad you can''t make it this year. At least you''ll be able to go next year when you''re of age."

    "I know, but I really wanted to go this year. I even got clothes specifically for the party."

    "Well, it''s not like you can leave your baby sister behind. That''s practically asking something bad to happen."

    "I know that. I''m not that dumb or heartless."

    "I''m just saying. Well, I''ve got to go. I need to get ready for the party. See you on Monday."

    Before Veronica could respond, the call was discounted. She glared daggers at the phone, tempted to toss it at the wall. Instead, she dropped it on the bed and nearly threw herself face forward onto the bed. Luckily, she quickly remembered that she was still holding her baby sister and stopped herself from crushing her baby sister beneath her weight. Falling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling where Echo was still perched.

    The bat flew down as he asked, "I heard what happened."

    "It''s not fair," she whined. "I''ve been waiting for so long to go ever since I found out about it."

    "You only found out about it a couple months ago."

    "Exactly."

    "I can''t believe no one thought to tell me for the past two years."

    "You were only ten."

    If Ten was old enough to awaken as a witch, she was old enough to know about the party. They didn''t even have to let her go at ten. She could just have let her know that it was one of the things witches did.

    "Besides, shouldn''t you be more worried about your dad? I mean don''t you think him being in the hospital is more important than a party?" Echo asked as he waved his wings.

    "I''m trying not to think about it," she admitted.

    It was easier not to panic if she didn''t think about it. Talking about the party distracted her from thinking about the horrible things that might have happened to her father.

    "How about watching some TV?" he suggested. "It''ll keep you awake and distracted."

    "I don''t want to watch TV though."

    "I don''t know what else to tell you."

    For several moments, no one spoke. It was quiet except for the noises her baby sister was making. Suddenly, Veronica sat up as she was struck with an idea.

    "I don''t like the look on your face," Echo said as he took into the air and eyed her warily.

    "If I can''t leave my baby sister alone, I can just take her with me to the party," she said as she stood up.

    "...Are you crazy? This is a witches'' party we''re talking about. A human baby isn''t going to be welcomed."

    "I''m sure the others will understand. It''s an emergency. They said I''m allowed to go."

    "I''m pretty sure they allowed it because they didn''t think you would suddenly bring a human baby to the party."

    "Well, it''s better than staying home alone. If I go to the party, there''ll be a bunch of adults around."

    "You''re not going to listen to me anyway. Do whatever you want."

    That was her intention. However, she needed to prepare her baby sister for the trip. There was no way her baby sister would be able to stay warm while they flew through the sky on her broomstick. She would get sick.

    "Where''s the coat?" Veronica mumbled as she set out to dress up her baby sister for the party.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 2

    "It''s done," Veronica declared as she placed her hands on her hips and admired her handiwork.

    Her baby sister stared at her with a clueless expression on her face as she waved her arms at her side.

    It had taken some wrangling¡ªand some hits to the face¡ªbut she had managed to force her baby sister into some warm clothes for their trip to the party. Now Veronica didn''t have to worry about her baby sister catching a cold.

    Echo glanced between the two as he asked, "Are you really sure you want to do this? You can''t take it back once we leave."

    Veronica huffed as she picked her baby sister up. "I already took the time to change her clothes. I''ve already made up my mind."

    Instead of responding back, Echo took to the air and flew circles above them. She ignored him as she swiped her phone and stuffed it into her pocket. Then she walked to her closet to retrieve her broomstick. With her baby sister and broomstick in hand, she headed for the window. She took a moment to shift the broomstick under her armpit so she could open the window. Cold air hit them.

    "Brr. That''s cold," Veronica said before stepping out onto the roof.

    It was a tight squeeze, especially with her baby sister in her arms. For a moment, she thought she got stuck and freaked out. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

    She stared out at the sea of houses before closing the window behind her. Her baby sister gurgled and squirmed. Veronica grimaced, adjusting her grip so she wouldn''t drop her baby sister.

    Luckily, her sister decided to calm down and work with her. Thank goodness for small miracles.

    As she sat on the broomstick, she gripped the handle with one hand while holding her baby sister close to her body with the other. After taking a deep breath, she kicked off of the roof. They flew through the air as she guided the broomstick in the direction of the mansion. Her baby sister babbled excitedly and reached out in front of her. Echo flew by their side, making sure to keep the same pace as them.

    I hope I can still make it.

    The deadline for the party was midnight. If she arrived late, she wouldn''t be allowed to join. Unfortunately, it had taken some time for her to get her baby sister ready. The last time she checked the time, it had been almost eleven. The flight to the mansion was about an hour. It would be cutting it close.

    Veronica pushed her broomstick as fast as she dared without dropping her baby sister. The wind brushed past them as their clothes whipped around. Echo continued to follow, zipping around them. A sudden, strong gust pushed them to one side. Veronica gritted her teeth as she tightened grip on the broomstick and her baby sister. Her baby sister whimpered and squirmed at the sound pressure.

    "Don''t move," Veronica hissed as she righted the broomstick. "It''s hard enough to fly without you squirming."

    Unfortunately, her sister was just a baby and didn''t understand anything Veronica said.

    Her baby sister continued to struggle, making it hard for Veronica to focus on flying. "Cut it out. I mean it." A slap to the face was the last straw. "That''s it. When we get there, you''re getting a timeout."

    "Are you really picking a fight with a baby?" Echo asked as he flew in close.

    "You''re not helping."

    "What do you expect me to do? Just because I''m your familiar doesn''t mean I''ll be able to help. She''ll probably swat me like a fly if I get too close."

    "Just butt out if you''re not going to help."

    Echo took the invitation to fly out of range. Veronica glared at the bat before she was forced to pay attention to her baby sister, who was babbling insistently.

    "Hey, hey. IF you keep moving like that, I''m going to end up dropping you," Veronica said as she had to use both hands to keep herself from losing her grip.

    This meant she could no longer pay attention to where they were going as she grappled with her baby sister.

    "Veronica!" Echo snapped.

    She looked up and screamed. Veronica grabbed the broomstick''s handle and swerved out of the way, nearly avoiding running smack dab into the billboard. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glanced back at it.

    That was way too close for comfort.

    A sharp wail cut through the air. Her baby sister had burst into tears and was waving her tiny arms frantically.

    Rocking her baby sister, she said, "Don''t cry. I''m sorry I shouted. I didn''t mean to scare you."

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Several minutes passed before her baby sister finally calmed down.

    Veronica nearly cried in relief, as it could have turned out much uglier. Her baby sister could cry for hours, and they didn''t have hours to deal with her baby sister''s tantrum.

    Now her baby sister was nodding away. Her baby sister''s eyes struggled to stay open.

    While she was glad that her baby sister had calmed down, she had lost time calming her down. They weren''t going to make it unless she sped things up, but that was impossible without risking dropping her baby sister.

    Just as she thought that there was nothing she could do, she was struck by a sudden idea. She glanced down at her clothes. Veronica used one hand to hold her baby sister while the other undid the belt around her waist. Then she wrapped it around herself and her baby sister before securing it. Her baby sister didn''t resist as they were tied together.

    It was a bit uncomfortable, but with this method, Veronica didn''t have to worry her baby sister would fall off the broomstick. Her baby sister didn''t seem to mind and rested her head against Veronica.

    "Looks like you were lucky to wear a belt," Echo commented.

    She ignored him and continued their journey to the mansion.

    <hr>

    "Finally," Veronica said as soon as she saw the mansion in the distance. "We''re almost there."

    Urging her broomstick to go faster, she sped through the air towards the mansion. When she was a couple yards away, she slowed down and descended. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she got off her broomstick. Her baby sister remained quiet the entire time as Veronica walked the rest of the way to the mansion. Several other witches were ahead of her and turned towards her. The moment they saw her, everything fell silent.

    At the sudden silence, she stopped in her tracks as Echo flew up from behind her and whispered, "I think you''re in trouble.

    Veronica didn''t get a word in as the mansion''s front door slammed open. A powerful force weight heavily on her shoulders, nearly sending her sprawling. She noticed that she wasn''t the only one as the other witches hunched forward or fell to their knees. A very familiar face stormed out of the mansion towards Veronica.

    The witch stopped right in front of Veronica and demanded, "What have you done?" Veronica opened her mouth, but the witch cut her off. "Don''t answer. You know the rules. Humans are not allowed her, no matter how old they are. What possessed you to break this very important rule?" When Veronica remained silent, the witch snapped, "Why are you keeping silent? Speak."

    "...You said not to talk," Veronica said in a small voice.

    "I''m giving you to speak now."

    Unable to meet the witch''s gaze, Veronica glanced at their surroundings. A crowd had formed, and the witches whispered to each other.

    "What''s going on? What''s the commotion?"

    "It''s the new witch."

    "What''s she doing here? Isn''t she like twelve?"

    "I heard she got permission to come."

    "Isn''t that favoritism?"

    "Typical. This is why you don''t bend the rules in the slightest. Give her an inch, and she''ll take a yard."

    Hey! I worked really hard to get permission. Do you know how hard it was to convince them to let me come here for the party? It took months, you know!

    She didn''t dare to voice her thoughts out loud with the host of the party looming over her.

    "You must leave and take the human baby back to where you found it," the witch declared.

    "She''s not an it," Veronica said as she mustered up the courage to meet the witch''s eyes.

    Veronica quickly lost her nerve and looked down at her baby sister, who was slowly waking up.

    "Go," the witch ordered.

    No one dared to speak, not even to gossip. All eyes were on Veronica, waiting to see what she would do. She bit down on her lip, unable to move from her spot, both from stubbornness and fear. Her legs were like a newborn fawn''s threatening to give out if she dared to make a single move. Suddenly, a wail cut through the silence. Veronica welcomed the distraction as she undid the belt and checked on her baby sister.

    At that moment, her friend burst from the crowd and stared at the scene with wide eyes before blurting out, "Veronica, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were staying home."

    "You knew about this, Leta," the witch in front of Veronica said, her tone dangerous.

    Leta frantically shook her head. "No, ma''am. I mean yes?" She took a moment to collect herself before saying, "Veronica called me earlier today to tell me that she needed to watch her baby sister since they were home."

    "And you didn''t think to inform anyone?"

    She blinked owlishly. "Are we supposed to tell in advance we''re coming or if something came up?"

    No one could argue against the innocent question. Attendance wasn''t mandatory¡ªno one could force a witch to do something they didn''t want to even another witch¡ªand none of them needed to notify anyone else about coming to the party, not even the host. It was just an open party for witches ages thirteen and up.

    The air around them abruptly shifted. Veronica glanced around in confusion, wondering what had changed. The witch in front of Veronica sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

    One of the witches stepped forward as she said, "Deville, the time..."

    "I know," Deville said through gritted teeth. Then she turned her gaze to Veronica, who flinched under the intense look. "It seems that you will have to stay."

    Immediately, protests filled the air.

    "You can''t be serious."

    "Humans aren''t allowed here. We need to kick them out."

    "You can''t let her get away with this."

    Deville raised a hand, silencing everyone.

    As she lowered her hand, she said, "Unfortunately, it''s out of our hands now. You must have felt it."

    Felt what? Is she talking about that weird sensation earlier?

    This time there was no screaming or shouting, but Veronica could hear grumbling and mumbling from the crowd.

    "You will be allowed to stay until the party is over, but there will be restrictions," Deville said. "You will be responsible for the human baby the entire time. If anything happens to it or it does anything to affect anyone here, the blame will fall solely onto you. Do you understand?"

    Veronica swallowed. "...I do."

    Deville studied Veronica''s face before turning on her heel and striding back to the mansion without a single word or glance back. The tense atmosphere didn''t completely disappear with her departure as the crowd of witches continued to stand around. For several moments, no one moved. Then many of the witches walked away after staring intensely at Veronica. Others kept their eyes on her the entire time.

    It felt like they wanted to set her on fire with just their eyes¡ªno magic involved.

    She was about to drop to her knees when her friend stormed towards her with a serious expression on her face. Before she could speak, Leta grabbed her arms in a vice grip and stared directly into Veronica''s eyes.

    "What was that all about?" Leta hissed.

    "Oh..." Veronica glanced away as she muttered, "It''s a long story."

    "Tell me."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 3

    "I didn''t think you would come here with the baby," Leta said the moment Veronica finished her story.

    "What else was I supposed to do?" Veronica asked as they slowly made their way to the mansion.

    "I don''t know. Actually, stay at home with the baby?"

    "I mean besides that."

    "I don''t know what else to tell you. I''m not the one with a human baby as a sister."

    "You don''t even have any siblings."

    "Exactly."

    Veronica gave her friend a half-hearted stare because she was right.

    Leta couldn''t understand what Veronica wasn''t going through. She didn''t know what it was like to try to fit in with her human parents and human sister while dealing with her witch identity. With everyone in her family being a witch, Leta never had to deal with a human family member.

    It''s so unfair. Not everyone can have their entire family be only women.

    Unlike Leta, whose family situation didn''t make anyone bat an eye for some reason, the majority of Veronica''s family was male. She had two uncles from her mom''s side and three uncles from her dad''s. Two were married, so she had two aunts, but all her cousins were boys too. Veronica was literally the only girl in the family, if she didn''t count her baby sister.

    The moment the duo stepped into the mansion, Veronica was momentarily stunned by the interior.

    Golden, intricate chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Their glow highlighted the numerous paintings lining the walls, which shone with their golden frames. The chairs and couches that several witches were sitting on had bits of gold lining the material. Even the rugs at their feet shone when the light hit them.

    The place reeked of money with all the expensive and flashy furniture on display.

    Is it really okay for me to come in with my shoes?

    She had never been to such a fancy place before. All the previous times she had met up with the witches had been at normal locations. There had been no fancy mansions or rich people vibes.

    Veronica hesitated to take a step, while her friend had no problem stepping over the shiny rug.

    Seeing Veronica hesitate, Leta waved at her and said, "Come on. What are you standing at the door for?" Veronica still hesitated, and Leta sighed. "What''s wrong? Is it the baby? Is she giving you trouble?"

    Leta''s words were enough to snap Veronica out of it as she glanced down at her baby sister. Said baby sister was calmly looking around with an odd look on her face that Veronica couldn''t decipher.

    Was the baby happy or bored?

    Well, it''s better than her crying, I guess.

    She didn''t want to deal with her baby sister''s crying again so soon after the last fit. Veronica had just calmed her down minutes earlier, and she was pretty sure none of the other witches would appreciate her baby sister throwing a tantrum.

    Veronica reluctantly walked towards her friend, grimacing with each step she took across the expensive rug.

    "So, where will you stay?" Leta asked as they resumed walking.

    Puzzled, Veronica asked, "Stay?"

    "Yeah. Stay." When Leta saw Veronica''s confused look, she said, "You couldn''t have forgotten what we just talked about. You have to find a place to stay until the party is over."

    What is she talking about? I don''t understand.

    "Can''t I just stick with you?" Veronica asked, her mind still mulling over her friend''s odd words.

    Leta stared directly into her eyes and said, "Veronica, you can''t come with me."

    "Wha¡ªwhy not?"

    "Didn''t you say you''d take responsibility and keep an eye on your baby sister?"

    "Yeah, but what''s that got to do with anything?"

    "Everything," Leta said as she waved her arms everywhere. "I want to talk with the other witches and participate in the party, but I can''t do that with your baby sister around."

    "She''ll behavior. I promise," Veronica insisted.

    Her baby sister chose that moment to clap her hands and babble.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Leta sighed. "Veronica, I''m not saying this to be mean, but you know how everyone here feels about humans. Even if she''s a baby, they''re not going to be comfortable with her around. No one''s going to want to talk to me if she''s around."

    Even though Veronica wanted to argue otherwise, she hadn''t missed how no one got within several feet of them. She would have to be willfully blind not to notice. Except for those sitting down, everyone else had made sure to distance themselves from them.

    Whenever the girls got close to any of the witches, they would quickly move away, like they were avoiding the plague.

    "Can''t we just hang out?" Veronica asked desperately.

    Leta''s expression twisted into a mixture of annoyance and guilt. "M-Maybe next time." Then she tore her gaze away so she wouldn''t have to look at Veronica''s broken expression. "Veronica, this is my first party. You know how much of a big deal it is. I really want to experience it. I''m sorry."

    Before Veronica could speak, Leta darted away. Veronica''s outstretched hand hovered in front of her until she reluctantly lowered it. None of the other witches were looking her way as she cradled her baby sister closer to her chest. She could feel the corners of her eyes prickle with unshed tears while her baby sister remained oblivious to Veronica''s troubles.

    "It''s my first party too," Veronica muttered to herself.

    She had been excited about this event just as much as Leta had. In fact, she was certain that she was more excited, as she had pushed to be invited despite not being of age. Now she was stuck at the party where no one wanted to have anything to do with her and had to keep an eye on her baby sister. Even her best friend had ditched Veronica because of her baby sister.

    Unable to take it anymore, she stormed off, hoping to clear her head and think about what she should do.

    <hr>

    Listening to her baby sister''s babbling, Veronica sighed and asked, "Can you stop that?"

    Her baby sister obviously didn''t understand her and continued to wave her tiny arms in front of her, trying to get Veronica''s attention. Instead of giving her baby sister what she wanted, Veronica laid down by her side. Staring desolately at the opposing wall, she found herself feeling resentful for the whole situation.

    It wasn''t her fault that her human parents suddenly dumped her baby sister right before the party. There was no way she could have predicted it would happen. It wasn''t fair that the others were punishing her for it.

    Leta is a traitor. I''m never going to forgive her for ditching me like this.

    Once the party was over, she was going to cut ties with the other girl.

    "There you are," Echo said as he flew into the room and circled above them before landing on Veronica''s arm. "I was wondering where you went."

    Veronica glared at her familiar as she said, "I''m not the one who ditched the other."

    "What are you talking about?"

    She abruptly sat up, sending him flying through the air as she snapped, "You flew off the moment things got serious. You left me to face the other witches by myself."

    Her baby sister whimpered and covered her face with her hands. Veronica went through the motions of reaching out to comfort her, but she was still angry over the fact that Echo had vanished on her while she was being ganged up by the other witches.

    Veronica hadn''t even noticed when he vanished. All she knew was that he had been right behind her up until the host stormed towards her. When she did finally realize he wasn''t with her, she didn''t have any time to spare on him. There were other things she had to deal with, and she couldn''t waste her time or energy on her missing familiar.

    "What did you expect me to do if I stayed?" Echo asked. "There''s nothing I can do against another witch, much less one stronger than you, and with so many other witches lurking around."

    "I don''t know," Veronica said as she violently waved her arms everywhere. "You could have backed me up."

    "They would have swatted me like a fly if I did that."

    "How would you know that?"

    "Well, that''s what you do when you''re unhappy with me." She swung her arm at him, but he easily avoided it and kept his distance. "See? You just proved my point."

    "Then I guess you can find another witch to be your partner if you''re unhappy with me," she snapped.

    With a scowl on her face, she turned her back on her familiar, which in turn meant she turned her back on her baby sister. Veronica could feel something tug at the back of her clothes, but she was in no mood to deal with her baby sister. Her baby sister continued to tug on Veronica''s clothes, which she ignored until she heard the telltale signals for an upcoming tantrum. The moment she heard the sniffles, she turned around to see her baby sister on the verge of tears.

    She groaned before reluctantly picking up her baby sister and saying, "Don''t cry. I should be the one crying."

    As she tried to soothe her baby sister, Echo said, "I told you it wasn''t a good idea to come here. We should just go back."

    "...When exactly did you leave during the conversation?"

    "Honestly, I hightailed out of there as fast as I could. Why?"

    "Then you would have heard that no one can leave until the party is over."

    "Ah."

    Veronica tore her gaze away from her baby sister and snapped, "Is that all you have to say?"

    Echo waved his wings frantically as he asked, "What else is there?"

    She was too upset to form words. Instead, she angrily glared at her baby sister, who seemed confused about what was going on.

    "Veronica, don''t be like this. It''s just a temporary setback. We just have to wait for a couple hours before we go."

    "But I don''t want to go. I want to join the party."

    "Well, that''s not happening with your baby sister around. Unless you can find someone willing to watch her and who is trustworthy, you won''t be able to join the party."

    Veronica''s face darkened. All of a sudden, a lightbulb went off in her head, wiping her previous expression off of her face. She took a moment to consider the idea before going for it.

    "In that case, I want you to watch my baby sister while I go talk with the other witches and join the party," she said without batting an eye.

    Caught off guard, Echo bluntly said, "That doesn''t sound like a good idea."

    "Whose familiar are you?" Veronica demanded.

    "I¡ª"

    "Whose?"

    "...Yours."

    "Exactly. You should be listening to me. If you want to make up for ditching me, you have to do this for me."

    "...Fine." Veronica immediately cheered up. "But you can''t blame me if something goes wrong. I''m just a bat. I can''t do anything against the other witches."

    She waved him off as she said, "They''re not going to try anything with her. None of them even want to be within several feet of her."

    "Wow. They must really hate babies."

    "Human babies."

    Veronica made sure to clarify because she was pretty certain things would have turned out differently. If her baby sister had been a witch like Veronica, the other witches wouldn''t be acting like this. They would probably be unhappy to see a baby at the party before being over the moon over how cute her sister was.

    "Are you really sure you want me to watch over her?" Echo asked as he landed on her baby sister''s head.

    "Yes," Veronica said without hesitation. "Now I''ll leave you with her."

    Shen then hurried away, ignoring her baby sister''s cries and her familiarity to enjoy the time she had left.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 4

    The first thing Veronica did was search for other witches around her age who were not Leta. She still hadn''t forgiven her friend for ditching her. There was just no way Veronica was going to talk to a traitor like her. She was so sure she could find other witches who would want to be her friend.

    What was there not to like about her?

    Unfortunately, reality seemed to think otherwise.

    Why is there no one my age here?

    Veronica wanted to tear her hair out when she saw another group of witches, who were clearly adults, in the distance.

    So far, she had yet to encounter anyone who wasn''t a grown up in this giant mansion. It was like the other kids were purposely avoiding her, but that couldn''t be true. Veronica wasn''t carrying her baby sister with her this time. They had no reason to avoid her since her baby sister wasn''t getting in the way.

    Besides, how would they know she was coming?

    She could have been another witch roaming the halls. Unless she was somehow giving off some kind of vibe that let them know in advance to steer clear, it didn''t make any sense.

    Ignoring the looks the group was throwing her way, Veronica took a detour to avoid them. She walked down the hall, lost in her thoughts.

    The whole situation left her with a bad taste in her mouth. This party was supposed to be fun and exciting. She and Leta were supposed to hang out and do stuff together, having the time of their lives.

    What kind of stuff were they supposed to do?

    Well, she wasn''t quite sure. It wasn''t like the other witches had advertised what went on at these parties. She only knew the bare minimum.

    Something caught Veronica''s eye, and she studied her surroundings, temporarily distracted from her plight. Her eyes shone as she marveled at the sights, wondering how much was bought with money and how much was made with magic.

    If they were made with magic, would I be able to do it too?

    Veronica reached out to touch one of the hanging lights when she heard a loud crash. She jumped, her head swerving around. There was nothing in sight, but that didn''t stop her heart from pounding in her chest or her tightening her grip on her broom. After several long moments, she continued down the hall while keeping her eyes open. At the end of the path, she turned the corner and froze at the sight of broken glass strung across the floor.

    "What happened here?" she muttered as she glanced towards the broken window.

    She hadn''t seen anyone or anything coming towards her from this direction. If she had, she would have immediately turned back. That could only mean one thing. Whoever or whatever was responsible for breaking the glass had gone in a different direction. Well, it wasn''t really any of her business. She wasn''t the one to break the window, and this wasn''t her home.

    As soon as she thought that, she glanced around to see if there was anyone else around.

    Like before, she didn''t see anyone, which was a huge relief. Veronica didn''t want anyone to mistakenly think she was the one responsible for the broken window. It was already bad enough that no one wanted anything to do with her. She didn''t want to give them more reasons to shun her.

    Using her broom to brush the glass out of the way so she wouldn''t step on any of it, she felt something prickle in the back of her mind.

    It was only after she finished sweeping that she realized what was bugging her. In the movies, whenever a glass window was broken, the glass always ended up on the opposite side.

    Veronica stared down at the glass she had swept up before slowly turning her head towards the window.

    Doesn''t that mean that someone broke into the mansion?

    She tried to shake those thoughts out of her head because of how silly they sounded. It was simply impossible. Since the party started, no one could come in or get out of this place. That''s the only reason why she hadn''t been sent home, even though the other witches wanted her gone. The only people around were witches, except for her human baby sister.

    Speaking of her baby sister, Veronica glanced in the direction she came from before shaking her head.

    The movies must have been wrong. Maybe someone broke the window by accident¡ªa spell gone haywire?¡ªand ran off because they were scared of getting into trouble. Well, she wasn''t going to stick around either. She wasn''t going to take the fall for someone else.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Marching past the glass shards, she focused on finding the other kids. However, her mind kept wandering back to the broken window.

    What if it wasn''t an accident? Why would anyone want to break the window?

    If someone was trying to get in, they could have just gone through the front door. No one was stopping them from coming in. They were all witches.

    Everything about the situation made her skin crawl, and she hurried down the hall to find anyone. Veronica turned another corner, crashed into something, and was sent sprawling to the ground.

    "Ouch!"

    As she rubbed her forehead, she looked up to see what she had bumped into.

    The girl in front of her scowled as she demanded, "Watch where you''re going. This isn''t some zoo where you can run wild like an animal."

    Bristling at the girl''s words, she quickly stood up and said, "You don''t have to be so rude. It''s not like I pushed you to the ground."

    "How rude. Were you raised by beasts? You haven''t even apologized for running into me."

    "I was going to, but now I''m not."

    The girl clicked her tongue. "Typical, but I suppose I shouldn''t expect much from someone living among humans. If it were me, I would rather die than have a human family."

    <hr>

    Die?

    Veronica was instantly assaulted with thoughts of her father''s accident and possible death.

    "Ow!"

    She stared at the girl, who had stumbled back and was glaring right back at her.

    What just happened?

    Staring down at her outstretched hands, Veronica realized she had just dropped her broomstick and shoved the other girl. Suddenly, the other girl rushed at her and pushed her back. Veronica stumbled, tripping over her broomstick and falling to the ground.

    "If you do that again, I''m going to do more than push you to the ground," the girl snarled.

    Veronica gnashed her teeth together. "At least I don''t look like an idiot. Who wears their hair like drills?"

    The girl gasped as she touched one of her drill pigtails. "How dare you! You wouldn''t know anything about fashion, even if it hit you in the face. Look at you. You''re a joke."

    Scrambling to her feet, Veronica was prepared to chew the girl out when there was a loud crash. The two girls instantly flinched and looked in the direction the sound had come from. For several minutes, neither of them said a word.

    The first to break the silence was the other girl. "What was that?"

    "I don''t know," Veronica said, picking her broomstick off the ground.

    "I wasn''t talking to you."

    She threw a glare at the girl who ignored Veronica and marched towards where the sound had come from.

    Veronica''s eyes widened in surprise as she asked, "Where are you going?"

    The girl stopped for a moment to flick her hair. "What do you think? I''m obviously going to investigate." At the look on Veronica''s face, the girl scoffed. "Of course you''re a coward too. Run away and let a real witch handle things."

    As the girl walked away, she laughed mockingly. Veronica burned holes into the girl''s back, but she didn''t dare follow after her.

    Who would walk toward the crash?

    If anything, they should run away and find an adult. It would be one thing if they were humans, but they were all witches. A crash could mean anything from someone dropping a vase to someone accidentally unleashing a demon or something.

    She looked back and considered going back the way she came.

    Then she remembered the broken glass window. Perhaps it wasn''t a good idea to go back. However, she didn''t have many options. She could either follow the rude girl from before and head towards the noise or walk back the way she came and possibly get accused of being the one to break the window.

    Which was worse?

    Well, on one hand, there was no guarantee she would bump into someone who would instantly think she broke the window. On the other hand, if there was trouble, she could use the rude girl as a decoy or shield.

    After some careful thought, she hesitantly followed after the girl.

    I don''t like her, but she''s like the only other kid I''ve met so far. She might know where the other kids are. It''s better than roaming around this huge mansion trying to find them.

    Veronica jerked to a stop and stared with wide eyes at the scene in front of her. The girl from before was being cornered by some kind of skinny creature with a skull for a head and antlers.

    "Get back," the girl ordered as she waved her wand at the creature.

    A ball of flames launched itself at the creature, but it easily batted it away like it was nothing. Then it shrieked before lunging at the girl. She dove out of the way as the creature crashed into the wall, sending pieces of rubble everywhere. Veronica instinctively closed her eyes and turned her head away while holding up her broomstick like a makeshift shield.

    Where is everyone? How is no one hearing any of this?

    She couldn''t understand how none of the witches had shown up to investigate what was going on. The creature wasn''t even trying to be quiet.

    It pulled itself free from the wall, shaking its head. Then its eyeless sockets locked onto Veronica, who froze like a deer in headlights. Just as the creature opened its jaws, a ball of flames slammed into its face, cutting it off in mid-scream. Veronica looked away from the creature to see the girl from earlier pointing her wand at the creature.

    "What are you standing around for?" the girl snapped. "Get away from there."

    The girl didn''t need to tell Veronica twice. She bolted towards the girl, and the duo hurried away from the scene. While the girl willingly checked over her shoulders to see if the creature was following them, Veronica didn''t dare to look behind her.

    If she did, she was afraid she would freeze up and trip over her feet.

    After what seemed like forever, the duo finally stopped running to catch their breath. Veronica leaned against the wall for support as she looked back down the hall.

    The creature was nowhere to be seen.

    "What was that?" Veronica muttered to herself in between pants.

    The girl huffed. "Are you joking? Don''t you know what a wendigo is?" When Veronica remained silent, the girl made a disgusted sound. "Of course you don''t. I don''t know why I bothered asking."

    It''s not like I know everything. I only have two years of experience.

    However, instead of bringing this up and arguing with the girl, she asked, "What''s it doing in the mansion? Did one of the witches bring it?"

    "Obviously not," the girl snapped. "You saw how dangerous it was. No one would think to bring a wendigo to the party. The party is supposed to have a right of passage, not the time to do dangerous work."

    "Rite of passage?"

    "Ugh. Don''t talk to me. I feel like I''m losing brain cells talking to you."

    Rude.

    "Will we be safe?" Veronica asked as she kept glancing in the direction of the wendigo.

    Before the girl could answer, a loud crash caught their attention.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 5

    Veronica was one step away from sprinting for her life. She was honestly impressed that she hadn''t done so already. Well, that could be the fear keeping her from running.

    That''s when she noticed the girl was already marching away.

    "W-wait," Veronica said as she followed after.

    "Don''t follow me," the girl said, waving Veronica away.

    "What else am I supposed to do?"

    "Go anywhere else."

    She glanced around before staring blankly at the back of the girl''s head and dryly asking, "Where?"

    Unlike some parts of the mansion, there was only one path. Actually, it had been a while since she last saw forks in the road, but the point was that she could only go forward or backward. There was literally nowhere else for Veronica to go unless she wanted to walk right back to the wendigo.

    Of course, the girl chose to ignore her and continued to walk.

    Fine. I don''t want to talk to you either.

    As Veronica followed the girl, she wished that her familiar was there.

    If Echo was there, she could easily send him off to find some adult witches to deal with the wendigo instead of having to go looking for one. Unfortunately, he was babysitting her baby sister for her.

    The moment she thought of her baby sister, the blood in her veins went cold.

    What if the wendigo stumbled upon her baby sister?

    Veronica and the other girl were already no match for the creature.

    How could a baby hope to survive against it?

    No, don''t think about it like that. I''m sure that the wendigo won''t find her. It''s currently chasing after us...which isn''t a good thing either.

    She glanced behind her to see if the wendigo had caught up, but there were still no signs of the creature, which was odd.

    The path had been straight the entire time. There was no way she could miss spotting the creature coming after them. The only way that was possible was if the creature could somehow go through the walls or something along those lines.

    Feeling uneasy, she asked, "What abilities does a wendigo have?" The girl remained silent. "What can a wendigo do?" There was still no response. "Hello?"

    "I said don''t bother me," the girl snapped.

    "I''m being serious here. I don''t see the wendigo. Can it use magic like us?"

    The girl immediately stopped in her tracks, and Veronica crashed into her back.

    As she stumbled back, the girl spun around with a serious expression on her face. "No, they don''t. That''s ridiculous."

    "Then where did it go?" Veronica asked, waving her hand behind them.

    The girl took a moment to glance behind them and frown. Suddenly, she grabbed one of Veronica''s hands and ran. Caught off guard, Veronica stumbled but managed to stay on her feet as they hurried down the hall.

    "Slow down. I can''t keep up," Veronica said.

    "Unless you want to be eaten by a wendigo, be my guest," the girl said.

    Veronica wisely kept her mouth shut.

    She tightened her grip on the girl''s hand, afraid it would slip from her grasp and be left behind. Looking over her shoulder, Veronica couldn''t see what made the girl decide to run again.

    Did she see the wendigo? I don''t see it.

    "Hey," Veronica started.

    "I have a name," the girl snapped back.

    "Well, you never introduced yourself."

    "I''m Maura Diablo, your superior. I expect you to give me a proper greeting after this."

    There were a lot of things Veronica wanted to comment on about the girl''s name, but she decided not to annoy the girl who was currently helping her out.

    When Veronica finally saw a fork in the path, she thought she was going to cry. Maura turned the corner, pulling Veronica along with her. They walked some more, and just as Veronica was wondering how much longer before they found someone¡ªshe swore that it was impossible to find anyone in that place¡ªthey spotted a group of witches.

    Adult witches, in fact.

    Maura immediately hailed them, shouting, "Wendigo."

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    The witches instantly converged on them, surrounding them, with most of them facing the direction they came from.

    One of the witches inspected them for injuries as she said, "Explain."

    "I saw a wendigo and was able to fight it off before running," Maura said.

    "You did good. Leave it to us."

    Veronica didn''t miss how the witch hadn''t even looked her way outside of making sure she wasn''t hurt. She hadn''t even bothered to hear what Veronica had to say. It kind of hurt that she was ignoring Veronica, but she chose to believe it on purpose. The witch was just worried about the wendigo, and Maura had basically told them the gist of it.

    A loud roar drew everyone''s attention as the wendigo finally appeared in front of them. Literally.

    One moment, there was nothing there. The next day, the wendigo was standing before them in its twelve-foot glory. Veronica hadn''t even seen where it had come from. It was almost like it had appeared out of thin air.

    Spells filled the air as the witches attacked the creature. Veronica couldn''t bear to watch¡ªshe had never used magic to hurt another living being before¡ªand stared resolutely at the ground. She could hear the wendigo scream in pain and outrage. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see flashes of color from the spells as she waited for the other witches to finish dealing with the creature. When it finally quieted down, she dared to take a peek.

    There was no sign of the wendigo.

    She saw traces of the battle covering the floor, but the creature was nowhere in sight. Looking at the grim expressions on the other witches'' faces, she could guess what could have happened.

    "We need to inform the others that there''s a wendigo on the loose," one of the witches said.

    "Unbelievable. How did a wendigo get in here?"

    "This has never happened before. This has to be a sign."

    "A sign for what?"

    Suddenly, everyone''s eyes were on Veronica, leaving her feeling sick to her stomach.

    <hr>

    Veronica could instantly tell what everyone was thinking without any of them having to say a single word. They were all blaming her for the appearance of the wendigo.

    Why else would they be looking at her with that kind of look in their eyes?

    She wanted to say it wasn''t her fault, but the words were stuck in her throat. The weight of their stares made it impossible for her to talk, and she averted her gaze, hoping they would stop looking at her like that.

    Suddenly, Maura cleared her throat. "We should find Deville and tell her what happened right away."

    There was instantly a chorus of agreements from the other witches as well as praise for Maura''s quick thinking.

    It took Veronica a couple of minutes to recall who Deville was. Of course, they should tell the host what was happening in her own home. It wasn''t rocket science, and Maura didn''t deserve to be praised for bringing it up. However, Veronica didn''t say anything so as not to draw any attention to her.

    Instead, she quietly followed the group as they hurried to track down the host. For a moment, she swore that she saw Maura glance her way with a strange expression on her face, but in a blink of an eye, Maura was staring straight ahead. Veronica couldn''t be sure if she was just imagining things and kept her mouth shut as she continued to run.

    It didn''t take long for them to find Deville.

    As soon as Deville saw them, her expression hardened as she demanded, "What''s going on?"

    "There''s been a situation," one of the adult witches said before going into detail about what happened.

    Veronica took this moment to scan the crowd of witches behind Deville and spot Leta. Leta seemed to notice her stare and looked in Veronica''s direction. Their eyes met, and neither of them said a word. Then Leta abruptly broke away from her group to march towards Veronica. Caught like a deer in headlights, Veronica stared with wide eyes as Leta pushed her way into Veronica''s personal space.

    "Veronica, what are you doing here? Where''s your baby sister?" Leta asked.

    She backed away, but Leta simply followed after her, refusing to give Veronica any space.

    Gnashing her teeth together, Veronica countered, "Why does it matter to you?"

    Leta gave Veronica a bewildered look. "What does it matter? This is your baby sister we''re talking about. Shouldn''t you be more worried about her?"

    "I have nothing to say to you."

    "Seriously, Veronica. Where''s the baby?"

    Their conversation was cut short when Deville suddenly announced, "Everyone, gather around."

    None of the other witches hesitated to rush forward to get closer to Deville. Leta glanced at Veronica, who ignored the look Leta was giving her. Without saying another word, Leta left Veronica''s side to get closer to Deville. Veronica remained rooted in her spot, watching the other witches form an encirclement around Deville.

    "We have an emergency on our hands. While I don''t know the cause of it, we must handle it now before it gets completely out of hand." Deville scanned the crowd, her eyes not stopping on a single person longer than a moment, including Veronica. "We will split up into several groups. There are two important tasks we need to carry out. One is to investigate the mansion for any intruders. The other is to round up the other witches spread out throughout the mansion. No one should travel alone."

    At the end of her speech, the gathered witches rushed to form groups. Veronica continued to watch from the sidelines, wondering if she should join either of the two groups or stay out of it.

    Deville said no one should travel alone, but would anyone let her come along?

    Well, Veronica didn''t think so.

    Witches were already leaving to carry out their tasks, thinning the group until almost everyone was gone. There were a few stragglers hanging around, but no one dared to get close to her.

    They were treating her like she was the plague. Even though she expected this, it still hurt to be treated like that.

    Suddenly, Deville strutted towards Veronica and towered over her with an expressionless face. Unsure what to do, Veronica stared right back at the woman clutching her broomstick close to her chest.

    "Well? What are you waiting for?" When Veronica remained silent, Deville continued, "Come with me. You''ll be part of my group."

    Huh? She wants me to be part of her group? Wasn''t she the one demanding I leave earlier?

    "Don''t stand there in a daze," Deville barked. "Follow me unless you want to be left behind."

    Veronica flinched. She stared at Deville''s retreating back before checking the other witches'' reactions. They were staring at her with various expressions, which pushed Veronica to quickly chase after Deville just so she could avoid the looks. Deville didn''t say a word as their small group¡ªit was just her, Deville, and Leta, who had attached herself to them¡ªwalked down the halls searching for intruders and other witches.

    She didn''t know why Leta chose to come with them, but she wasn''t in the mood to talk with her.

    Fortunately, Leta didn''t say a single word as the group traveled in silence. The only sound was their footsteps echoing in the long hall as they observed their surroundings.

    There were no signs of anything out of the ordinary, nor did they spot any other witches.

    Maybe that wendigo was a one-time thing. I really hope it is.

    The thought of encountering another wendigo or facing some other kind of creature left her shaking in her boots. It was a good thing that she was Deville since she could be counted on to protect them if something dangerous showed up.

    After traveling for some time, they finally encountered a trio of witches who looked around Leta and Veronica''s age. Deville hailed them, and the kids waved back. When she signaled for them to come over, the trio shared a glance before hurrying over to them with a puzzled expression on their faces. The trio was just a few feet away from them when the ground shook.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 6

    Everyone except for Deville stumbled.

    Leta asked what was on everyone''s mind. "What''s that?"

    The three witches the group found regained their footing and hurried over to them just as one of the walls exploded. This time the trio was blown off their feet and thrown across the ground¡ªor at least they would have if a pink substance hadn''t formed beneath them to catch them. They bounced up and down as Deville rushed to stand in front of them. Veronica and Leta scrambled to their feet and watched anxiously as something appeared through the smoke.

    "Stay behind me, kids," Deville said as she raised her wand.

    A creature that looked like a mix of a bull and a man stepped forward, wielding a giant axe. All the girls quivered at the sight of the towering figure.

    What was that thing?

    As if hearing the unspoken question, Deville muttered, "A minotaur." Then, in a louder voice, she said, "I don''t know how you got here, but I''m not going to allow you to hurt these children."

    The minotaur roared before charging at them. Deville summoned a shield to block its ax as a loud clang rang in the hallway. She quickly followed up by summoning golden chains to wrap around the minotaur''s body. It roared as it tugged at them, but the chains held fast, preventing the minotaur from moving. Seeing how quickly Deville handled the creature, everyone stared at her in awe.

    Deville turned around and asked, "Is everyone alright?" They nodded. "Good."

    Before she could say another word, the minotaur roared again. Deville silenced it by wrapping chains around its snout, effectively silencing it. The minotaur continued to struggle against the chains as Deville returned her attention back to the kids.

    "I want everyone who doesn''t have their wands out to have them ready," she ordered.

    Everyone, except Veronica, obeyed her orders. All eyes turned to her as she refused to face anyone.

    "Veronica, where''s your wand?" Veronica mumbled something unintelligibly, and Deville narrowed her eyes. "Where. Is. Your. Wand?"

    "I...I don''t have it," Veronica finally admitted as she fiddled with her broomstick.

    "Why don''t you have your wand?" one of the new girls demanded. "No witch would ever leave it behind."

    "How about you mind your own business?" Veronica snapped, glaring at the girl who returned her look.

    "Enough." Deville''s no-nonsense voice silenced them. She studied the group before her eyes settled on Veronica. "I can see you have your broomstick. You''ll have to make do with it."

    Everyone grimaced at the declaration.

    While it was true that a broomstick was an alternative to a wand¡ªthere was a reason why every witch had one besides using it to travel¡ªit was mostly used as a last resort. Unfortunately, Veronica didn''t really have a choice since she didn''t have a wand with her.

    The trio of witches threw her a dirty look before looking to Deville for guidance. Leta, on the other hand, was giving Veronica a worried look, which she ignored.

    There was no way Veronica was going to admit why she didn''t have her wand with her. It was completely embarrassing. Only two people knew the reason, including herself, and she refused to let anyone else find out.

    How could she possibly tell anyone she never got a wand?

    Having a wand is one of the five basic things a witch has to have. If anyone were to find out I didn''t have it, they would wonder if I''m really a witch.

    Her mind instantly jumped to Echo and her baby sister.

    Were they okay?

    If she had known this would have happened, she wouldn''t have brought her baby sister along. In fact, Veronica would have never come and stayed at home, where it was safe.

    Why was it, out of all witch parties, that this one turned into a giant mess?

    It was almost like it was Veronica''s presence that caused this, like that one witch said.

    Was...was she the problem?

    "Stay close to me," Deville said, snapping Veronica out of her thoughts. "I''ll do my best to protect you, but I expect all of you to be able to at least put up a fight against anything we might face."

    A tense silence settled on the group.

    Then the same girl who had snapped at Veronica earlier asked, "But what could possibly get past you?"

    Deville stared coolly at the girl as she said, "Nissa, how many years have you been a witch? You should know that nothing is certain except death."

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Seriously cowed, the girl curled in on herself and refused to raise her head.

    Veronica was pleased to see her get put in her place. Served her right. She was clearly one of those arrogant and snobbish girls, just like Maura. Well, Maura wasn''t too bad.

    Without saying a word, Deville marched past the minotaur, clearly expecting all of them to follow. None of them hesitated to run after her, afraid to be left behind. As they walked past the minotaur, they glanced at the tied-up creature that was glaring at them. It suddenly flexed its large muscles, rattling the chains. One of the girls squeaked and tripped over her feet. She swiftly got back on her feet and scurried away.

    Is it really okay to leave it alone? What if it gets out and comes after us?

    Of course, she wasn''t doubting Deville. She was a powerful witch, but leaving the minotaur there left a bad taste in Veronica''s mouth. It was just as Deville said. Nothing was certain except death, which meant anything could happen.

    She clutched her broomstick close to her chest.

    Her action didn''t go unnoticed as Leta asked, "Veronica, are you okay?"

    Looking away from the minotaur, Veronica said, "I''m fine."

    Then she remembered she was supposed to be angry at Leta and turned her head away.

    It seemed that she wasn''t the only one worried about the minotaur, as another girl asked, "Ms. Deville, why didn''t you get rid of the minotaur?"

    Deville paused for a moment to look over her shoulder. "What makes you think I haven''t?" Everyone blinked before glancing back at where they left the minotaur, but they were stopped by the sound of a clap. "I suggest you don''t look. It''s not something for children to see. I don''t want to sully your eyes with a gruesome sight."

    <hr>

    After hearing those grim words, no one dared to look.

    "If that''s all, we need to move," Deville said.

    Since no one protested, the group continued to move forward. All of them kept an eye on their surroundings with their wands¡ªand broomstick¡ªat the ready. At the slightest sound, the girls instantly snapped their heads at the noise. Only Deville remained unmoved, moving at the same pace she had set.

    Veronica wished she could be just as fearless.

    Would she be like Deville when she got old?

    Suddenly, Deville raised a hand to signal everyone to stop. They immediately froze in their tracks and stared in the direction Deville was looking at. None of them could see anything out of the ordinary, but none of them believed for a second that it was safe. After a couple moments, something dropped down from the ceiling. One of the girls whimpered as more continued to fall.

    "Is that a slime?" Nissa muttered.

    A slime?

    Turning her head to one side and squinting at it, Veronica guessed it was.

    She couldn''t say for sure, but she couldn''t think of many creatures that could fall from the ceiling in clumps and form together again. Then again, she didn''t know many to begin with. Veronica hadn''t spent a lot of time studying them.

    "Here it comes. Prepare yourselves. I will observe from the sidelines," Deville said as she stepped aside.

    Everyone''s heads snapped in her direction. Before any of them could say a word to her, the slime rapidly approached them. Turning their attention back to the slime, they prepared themselves for a fight. Nissa fired a spell, freezing the slime. Her smug smile dropped when the slime broke free of the ice and continued heading for them. Another girl grimaced as she hit it with a ball of flames. This time it got a reaction as the slime screamed.

    Why does everything we meet scream?

    Veronica hadn''t even known that slimes could make a sound. It was, well, slime.

    "Take this," a different girl said as she struck it with lightning.

    The slime stopped moving. Leta followed up with a gust of wind to gather up the slime in one spot. Then everyone turned their gaze to Deville, who calmly watched the scene without batting an eye.

    "Not bad. You all did well when suddenly thrown into a fight," Deville said.

    Her words cheered the witches up, except for Veronica, who tightened her grip on her broomstick.

    She had been the only one not to do anything. Veronica wanted to blame it on them being too fast for her to make a move¡ªcasting magic with a broomstick couldn''t compare to casting with a wand¡ªbut it was honestly because she froze up again. Even with all the other witches with her, she couldn''t act. No, that wasn''t it. It was because there were so many witches around that she left it to them to handle the slime.

    That''s when she noticed Deville staring straight at her. The others followed her gaze and looked at Veronica. For a moment, no one said anything.

    Nissa huffed, crossing her arms as she snidely said, "Of course not everyone contributed."

    "Nissa." Deville''s warning tone made Nissa lower her arms and stare resolutely at the ground. "You are four years her senior, and that is if we go by your age."

    Four years? Wouldn''t that make her sixteen? I didn''t realize she was that old.

    Veronica had noticed the trio were bigger than her, but she just thought they were bigger than average.

    "Veronica." Veronica flinched as Deville stared right into her soul. "You need to be quicker on the draw. Since you''re at a disadvantage, you need to be faster. If you were alone, you wouldn''t be able to properly react in time."

    "I understand," Veronica said in a small voice.

    "There is also something I want to address that I haven''t before."

    When Deville didn''t say anything else right away, Veronica stared at her curiously. The other girls did the same and waited for Deville to speak. Deville sighed.

    "We can discuss this later," she said as she spun on her heel and marched towards the defeated slime.

    Everyone else shared a confused look¡ªalong with suspicion from the other girls except Leta¡ªbefore following after Deville. Deville summoned a small glass bottle. Then she pointed at the slime, which suddenly flew through the air into the bottle. Despite the slime''s large size, it somehow managed to fit inside. She placed the stopper and slipped it into her pocket.

    "Are you going to use it for some experiments?" one of the other girls asked.

    "You''re somewhat right, Aspen. It would be a waste to throw it away such a valuable specimen. This is actually for you four for defeating the slime," Deville said.

    Those who contributed to defeating the slime shared gleeful smiles as Veronica watched on with a blank expression.

    Well, Veronica couldn''t say she was jealous. She wouldn''t want to touch the slime with a 10-foot pole, much less touch it with her hands, even if she wore gloves. It was gross. Okay, maybe she was a bit jealous.

    She wasn''t the slightest bit interested in the slime, but seeing how they were praised and rewarded made her bite down on her lips, drawing blood.

    If she had tried to help, would she also be praised and rewarded?

    Even though Nissa had messed up, she still got praised and rewarded.

    Leta glanced back at Veronica. Her bright expression faltered. Just as Leta opened her mouth, Deville clapped her hands to draw everyone''s attention. Leta shot Veronica one more worried glance before facing Deville.

    "We will be changing things from now on." Everyone shared a nervous glance as Deville continued, "Every time we encounter a threat, I will determine whether or not you will be able to handle it. If I determine it''s within your capabilities, I will step aside and monitor you. I will only step in if I think your lives are in danger. I do hope you will all impress me."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 7

    That''s easier said than done!

    Veronica swallowed a scream as she avoided the giant tree monster''s swinging arm. Its arm crashed into the wall, sending pieces of rubble everywhere. She flinched as some of them bounced off of her too small to actually do her any harm. At that moment, Leta appeared between her and the monster and threw small balls of flames at it. It roared in pain as the flames found their target and it stumbled back while waving its arms around to extinguish the flames.

    "Not so fast," Nissa declared as she stepped forward and launched a torrent of flames.

    The other witches were quick to join in, and the giant tree was reduced to cinders under the unrelenting flames. Veronica stared at the ashes while the others were complimented by Deville.

    I messed up again.

    Even though the giant tree monster had crossed paths with them by chance, no one else had panicked like she did. She had tried to take the lead to prove herself, but when the time came to show what she was capable of, she turned tail and ran. It was humiliating. Veronica was sure that they were laughing behind her back, mocking her inability to do anything.

    She could feel tears of frustration welling up in the corners of her eyes and tightened her grip on her broomstick.

    "Hey," Nissa called out to her.

    Veronica warily said, "Yes?"

    "Why don''t you sweep up the ashes with your broomstick? It''s the least you can do to help out."

    "Nissa," Deville snapped.

    Nissa immediately lost her smug expression and glanced away with a scowl on her face. Veronica couldn''t bring herself to be happy about it as Deville turned her attention to Veronica.

    "Veronica, I want you to cast a spell. I want to see how proficient you are using your broomstick," Deville said as she signaled with her head towards the large pile of ashes.

    Seeing this as her chance to redeem herself, Veronica pointed the end of her broomstick at the pile of ashes. After a few minutes, she was able to lift the pile of ashes into the air with a gust of wind. Before she could feel smug about performing the spell, she realized she hadn''t thought about what to do with the ashes afterwards and frantically thought of another spell to use. However, Leta acted first and summoned one of the tapestries to be used to wrap up the ashes.

    Deville nodded. "Very good." Looking at Veronica, she said, "Even though your spellcasting is slow, it''s expected since you''re using a broomstick. Unfortunately, you don''t seem to know a lot of spells, which is also expected given your experience. It appears that your mentor only taught you the very basics, and you haven''t fully mastered them yet."

    She can tell just by watching me cast one spell?

    It seemed impossible, but the older witch somehow managed to figure out everything. She was right that Veronica hadn''t learned many spells other than the basics because she struggled to use them properly. Veronica blamed it on the fact that she didn''t have a wand and had to rely on her broomstick to cast. Once she got her hands on a wand, she was sure that would change. Until then, she was stuck with the basics.

    "Unfortunately, I can only say you need to practice more to get a better feel for the spells." As Veronica nodded, Deville turned her attention to Leta. "As for you, Leta, you did well to support her when you noticed she was in trouble. Being mindful of your surroundings and helping out your allies is important."

    As Leta beamed at the praise and handed over the wrapped ashes to Deville, Veronica wilted.

    While Deville hadn''t outright said it, Veronica knew that she was basically saying that Veronica screwed up and needed Leta to fix her mistakes. If Leta hadn''t intervened, the ashes would have scattered, wasting everyone''s efforts. Even though she had no clue what the monster was and what the ashes could be used for, she was certain that it was also another valuable ingredient that witches can use.

    "This shall be split between the five of you once everything is over," Deville said, causing everyone to look at her with wide eyes.

    "Ms. Deville, d-did you say five?" one of the other girls sputtered.

    "That''s correct. All five of you contributed."

    Nissa''s hand shot up. "Excuse me, but how did she contribute?" she asked, pointing a finger in Veronica''s direction. "She didn''t do anything to defeat the treant."

    Treant? Is that what the thing is called?

    Deville raised an eyebrow as she asked, "What exactly are you saying? Of course she contributed."

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Veronica was sure that everyone was thinking the same thing.

    What had Veronica done other than run away from the treant and nearly blow away its ashes?

    Before anyone could voice this question, Deville continued, "Not only did she act as a distraction, keeping the treant''s attention on her so the rest of you can make a move, she did help gather the ashes like you suggested, Nissa."

    Nissa sputtered, unable to form words, while Veronica''s jaw dropped slightly.

    Was that how Deville saw it?

    She hadn''t tried to act as a distraction. Veronica had only been trying to save herself from the treant, and they all saw how she nearly messed up collecting the ashes. Besides, she wouldn''t have done anything if it weren''t for Deville asking her to do something.

    "Now, if you''re done complaining, I suggest we keep moving," Deville said, her tone hinting that this wasn''t up for discussion.

    Nissa and her group threw dirty looks in Veronica''s direction before taking the lead this time. Veronica stared as they walked away before she noticed Leta staring at her.

    What does she want? Does she want me to thank her for helping me out?

    After glancing between Leta and Deville, Veronica looked away and forced out, "Thanks."

    Leta smiled. "It''s what friends are for."

    <hr>

    Veronica felt an unpleasant twinge in her chest. Instead of replying, she hurried after the trio, leaving Leta and Deville to take up the back.

    The group encountered several more creatures and handled them without needing Deville to step in. Even though Veronica barely got involved in these encounters, she did manage to get a hit or two, so she wasn''t completely useless. Of course Nissa didn''t fail to point out that Veronica barely did anything, but Deville was quick to shut her down so the other girl could only mock her when she was sure that Deville wasn''t listening, which was easier said than done.

    "We''ll take a break here," Deville declared, causing the group to stop.

    After studying their surroundings, one of the girls timidly asked, "Here?"

    "You have done well, but you need rest so you can recover your energy. You''ve already fought several creatures on your own without my help, which is something praiseworthy."

    Everyone perked up. Well, everyone except Veronica who fidgeted.

    She couldn''t feel happy when she was too worried about her baby sister and familiar. They had been traveling for a while now and hadn''t found them. Veronica couldn''t remember where they were supposed to be, and she hadn''t been able to bring the topic up to everyone there. She was sure that the trio wouldn''t care about what happened to her baby sister. As for Deville and Leta, the words died in her throat every time she worked up the courage to say anything.

    Unfortunately, Leta noticed something was wrong and asked, "Veronica, is something the matter?"

    "It''s nothing," Veronica quickly said without meeting Leta''s gaze.

    "Hey." Veronica almost groaned at the sound of Nissa''s voice. "There''s something I''ve been wondering about. Where''s the human you were carrying around?"

    Veronica''s blood turned cold.

    One of the other girls nodded and added, "That''s right. She was carrying that human around earlier, but she isn''t now."

    The third member of the trio asked, "Do you think she threw it away?"

    In an instant, Veronica''s previously cold veins burned with hot fury and hate.

    How dare she.

    "Enough." Deville''s voice cut through the unseen tension. "I don''t want to hear another word from any of you three." After ensuring the three girls have been fully cowed, she turned her attention to Veronica and said, "However, they are correct. Didn''t you promise to keep an eye on the human so they wouldn''t cause any trouble? I know you couldn''t have left the premises and come back after dropping the human off somewhere."

    Instead of giving an answer, Veronica chose to stare at her feet, hoping they would just drop it.

    Obviously, it didn''t work as Leta said, "Veronica, you never answered my question before. What happened to your baby sister?"

    Completely surrounded on all sides, Veronica knew she couldn''t get away, but it was hard to speak.

    Fiddling with her broomstick, she struggled to get the words out. Nissa and her group clearly wanted to say something given the expression on their faces, but Deville''s previous warning kept them in check, so they stuck with glaring at her. Leta, on the other hand, tentatively reached out before pulling her hand back with an uncertain look on her face.

    "Veronica," Deville prodded.

    "I-I don''t know," Veronica finally admitted.

    "What do you mean you don''t know?"

    "I left her in one of the rooms with my familiar. I thought it would be fine, and I could come back to her later. She''s just a baby, so I didn''t think she would cause any problems or walk away."

    The words just poured right away after being suppressed for so long.

    She thought she would feel better after explaining everything, but she only felt worse. It was like the invisible weight on her shoulders got heavier, and she thought she was going to be sick. The look on Deville and Leta''s faces didn''t make it any better.

    After several long moments, Deville coolly said, "So you''re saying you left a human baby alone despite promising to keep an eye on them." Veronica timidly nodded. "Despicable. Outrageous. How could you be so irresponsible? Did you really think it would be okay to just leave them anywhere and do as you pleased? I''ve never heard of such a selfish and disgusting act coming from a fellow witch. You should be ashamed of yourself."

    With each word she spoke, it felt like a knife in the back. Tears fell down Veronica''s cheeks as she bit the inside of her cheeks. The trio of girls she had thought would take the opportunity to insult her were strangely quiet and couldn''t even look in her direction.

    What was worse was the horrified look on Leta''s face.

    The girl was staring at Veronica like she was some kind of monster. She even took a step back, like she couldn''t stand to be near Veronica and wished to be anywhere else but there.

    No, the worst part was that Deville wasn''t wrong. Even though Veronica had convinced herself earlier that it would be okay, the truth was that she was the worst sister ever. Her mom had asked her to watch her baby sister until she came home. Now her baby sister could be dead for all she knew, and it would be all her fault.

    That broke the dam, and Veronica burst out sobbing.

    "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry," Veronica bawled.

    The rest of her words were incoherent as she babbled incessantly with tears and snot falling down her face. She couldn''t hear anyone over her wails if they were talking.

    Even if she could hear them, she was sure they would be berating her for crying and tell her how much they hated her.

    Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her. Through her blurry vision, she could make out Leta hugging her. For a moment, she was stunned that Leta would want to be near her after she backed away earlier, much less hug her. It only made her tear up more as she clung to her friend as she continued to blurt out apologies.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 8

    After what felt like an eternity, Veronica finally calmed down. Well, she stopped sobbing like a big baby, at least. She sniffled, feeling snot oozing out of her nose. As she was about to use her sleeve to wipe it away, Leta handed her a handkerchief that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Accepting the handkerchief, she used it to blow her nose.

    Once she finished blowing her nose, she muttered, "Thank you."

    "Now that you''re finally calmed down, we need to have a talk," Deville said, breaking the moment.

    Veronica cowered, expecting Deville to tear her apart even further. Leta, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at the older witch standing between her and Veronica. The others watched from the sidelines.

    However, nothing could have prepared them for the words that came out of Deville''s mouth.

    "I''m sorry," she said with a regretful expression.

    Everyone''s jaw dropped.

    Did she just apologize?

    I''m not hallucinating, am I? This isn''t some kind of illusion cooked up by some random monster, right?

    "While I still do believe your actions are unbelievably wrong and selfish, I still shouldn''t have used such harsh words towards a child." Veronica flinched at the former part and eased up at the latter, though a small part of her felt insulted to be considered a child. "You''re our youngest witch in both age and experience here. You also have no prior connection to magic until recently, with no one to help guide you beforehand. Putting you to the same standard as everyone else was wrong of me, and for that I apologize."

    Hearing a second apology coming from Deville was surreal.

    Honestly, Veronica wasn''t sure how she should respond. Yes, it hurt hearing all those things, but she fully realized and accepted she deserved it. She had been a bad girl.

    Her expression must have shown how lost she felt as Deville sighed. "We will discuss this further at a later time. For now, we should locate the human baby before it''s too late."

    At the mention of her baby sister, Veronica immediately asked, "How are we going to find her?"

    "It seems that you haven''t learned how to cast tracking magic, which is understandable. It is a bit advanced for your age and experience. Watch me closely."

    Everyone scooted closer and watched Deville perform the spell. She made several motions with her wand until a glowing white arrow appeared in front of her. The girls stared in awe, their eyes following the direction it was pointing in.

    "That should be the way," Deville said. "I shall take the lead this time. We don''t have a moment to waste."

    The words barely left her mouth as she marched down the hallway at incredible speed. The girls were momentarily stunned before they quickly ran after her. The group hurried down the hall as Deville made quick work of any monster that happened to cross their way. With just one flick of her wand, the monster was defeated.

    However, the amazing displays of magic couldn''t keep Veronica''s attention.

    She could feel Leta''s gaze on her, but she couldn''t bring herself to face her and talk, not after what happened earlier. Her mouth tasted like sandpaper, and the lump in her throat made the thought of talking difficult. At the same time, her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of leaving things as is. Forcing herself to glance at Leta, she immediately looked away, unable to meet Leta''s gaze.

    "Veronica." Veronica flinched at the sound of her name. "Are you upset with me?" Veronica''s head whipped around so fast that she was sure she heard something crack as Leta continued, "I noticed early on that you didn''t want to talk to me after we came here. I wasn''t sure if I did something wrong to make you upset."

    Whatever Leta intended to say next was cut off by Veronica blurting out, "Of course not."

    Her loud words drew the attention of the other girls, while Deville continued onward without bothering to give them a glance. Veronica cringed.

    "Do you really mean that?" Leta asked with wide eyes.

    "Yeah." Leta perked up, and Veronica felt guilty for her next words. "I mean, I was kind of mad, but that''s because I was an idiot." Leta''s sad expression shifted to a surprised one. "You were being a good friend, and I was being a jerk."

    "That''s not true. Well, you kind of were, but I ditched you earlier when you needed a friend. You don''t know anyone else here, and I left you alone."

    Veronica shook her head. "No. It wasn''t your fault that I showed up with my baby sister even though I knew humans wouldn''t be welcomed. I really thought I was special and could get special treatment."

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "You are the first witch to join the witching hour party at twelve. That has to mean something."

    "Well, I screwed that up big time. I doubt they would do anything for me ever again."

    "Deville seemed understanding. If she speaks up for you to the other witches, I''m sure it''ll be fine."

    Would Deville really do that though?

    She wasn''t so sure about that.

    Suddenly, Deville came to a stop as a horrible stench reached their noses. All the girls covered their faces with their hands and stared wide-eyed at the giant monster blocking their path. It was so large that it couldn''t even stand properly in the mansion and had to hunch over to fit.

    What is that? How did it even get inside the mansion?

    Deville raised a hand as she said, "Stay back, girls."

    Then she proceeded to cast a spell at the monster. Much to everyone''s shock, the spell bounced off the monster''s hide like it was nothing.

    "Wh-what? How?" Nissa sputtered.

    While the girls were freaking out over what they just saw, Deville calmly cast another spell. A pillar of flames swallowed up the monster. The girls raised their arms to shield their faces from the intense light and heat.

    <hr>

    There''s no way the monster would be able to withstand that. It''s toast.

    Veronica quickly found out just how wrong she was when the monster''s large hand reached out to crush Deville. The older witch was quick to dodge the monster''s attack, and her heels clicked against the hard floor as she took several steps back. When the flames vanished, they saw it was completely unharmed.

    "Th-that''s impossible. There''s no way it could get away unscathed from Ms. Deville''s attack," one of the girls from the trio said.

    "It appears to have some magic resistance," Deville said, completely undeterred by what they were seeing.

    Magic resistance?

    "But Ms. Deville, I''ve never heard of such a thing," Nissa spoke up.

    Deville spared her a glance and said, "That''s because it''s normally a subject reserved for when you''re older."

    "What does that mean for us?" Nissa''s other friend asked.

    "It just means that it''s a bit tougher than usual. You have nothing to fear while I''m here."

    She launched herself at the monster, casting several different spells at the monster. Chains appeared from all over to wrap around the giant monster''s body as multiple fireballs struck it in the face. The monster howled as its vision was completely obstructed by smoke. Once Deville got in close, she pressed her wand against the monster''s belly. Its belly rippled before the monster was blown off its feet. Everyone''s jaw dropped.

    "Wow," one of the girls from the trio said.

    "That''s so cool," the other said.

    "Of course that''s to be expected from Ms. Deville," Nissa said as she puffed her chest out and held her head up high.

    Even though Veronica didn''t want to agree with her, she was right. The monster had made a show of not being affected by Deville''s magic, but she quickly dealt with it despite the disadvantage.

    Would she be able to do something like that someday?

    Deville turned to face the girls with a calm expression on her, only for it to transform into shock and horror. "Move!"

    They didn''t stand a chance.

    The girls were suddenly thrown in all directions. Veronica managed to catch a brief glimpse of what attacked them¡ªshe could only make out that it looked human and the crazy large hat on its head¡ªbut she had no clue what had just happened.

    One moment they were watching Deville, and the next they had been hit by something.

    Veronica braced for herself for the painful impact with the wall. However, she found herself crashing into the ground instead and rolling across the floor. When she finally stopped rolling, it took her a couple minutes to recover and look up. Her eyes widened at the sight of an entirely different place. Instead of a long hallway, it looked like she was trapped in one of those colorful playpens they used for babies.

    Her baby sister had one back at home, but it was white, not rainbow¡ªrainbow was a horrible color choice¡ªand there definitely wasn''t supposed to be a ceiling.

    She pushed herself to her feet as she scanned her surroundings and saw she was completely alone. The thought terrified her, and she scrambled to find a way out of the predicament she found herself in. Veronica searched the walls for a door or way out, but just like the playpen at home, the walls were completely solid with no hint of an exit. She backed away from the wall she had been inspecting before falling onto her butt.

    This couldn''t be happening. Veronica wasn''t even sure what was happening.

    Did she get hit by a spell that sent her to a playpen? If it was a spell, who could have cast it?

    IT''s definitely not Deville. There''s no way she would do something like this, and she looked pretty scared. What did she see?

    Veronica tried to recall more about what happened, but everything had happened too fast for her to properly remember what happened. If she wanted answers, she would have to ask one of the others, which she couldn''t do since they were currently separated. She wondered if everyone else had ended up in the same situation as her; however, she quickly shoved the thought of her head as she needed to focus on escaping this place.

    "Okay, if there isn''t a door, I''ll have to make one," she declared, getting back on her feet.

    Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Creating a door wasn''t something she had learned just yet.

    Was there even a spell for it?

    Well, she was about to find out if there was one.

    Her narrowed eyes burned holes into the walls as she attempted to use her broomstick to draw a door. After making four lines on the wall using the end of the broomstick, she added a doorknob and attempted to open her newly drawn door.

    Nothing happened.

    Her hand only touched the wall instead of grasping a doorknob. She mimed, grabbing the doorknob a couple of times before giving up on the idea and moving on to her next idea.

    This time she attempted to blow a hole in the wall with fire since she didn''t know how to create explosions. All it did was leave burn marks.

    Staring at the burn marks, she muttered, "Is it because my fire isn''t strong enough? Do I need to make them hotter?"

    She didn''t have a way to test that idea since she couldn''t make the fire any stronger than what she just used and was forced to move on to her next idea. Using earth magic had no effect on the wall either. Veronica wasn''t sure if it was because she wasn''t good at it or the walls weren''t made with earth. She made several more attempts, with each one as ineffective as the last.

    Throwing her arms into the air, she said, "There has to be some way to get out of here. I''m not going to give up."

    That''s when she heard a knock on the wall.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 9

    Veronica thought she was imagining things when she heard it again. She practically jumped several feet into the air as she stared wide-eyed at the wall closest to her.

    Who was knocking? Which wall was it coming from? Most importantly, did she really want to find out?

    When several minutes passed without another knock, she tentatively approached the wall. She placed her palm against the flat surface. Then she dared to lean forward and pressed her ear against the wall. The only sound she could hear was her rapidly beating heart, no matter how long she waited. Veronica pulled her head away from the wall and studied the black surface. After taking a deep breath, she hesitantly knocked back.

    "Oh good, I thought that I might have messed up."

    She jumped at the sound of a voice coming up from behind her and whirled around to see a man in a top hat. A very long top hat. In fact, the top hat was so long that it was literally taller than the man and brushed against the ceiling. The peculiar sight completely stunned her as she was left speechless.

    "What a fascinating specimen I caught. I''m so glad that I listened to their information," the man said as he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

    Veronica shifted uncomfortably as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

    "Oh, I haven''t introduced myself. The name''s Gerard Highmore. It''s a pleasure to meet you. May I know your name?" Veronica remained silent, gripping her broomstick close to her chest, and he sighed. "You know it would be nice if you witches introduced yourselves. Having a name to put to your face would be helpful."

    She sucked in a breath.

    How did she know she was a witch?

    Even if her outfit looked like the stereotypical clothes of a witch, she could have been cosplaying as one. He had no reason to think she was a witch just by looking at her.

    "You know it''s quite rude to ignore someone when they''re talking to you," Gerard said with a frown.

    Veronica kept her mouth shut as she prepared to defend herself with her broomstick.

    There could only be one reason why he seemed certain she was a witch. He was another of those monsters that had broken into the mansion and was pretending to look human. She didn''t know what monsters were capable of looking like humans, but they had to be strong and scary.

    In a blink of an eye, he stood in front of her like he hadn''t been several feet away. It took her a couple moments to process what she was seeing before she scrambled back to get away from him. Unfortunately, she had already been close to the wall, and her back collided with the hard surface, leaving her nowhere to run. Before she could even attempt to throw herself to the side, he got into her space and towered over her.

    She hadn''t realized how tall he was until he was right in front of her.

    "I suggest you don''t run, though it''s not like you can get away even if you do. You''re trapped in this place unless I say you can leave, so you''ll only waste your energy." His expression suddenly turned thoughtful as he added, "Actually, go ahead and try. There are some things I want to try on a witch. You can be my test subject."

    Everything about the man made her skin crawl.

    It reminded her of one of her parents'' lectures about encountering strange people and getting into disturbing situations. However, she didn''t think that any of the advice they gave her on how to avoid them or how to get out of them would help her now. She had no clue what the man was capable of. If only Deville or the other girls were with her, then she wouldn''t have to worry about facing him alone.

    "Well, aren''t you going to do anything, or are you just going to stand there looking stupid?" he snapped.

    Veronica recoiled at the hostility and closed her eyes.

    She fully expected him to hurt her¡ªif she was lucky, it wouldn''t hurt too much¡ªor drag her away to do whatever he wanted to do¡ªshe would prefer if he just hit her as she didn''t like the sound of what he seemed to have in mind¡ªbut it never came.

    Instead, she felt the whole room shake before some kind of explosion rocked the place, or at least what she thought was an explosion. She couldn''t be sure with her eyes screwed shut and had to rely on her ears to figure out what was going on. The man was cursing up a storm. Despite wanting to know what was going on, she didn''t dare to open her eyes even when she lost her balance and fell to the floor. Veronica laid on the floor as she waited for the earthquake to pass.

    "Ugh. I have to give up on this one and leave," the man said. "If I ever found out who''s responsible for this mess, they''ll pay."

    As soon as she heard that he was abandoning her, she wanted to shout at him to not leave her behind.

    Didn''t he say that I couldn''t leave unless he allowed it? What''s going to happen to me if he leaves without me?

    Even if she found him disturbing, she found the idea of being left behind in this place while an earthquake was happening scarier. She didn''t want to stay trapped in that place forever.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The whole place shook violently again. A sudden shout caused her to flinch.

    What was that? It sounded like that man. Did something happen to him? I really don''t know what''s going on.

    After some time passed, she realized that the shaking had stopped and that she couldn''t hear the man talking. Hesitantly opening her eyes, she was shocked to see a black cat standing over the man''s prone form. Unable to believe her eyes, she blinked several times and even rubbed them to get rid of the hallucinations, but none of it worked.

    As she pushed herself into a sitting position, she muttered to herself, "Did a cat really just beat that man?"

    One of the cat''s ears twitched before it turned around and stared at her with bright red eyes.

    <hr>

    I''ve never seen a black cat with red eyes before. Is it really a cat?

    When the cat started strolling towards Veronica, she frantically shot secretive glances at her surroundings.

    There was no way she was willing to let the cat get close to her. If she really wasn''t mistaken and that the cat really did take out the creepy man by itself, she didn''t want to see what it could do to her. The moment the cat was within a few feet of her, Veronica stiffened, afraid of making a single move and provoking the cat. She clutched her broomstick so hard that her knuckles turned white.

    "Hey," the cat suddenly said.

    A shrill scream escaped Veronica as she jumped back, her head slamming into the wall. The sudden impact stunned her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She groaned into the floor. The throbbing pain on the back of her head was enough to make her mind blank out.

    "That hurt," she said, her voice muffled by the ground.

    "That happens when you hit your head," a voice dryly said.

    As she pushed herself up, Veronica said, "I didn''t do it on purpose."

    Veronica unexpectedly came face to face with the cat. For a moment, the two stared unblinkingly into each other''s eyes. Then she jerked back, almost hitting her head again, and instantly forgot about the pain.

    "Careful. You don''t want to give yourself a concussion," the cat said as it sat down and licked its paw with its tail slowly wagging.

    She was utterly speechless.

    Was the cat...was the cat grooming itself?

    Well, a cat grooming itself wasn''t exactly weird. Veronica had seen plenty of cats do it all the time, but it seemed out of place given what she had just seen and heard.

    It rubbed its head with one paw as it asked, "Cat got your tongue?" When Veronica continued to stare like a goldfish, the cat deadpanned, its tail freezing. "Why are you acting like that? Aren''t you supposed to be a witch? Have you never seen a talking cat before?"

    That snapped Veronica out of her daze. "Wh-You''re a familiar?"

    "No, but you can think of me as one if that makes you feel better."

    What is that supposed to mean?

    "Anyway," the cat said as it placed its paw back onto the ground. "Sorry to trouble you, but I''m looking for someone."

    Still befuddled by the whole situation, Veronica asked, "Uh, who?"

    "I''m looking for my sibling. Have you perhaps seen them or bumped into them?"

    "I haven''t seen any cats that weren''t familiars. Is your sibling a familiar?"

    "No, and they''re not a cat."

    That just left Veronica even more perplexed. "Oh, uh, then what are they?"

    The cat shrugged its shoulders as it said, "Don''t know."

    What do you mean you don''t know? Aren''t you siblings?

    Her bewilderment must have shown on her face as the cat said, "It''s a bit complicated." Veronica could only give a slow nod. "Well, have you seen anyone you don''t recognize?" Her response was to look behind the cat at the creepy man who was still unconscious on the floor, and the cat followed her gaze. "Ah. No, that''s not my sibling."

    Veronica thought it was pretty obvious since the cat had attacked the man.

    "In that case, I will leave you be. Thank you for your time," the cat said as it stood up and turned its back on her.

    "W-wait. Take me with you," she said as she scrambled to your feet.

    "Huh? Why do you want to come with me? Shouldn''t you go back to your friends or family?"

    "I got separated from them and don''t know where they are." Veronica pointed at the creepy man as she said, "He trapped me here."

    The cat grimaced. Then it prowled over to the creepy man until it was standing in front of his head. Veronica watched as it raised a claw and abruptly scratched at the creepy man''s face. She flinched. The creepy man didn''t even flinch as the cat continued to claw at his face at a frantic pace that almost seemed like an uncontrollable frenzy.

    Since the cat was big enough to cover the man''s face, Veronica couldn''t see how badly it was scratching the man''s face, but she was sure he would be horrifically scarred.

    When the cat finally stopped, it turned around with a satisfied look on its face. "Okay, come with me. I''ll take you out of this place."

    She didn''t dare to argue and hurried after the cat. As she passed the creepy man''s body, she hesitated, unsure if she wanted to take a look at what the cat did. After a few moments of hesitation, she moved on without giving the creepy man a glance. The duo approached the rubble that Veronica finally noticed was there. The sudden appearance of the cat had completely caught her off guard, making the rubble disappear into the background.

    Well, a cat capable of taking out a man is more eye-catching than a pile of rocks.

    They climbed up the rubble out of that place into a hallway. Veronica glanced around, recognizing the surroundings as part of the mansion, but she didn''t know where exactly in the mansion they were.

    Considering that they had climbed up to get out, she assumed they had gone up a floor.

    "By the way, what happened to your wand?" the cat asked. "I can''t promise to protect you from everything that might cross our paths."

    Oh, it must think I can''t protect myself since I haven''t cast any magic in front of it.

    Veronica hadn''t even tried to ride her broomstick out of the place, even though she had it right in her hands, so it probably had a poor opinion of her.

    She tightened her grip on her broomstick and said, "I-I''ll be fine. You don''t have to worry about me."

    The cat didn''t look convinced, but instead of arguing with her, it simply said, "Then let''s go. When we find one of your friends or family members, we''ll part ways."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 10

    As the two unlikely companions traversed the mansion, Veronica wondered what happened to the others.

    Had they also encountered a creepy man like she had?

    Well, she didn''t really care too much about what happened to Nissa or her friends. That didn''t mean she wanted anything bad to happen to them¡ªokay, maybe she did a little¡ªbut she was more worried about Leta. They had just made up, and then this happened.

    "You''re pretty quiet," the cat commented as they passed by several paintings.

    "Did you want me to talk?" Veronica asked tentatively.

    Even though they were working together and the cat didn''t seem to want to hurt her, she didn''t want to get on the cat''s bad side.

    "No, I''m just used to the people I bump into asking me questions. I was a bit surprised, that''s all," the cat said.

    Veronica could imagine. "Then is it okay if I ask questions?"

    "Go right ahead."

    "If you''re not anyone''s familiar, how did you get in here?"

    The whole place was supposed to be closed off during the witching hour party, which lasted from midnight to three o''clock. That meant that the cat had to have entered before midnight, but no one had seemed to know about it, like they hadn''t known about the monsters that had shown up out of nowhere.

    "I have my ways." That didn''t answer her question. "I assure you that I hold no ill intent toward you or your fellow witches. I really only want to track down my sibling."

    She immediately latched onto that sentence. "What makes you so sure they''re here? I mean, they could be anywhere else."

    "I was able to track them here. I...I will have to apologize on their behalf."

    "Apologize for what?"

    "I have reason to believe they are the cause for all the monsters running amok as well as that man you encountered."

    Veronica stopped in her tracks. The cat quickly caught on that she wasn''t following and stopped to look back at her. She didn''t pay the cat any mind as its words echoed in her head.

    There were so many questions that she didn''t even know where to begin. The biggest one was probably who or what was the cat. Even if it was somehow a magical cat, Veronica had never heard of a cat being able to control monsters. While she might not know a lot about the world of witches, she was pretty sure she would have heard of about it.

    This is crazy. I know the cat said it was its sibling responsible for the monsters, but doesn''t that mean the cat can do the same? They are siblings. What did I get myself into?

    "Prepare yourself. Something is coming," it said, its voice cutting through her whirlwind of thoughts.

    She could also hear something coming closer. The sound of something heavy repeatedly hitting the floor grew progressively louder. The ground beneath them shook slightly as they waited to see what they were up against. Then they saw it. A stone golem came out from around the corner. Veronica''s eyes bulged, and her legs shook at the sight of the massive creature. It continued down the hallway, seemingly unaware of their presence.

    "Stay calm," the cat whispered.

    Easy for the cat to say. It could run away if the stone golem spotted them without getting hurt. The stone golem would probably not even notice it because the cat was so much smaller. Veronica, on the other hand, was bigger and much more obvious. She didn''t think she could outrun it either.

    They watched as it lumbered across the hallway in front of them. Her hands clenched her broomstick tightly until they turned white. After what seemed like forever, the stone golem disappeared out of sight. For several long moments, neither of them said or did anything. The duo continued to stare at where the stone golem disappeared, as if expecting it to jump out and run at them.

    Then the cat said, "I think it won''t be coming back." She collapsed to her knees. "Are you alright?"

    Veronica didn''t say a word.

    That had been a close call. She wouldn''t have stood a chance if it had noticed her. None of the magic she knew would have been strong enough to take on the stone golem. It would be like an ant attacking an elephant.

    If Deville were here, she would have taken care of it in a flash. It would be great if I could find her and the others. Is my baby sister and Echo still okay? What if the monsters got to them? No, I have to think positively. I''ll find them.

    Forcing herself to stand back up on her shaking legs, Veronica said, "Let''s keep going before the stone golem realizes we''re here." At the cat''s intense stare, she blurted out, "What?"

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The cat sighed before lifting one paw. While puzzled, she didn''t think anything of it until she found herself floating into the air. She swallowed the scream that nearly came out.

    "Since you look like you''re about to fall over, I''ll have to carry you like this," the cat said as it lowered its paw. "Just don''t tell anyone about this. I''m actually not supposed to intervene like this."

    She wasn''t sure anyone would believe her, even if she wanted to tell anyone. The cat was getting weirder and weirder by the second.

    Whoever heard of a cat using magic?

    While she could accept that the cat might be magical, she never thought that it could cast magic like a witch except without a wand.

    And what did the cat mean by it wasn''t supposed to interfere? I''m confused.

    It said it was looking for its sibling and came to the mansion after them. Its sibling was the one responsible for the monsters. It could also use magic, but it wasn''t supposed to use it because it would interfere with something. Veronica couldn''t understand how all of that was connected. She had to be missing something. Unfortunately, she couldn''t quite figure it out. Maybe if she got another person''s opinion, she could put it together.

    <hr>

    As the cat started walking, it said, "I''ll let you down when I think you can walk again."

    Veronica could only float after the cat as they continued their journey. They crossed paths with several monsters¡ªthe majority were weak or small monsters¡ªand managed to pass by without being detected. Even when a flying snake nearly brushed against her, it didn''t react and continued on like it didn''t even notice her.

    It was almost like none of them could see her.

    Had the cat done something?

    She couldn''t think of another explanation and wanted to ask, but neither of them had said another word after the cat had used magic to make her float. Suddenly asking a question felt awkward.

    The cat abruptly came to a stop and said, "I think one of your friends is coming. I''ll leave you here." Before Veronica could say a word, she floated back down to the ground and landed on her feet. "Take care."

    "Wait," she called out, reaching out to the cat.

    It didn''t give her a single glance back as it bounded down the hallway. She stared as the cat disappeared from sight. Then she looked in the direction that the cat had been looking at previously. A group of witches was heading towards her. In an instant, she was waving at them and running to meet them. When she got closer, she was disappointed that she couldn''t recognize a single one of them.

    "Who are you?" one of the witches demanded. "Why are you running around by yourself?"

    Ignoring her rude tone, Veronica said, "I''m so glad I found other witches. I got separated from my group by a bunch of monsters."

    The oldest¡ªVeronica assumed she was the oldest because the witch was the biggest of the group¡ªwitch asked, "Can you tell us what happened?"

    Veronica quickly explained what happened to her while keeping some details out of her explanation.

    She didn''t see a reason to tell them about the cat or how it had protected her from the other monsters until they showed up. They didn''t need to know about that.

    At the end of her tale, the witch said, "You were quite lucky to make it this far on your own. You should stick with us until we meet back with everyone else."

    Why would I want to wander off on my own when I was looking for witches to join? Do they know how scary it was to travel on my own? I don''t think I could have made it a couple steps without that cat''s help.

    Instead of saying any of that out loud, she said, "Thank you."

    However, as soon as they started moving, Veronica''s thoughts turned to her baby sister and Echo.

    Despite wanting to ask the group to look for them, she was certain that they would refuse. If she wanted to find them, she would have to look for them on her own, but she couldn''t bring herself to break from the group she had just joined. She was ashamed to admit that she was too scared to search for them by herself. It was one thing to face a monster with a group, and it was another to face one all by herself.

    "So, I didn''t catch your name?" one of the witches said as she leaned uncomfortable close to Veronica.

    Veronica leaned away, refusing to meet the witch''s gaze, and said, "It''s Veronica."

    "Hi, Veronica. I''m Bernardette Soulton. It''s nice to meet you."

    "Uh, nice to meet you too."

    That''s a long name. What were her parents thinking?

    "Wait. I think I''ve heard that name before," one of the other witches said, butting in.

    Another nodded. "Yeah, I''m pretty sure I heard it somewhere." Then she turned to Veronica and asked, "What''s your last name?"

    She knew where this was going, but she didn''t know how to get out of it. If she kept quiet, they would think she had something to hide, which she kind of did. If she told them, they would probably realize who she was since they already had an idea. In that case, she was sure she would be harassed by the group.

    Out of nowhere, the wall next to them exploded. Veronica was hit by a sense of deja vu as everyone was thrown back by the sudden force. She struggled to push herself up, looking towards the wall that had exploded out of nowhere. A man stood at the opening. His head moved from side to side as if scanning the area, but it was hard to tell with the mask he was wearing.

    It might not even be a human for all she knew.

    Veronica swept the area, hoping to see if the others had recovered. Unfortunately, she was the only one in a sitting position. Everyone else was still sprawled on the ground. Her stomach dropped as her mouth went dry. Then the masked man looked in her direction. He jumped down from the hole in the wall and marched towards her. She scrambled to her feet, ready to run, when a black blur shot out of nowhere. The cat clawed at the man, hissing and spitting.

    Had the cat returned for her?

    She was touched that the cat had come back for her except something was bothering her.

    Why wasn''t the cat using magic to fend off the man?

    It didn''t have any problems using it before.

    What had changed?

    The man finally caught the cat, lifting it away from his body. The cat continued to hiss and claw at him in a wild frenzy. After several moments, he tossed it in Veronica''s direction. Without thinking, she rushed forward to catch it. The cat landed in her arms, causing her to grunt from its weight. Right as she was about to ask if it was okay and demand what it was thinking, she noticed the color of its eyes.

    They were green.

    Huh? There''s another black cat in the mansion? How many black cats are there?

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 11

    The cat blinked before meowing loudly in Veronica''s face. Then it hissed at the masked man, its fur standing on edge.

    It seemed like an ordinary cat, but she refused to be tricked. There was no way it was a plain old cat, even if nothing about the cat screamed that it was magical. A normal cat wouldn''t be running around. It had to be someone''s familiar.

    The masked man raised a hand in their direction. Veronica tensed, curling in on the cat. However, before he could do anything, something swooped down from the ceiling. An owl lashed out with its talon, trying to claw at his masked face. More animals made their appearance, rushing at the masked man like a tidal wave. She watched stunned at the numerous animals dogpiling him.

    Where were all of them coming from?

    Veronica hadn''t seen any familiars beside her own since she got there. She assumed that the other witches hadn''t brought them, leaving her the only one who did. There wasn''t a rule saying that familiars had to always trail after their witches. It was just more convenient to have them around instead of letting them lounge around back home.

    "What are you standing around for?" Veronica jolted and spun around to see one of the witches back on her feet. "Hit him with a spell already."

    She adjusted her grip on the cat so as not to drop it and aim her broomstick at the masked man. The witch who had shouted at her summoned vines to wrap around the man''s feet. In the back of Veronica''s head, she wondered how it was possible as she struggled to come up with a spell that wouldn''t harm the familiars.

    "What are you waiting for?" the witch barked.

    "I''ll hit them," Veronica snapped back as she jerked her head in the witch''s direction.

    "Y-Here he comes!"

    Veronica looked back in time to see all the familiars being flung back by a large gust of wind. She covered her face with the arm holding her broomstick. Her long hair whipped around as her clothes flapped and her hat flew away. Several of the animals landed near her feet.

    Fortunately, they didn''t look hurt. Familiars were made of sterner stuff than regular animals.

    When she removed her arm, her eyes widened at the sight of the masked man charging towards her. Even though she knew she wouldn''t be able to cast a spell fast enough¡ªa wand wouldn''t have made a difference¡ªshe pointed her broomstick at him. His hand caught her by the throat. The cat and her broomstick fell to the floor as she grasped at the masked man''s arm. He still didn''t say a word, choosing to stare at her through his mask.

    I...I can''t breathe.

    Her legs kicked back and forth as she gasped desperately. Her vision swam as it became harder to breathe. Just as she felt her strength leave her arms, a fireball slammed into his mask. He immediately let go, dropping Veronica to the floor. She coughed and wheezed as she was finally able to breathe. Veronica glanced up at him and watched him defend himself against further fireballs.

    "You stay away from her!" a familiar voice shrieked.

    She turned her head to see Leta rushing at them with a furious expression on her face. Veronica had never seen her so angry before and flinched when Leta created a massive fireball and lobbed it at them. She somehow found the strength to scramble away and out of the blast radius. However, she was still blown off her feet and rolled across the ground.

    "Veronica!" Leta called out.

    Veronica groaned before shouting back, "I''m fine."

    Leta looked relieved, but she was immediately distracted by the masked man rushing at her. Seeing her friend being attacked, Veronica frantically scanned the place for her broomstick. Her eyes spotted it in the same place where she had been grabbed by the masked man. She ran over to pick up and turned around in time to see Leta get blasted into one of the walls.

    "Leta!" she screamed as she pointed her broomstick at the masked man.

    The masked man didn''t even flinch as he calmly looked her way. He lazily raised a hand, and Veronica was hit by a blast of wind. She flew through the air before her back crashed into the ground, knocking the air out of her. In a daze, she stared up at the ceiling. When she regained enough strength, she pushed herself up to see him grabbing a pair of witches. Without looking back, he ran back through the hole he had come from.

    "Hold it!" one of the witches shouted. "Get back here!"

    However, it was too late. He was already gone, taking two witches with him.

    Why had he taken those two witches? Did he know them somehow, or did it not matter which witches he grabbed as long as he grabbed two witches?

    She was ashamed to admit that she was glad that he hadn''t taken her or Leta. Even though they were her fellow witches, she would rather it be them than her or her friend.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The same witch who had been screaming was being held back from giving chase by the other witches. Veronica grimaced as she forced herself to her feet and pressed a hand on her aching stomach. A quiet meow drew her attention, and she glanced down at the black cat who had tried to attack the masked man. It meowed again before walking away. She reached out as if to call it back but stopped in midmotion.

    How was she supposed to get its attention? Say hey you?

    I don''t know its name. I wonder whose familiar it belongs to.

    After staring at the cat''s retreating form a little longer, Veronica focused her attention on the other witches. She hobbled over towards them, aiming for Leta, who had also gotten back on her feet. Everyone converged on one spot, still reeling from what just happened.

    <hr>

    "You need to calm down," the oldest witch started, only to be cut off by a scream of outrage.

    Bernardette¡ªVeronica hadn''t realized it was her screaming this whole time¡ªthrew off the other witches as she shouted, "That man just kidnapped them! We have to save them!"

    "I know that, but you need to calm down. Chasing after them without a plan won''t help anyone."

    "No! The longer we wait, the farther they will get!"

    "Enough!" No one dared to speak a word as the witch continued, "I understand you''re upset and worried. We all are, but I''m responsible for all of you. We''ve all just seen a man capable of using magic that has never been heard of. We have no idea what else he can do."

    The only sounds after her impassioned speech were her heavy breathing and the familiars who had regained their wits making animal noises.

    A man capable of magic. It was completely outrageous. There had never been a case where a man could use magic in known history. It had always been women who could use magic.

    Whoever heard of a male witch?

    However, they had seen the proof right in front of their eyes. Even though he didn''t use a wand or show visible signs of casting magic, they couldn''t ignore how he could control the wind when attacking them. What was worse was that they had lost to him and lost two of their own to him.

    "Then what do we do?" one of the witches asked in a small voice.

    The oldest witch grimaced. "I''m sorry to say this, but we need to meet up with the other witches and figure out how to handle this development."

    Bernardette looked ready to argue, but Leta quickly stepped in and said, "I agree. I was lucky to escape the man who attacked my own group."

    This caught everyone''s attention as all eyes fell onto her, shock painting their expressions except for Veronica, who had suspected this was the case.

    The first to recover was the oldest witch, who asked, "What did you say?"

    "My group was fighting monsters when we suddenly attacked from behind. It was a man capable of using magic," Leta explained.

    "Why are you only mentioning it just now?" Bernardette demanded as she took a threatening step towards her.

    "I didn''t exactly have the time to. I arrived just as that horrible man was choking Veronica."

    Instantly, all eyes shifted to Veronica at the mention of her name. At the sudden attention she was receiving, she fidgeted while avoiding their looks.

    Fortunately, the oldest witch intervened and said, "Alright. This isn''t the time to be fighting. We need to work together, not fight against each other." Satisfied with what she saw, she focused her attention on Leta and asked, "Can you tell us anything about the man you encountered? Anything you can tell us might help us figure out what they want and how to deal with them."

    Leta shook her head as she said, "I don''t really know much. I was lucky to get away thanks to Deville." At the mention of Deville, everyone''s expression turned grim. "She was able to protect me from the crazy man. He seemed obsessed with kidnapping young witches."

    "Wait. Weren''t the ones they snatched the youngest?" someone whispered.

    Veronica''s eyes bulged out of their sockets.

    Hold on. If they target the youngest witches, wouldn''t that mean I''m a prime target? I''m the only twelve-year-old here.

    She couldn''t believe her luck. Of course everything had to go horribly wrong at her first witching hour party. Nothing of this sort had ever happened at other witching hour parties. At least not that she had heard of. It was almost like her presence had caused all of this to happen, but that was ridiculous.

    How could it be her fault?

    It wasn''t like she purposely brought them there or anything. However, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself it had nothing to do with her, a part of her had doubts. After all, this was the first time the witches ever had an incident in who knew how long. Veronica had also been targeted earlier, and if it weren''t for a certain magical talking cat, she would have been dragged away never to be seen again.

    A warm tugged on her sleeve, pulling Veronica out of her dark thoughts.

    Leta''s worried expression greeted her as she asked, "Are you alright, Veronica?" Without waiting for Veronica to respond, Leta continued, "I was so worried when I couldn''t find you anywhere. I thought that the crazy man had taken you."

    "O-oh, I''m okay. I got lucky," Veronica said.

    "Hold it," one of the witches said. "Don''t you find it suspicious that she was able to get away safely?"

    As Leta turned away from Veronica, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "What are you saying?"

    "I''m saying something is off here. You said you got separated and were nearly kidnapped by a man. Where was she in all this?" Veronica''s heart dropped at the sight of the finger pointed in her direction. "Did she leave all of you behind to save herself?"

    Veronica stiffened. "That''s¡ª"

    "Not to mention we found her completely unharmed. How did she avoid all the monsters without a single scratch on her?"

    Even though no one else was saying a single word, Veronica could see and feel them judging her.

    It was suspicious that she had ended up there looking no worse for wear. If she had encountered monsters, she should have looked scuffed up or at least appear worn out from fighting off the monsters. However, she really did have a good explanation for it. The problem was Veronica wasn''t sure they would believe her. There was a reason she had brought it up sooner, but she might not have a choice.

    She opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, when Leta stepped in front of her and said, "Don''t you dare blame her for running away."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 12

    Veronica stared speechless at Leta''s back, her jaw still hanging open.

    What was she talking about?

    She hadn''t run away.

    Before she could clear up the misconception, Leta continued, "She''s still inexperienced and has a lot to learn. I want to see you stick around when things get dangerous with only two years of experience."

    "Two years?" one of the witches whispered. "How old is she?"

    "I''ve never heard of a witch only having two years of experience," another said.

    "Hold on. I think I have." All eyes turned to the witch as she asked, "Wasn''t there a young witch who showed up with a human baby even though she isn''t the minimum age?"

    In an instant, everyone whipped their heads to stare in Veronica''s direction. She flinched and cowered behind Leta at the sudden attention, as she knew what was about to happen next.

    "Hang on. Doesn''t that mean she''s twelve years old? That would make her the youngest witch here. Why didn''t the man take her instead?" Bernardette asked.

    I don''t know. Why don''t you ask the masked man when you see him again?

    Leta came to the rescue again as she said, "That should be obvious. If I hadn''t shown up, I''m certain that the masked man would have taken her away. That''s why he ended up changing targets."

    "Why would he do that when he was winning?" Bernardette asked.

    "Don''t ask me. How should I know?"

    "Enough girls," said the oldest witch as she finally stepped in.

    You could have stepped in sooner. Why were you just standing there?

    However, Veronica suspected that the witch had let things devolve on purpose. If Leta hadn''t come to her defense, even if she misunderstood things, it would have been a witch hunt, which was kind of ironic considering they were all witches.

    "Veronica." She jerked back as the oldest witch focused her attention on Veronica. "Can you explain what happened between getting separated from your group and joining ours? I''m sure it would help ease everyone''s concerns if you did."

    Veronica winced.

    It seemed that things really had come down to this. They weren''t going to let it go, and she couldn''t come up with a convincing lie that wouldn''t blow up in her face. Well, she never planned on lying about what happened anyway.

    From behind Leta, she said, "You won''t believe me even if I tell you."

    "I promise we won''t judge. Just tell us," the oldest witch urged.

    "Okay, but don''t say I didn''t warn you."

    If they wanted the full story, they were going to get it. She didn''t spare any details, no matter how outrageous it was. Veronica had thought someone would interrupt her while she was telling her story, but it seemed that everyone was too overwhelmed with what they were hearing to say a word.

    "And that''s it," Veronica said, ending her tale.

    Not a moment too soon, one of the witches demanded, "Do you really expect us to believe something so crazy? How can a cat talk and use magic? Tell us the truth."

    "I told you that you wouldn''t believe me."

    The oldest witch stepped in before an argument could break out. "Stop. Thank you for speaking up, Veronica. It must have been difficult."

    No kidding. She had been fretting over whether or not they were going to accuse her of making it up and hound her for it.

    "Are you seriously believing her story?" one of the witches asked.

    "I''ll admit it''s a bit unbelievable." At the oldest witch''s admission, the other witches except for Bernardette and Leta gave Veronica a triumphant gaze. "However, it is still possible. Witches can transform themselves into animals and retain their ability to speak."

    Everyone stared at her wide-eyed for several moments.

    One witch gathered up the courage to ask what was on everyone''s minds. "We can?"

    She nodded. "It is, but the magic behind it is too advance for your age. It''s something meant for when you''re older, as it''s quite risky and hard to pull off."

    Why does it feel like every magic we''ve never seen before is something we will learn when we''re older? I''ve never seen a single witch use the magic she''s talking about. Shouldn''t we have at least heard about it or met a witch who had transformed herself into an animal?

    "However, that is neither here nor now. Veronica, can you tell us more about the talking cat you encountered? You might have missed something when retelling us what happened," the oldest witch said.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Veronica took a moment to think about it before shaking her head. "No, that''s all I know." A thought suddenly crossed her mind, and she added, "Well, I did encounter another black cat. It didn''t talk, but it looked just like the first cat except with different eye colors."

    "Really? Where is it now?"

    "I''m not sure. I think it walked off."

    The group instantly scanned their surroundings, hoping to spy the black cat among all the familiars still gathered around.

    Unfortunately, the black cat was nowhere in sight, though there were plenty of cats and plenty of black animals. It seemed to have disappeared in a hurry, almost like it was trying to get away.

    "We need to find that black cat," the oldest witch declared as she held up her arm for an owl to land on it. "Have you seen where the cat could have gone, Ozzie?" The owl hooted a couple times. "Please lead us to it."

    It gave a nod before taking into the air. Several familiars followed the owl while the others dispersed in other directions. Veronica assumed they were searching for their witches, but she couldn''t spare them any thought as she followed the rest of the group chasing after the owl. As they ran down the hallway, she expected for monsters to show up to block their path like they always did.

    However, not a single one made an appearance. Their path was completely undisturbed, not that she was upset about it. Veronica was glad they wouldn''t have to face any. It just seemed off that there weren''t any.

    Had the other witches dealt with all of them, or were the monsters somewhere else?

    She had a bad feeling about this.

    <hr>

    Suddenly, someone stepped out in front of the witches. The group slowed to a stop at the sight of a clown holding a baby. Veronica''s eyes widened as she recognized her baby sister in the clown''s arms. She took a step forward, but Leta grabbed her shoulder to stop her. Veronica threw a betrayed and angry look at her friend; however, the other girl wasn''t looking at her. That''s when she realized that Leta''s hand was shaking.

    "Oh, I didn''t expect to come across any witches. I guess those monsters wouldn''t be enough to deal with all of you," the clown said in a cheerful tone.

    The oldest witch narrowed her eyes as she held up her wand. "So it was you who unleashed the monsters. What are you after?"

    "Hmm...I don''t want to tell you."

    Veronica gnashed her teeth. She was ready to shove Leta away and throw herself at the clown when the oldest witch immediately pelted the clown with icicles.

    In an instant, her anger transformed into horror and panic as she screamed, "Wait! He has my baby sister!"

    The other witches except for the oldest glanced back at her with a mixture of expressions¡ªnone of them pity or concern except from Leta and Bernardette. Luckily or unluckily, the clown dodged the icicles through a series of flips and spins. To add insult to injury, he did it like he was performing a circus act and laughing the entire time.

    "How scary. You witches really don''t know how to chill out," the clown said once the attack ended.

    Instead of giving him a response, the oldest witch simply attacked again with a bolt of lightning. When he avoided that with a back flip, she followed up with a wave of water. The clown scaled the walls like a monkey and hung from one of the paintings as the water rushed past him. Veronica didn''t know how the painting didn''t fall off from his weight, but she was just relieved to see that her baby sister made it out unharmed while resting peacefully in the clown''s arms.

    "You do know I have a baby in my arms, right? Do you really not care? I mean, she''s one of your own, isn''t she?" the clown said as he raised the baby up in the air.

    She sucked in a breath at the sight of her baby sister being paraded around as a hostage.

    "She isn''t one of our own," the oldest witch said before sending a fireball at him.

    He calmly jumped down from the painting and rolled across the ground while making sure that the baby remained unharmed. The burning painting collapsed to the ground, its burning remains acting as a wall between them.

    "Oh? Didn''t I just hear one of you shout that she''s her baby sister?" the clown asked before pointing at Veronica. "Or maybe you don''t consider her to be one of your own either." When no one spoke, he erupted into a belly laugh. "Wow. This is hilarious. Well, I guess that''s witches for you. In that case, I''ll take both of your hands."

    "Not a chance," Let snarled as she sent a wave of ice at his feet.

    The clown somersaulted away until the ice stopped. He stood at the edge of the ice and waved at them before turning and running away.

    Veronica threw herself forward only to be stopped by Leta again as she screamed, "Come back!"

    The oldest witch summoned a gust of wind that blew out of the flames and headed for the clown. However, the clown turned a corner, disappearing from view, letting the gust blow right by him.

    That was the last straw for Veronica, who shoved Leta off of her. "Why did you stop me? He has my baby sister."

    "You saw what he could do right. He was able to avoid all our magic like it was nothing," Leta said.

    The reminder of how callous the oldest witch was at using magic with her baby sister in the direct line of fire burned her. Veronica threw a disgusted look at the oldest witch, wishing to set her on fire with just her gaze.

    Unbothered by the look she was receiving, the oldest witch calmly said, "She''s right. We can''t put the group in danger over a human."

    "That''s my baby sister you''re talking about," Veronica spat.

    "Like you actually care." Veronica snapped her head in the direction of the muttering witch and glared at her. "What? It''s true. If you really care about the human baby, shouldn''t you have been carrying her around instead?"

    At once, her anger was blown out, leaving behind self-loathing. The witch was right. If she had simply carried her baby sister everywhere instead of dumping her in a room with her familiar, then her baby sister wouldn''t have been taken by the clown. No, if she had simply stayed at home and watched her baby sister like her mom asked, none of this would have happened.

    She barely felt Leta''s hand on her shoulder as her friend said, "Whatever you might feel about Veronica''s sister, don''t you think it''s suspicious that the clown took her?" At everyone''s befuddled expressions, she continued, "Think about it. They''ve been taking witches, so why would they want a human baby?"

    Her words lit a fire in Veronica, who shoved aside her self-deprecating thoughts to think about what she was saying.

    Leta was right. The clown had no reason to take her baby sister if they were only after young witches. He should have ignored her baby sister to hunt down some witches, but he didn''t. In fact, he had even been careful to make sure her baby sister was unharmed. There had to be a reason why.

    "Do you think he might have mistaken the human baby for a witch?" one of the witches timidly asked.

    "That makes sense," another witch said. "Who would think a human baby would be here at a witching hour party?"

    What they''re saying makes sense, but why do I feel like they''re not right? What am I missing?

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 13

    The oldest witch clapped, grabbing everyone''s attention. "Whatever the case may be, we can''t just stand here. We have two options in front of us. We can either chase after the clown or continue looking for the black cat."

    Veronica couldn''t choose. She obviously wanted to go after the clown to save her baby sister. Every part of her was screaming at her to hurry and sprint after them. However, she wasn''t confident that they would be able to save her baby sister. The group had already tried to fight him, and the clown still got away. Even if only two witches actually fought, the fact that the clown could be so calm in the face of their magic was unnerving.

    She felt a nudge and glanced at Leta, who gave her an apologetic look before saying, "We should go after the black cat." Veronica didn''t even get the chance to feel betrayed as Leta continued, "We saw that the clown is someone we don''t stand a chance against. Instead, we should track down the black cat and find out what it knows."

    "Hold on," Bernardette said, taking a step forward. "I disagree. If we all worked together to fight him, I''m sure we could take him on. He couldn''t even fight back against us."

    "I don''t think so," someone muttered.

    Veronica realized it had been her when everyone looked in her direction.

    "What are you talking about?" Bernardette asked. "Didn''t you see how he was running away from us?"

    "That''s true," Veronica admitted. "But he didn''t look worried at all. In fact, he looked like he was having fun."

    "Fun?"

    Veronica winced at her choice of words, but it was the only thing she could think of to describe what happened.

    The clown hadn''t taken the whole fight seriously and even made fun of them before running away. If that wasn''t him having fun at their expense, she wasn''t sure what was.

    "She''s right," one of the other witches murmured. "He did look like he was playing around."

    Bernardette threw a glare at the girl, but it wasn''t enough to deter her in the slightest. For several moments, no one dared to say a word as they recalled what had just occurred minutes earlier.

    Well, at least Veronica was.

    The oldest broke the silence. "Then are we in favor of chasing after the black cat?" It was a unanimous agreement. "Then let''s go."

    They returned back to the hunt for the black cat as Veronica''s thoughts turned to her baby sister.

    I''m really sorry. I promise to come back and save you from the clown. I promise.

    The group took several twists and turns through the hallways with no black cat in sight. Veronica found herself doubting they would ever find it, but she kept her mouth shut as they hurried down the steps to the next floor. Just as everyone stepped onto the new floor, there was a quiet meow. They quickly searched the area for signs of the black cat.

    "There it is," one of the witches said.

    All eyes followed the direction she was pointing at and spotted a black cat in the distance. Veronica assumed it was a cat¡ªall she could tell was that there was something small and black¡ªas she narrowed her eyes at it. For several moments, no one made a move. Then the black cat bolted away.

    "After that cat," the oldest witch ordered as she ran down the hallway.

    Everyone followed suit with Veronica in the back. The cat was annoyingly fast as its figure became smaller and smaller. The oldest witch raised her wand and sent a wave of ice at the cat. Much to their surprise, the black cat jumped right before the wave of ice could hit it and grabbed onto a tapestry. One of the witches recovered from the shock to shoot a bolt of lightning at the cat. The cat threw itself away before the attack could hit it.

    "What are you doing?" one of the other witches sputtered. "Are you trying to kill it?"

    The witch who attacked the cat with lightning became flustered as she said, "I-I was just trying to catch it."

    "By hitting it with lightning?"

    "Guys, the cat," Bernardette said as she shoved past the other witches in a desperate attempt to catch the cat. "Come on."

    They chased after the cat with everyone except for Veronica throwing non-lethal spells at it. The cat proved to be too agile to be hit and continued to avoid all their attempts to catch it.

    This is just ridiculous. How can a cat avoid everyone''s spells? Could it be a witch in a cat''s body, like she said?

    The cat bounded through a door when it abruptly came to a stop. The oldest witch didn''t waste this chance to cast a spell at the cat, causing the rug underneath it to wrap around the feline. A muffled meow escaped the rug as the cat struggled to escape from its imprisonment. Bernardette forced herself to the front and threw herself at the trapped cat.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Raising the captured cat triumphantly, she boldly declared, "Got you!"

    Their excitement was short lived when they saw the reason why the cat had stopped in its tracks. Everyone froze at the sight of the tied-up witches surrounded by a group of men in various getups. Veronica recognized the masked man and clown among them, but her eyes were drawn to her baby sister, who looked around innocently unaware of what was happening.

    "Oh, you''re back again," the clown cheerfully greeted them with a wave.

    The oldest witch raised her wand to attack, but the group was suddenly tied up by ropes that appeared out of nowhere. They collapsed to the ground as they struggled to escape.

    "You shouldn''t bother. It''s not that easy to escape," a familiar voice said.

    It can''t be.

    She could recognize that voice anywhere, but it didn''t make any sense. There was no way it could be her.

    Rolling to her side, Veronica hoped she was wrong. Gazing up at the one who attacked them, she felt her heart drop as her eyes met Leta''s. Her friend smiled calmly down at them.

    <hr>

    "You traitor," Bernardette spat. "How could you do this?"

    "What do you mean?" Leta asked.

    "Don''t play dumb. How could you attack us? Your own kind?"

    "I wonder why."

    Veronica stared in disbelief as Leta continued to pat her palm with her wand.

    How could her friend do this? Was she being blackmailed, or had they used magic on her to force her to work with them?

    She refused to accept that her friend would willingly join the invaders who released monsters into the mansion and kidnapped her baby sister. That wasn''t like Leta at all.

    The longer she stared at her friend, the more certain she felt that something was very wrong with Leta. Veronica couldn''t get her finger out and studied her friend''s figure. Her eyes scanned Leta up and down looking for a sign until she noticed something hanging in her friend''s left ear. She narrowed her eyes at what looked like an earring.

    When had her friend started wearing earrings?

    Veronica hadn''t seen it earlier when they were together. Thinking back on it, ever since they met back up, Leta had always made sure that Veronica was on her right. It was such a small detail that she hadn''t noticed¡ªthe earring was so tiny that it was easy to miss¡ªbut it was undeniable proof that the person in front of her wasn''t Leta.

    Pushing herself into a sitting position, she demanded, "Where''s Leta?"

    The other witches gave her an odd look, which she ignored in favor of staring at the imposter''s face.

    The imposter stopped playing with Leta''s wand as she asked, "What are you talking about? It''s me, Leta Frankson. Your friend."

    "Liar," Veronica snapped. "Leta is allergic to earrings. Even if she wasn''t, she said she would never pierce her ears."

    The imposter''s eyebrows shot up, which Veronica took as proof that he had been caught. However, instead of being upset or embarrassed about being caught, the imposter seemed thoroughly amused as a grin stretched across her face.

    "Huh. You have a bit more brains than your usual witch." All the witches bristled at the insult as the imposter continued, "I''ve heard a bit about you from the other witches. Why don''t you join us?"

    If anyone had any plans to speak, they were silenced by her last words. Everyone gawked at the imposter. Even the men seemed caught off guard, as a few were slack-jawed.

    The imposter ignored all of them as she asked, "Well, what do you think?"

    What do I think? Why are you asking me to join? Join what? I don''t even know who you are!

    She never expected something like this to happen. When Veronica pointed out that she was an imposter, she truly expected that the imposter would get angry and lash out.

    What had she heard?

    "You''re not really thinking about joining them, are you?" one of the witches asked.

    The question completely stumped Veronica, and she was left utterly speechless. The other witches took it as a sign that she was considering it as the room filled with a canopy of voices.

    "Traitor."

    "How dare you call yourself a witch."

    "Unforgivable."

    Veronica curled in on herself as if to shield herself from the barrage of insults and angry words. The imposter clapped, and it suddenly became silent. Confused and unnerved by the abrupt silence, Veronica dared to glance at the other witches and saw their mouths were moving except no sound was coming out.

    Had the imposter silenced them with a clap of her hands?

    What is she? I''ve never heard of a witch capable of silencing so many people at once with just a clap. Can she even be called a witch?

    Her shaky gaze met the imposter as she lowered her hands. "Now, now. None of that language. We are supposed to be respectable folk." Her mocking tone said otherwise. "So what do you think, Veronica? You heard and saw how they reacted. They immediately doubted you the moment I gave you that offer." The imposter knelt down and offered a comforting hand on Veronica''s shoulder. "Do you really want to side with these witches who don''t care about you? Didn''t they ostracize you because of your baby sister? Won''t it be better to join a group that will acknowledge you?"

    Even though Veronica knew she shouldn''t listen, she found herself wavering at the imposter''s words. Her words resonated with the bitter part of Veronica that she had tried to ignore. Ever since she learned she was a witch, it felt like she could never meet any of their standards. Either she disappointed them when she failed to meet their expectations or she received apathetic responses when she did something right.

    How could she not be bitter?

    Despite this, something else eclipsed those bitter feelings.

    She licked her suddenly dry lips and asked, "Why does it sound like you''re not a witch?"

    The imposter stared blankly at her before bursting out in laughter. Veronica flinched as she tried to distance herself from the laughing imposter. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that everyone was just as unnerved as she was. After a couple minutes, the imposter calmed down and wiped the tears from her eyes.

    "You''re a lot more than I hoped for. You have to join us," the imposter said.

    Veronica felt like her choice had just gone out the window as the imposter reached out to her.

    "Stay away from my friend, you creep!" a familiar voice shouted as a massive fireball came flying towards them.

    The imposter''s bright expression vanished. She spun around and cut the fireball in half with Leta''s wand. The heat of the flames brushed past Veronica while those around them screamed.

    She could only hope that no one had been seriously hurt by that attack.

    After shifting around to get a better look, she finally managed to see who it was when the imposter moved. Her eyes widened at the sight of Leta holding a broomstick in her hand with Echo and a familiar black cat with red eyes at her side.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 14

    "You really don''t know how to stay out of my way," the imposter snarled as electricity sparked around her form.

    "That''s enough, brother," the cat said. "You''ve done enough harm. Stop this right now."

    Wait. What? Brother?

    Veronica''s bulging eyes burned holes into the imposter''s back.

    The imposter laughed. "Excuse me? You''re telling me to stop when you''re stuck in the body of a cat. What are you going to do?"

    "If you really won''t stop your madness, then I''ll end you here and now," the cat said.

    "Just try it."

    A bolt of lightning shot of the imposter''s hand soaring through the air towards the trio that had just arrived. They dispersed, and the lightning bolt struck the ground behind them. The floor exploded, sending pieces of wood everywhere. Leta immediately sent a barrage of icicles toward the imposter, who destroyed them with a wave of her hand.

    This is bad. I need to get out of here before I get caught in the crossfire.

    Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. She was still tied up. Maybe if she had her broomstick¡ªit had landed several feet away from her and was impossible to get to¡ªor something sharp like a knife to cut the ropes, she could get free.

    She frantically scanned her surroundings, looking for something nearby, when her eyes caught sight of a broken piece of ice. Unable to find anything else, Veronica scooted over to it as more spells flew through the air. Once she was close enough, she pressed the ropes against the ice piercing the floor and rubbed them against it like she had seen in the movies. As she did this, she kept an eye out for the men in case they decided to stop her.

    Fortunately, it seemed that no one noticed what she was doing or just didn''t care about her. Veronica admittedly found it hard to focus on escaping too. With the intense fight between the imposter and the trio happening, it was easy to get distracted.

    Fire clashed with water, followed by lightning colliding with earth. Echo and the black cat darted around, aiming to get close, only to be pushed back by a spell. This didn''t deter the two animals, as they continued to swerve and dodge the spells, with several coming dangerously close to hitting them. Leta continued to act as support and fired a spell whenever it looked like the imposter would actually land a hit on either Echo or the black cat.

    Veronica could honestly say she had never seen a fight quite like this one. Even the fights that had happened in the mansion so far had nothing on the one in front of her. However, she didn''t miss how the imposter hadn''t moved from her spot since the start of the fight.

    The trio were furiously giving it their all, and the imposter was calmly firing spell after spell.

    It was even more obvious that the imposter was toying with them since she had a wand while Leta used a broomstick. This was never a fair fight to begin with.

    Suddenly, Veronica felt the ropes snap. She immediately ripped the ropes off of her and scrambled to her feet.

    "Veronica, watch out!" Leta screamed.

    The moment she heard her name, Veronica didn''t hesitate to throw herself on the ground again. As she landed on the ground, she felt a wave of heat pass over her. Veronica glanced up in time to see a fireball crash into the opposing wall.

    That had been too close.

    She pushed herself to her feet as the imposter said, "It looks like one of you had the sense to find a way to get freed." Veronica didn''t react to her mocking tone. "What are you going to do now? You don''t have anything to fight with."

    Veronica hysterically wanted to ask why the imposter was stating the obvious.

    Even though she was free now, there was no way she would be able to pick up her broomstick and cast a spell quickly. She seriously doubted that the men would let that happen. Of course that was assuming that the imposter didn''t attack her first.

    "Hold it," Leta said, raising her broomstick. "We''re your opponents."

    The imposter sighed and waved a hand. In a blink of an eye, Leta was blasted back. She completely disappeared from view, almost like she had never been there from the beginning.

    If there had been any doubts that the imposter hadn''t taken the fight seriously, they had just been erased by her display of power.

    "Don''t you dare lay a hand on her," Echo screeched as he dive-bombed the imposter.

    With a flick of the imposter''s finger, Veronica''s familiar crashed into the wall, creating a sizable dent. A scream cut through the air, and Veronica vaguely realized she was the one screaming.

    Stolen story; please report.

    "Devin!" the black cat howled as it threw itself at him.

    The imposter caught the black cat by the scruff of its neck and held it up in the air. It hissed and howled, scratching at her arms, but the imposter didn''t bat an eye. She tightened her grip, threatening to choke the life out of the cat. Veronica was frozen stiff as she watched the horrible scene unfold in front of her.

    This had to be a bad dream, right?

    Th-that''s right. I must have hit my head. When I wake up, it will all be just a bad dream. I just need to wake up.

    However, no matter how hard she tried to wake up she couldn''t.

    The black cat''s cry of pain cut through Veronica''s hysteria, urging her to do something. Without thinking, she threw herself at the imposter. Veronica crashed into the imposter''s back.

    She wasn''t sure what she was expecting. Maybe she had hoped it would distract the imposter enough to loosen her grip on the black cat to give it a chance to escape, or maybe she had hoped she had caught the imposter off guard and knocked her to the ground to buy herself some time. Veronica wasn''t sure, but none of those things happened.

    Instead, the imposter didn''t budge an inch and coolly stared back at her. "What are you doing?"

    <hr>

    The imposter didn''t give Veronica a chance to react as she spun around and caught Veronica by the throat. Veronica gasped and kicked at the imposter to no effect.

    It was like kicking a stone wall. She would know. She had tried once and regretted it.

    "You know I thought you were interesting, but now you''re just annoying. You really should have taken my offer when you had the chance," the imposter said as she squeezed Veronica''s throat tighter.

    Veronica dug her nails into the imposter''s hand and struggled more violently. Dark spots filled her vision as a familiar sensation overtook her. Before she could lose consciousness, something ripped Veronica free from the imposter''s grip. She gasped for air and coughed violently as she pressed a hand to her throat.

    What was with everyone grabbing her by the throat?

    This wasn''t the first time it had happened today, but she really hoped that this would be the last. She wasn''t sure if she would be lucky the next time it happened.

    Once she recovered from the choking, she took a moment to glance back at the imposter. Veronica balked at the sight of the imposter facedown in a sizable dent in the ground. She blinked several times, but the image didn''t disappear as the imposter finally pushed herself up. Then Veronica noticed how something clung to the back of her dress and slowly looked up. She stared blankly at the person behind her.

    Is that a toddler?

    The little girl was smaller than Veronica, which said a lot since Veronica was the youngest witch there. She was practically half of Veronica''s height. Veronica wasn''t tall by any means. She was pretty average in height. That meant that the little girl had to be younger than her.

    "Who are you?" the imposter spat. "Where did you come from?"

    Instead of answering the imposter, the little girl glanced around anxiously. "Oh no. I''m going to be in so much trouble. I''m not supposed to be here. I''m really going to get scolded."

    Hearing such eloquent words coming from the toddler changed Veronica''s opinion about the little girl''s age. However, her attention was drawn away from the little girl to the imposter, who was literally on fire. Despite the distance between them, the duo were still close enough to feel the intense heat emitting from the imposter¡ªor maybe that was just how powerful the flames were.

    "I said what are you?" the imposter snapped as he sent several fireballs at the duo.

    At the sight of the incoming fireballs, Veronica moved to run away, but the little girl''s grip on her dress caused her to stumble over her feet. She nearly fell flat on her butt if it weren''t for the little girl holding her up with the same hand grabbing onto her dress. Veronica didn''t have time to be befuddled over the little girl''s incredible display of strength with the fireballs almost on them and closed her eyes to brace herself for the pain.

    "If I''m going to get in trouble anyway, I might as well do something," the little girl said.

    There were loud gasps and shouts all around Veronica, who had no clue what just happened.

    She should have already been hit by the fireballs, but she didn''t feel a thing. Veronica didn''t think the other witches helped her out, as none of them were in the position to help her even if they wanted to.

    Wanting to know what was going on, she opened her eyes. The sight in front of her was enough to make her eyes pop out of their sockets and her jaw drop. The fireballs hung in the air right in front of the duo, almost as if they were frozen. Veronica stared at the frozen fireballs before turning her gaze to the little girl still holding onto her. Then the little girl made a flicking motion. In an instant, the fireballs were gone, and the imposter was embedded into the wall.

    Wha-what just happened?

    Veronica couldn''t wrap her mind around what she was seeing and looked around to see if everyone else saw what she had seen. Given everyone''s reaction¡ªthe witches had varying emotions plastered over their faces, with the majority being shock and fear while the men were tense and eyeing the little girl suspiciously¡ªshe was pretty sure it was real and looked back at the little girl, who had a sheepish expression on her face.

    "Oops. I didn''t mean to hit him that hard. I''m really going to have my head bitten off after this," the little girl muttered.

    "How did you do that?" Veronica blurted out.

    She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, but the damage had been done. The little girl looked toward Veronica with wide eyes.

    Covering her mouth with a hand, the little girl murmured, "Did she hear me?"

    Even though Veronica was tempted to ask the little girl what she was talking about, she didn''t get a chance to as the imposter shrieked, "What are you doing standing there for? Get them!"

    In a blink of an eye, the duo was surrounded. All the men in the room had rushed over to follow the imposter''s orders, which probably meant that the imposter was their leader.

    "Sorry about this, but orders are orders, kiddo," the clown said as he continued to hold Veronica''s baby sister to his chest.

    Veronica''s face contorted with rage as she snapped, "Don''t you bring my baby sister into this."

    None of them men reacted to her words other than to charge at the duo. Veronica stared like a deer in headlights when she felt herself being lifted in the air. Startled, she glanced at the little girl lifting her up in the air.

    She gave Veronica an apologetic look as she said, "Sorry about this, but I''m going to need to toss you."

    "To¡ª" Veronica didn''t even get the chance to finish her sentence as she was thrown up into the air.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 15

    Veronica would like to say that in that moment several thoughts were crossing her mind or how she was thinking about how she was going to land safely, but none of that happened.

    She screamed, flailing her arms around as she flew through the air.

    Someone! Help me!

    Unfortunately, no one seemed to pay her any mind.

    When Veronica began her descent back to the ground, she shut her eyes and held her arms out in front of her as she hoped that it wouldn''t hurt too much. Veronica slammed into the ground, and the air was knocked out of her. For several seconds, she laid there on the strangely not very hard surface to catch her breath. She was abruptly shoved to the side, leaving her frazzled and confused. One look back at the witches she had used as her cushion told her everything.

    "Uh, sorry?" she said, still out of it.

    "Don''t just stand there. Help us out of these ropes," one of the witches snapped.

    Veronica almost said back that she wasn''t standing, but she had recovered enough of her wits to not say it.

    Instead, she hurried to fiddle with the ropes, keeping the witches tied up. The stubborn ropes refused to give way as her face contorted in concentration. Her sweaty hands didn''t help as she struggled to get a good grip on them, and she mumbled a curse when the ropes refused to budge.

    "Hurry up," the witch hissed.

    "I''m trying," Veronica snapped back.

    "Well, try faster."

    The ground shook violently, nearly sending everyone tumbling to the ground. Veronica glanced back, and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The little girl from before was beating the living daylights out of the men without breaking a sweat.

    You gotta be kidding me. Is she even human?

    She had never seen something so outrageous in her entire life, which was saying something considering she was a witch.

    The little girl jumped onto one of the men''s shoulders and performed a flip, avoiding being hit by a whip. Unluckily for the man she had jumped on, he got slapped in the face. To add insult to injury, the little girl landed behind him and slammed her foot into the back of his knee. The man fell down with a curse before she punched him in the face. She promptly hurried on to the next opponent once he was out for the count.

    "What are you doing?" Veronica tore her gaze away from the fight to look back at the witch she had been trying to free. "Don''t just watch them. Get me out of these ropes."

    "Give me a sec," she said and tugged on the rope with the grunt.

    The witch hissed in pain and glared at Veronica, but Veronica wasn''t paying her any mind.

    This isn''t working. I need something to work with. Anything would help right now.

    A quiet meow drew her attention. She almost jumped when she saw a familiar black cat right next to her.

    Where had it come from?

    Veronica hadn''t even heard it coming. Well, it didn''t matter how it got there without anyone noticing¡ªshe actually had an idea, but it wasn''t important in the whole scheme of things¡ªshe now had a way to get the witches free.

    "Mr. Black Cat, can you help me free everyone here?" Veronica asked.

    The black cat gave her a look with its green eyes that she couldn''t decipher before using its claws to cut the rope. As she watched the black cat free everyone, Veronica couldn''t figure out if the rope was a lot weaker than she thought or the black cat was a lot more powerful than she realized.

    It could be both, for all she knew.

    However, their actions didn''t go unnoticed as one of the men shouted, "Hey! The witches are escaping!"

    "Escaping?" Veronica tensed at the familiar voice and watched as Deville strode forward with an expressionless face. "Do you really think I''ll run away from my home, my own turf?" In a flash, icicles filled the room. "I don''t think so."

    The icicles launched towards the men as Deville followed it up with bolts of lightning. The other witches quickly joined in. Veronica kept her head down as she anxiously kept an eye out for her baby sister. When she last looked, she had seen the clown holding onto her.

    She wasn''t sure how he did it, but he kept just out of the fight to avoid being caught up in the attacks while still actively participating.

    I swear if even a single strand of hair on my baby sister''s head is cut, I''m going to give him a good kick in between the legs.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Well, that was only if she could actually catch the clown. Considering how agile he was, it was going to be tough to get close. Maybe if she was lucky, she could land a hit on him.

    Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw them.

    The clown had completely retreated to the side, and no one seemed to notice or care about him or her baby sister. It was actually kind of weird how no one even approached them. Veronica would have thought at least one witch would have attacked them, not that she wanted that to happen. She was relieved to see her baby sister out of danger, but something about the whole situation bugged her.

    With everyone distracted, Veronica made her way to the clown. Avoiding the spells being flung around, she inched closer and closer to the clown''s back. Right as she was about to throw herself at his back and snatch her baby sister away, the clown abruptly spun around.

    "Oh, I thought I felt someone''s eyes on me. How strange. I didn''t expect anyone to notice me," the clown said with a jovial tone.

    Ignoring his strange words, Veronica demanded, "Hand my baby sister back to me or else you''re going to regret it."

    <hr>

    The clown gave her a once-over before asking, "And how are you going to do that?"

    Veronica hated how judgmental he sounded and how right he was to be. She had failed to recover her broomstick before showing up to confront the clown. Her plan had been to take him by surprise and get out of there with her baby sister before he could have a chance to react. Unfortunately, that plan had failed before she could act on it.

    Now she was stuck staring the clown down, hoping she could find an opening to snatch her baby sister back.

    "Well, if you''re not going to do anything, then I''ll be going," he said before performing a backflip.

    It had been so sudden and out of left field that Veronica could only blink. She had been expecting him to take advantage of having a hostage and fight her.

    Why was he running away?

    She snapped out of her shock and screamed, "Get back! Give me back, my baby sister!"

    "Sorry, that''s not going to happen," the clown said as he continued to backflip without stopping.

    Veronica scowled, chasing after the duo. Her shout had drawn the attention of nearby witches, who suddenly realized that they had missed one of the intruders and aimed their wands at them. Luckily, the clown dodged the numerous fireballs and waves of water heading towards him while keeping Veronica''s baby sister out of harm''s way.

    When a lightning bolt brushed past her baby sister''s head, Veronica snarled, "Watch where you''re aiming. You could have hit my baby sister."

    "Who cares?" the witch who had fired the lightning bolt snapped. "It''s just a human baby."

    She gnashed her teeth together, ready to spit out some biting words, when the clown gave a dramatic sigh.

    The witches focused their attention back on the clown as he said, "This is why the witch hunts happened. You''re all so barbaric."

    "How dare you!" the witch screamed, sending a torrent of flame at the clown.

    Veronica gasped as she was hit by a wave of heat and raised her arms to protect her face. Between the gaps in her raised arms, she watched with horrified eyes as the flames struck the clown and her baby sister.

    "No!" she screamed, unable to do anything to save her baby sister.

    The witch who unleashed the spell smirked, panting heavily from exerting so much magic. Veronica wanted to wipe the smirk off her face when she saw what was behind the witch, and her jaw dropped.

    "Well, that wasn''t very nice." The witch lost her smirk as the clown''s shadow loomed over her. "I was simply telling the truth. I suppose I should return the favor."

    Spinning on her heel, the witch raised her wand. However, the clown was faster and grabbed her forehead. What happened next was so gruesome that Veronica had to look away and barely kept herself from throwing up. Not everyone could do the same, as she heard several witches puking. Forcing herself to look back at the clown, she pointedly avoided gazing at the witch sprawled on the ground.

    The clown grimaced as he pulled a handkerchief out of nowhere and wiped his bloodied hand on it. "That was unpleasant. This is why I don''t like participating in fights." Then he noticed everyone else''s reaction. "Oh, sorry about that. It''s not exactly kid-friendly, but don''t worry. I''ll fix that."

    With a snap of his fingers, a pink cloud burst out in front of him, right where the witch''s body was. Her gaze was drawn back to the witch against her will. Veronica did a double take as the blood had been replaced with stuffing.

    She couldn''t decide if this was more horrifying than what she had seen just moments before or not.

    "Now that gruesome sight is out of the way, I suggest all you focus on fighting someone else," the clown said as he waved them away.

    Before Veronica could open her mouth, one of the witches exclaimed, "Where did he go? He was just here a moment ago."

    Veronica gave her a befuddled look as another witch said, "He must have used magic to teleport away."

    What are they talking about? He''s right here.

    She glanced between the clown and the other witches, who continued to insist he was no longer there.

    Had the clown used magic to make them think he teleported away? Then why could she still see him?

    He must have felt her gaze as he turned in her direction. "Huh. It looks like my magic doesn''t work on you. How peculiar."

    "What did you do?" she asked, her face contorted in utter confusion.

    The clown hummed his face, taking on a thoughtful expression before saying, "Let''s just say I performed a magic trick." That wasn''t an answer, but he clearly didn''t care as he continued, "Now I suggest you leave too, or else I''ll have to deal with you just like I dealt with the other witch."

    In an instant, all her bravado went up in smoke.

    Her gaze lowered back to the witch at his feet, and she imagined herself in the witch''s place. She instantly slammed her eyes shut, but it was too late as the image was seared into her eyes. Her legs shook, and she found it hard to breathe. Veronica jerked at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

    "Take deep breaths. I''m not going to do anything to you as long as you stay out of my way," the clown whispered in her ear.

    If that was his attempt to calm her down, he did a terrible job.

    His hand pulled away from her shoulder. Despite all the noise around them, she could hear him walking away from her. Each step echoed loudly in her ears as he moved farther and farther away.

    Soon he would be gone along with her baby sister.

    I have to stop him. If I don''t, I might not see her ever again.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 16

    However, Veronica''s legs refused to budge.

    If she took even one step, no, if she even tried to move, Veronica was certain she would fall over like a puppet with its strings cut. Every fiber of her being was telling her to give up and not go after the clown.

    Move body. Move!

    Her body refused to listen as her eyes remained closed.

    How far had the clown gone already?

    Veronica couldn''t hear his steps anymore.

    As she was about to give in, she vaguely heard someone call out her name. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw Echo frantically attacking the clown. Her familiar''s attempts were pitiful as he flew around the clown like a fly clawing at the man with his claws. Seeing Echo desperately fight to save her baby sister gave her the push she needed to take a step forward.

    "Seriously, can you go away?" The clown waved Echo away. "Just because you''re cute doesn''t mean I won''t hurt you."

    He froze as he felt something tug on the back of his clothes and glanced behind him at Veronica, who steadfastly returned his gaze. "Give back my baby sister."

    Her hands shook as she continued to cling to the silent clown. Echo managed to grab onto some of the clown''s hair and pull, but the clown didn''t bat an eye. He continued to stare into Veronica''s eyes with a blank expression.

    Veronica had no clue what was going on in his head.

    Was the clown thinking about how to get rid of her?

    The thought only made her hands shake even more. Despite this, she refused to let go and tightened her grip even further.

    "I said let go of my baby sister," she repeated with more conviction.

    After several long moments, he finally made his move. As his hand reached out to her, Veronica flinched and closed her eyes. She fully expected him to deal with her like he had with the witch before her¡ªwhy did she think it was a good idea to confront the clown without her broomstick or help from the other witches?¡ªbut what he did next was so shocking that she snapped open her eyes.

    He continued to pat her head like he was her dad and said, "You know what? You can have her back."

    Veronica speechlessly took her baby sister back, still reeling from the whiplash. She blinked several times, but the situation didn''t change.

    What''s going on? Did he really give her back? Why? He is the one who kept insisting on keeping her. What changed?

    Her confusion must have been obvious, as the clown seemed to take pity on her and answered her unspoken questions. "I''m just hired help. Technically, I wasn''t supposed to hurt anyone, but that witch from earlier was getting on my nerves."

    She wasn''t sure how she was supposed to react to that information and kept her mouth shut.

    "Anyway, I better get going. See ya," the clown said as he gave her a brief wave, which happened to knock Echo away and out of his hair.

    Then he was gone in a flash. Veronica stared at where the clown originally stood as Echo recovered from being swatted away.

    "Where did he go?" her familiar asked as he flew to her side.

    "I...I don''t know," she said, scanning the area for the clown.

    Honestly, she was just glad that the clown was gone and that they had made it out in one piece. She still didn''t get what the clown''s deal was, as his actions were weird, but she wasn''t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

    "We should get out of here," Veronica said as she cradled her baby sister close to her chest.

    "How?" Echo asked as he landed on her shoulder.

    Veronica didn''t get a chance to answer as she dodged a blast of water. It flew past her and nearly hit another witch, who blocked it with a fireball. Unfortunately, this created a blast that caused Veronica to stumble. Luckily, she didn''t fall over and crush her baby sister with her weight. Now that she had her baby sister in her arms, she searched the vicinity for a safe place to hide until the battle was over.

    She didn''t feel a single ounce of regret running from the fighting.

    What did they expect her to do?

    Without her broomstick, she couldn''t cast any magic. She was currently no better than a regular human.

    Her eyes swiveled around the room with no signs of a safe spot. Veronica gritted her teeth as she was forced to move when decent-sized rocks were flung in her direction. They crashed into the ground behind her, kicking up dust and dirt.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    In the back of her mind, she vaguely wondered how there could be dirt when they weren''t even on the first floor.

    Suddenly, a strange sound reached her ears. Veronica spun around with a bewildered look on her face as she swore she had just heard a squeak even with everything happening around them. That''s when her gaze fell onto a mouse standing on top of a fallen statue. The two stared at each other before the mouse scurried down the statue and hurried away.

    Is that really a mouse? Did a witch really get a mouse as their familiar?

    The mouse abruptly stopped and looked back at her. Its gaze practically screamed at her to get a move on. Realizing that the mouse was actually trying to help her, she decided to run with it and followed after the mouse. The group navigated their way through the crowd away from the fighting. She glanced back several times to catch a glimpse of what was going, but she mostly kept her attention on the mouse.

    When they finally reached the other side of the room, she collapsed against the wall to catch her breath. "Thank you, uh, Mr. Mouse."

    "It''s Miss Mouse if you don''t mind," the mouse squeaked at her feet.

    <hr>

    If there wasn''t a wall behind her, Veronica would have thrown herself away from the talking mouse.

    Rather, what ended up happening was that her head crashed into the wall, causing her to keel over from the pain. Her baby sister chose this moment to start crying; the noise drowned out by the sound of fighting.

    Really? You pick now of all times to cry?

    Despite her baby sister''s inconvenient timing¡ªseriously, her baby sister had been quiet while in the crazy clown''s arms¡ªVeronica didn''t snap at her.

    Instead, Veronica urgently rocked her baby sister back and forth while hushing her. Her eyes jumped back and forth between her baby sister and the chaotic scene in front of her.

    Even though her baby sister''s cries couldn''t be heard over the sound of fighting, she didn''t want to risk the chance of drawing attention to themselves.

    Veronica was so focused on calming her baby sister down that she had forgotten about the talking mouse until she felt something brush against her ear. She jerked her head back, nearly dislodging the mouse that sank its paws into her clothes.

    "Hey, back away from my witch," Echo demanded as he hovered above them.

    "I''m not trying to take your witch," the talking mouse said as it steadied itself on Veronica''s shoulder. "I was just trying to get her attention."

    After staring at the talking mouse for a few seconds, Veronica blurted out, "How can you talk? How can I hear you?"

    The mouse titled its head to one side. "What are you talking about? Have you never seen a talking mouse before? Aren''t you a witch with a bat for a familiar?"

    Echo landed on Veronica''s head as he asked, "That''s absurd. A witch can only talk with their familiar. I''ve never heard of talking animals."

    She would have agreed with Echo if she didn''t remember her previous encounter with a talking black cat.

    Could this mouse be like that black cat? A witch in the form of a mouse?

    What she couldn''t get was why a mouse. There were plenty of other animals the witch could have chosen from, but they ended up going with a mouse. That was unless the witch had been forced to be a mouse. Then Veronica pitied her.

    "Oh, that''s how it is." Veronica never thought she would see a mouse adopt what appeared to be a thoughtful expression. "I forgot that''s the rule in this place. It''s hard to keep track of all the different rules of each place."

    Veronica didn''t get a chance to ask what the mouse meant as her baby sister wailed even louder, which she hadn''t thought was possible. Her eardrums felt like they were about to explode from the insistent crying. As she was about to return to rocking her baby sister, the mouse suddenly jumped off her shoulder onto her baby sister.

    "Time to go to sleep," the mouse said as it waved its paw of her baby sister''s face.

    Her baby sister''s wailing quieted down until she completely stopped. Her eyes fluttered before closing all the way.

    Without hesitation, Veronica freed one hand to grab the mouse and bring it close to her face as she demanded, "What did you do?"

    Unbothered by her reaction, the mouse said, "I just put her to sleep. It''s nothing dangerous or permanent. It''ll only last at most half an hour."

    If it weren''t for the slight rise and fall of her baby sister''s chest and the warmth she felt, Veronica would have thought the mouse was lying.

    "How did you do that? Familiars can''t use magic," Veronica said.

    It was well known that familiars couldn''t perform magic. Being able to talk didn''t count since familiars could only talk to their own witch thanks to the bond. This just further cemented the idea that the mouse in her hand was really a witch in a mouse''s body.

    "Well, you already know that I''m not a normal mouse or familiar," the mouse said before being cut off by Veronica''s aha.

    "So you are a witch in a mouse''s body," Veronica said.

    "Wha¡ªyeah. You could say that."

    She had a lot of questions for the mouse, but the abrupt shaking of the floor reminded Veronica that this was probably not the time or place to ask.

    "So, uh, Mister, no, Miss Mouse, can you help us?" Veronica asked anxiously as her eyes darted around.

    "If you expect me to be a powerful witch in a mouse disguise, I have to disappoint you." Veronica wilted. "But I can try to help. What do you need from me?"

    "Can you stop those bad guys?"

    "...That''s not within my power. Besides, I think someone else will come to save the day."

    Right as she was about to ask what the mouse meant, the ceiling above them was blown right off.

    Veronica wasn''t sure what happened. One moment there was a ceiling above them. The next, the ceiling was just gone. It had completely disappeared without a trace, like it had never been there to begin with.

    This certainly got everyone''s attention as all eyes turned upward at the sudden light and cold wind. Veronica''s eyes widened at the sight of the moonlight illuminating the figure of a beautiful woman standing on top of a broomstick. Her silver hair floated around her as her red eyes stared emotionlessly down at them. She slowly raised a hand until it was eye level and snapped.

    "That''s impossible," someone said as the sky filled with icicles.

    As to prove the voice wrong, the icicles fell down like a torrent of rain. Veronica instinctively flinched and curled herself around her baby sister to protect her from the sudden attack.

    However, it didn''t seem like it was necessary.

    Whether it was because she didn''t seem to be a threat or happened to be out of range, none of the icicles landed close to her. They stopped several feet away, but that didn''t stop Veronica from putting as much distance between them and the icicles as possible.

    She would rather be safe than sorry.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 17

    When the dust cleared, Veronica''s jaw dropped at the sight of the aftermath. Almost everyone was either pinned down by the icicles or frozen on the ground¡ªboth literally and physically. Only a few were still standing, with one of them unfortunately being the leader of the invaders, who looked up at the newcomer with contempt.

    This is crazy. I''ve seen a lot of amazing displays of magic, but this is the first time I''ve seen something so incredible.

    Veronica stared up at the witch with a mixture of awe and fear.

    Who was she? Where did she come from? Why hadn''t she been at the witching hour party earlier?

    Her mind swirled with questions, but she didn''t get a chance to voice them as the insanely strong little girl from before said, "Master, what are you doing here? You didn''t need to interfere."

    The newcomer didn''t say a word. She simply stared blankly down at them without a speck of emotion on her face.

    What was going through the witch''s mind right now?

    It was impossible for Veronica to tell what the newcomer was thinking.

    "How dare you get in my way? Who are you?" the leader of the invaders suddenly demanded, swinging his arm in front of himself.

    This got a reaction from the new witch, but it wasn''t a reaction any of them expected. "A mutt should learn to keep its mouth shut. I was being lenient as not to seriously hurt or damage this place, but if you keep insisting on barking, I won''t hesitate to permanently silence you."

    This is being lenient?

    Looking around at her surroundings, Veronica couldn''t imagine what it would really look like if the newcomer decided to get serious.

    Would any of them be able to make it out in one piece?

    "Shut up," the leader of the invaders roared as he summoned a large fireball, which hurled itself at the witch above them.

    The fireball didn''t get a chance to even touch her as it suddenly turned into a ball of ice. The large ball of ice glittered in the moonlight as it hanged above them like a second moon. Veronica''s jaw dropped.

    Without even having to peek at everyone else''s reaction, she was sure they were just as stunned as her.

    "I warned you," the witch said.

    The huge ball of ice abruptly dropped down at break taking speed towards the leader of the invaders. Veronica immediately closed her eyes and shielded her baby sister from the sight. There was a scream of outrage followed by a sickening, wet crunch. She didn''t dare to open her eyes and pressed her baby sister close to her chest.

    "You''re going to suffocate the baby if you keep holding her like that," a voice said in her ear.

    She jolted and opened her eyes to check on her baby sister. When she saw that her baby sister was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief. Veronica refused to lift her head, afraid of what she might see, but even from the corner of her eyes, she could see the giant ball of ice with mysterious red spots.

    "Oh?" The tone in the newcomer''s voice drew Veronica''s attention, her eyes darting up at the witch. "This is unexpected. You''re a lot more durable than expected."

    Before Veronica could figure out what she meant, the ball of ice exploded. Pieces of ice blasted through the air, with some hitting some of the people. Fortunately, none of them struck Veronica or her baby sister, and they simply landed around them, kicking up some dust. Veronica raised an arm and coughed into it as the dust got into her face. Something jumped out of the dust where the giant ball of ice had been.

    "Don''t act so cocky, you witch," the leader of the invaders snarled as he launched a barrage of fireballs.

    Unfortunately for him, his attack was nothing in the face of the newcomer.

    In a bat of an eye, he swatted aside like a fly, and the fireballs that had been summoned dispersed into the wind. No one dared to say a word or make a move as they watched the crumpled form of the leader of the invaders crawl across the ground like a worm.

    "This can''t be. How could I lose to some witch?" he muttered to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear.

    The newcomer snapped her fingers. Even though Veronica couldn''t see what the witch had done, she had a feeling she knew what happened considering how frantically the leader of the invaders was clawing at his face.

    "I thought I told you to be silent," the newcomer said before turning her attention to the little girl.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The little girl jerked at the sudden attention and stammered, "S-sorry, master. I made a mistake."

    "Who told you to come here and reveal yourself?"

    "I¡ª"

    "Don''t you think you''re being a bit mean to your daughter?" a familiar voice asked.

    Veronica''s eyes widened at the sight of the clown from before appearing right behind the newcomer.

    It''s him. How did he get there?

    She hadn''t expected to see him again so soon, especially right behind the newcomer. In fact, she couldn''t figure out how he was doing that. There was nothing behind the newcomer for him to stand on. It was just open air unless he was standing on her broomstick, but the position seemed off. Veronica honestly couldn''t tell from her spot on the ground. Maybe she was mistaken, but that wasn''t important at the moment.

    The newcomer didn''t bat an eye as she asked, "What are you doing?"

    "I''m just reporting in," the clown said, waving his arms around theatrically. "I''ve completed my mission."

    "If that''s all, then you''re wasting my time."

    "Your words hurt me."

    Watching the two banter felt ridiculous.

    Not too long ago, there had been a serious battle playing out. Now it was as if it had never happened to begin with except for the remaining evidence still surrounding them.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    At that moment, the newcomer''s eyes fell onto Veronica, who flinched.

    Is she looking at me? No, I have to be mistaken. She must be looking at someone else.

    Despite her best efforts to convince herself that the witch wasn''t really looking at her, she couldn''t shake the feeling that the witch''s eyes were directed towards her. There was nothing else the witch could be looking at. The only people in the direction the newcomer was looking at were herself, her baby sister, Echo, and the mouse. Even if the newcomer had sharp eyes, Veronica highly doubted she would be interested in a mouse or Echo.

    Was the witch perhaps looking at something and not someone?

    Veronica glanced at her surroundings, but all she could see were the chunks of ice nearby and the disheveled appearance of the room. When she focused her attention back to where the newcomer was, Veronica nearly jumped out of her skin.

    Why did she get in front of me?

    The witch ignored her shock and stared directly into Veronica''s eyes as she invaded Veronica''s personal space. With no place to go and not wanting to antagonize such a powerful witch, Veronica remained rooted in place while the witch kept eyeing her with an emotionless expression. Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica noticed everyone else watching them with a curious expression.

    The first to break the awkward silence was the little girl who trotted over to them. "Master, what are you doing? Why are you staring at that girl?"

    That''s what I want to know!

    After several moments of silence, the witch finally said, "Curious."

    What was curious?

    She really wanted to ask, but she was too afraid of accidentally annoying the witch. All she could do was wait and see if the witch would explain anything.

    "Oh?" the clown said as he popped up from behind the newcomer again. "You''re interested in her too. She is a curious thing."

    Veronica wasn''t sure whether that was supposed to be a compliment or insult.

    "You." Veronica immediately turned her attention back to the witch in front of her. "What''s your name?"

    She hesitated before saying, "It''s Veronica."

    There was no reaction from the witch, and Veronica fidgeted beneath the intense stare.

    "I think you''re scaring her," the clown whispered conspiratively.

    You''re not helping.

    Then the newcomer''s gaze turned downward to her baby sister. Something shifted in her eyes, leaving Veronica even more anxious. She wasn''t sure what the emotion was in the witch''s eyes, but it didn''t sit right with her as she discretely shielded her baby sister from view. Well, it wasn''t truly possible to move without notice, and the clown smiled amusingly at her.

    "Don''t worry. We''re not going to eat her," the clown said.

    At the same time, the witch said, "I want her."

    The clown froze, his head slowly turning towards the witch. "What was that?"

    He wasn''t the only one confused by the witch''s statement, as everyone stared at her like she had grown another head.

    Out of all the things she could have said, none of them could have expected the newcomer to ask for a human baby. It would have been one thing if the baby was a witch, but even then it would be odd. Veronica couldn''t help but think that the newcomer had bad intentions toward her baby sister. While she was grateful she helped them and was intimidated by the other witch, she couldn''t hand her baby sister like it was nothing.

    Keeping her baby sister close to her chest, Veronica said, "Don''t touch her."

    "Don''t talk to her like that," one of the witches snapped. "She just saved us."

    "It''s just a human baby. You don''t have to be so defensive," another one said.

    Veronica scowled, trying to locate the ones speaking.

    However, the newcomer''s next words stopped Veronica dead in her tracks. "I want you too."

    I don''t get it. What does she want with me and my baby sister? We weren''t even participating in the fight. We just stayed in the corner the entire time. She isn''t going to punish us, is she?

    Unfortunately, the newcomer wasn''t more forthgoing and was impossible to read.

    Seeing that she couldn''t get anywhere with the witch, Veronica glanced at the clown. Any hope she might find a clue from the clown was dashed away as he stared at the newcomer oddly.

    "What are you thinking?" he asked.

    The newcomer didn''t say a word. The tense atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. All eyes turned to the doorway just as Leta burst through.

    "You''re going to pay for that. Do you want a piece of¡ª" Leta stared, studying her surroundings, before blurting out, "What happened?"

    The sight of Leta being okay brought tears to Veronica''s eyes.

    She had been worried about Leta, but with everything that had been happening, she couldn''t even spare her a second thought. Now that the fight was over, she could fret over her friend.

    As if sensing her thoughts, Leta glanced in Veronica''s direction. Despite Veronica being on the other side of the room and with several people blocking her from view, Leta seemed to have spotted her and narrowed her eyes. Leta stormed towards them with a dark look on her face, clutching her broomstick in front of herself. She didn''t get very far as several witches rushed over to stop her, probably picking up on the fact that Leta intended to pick a fight.

    "What are you doing? Let go!" Leta demanded.

    "Don''t pick a fight with her," one of the witches said as they struggled against Leta.

    "She saved us," another said.

    The group of witches squabbled, but the newcomer didn''t pay them any mind. The clown and little girl took a few moments to watch what was happening before turning their attention back to Veronica.

    "As amusing as this is, are you sure you want to take them?" the clown asked.

    Without hesitation, the witch said, "I''m sure."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 18

    "Hold on a sec," Leta said as she managed to throw the witches holding her back off and rushed to shove herself in between Veronica and the newcomer. "Don''t you dare lay a finger on her."

    The newcomer''s expression remained unwavering. The clown, on the other hand, gave Leta an amused smile over the witch''s shoulder. Veronica felt a mixture of relief and worry as she glanced between her friend and the witch in front of them.

    While she was happy someone was standing up for her¡ªshe had been so sure that she would have been spirited away without anyone protesting¡ªher friend was literally confronting the witch who had taken out the invaders without batting an eye. If the witch decided to take offense to her friend''s actions, there was nothing any of them could do.

    After several tense moments, the newcomer finally said, "We''ll take her too."

    Before anyone could process what the witch just said, she snapped her fingers. In an instant, they shot up into the air. Veronica shrieked, clinging onto her baby sister. The mouse on her shoulder barely hanged on to her clothes as they floated high up in the sky. Refusing to see how far up they were, Veronica fixed her gaze on her friend, who was spinning around in the air.

    As Veronica was starting to get nauseous watching her friend, the clown grabbed Leta by the collar and stopped her. "Okay, that''s enough now. I was beginning to get sick watching you spin out of control."

    Leta remained silent, pressing both her hands over her mouth. Seeing that her friend was mostly okay, Veronica turned her gaze to the witch calmly sitting on her broomstick again.

    "Uh, excuse me, what do you want with us?" Veronica was forced out.

    A couple moments passed before the witch said, "I would like to take you under my wing."

    Veronica blinked.

    Huh? What did she say?

    She must have misheard.

    "What are you talking about? We already have our own teachers," Leta said, seemingly recovering from her ordeal.

    "Considering your lackluster performance, I would say they did a poor job teaching you," the witch said.

    "Were¡ªwere you just watching us fight? Why didn''t you help us fight?"

    "What I do is none of your business."

    Leta glared daggers at the witch, and Veronica didn''t blame her.

    The witch could have stopped things from getting this bad if she had stepped in sooner. Veronica couldn''t understand why the witch would just standby and watch. It wasn''t like it was because the witch was weak. She was clearly powerful considering how she handled the invaders as soon as she stepped in. Everything would have ended before it even began.

    "Is that really how you talk to your savior?" the clown asked, shaking Leta back and forth. "She could have just stayed out of it, you know."

    Snapping her head towards the clown, Leta said, "I haven''t forgotten about you either. Aren''t you supposed to be one of the invaders?"

    "You''re right, but I was ordered to go along with it, and before you ask, it''s none of your business."

    The clown''s happy smile did nothing to make the situation better. In fact, it just ticked Veronica off, and she was sure her friend felt the same considering the look on her face.

    "Enough." The witch''s cold voice was enough to stop them in their tracks. "Will you come under my wing?"

    "Do we even have a choice?" Leta spat, her hands curling into fists.

    "Of course. I have no desire to take the unwilling."

    Veronica found that hard to believe. The witch had purposely separated them from everyone else and put them in a dangerous spot. If she decided to release her magic and let them fall, they would splatter across the ground.

    The image sent shivers down Veronica''s spine.

    No, there''s no way she would let us go.

    "Do you really expect us to believe that?" Leta asked, voicing Veronica''s thoughts.

    The witch said nothing, choosing to scan Leta up and down. Leta didn''t back down and glared back at her while Veronica glanced between the two worriedly.

    Then the witch finally spoke. "You''re not worth the effort to pursue. If you refuse, then there won''t be another chance." Leta bristled as the witch turned her attention back onto Veronica, who froze. "You two, on the other hand, are much more valuable."

    Leta threw up her arms to shield Veronica. "I won''t let you harm my friend."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Right as Veronica was about to speak, she noticed how her friend''s arms were shaking.

    Despite how scared she was, Leta was trying to put up a brave front to protect Veronica from the witch. Veronica couldn''t let her friend continue to confront the witch alone.

    She placed a hand on Leta''s shoulder as she said, "Why are you interested in me? I''m not a powerful witch. There are plenty of better witches than me below."

    The words tasted like ashes on her tongue.

    Even though Veronica hated to say it, it was the truth. Veronica could bluster all she wanted; however, it was undeniable that she wasn''t as capable as the other witches. She was no genius or prodigy, and it wasn''t like she came from a great background either. There was nothing exceptional and special about herself.

    The witch didn''t bat an eye as she said, "Power isn''t everything. There are other things a witch should consider." Veronica still had her doubts, and it must have shown on her face as the witch pointed at her and said, "I sense great potential from the both of you."

    Whatever words Veronica intended to say fell short as she finally caught on to what the witch had just said.

    Leta''s face furrowed as she muttered, "Two?"

    Who is the witch referring to? I know one of them is me since she''s pointing at me, but who''s the other? Is it Leta? She said she wouldn''t mind if Leta refused, so maybe it''s not her. It''s definitely not the clown, but there''s no one else here.

    As Veronica wracked her mind over who the witch could be talking about, a sudden thought crossed her mind that left her speechless.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Veronica tried to disregard it as heresy, but the moment it crossed her mind, it took root. No matter how outrageous it seemed, it was the only possible explanation left.

    She glanced down at her sleeping baby sister before asking, "What do you want with my baby sister?"

    Leta''s eyes widened as she snapped her head in Veronica''s direction.

    The witch calmly said, "I don''t need to repeat myself."

    Veronica wrapped her arms protectively over her baby sister as she said, "She''s human. She has nothing to do with us."

    The clown raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Then why did you bring her here where there are only witches?"

    Everyone ignored his words as the witch said, "If that''s how everyone sees her, then they are blind."

    The implication wasn''t missed by Veronica. "Are you saying my baby sister is a witch?"

    "So have you come to a decision? Will you come under my wing?"

    Even though the witch had completely avoided answering Veronica''s question, she had gotten her answer. Her baby sister wasn''t a normal human. She was a witch like Veronica.

    How?

    She hadn''t noticed anything off about her baby sister. Ever since learning she was a witch, she had yearned for someone in the family to be like her. After her baby sister was born, Veronica checked for any signs that her baby sister was a witch just like her. Unfortunately, she hadn''t seen any hints that her baby sister would grow up to be like her.

    Well, it''s not like I know everything about being a witch, but I should at least be able to tell, right?

    "Veronica, you shouldn''t listen to her." Leta''s words cut through Veronica''s chaotic thoughts. "How can we possibly trust a stranger that just showed up out of the blue?"

    Leta wasn''t wrong. They knew nothing about the newcomer except that she was a powerful witch who had a strange interest in them.

    Something tickled Veronica''s ear as she heard, "She isn''t a bad person."

    Veronica jerked her head away, nearly dislodging the mouse on her shoulder.

    She had completely forgotten about it. With everything happening so quickly, it completely slipped her mind that the talking mouse was still clinging onto her. It was actually surprising it hadn''t fallen off when they were sent flying into the air.

    Then her mind caught up on the mouse''s words, and she blurted out, "What?"

    Rather than the mouse speaking first, it was Leta. "Veronica?"

    Veronica opened her mouth as she frantically tried to think of what to say when a blast of wind struck them. She closed her eyes as her hair whipped around her.

    Fortunately, the wind wasn''t particularly strong, so she wasn''t blasted anyway, nor did it last long.

    As she reopened her eyes, the witch asked, "What''s that on your shoulder?"

    Unsure what to say, Veronica remained silent. Even though the witch''s expression didn''t change, something about the way she spoke made Veronica uneasy, and Veronica averted her gaze.

    How does she sound angry without sounding angry? Does she have some kind of history with the mouse? Please don''t be like the invaders and black cats.

    She felt the mouse tug on her hair and wince. It took her a moment to realize the mouse was climbing up her head by climbing her hair, and her eyes shot up as the mouse stood on top of her forehead. Veronica could feel everyone''s eyes burning holes into her as she wondered if she knocked the mouse off of her head to get the attention off of her.

    "Hello," the mouse waved.

    The effect was immediate.

    Leta''s eyes bulged as she blurted out, "A talking mouse."

    The clown''s eyes and mouth widened slightly. Even the witch showed some emotion as her brows furrowed and a slight frown formed on her face.

    "Please don''t mind me," the mouse continued. "I just happened to be running around through the neighborhood."

    Veronica couldn''t decide what kind of expression she should make upon hearing that and settled for confusion. She couldn''t tell if the mouse was telling the truth and figured it really didn''t matter as long as it didn''t affect her or the people closest to her.

    "You¡ª" the witch started when a loud explosion erupted below them.

    All their eyes turned downward, and they saw a large plume of smoke rising up towards them. Veronica narrowed her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. A figure burst through the smoke, flying straight towards them. She recognized it as the leader of the invaders and instantly shielded her baby sister with her body. The invader suddenly stopped approaching, his face twisting with anger.

    The clown whistled. "Wow. You''re really a gluttony for punishment. You''ve been beaten black and blue, and you still dare to pick a fight. I can''t decide if I''m impressed or dumbfounded."

    "Enough," the witch said. "I won''t waste any more time on you."

    The witch raised a hand to make a motion when the mouse shouted, "Wait!" As soon as everyone''s attention was on the mouse, it said, "I have some questions for him. You can''t get rid of him."

    "Why should I give you the chance to interrogate him?"

    The mouse didn''t have an answer and tugged on Veronica''s hair anxiously. Veronica grimaced as she felt her hair being pulled, but she didn''t swat the mouse away as it didn''t really hurt.

    She didn''t think she had the right to interfere in whatever was going and simply waited to see what would happen next.

    Leta, on the other hand, had no such problem and asked, "What do you intend to do with him? You can''t just do whatever you want. Everyone wants a piece of him for all the trouble he caused."

    "That''s none of my concern," the witch said.

    "Just because you''re a powerful witch, you can''t do whatever you want."

    Leta, please. What if she gets offended and decides to retaliate? I won''t be able to help you. Just let it go.

    Unfortunately, Veronica had a feeling that neither of them were going to back down.

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 19

    "Psst. Can you get closer to the man for me?" the mouse whispered.

    Veronica gave the mouse an incredulous look.

    How exactly was she supposed to do that?

    She wasn''t exactly in the position to do anything.

    The mouse seemed to realize the same thing and whispered, "Can you just drop me on him?"

    Veronica took a moment to glance at the leader of the invaders, who had an ugly expression on his face.

    Judging the distance between the two of them, she wasn''t one hundred percent sure it would work out. While the man wasn''t that far off, she would still have to toss the mouse so it would reach the man. There was a decent chance she would mess up, and the mouse would end up plummeting to the ground. She didn''t want that responsibility on her hands.

    As if reading her mind, the mouse whispered, "Don''t worry about me. I''m tough. I''ll be fine."

    She still hesitated before freeing one hand and holding it out to the mouse. It calmly hopped onto her hand as she glanced back at the leader of the invaders. Steeling herself, she raised her hand. Her action didn''t go unnoticed, but it was too late to stop her as she hurled the mouse at the man. Her aim held true, and the mouse landed right dab in the middle of the man''s face. For several moments, no one reacted.

    Then the man exploded in rage as Leta demanded, "Veronica, what are you doing?"

    Veronica didn''t answer as she was distracted by the barrage of questions the mouse was spitting.

    "You. Did a strange person speak to you before you came here? Did they do anything to you? Did they say where they were going?" the mouse asked as it clung to the man trying to throw it off.

    She was honestly impressed. Despite being just a mouse, it couldn''t be moved by the man.

    "Get off!" the man snarled as he failed to tear the mouse off of his face.

    "Answer my questions," the mouse demanded, its claws digging into the man''s face.

    Veronica watched the squabble for a bit longer before looking over at the newcomer, expecting her to snap at them, and was surprised to see that the witch wasn''t making a move. In fact, the witch simply watched with a slight glint in her eyes that Veronica assumed was interest.

    It was hard to say since Veronica didn''t know the person well.

    "Veronica." Leta''s voice drew Veronica''s attention. "Where did that mouse come from? How is it talking?"

    "I really don''t know. It showed up out of the blue," Veronica said.

    The look on Leta''s face told her that Leta wanted to ask more about the subject, but a path of ice shooting up towards them distracted them. Veronica''s eyes widened at the sight of Deville calmly rising into the air on the path of ice.

    When Deville was on the same level as the group, she said, "I hate to interrupt, but I am the host of this witching hour party and need answers for what''s going on."

    The newcomer tilted her head slightly as she said, "It''s been some time."

    Deville narrowed her eyes. "Lucida Sangrey. I didn''t expect to see you here. Last I checked, you had completely secluded yourself after what happened to your disciple."

    This certainly caught Veronica''s interest.

    I''ve never heard of a Lucida Sangrey, but she must be someone important. What happened to her disciple?

    She wasn''t the only one eagerly waiting to hear what Deville had to say as everyone''s eyes were on her. Unbothered by the looks, Deville continued to stare at Lucida.

    Lucida finally broke the silence. "Yes, I did retire for some time until I received some unpleasant news regarding my former disciple." Then she glanced at the man who had stopped struggling with the mouse and venomously glared back. "I didn''t expect her to degrade herself to this point."

    Leta and Veronica shared a confused look.

    Neither of them seemed to have a clue what Lucida was talking about and could only come up with some guesses. Veronica was leaning onto the idea that the disciple had disappointed her mentor in some way and they cut ties with each other.

    Deville grimaced at the man before saying, "I see. This is not a simple matter, but I don''t approve of you stealing two of our young witches and putting them in this kind of situation. Return them back to the ground."

    "I can return this one," Lucida said, pointing at Leta. "However, I will be keeping these ones." Her finger shifted from Leta to Veronica and her baby sister.

    As Deville''s grimace turned into a frown, she said, "I can''t allow that even if we''re old friends. Return the children."

    "I can''t do that. I''ve decided that these ones will be my new disciples."

    Seeing Deville''s bewildered expression was priceless. This was probably the first time that Veronica had seen the witch completely out of her element. Even when the invaders attacked, she hadn''t shown a hint of being rattled.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "You what?" Deville raised a hand and massaged the bridge of her nose with the other. "I''m not going to even bother asking why, but it''s not possible. She already has another witch guiding her."

    "It''s not a problem. I can take it over from here," Lucida said without batting an eye.

    "Lucida, even if it''s you, you can''t just appear and kidnap a witch to be your disciple."

    "If the issue is about having a mentor, then I will take the other under my wing."

    Deville shot Lucida a perplexed expression and looked back in Veronica''s direction. She studied the trio when her eyes suddenly widened. Her head snapped back towards Lucida.

    "You can''t just take a random human baby as a disciple," Deville said.

    "It''s not a random human baby," Lucida said calmly.

    "It''s clearly a human baby."

    "In your eyes, that might be the case."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Take another look."

    <hr>

    Veronica curled in on herself at the intense look Deville was giving her.

    What was there to see?

    Her baby sister was one hundred percent human. She was certain of it. Well, maybe not one hundred percent, but she was still very certain her baby sister wasn''t a witch.

    Leta chose that moment to step forward and ask, "Can you put us down? Staying up here is uncomfortable."

    This drew Deville''s attention. "She''s right. This isn''t the right environment to have this conversation. I still have to calm the other witches as well." She glanced at Lucida before adding, "We can talk about this more in private."

    Lucida stared back for a few moments before snapping her fingers. Suddenly, everyone was back on the ground, and Veronica nearly tumbled over from the sudden movement. Leta leaned against Veronica to steady herself.

    "I will be waiting," Lucida said.

    Without waiting to hear Deville''s response, she flew off with the clown and the leader of the invaders trailing after her. None of the others dared to get in her way and stepped aside so they wouldn''t be barreled over. Watching them leave, Veronica felt like she was forgetting something, but she couldn''t quite put her finger on it.

    That''s when she remembered the mouse.

    She raised a hand. "Wa¡ª"

    However, it was too late. They were already gone.

    Her hand hung uselessly in the air before she reluctantly lowered it as Leta asked, "Veronica, what was that all about?"

    With her mind still on the talking mouse, Veronica dumbly said, "What?"

    "What do you mean, what? I''m talking about all that."

    It took Veronica several moments to finally get an idea of what she was referring to and try to explain. In that time, Deville chose that moment to get to work in dealing with the aftermath.

    The witches dispersed, separating into groups.

    Several groups were dedicated to cleaning up the place. Others were focused on checking the surrounding area to make sure they hadn''t missed a single invader and dealing with anything that shouldn''t be there. A select few had the important task of interrogating the invaders to find out how they knew about the witching hour party, how they got in, and why they attacked.

    Veronica and Leta watched from the sidelines as ordered by Deville.

    Deville refused to let them out of her sight, so they were stuck waiting around until everything was done with nothing to do. Veronica couldn''t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

    "Are you okay?" Leta suddenly asked.

    Tearing her gaze away from her sleeping baby sister, Veronica said, "Huh? Yeah. I guess." An awkward silence stretched between them until Veronica blurted out, "So this is a witching hour party."

    Leta grimaced. "It''s never been like this before. I''m sorry that your first witching hour party turned out like this."

    "What are you talking about? It''s also your first witching hour party. You didn''t do anything."

    "I know, but you were so excited about it that you got special permission to join."

    It was Veronica''s turn to grimace.

    If she hadn''t put up such a fuss to come, she wouldn''t have been caught up in this mess. However, it was too late to complain about it. She was just glad she made it through the party.

    "Well, there''s next year, right?" Veronica pointed out.

    Leta blinked before giving a small smile. "That''s right. There''s always next year."

    They took a moment to bask in the calm while everyone was busily working.

    "So...what are you going to do about the witch''s offer?" Leta asked.

    "I don''t know," Veronica said honestly. "Am I allowed to change my mentor?"

    "I mean, technically, all witches older than you are your teachers. It''s not really a strict master and disciple relationship unless both want it."

    That was true. She never called the witch who taught her quite a bit her master. In fact, she couldn''t recall anyone calling another witch their master. Since no one made a big deal about it, it never really crossed her mind until now.

    She yawned, feeling the night''s events finally catching up to her. Her head nodded off a couple of times as she blinked her eyes several times to stay awake.

    Veronica was certain that she would be out a couple of hours the moment she closed her eyes. She still needed to return home after everything was settled, and she couldn''t do that if she fell asleep. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

    To stay awake, she pinched her cheek. The pain helped a little, but it wasn''t enough, so she continued to pinch and pull on her cheek.

    "What are you doing?" Leta asked.

    "I''m trying to stay awake," Veronica said in between pinching and pulling her cheek.

    "Are you worried about getting home?" Without waiting for Veronica''s answer, she continued, "You could ask one of the other witches for help."

    Who am I supposed to ask exactly? Deville?

    She doubted any of the witches would be interested and willing to carry the two of them home. They would probably be exhausted and wanting to go home too. The only people she could think of that might help her out were Leta and Deville. Leta was obvious since she was her friend. Deville might help out since she was the host, but Veronica wasn''t completely sure about it.

    The sudden movement in Veronica''s arms drew her out of her thoughts. Looking down, she saw her baby sister opening her eyes. The two of them stared at each other for several moments before her baby sister reached up to grab Veronica''s nose, or at least tried to.

    "No, don''t do that," Veronica said as she kept her face out of her baby sister''s reach.

    Leta leaned towards Veronica as she said, "Your baby sister was pretty calm this whole time. I''m surprised."

    "No, she did cry a bit a few times."

    "I think no one would blame her if she chose to cry the entire time."

    "Leta. Veronica." Deville''s voice pulled their attention away from the baby. "We need to talk."

 Witching Hour Party Chapter 20

    Veronica wasn''t sure what she expected when Deville dragged them away from everyone else after selecting someone to take over to observe the work being done.

    She figured that Deville would probably talk about the incident earlier, but Deville''s next words shocked her.

    After staring blankly at Deville for a few seconds, she blurted out, "Huh?"

    Deville returned her blank look as she repeated, "I said you should return home immediately. The witching hour is over, and nothing is keeping you from leaving."

    While it was true that everyone was free to leave since the witching hour was over, Veronica didn''t expect Deville to send her away right away. Everyone else was currently pitching in to clean the mess. She had a feeling that Lucida had something to do with Deville''s desire to see her gone.

    Leta seemed to think the same thing as she bluntly asked, "Is this because of Lucida''s offer?"

    "I won''t mince my words." Deville pointedly stared straight at Veronica as she said, "I expect you to leave as soon as possible."

    Why does she want me to leave so badly? Is Lucida being my mentor really that bad?

    Veronica glanced at Leta to see what her thoughts were.

    "I think she has a point." Before Veronica could decide how she felt about Leta''s words, Leta continued, "Your baby sister must be exhausted. Besides, what about your parents?"

    The mention of Veronica''s parents left Veronica feeling guilty and disgusted with herself. She only now remembered about what happened to her parents before coming to the witching hour party.

    If something had happened to her baby sister, how would she be able to face them when she returned?

    Even though they wouldn''t be home when she returned, she wilted at the thought of her parents'' disappointed expressions.

    I should go home right away.

    "Good. Now that''s settled, I''ll take Leta back with me," Deville said.

    "Wait. What about Lucida? Will she bother Veronica again?" Leta suddenly asked.

    "It''s likely. Lucida isn''t the type to give up when she sets her eyes on something, but as long as Veronica refuses, there''s nothing she can do. However, it''s up to Veronica whether or not she accepts Lucida''s offer to be her mentor."

    Despite Deville''s confident words, Veronica had her doubts. Lucida hadn''t had any issues forcing them to float high up in the sky with the threat of death hanging over them. It had felt as if one wrong word would have sent them plummeting to the ground.

    "Is there a reason why I should accept the offer?" Veronica asked hesitantly.

    Deville pursed her lips. "As you''ve seen, Lucida is a powerful witch with a lot of knowledge. She would have a lot to teach you."

    Leta narrowed her eyes. "Then why do you want Veronica to refuse?"

    After a moment''s hesitation, Deville said, "She had a disciple before, but her disciple turned out wrong, which forced her into seclusion. No one knows exactly what went down between them other than the two involved. All anyone knows is that her disciple did something unforgivable, which resulted in a break in their relationship."

    "What does that have to do with Veronica?"

    "The incident became a stain on Lucida''s reputation. As a result, not many witches talk about her. Accepting her as your mentor might result in the bad reputation spreading to you."

    Is that I''ve never heard of her?

    Whatever the incident was, it must have been really bad if no one wanted to talk about it. However, Veronica didn''t think that was enough to deter her from accepting Lucida''s offer. It wasn''t like Veronica had a stellar reputation to begin with. While it wasn''t bad, it wasn''t good either. Accepting the offer probably wouldn''t make a ripple.

    Leta must have seen something in her expression as she asked, "Are you going to accept the offer?"

    "I don''t know." Veronica glanced down at her baby sister, who had groggily opened her eyes. "I don''t like how she was looking at my baby sister."

    She hadn''t forgotten how Lucida eyed her baby sister. The first person Lucida had wanted to take on as a disciple wasn''t her, but her baby sister. While Veronica didn''t know why Lucida was so interested in her baby sister, there was no way she would let her baby sister anywhere near her. She was sure she could manage just fine without Lucida.

    Deville nodded, seemingly approving of Veronica''s decision. "In that case, I suggest you leave now before Lucida corners you again."

    Veronica looked back at Leta, who said, "You don''t have to wait for me. You should go on ahead."This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "I agree. I think there''s been enough excitement for one day," Echo said as he buried himself in Veronica''s hair.

    "Alright," Veronica said as she mounted her broomstick. "See you tomorrow."

    Leta waved as Veronica slowly ascended into the air. The higher she flew up, the more she could see of the mansion. Veronica winced at the destruction. Surprisingly, most of the damage had been caused by Lucida, who had destroyed the roof. Watching as everyone worked to clean up, Veronica felt a twinge of guilt for ditching everyone.

    She quickly got over it and focused on returning home.

    Her broomstick didn''t get very far before something crossed her path. Veronica jerked her broomstick to a stop to prevent herself from colliding with the snowy owl that had cut in front of her. It gave a hoot and flew circles around Veronica.

    It didn''t take a genius to know that this wasn''t any ordinary owl. This had to be a witch''s familiar.

    As Veronica wondered who the witch was, the snowy owl finally settled on the edge of Veronica''s broomstick. It raised a claw, revealing that a message had been attached to its leg. Veronica removed the paper. As soon as she retrieved the paper, the snowy owl took off, heading back to the mansion. She watched the snowy owl disappear from view before turning her attention back to the paper in her hand.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Echo peeked out from Veronica''s hair and asked, "What does it say?"

    Veronica unraveled the paper. After reading its short contents, she frowned. When she remained silent for too long, Echo tugged on her hair and repeated his question. This time he got a reaction from her, and she frowned as she folded the paper.

    So much for avoiding Lucida. I didn''t think she would actually send her familiar to deliver a message to me.

    Lucida must have realized Veronica would leave right away and wanted to make sure to send a message before Veronica could get very far.

    "Lucida said she will come to my home to discuss being my mentor," she said, answering Echo''s question.

    "What?" Echo asked incredulously. "Does she even know where you live?"

    She doubted that it would be an obstacle for the witch. Lucida could just ask around or use magic to discover her location. It wasn''t like her address was confidential information.

    "Let''s stop talking about it. Let''s just go home," Veronica said as she tucked away the message.

    The rest of the trip was uneventful, much to her relief. She had enough excitement for one night and was ready to crash once she got home. However, she never expected to see both her parents'' cars sitting in the driveway. Veronica''s eyes widened like saucers as she stared down at it in disbelief.

    Why are both cars here? Didn''t Mom go to the hospital to see Dad?

    There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she landed on the rooftop in front of her room. She carefully stepped down from her broomstick and tugged at the window.

    The window didn''t budge.

    "Oh no," she muttered as she tugged at the window with the same result.

    Veronica knew that there was only one reason why she couldn''t open her bedroom window. It had to have been locked from the inside. She had purposely left it unlocked when she left since she intended to return the same way. If it was now locked, it meant that someone must have locked it.

    Suddenly, the window slammed open, nearly sending her tumbling off the rooftop.

    "Veronica, what are you doing? Get back in here," her mother demanded.

    In the face of her mother''s furious expression, she reluctantly entered through the window her mother just opened. As soon as she entered the room, Veronica was greeted by the sight of both her parents'' grim expressions.

    Seeing her father in one piece, Veronica blurted out, "Dad. You''re okay.

    Her father narrowed his eyes. "Don''t think I''ll let you change the topic so easily. What were you thinking, leaving the house with your baby sister? Do you know how scared we were to see you both missing?"

    "I told you to stay home to watch your baby sister. I didn''t tell you to take her out with you to do who knows what," her mother joined in.

    Under the barrage of her parents'' words, Veronica could only hang her head and accept them. Her baby sister, on the other hand, let out a wail that stopped their parents in their tracks. Their mother quickly took her baby sister from Veronica to coax her as their father hovered. Once her baby sister calmed down, there was a brief moment of reprieve before their parents turned their attention back onto Veronica.

    Her mother asked softly, "Do you understand what you did wrong?" When Veronica remained silent, she continued, "I rushed to check on your father to make sure he was okay only to return home and find both of you missing. We couldn''t find a single trace of you anywhere. We thought something horrible must have happened to you two."

    "I''m sorry," Veronica said in a small voice.

    Her father sighed. "Veronica. Saying sorry isn''t enough. This is serious. If we can''t trust you to listen to us during emergencies, what do you expect us to do?"

    She continued to stare at the floor, fidgeting with the broomstick in her hand. Abruptly, she felt her parents pull her into a hug.

    "We''re glad you''re okay," her mother whispered.

    Veronica''s eyes welled up with tears as she clung to them, basking in their warmth. After several minutes, they broke apart, and Veronica took the chance to furiously rub the tears out of her eyes.

    "You''re still grounded," her father reminded.

    She let out a small laugh as she didn''t expect otherwise. "Dad, what happened? Mom said you were in an accident."

    "I was, but it wasn''t serious. Unfortunately, your mother misunderstood what was going on and panicked."

    Her mother elbowed and glared at him. "What do you expect me to think when I got a call from your coworker that you were in an accident and I couldn''t get ahold of you?"

    "Sorry, sorry."

    Even though Veronica expected that to be the case since her father was right in front of her, hearing that it wasn''t bad lifted the heavy weight in her chest. She was just glad her family was okay.

    "Anyway, are you going to explain yourself?" her mother abruptly asked. "Where did you run off to? When we came home, we thought you might have been kidnapped, but there were no signs of anyone breaking in. We were going to call the police when we realized your bedroom window was unlocked."

    "I didn''t expect our young daughter to go sneaking out in the middle of the night," her father said, shaking his head.

    "I was meeting with a friend," Veronica blurted out. "We had plans to meet tonight and wanted to see them. I didn''t want to stay home alone."

    Her parents'' expression softened as her mother said, "That''s still no excuse." Veronica suddenly yawned and covered her mouth with one hand. "We will be having a long discussion about this later. It''s been a long night for all of us."

    Refusing to let the opportunity slip, Veronica nodded her head vigorously. "Okay, Mom, Dad. Good night."

    The moment her parents left the room, Veronica collapsed on the bed.

    "You''re definitely going to be grounded," Echo said. "What are you going to do?"

    Rather than answer the question, Veronica chose to bask in the softness of her bed.

    That was something for future Veronica to worry about. All she wanted to do at that moment was to sleep. As she fell asleep, her mind was filled with thoughts about the witching hour party and what the next one would be like.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 1

    "Davion, can you come over here? I need you to do something."

    At the sound of his mother''s voice, Davion groaned. "Mom, I''m watching TV."

    "Davion." Her sharp tone caused him to clamp his mouth shut. "TV. Off."

    Davion obeyed, grumbling under his breath. His annoyed expression stared back at him in the blank TV screen. He didn''t stare for long as his mother called for him again, forcing him to walk to the kitchen.

    "Yes, Mom," he said as he looked at his mother''s back.

    She paused what she was doing and glanced back at him. "Davion, I need you to go to the store to buy a couple of things." Without waiting to hear what he had to say, she stuffed a piece of paper and some money into his hand. "I need you to hurry back. Your relatives will be here in an hour."

    "Why can''t Sharlene do it? She always does it."

    "Your sister went with your father to pick up your grandparents from the airport, which you should have known since you were there when they left."

    She did?

    He hadn''t paid much attention to what was happening since he had been glued to the TV. School had kept him so busy that he hadn''t had time to watch his favorite TV shows until now. Davion hadn''t wanted to waste a single minute to catch up on what he missed.

    As if reading his mind, his mother gave him an unimpressed look. "Hurry. I need you back before everyone gets here."

    Rather than argue or complain further, he reluctantly headed for the door. He passed by the coat rack by the stairs and doubled back after walking a few steps. His eyes lingered on the red cloak hanging from one of the racks.

    Davion recognized it as part of his twin sister''s costume for trick-or-treating tonight. He hadn''t expected to see it there.

    Why is it here and not in her bedroom?

    Well, whatever the reason, he took it off the rack and threw it over himself.

    Since they were identical in every way despite being different genders, the red cloak fit him perfectly. If he had gotten the same costume as her, then no one would be able to tell them apart. His twin would probably be angry that he stole her red cloak, but it was payback for leaving him to do the work while she got to relax in the car.

    He hurried out with the red cloak flapping around him, eager to get back to watching TV, but he wasn''t far from the store when he saw some familiar faces down the street. A group of boys was huddled together on the curb of the sidewalk chatting away.

    One of the boys spotted him and loudly said, "Hey, isn''t that Davion?"

    All the boys turned to look at Davion, and another said, "I think so."

    Davion jogged up to them as he gave a brief wave. "Hi guys, whatcha doing?"

    "We were just hanging out. We thought you wouldn''t be coming out because of your relatives," one of them said.

    At the mention of his relatives, Davion grimaced.

    Normally, his relatives didn''t visit on Halloween. Well, at least not all of them. Once in a while, one or two would stop by to do trick-or-treating with them, but not everyone. They normally only had family gatherings where everyone got together during the holidays or summer when they didn''t have to worry about school. His parents didn''t tell him or his twin why they were coming today. They had just sprung it on them suddenly.

    Did something special happen?

    He really couldn''t figure it out.

    "Yeah, my mom told me to do some shopping because she forgot some stuff," he said as he waved the piece of paper.

    One of the boys crinkled his face. "That sucks. Doesn''t your sister normally do that stuff?"

    "She''s with Dad. They''re picking up grandma and grandpa."

    A couple of the boys nodded in acknowledgment.

    "So does it mean you can hang out with us?" another boy asked.

    Davion opened his mouth and hesitated.

    On one hand, he really needed to buy the stuff and get home right away. His mother had made it clear that she needed it for what she was cooking. Without the ingredients, she couldn''t finish cooking lunch. On the other hand, it couldn''t hurt to spend some time with his friends. It wasn''t like he would hang out with them for hours.

    After thinking it over, he said, "Sure. I can stay for a little." He immediately took a seat on the curb at the end. "What were you guys talking about?"

    "We were just talking about one of the urban legends," one of them chimed in.

    "Which one?"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "The dog one," a different boy said.

    "It''s a wolf, you idiot," another body said.

    "No, it isn''t."

    "It is."

    The two boys bickered as Davion recalled which one they were referring to.

    Apparently, there used to be a huge forest where they lived, and it was supposedly where the story of Red Riding Hood happened. Of course, a lot of people debated whether it was actually about Red Riding Hood or just another similar-sounding story. No one could settle on one or the other.

    "What brought it up?" Davion asked.

    "Because of this," one of the boys said as he shoved his phone in Davion''s face.

    With the screen so close to his face, he had a hard time reading what was written, but his eyes caught the word wolf. He pulled his head back so he could get a better look at the screen and skimmed the contents.

    "It''s been trending lately," the boy said as he pulled his phone back. "Everyone''s been talking about it."

    Everyone?

    He had a hard time believing that. If it was really trending like crazy, like his friend said, Davion would have seen it when scrolling his feed when he was on his phone. That hadn''t happened.

    <hr>

    "When he says it''s been trending, he means early this morning," a different boy said.

    "Isn''t that what I said?" the boy with the phone said.

    While the two argued, another boy whispered, "Actually, the post has been around for a while, but it didn''t gain traction until recently."

    "Really?" Davion asked.

    "Yeah. Don''t know why it''s suddenly popular. There have always been posts about the topic since you know."

    Davion did know. Since it was an urban legend, there were always people bringing it up all the time. It would be weirder if no one ever talked about it.

    "I didn''t get to finish reading the post. I saw something about wolf sightings," Davion said.

    "People have been claiming to have seen the wolf from the urban legend showing up recently. Someone uploaded a video that went viral," the boy said.

    "Are they really sure it was a wolf? Couldn''t it be just a big dog?"

    "It''s hard to tell from the video. All you can see is something huge on four legs with glowing yellow eyes."

    "That could be anything."

    The boy just shrugged. Wanting to know more about the topic, Davion pulled out his phone and searched up the video.

    The video itself wasn''t long. It was only a couple of minutes. The quality wasn''t good either. Barely anything could be seen. For all he could know, it could have been filmed anywhere. In the end, he couldn''t even tell if it had even been an animal that had been caught on camera. Even the comment section was complaining about how terrible the footage was.

    "This is what is trending," Davion said in disbelief.

    He was sure he could make a better video with his phone.

    A boy glimpsed over Davion''s shoulder to take a look and said, "That''s the wrong video. The one we saw definitely had better quality. It might be a copycat. I have the right video on my phone."

    Davion stashed his phone away and glanced at the boy''s phone.

    The video quality was loads better than the one he had just watched. He could actually tell what was happening instead of trying to make guesses on what was supposed to be on the screen.

    Whoever was recording the video was jogging down the street when there was a growl. The person stopped in their tracks and scanned the surroundings. After several moments, they hesitantly returned back to jogging. They didn''t get far when there was another growl, causing the video to shake violently. The video blurred as the person frantically searched the area for the source of the growl.

    That''s when something popped into view.

    He jerked back, nearly falling off the curb from the jump scare. Placing a hand on his beating heart, he looked back at the paused video to get a better look at what scared him.

    This time it was clearly an animal in the video and a big one at that. The animal looked massive.

    It might even be bigger than me.

    Well, it wasn''t that hard to accomplish. Davion wasn''t exactly the tallest person in the class. He wasn''t even the average. Compared to his friends, he was the shortest in the group, but no one made fun of him for that.

    After studying the image for a bit, Davion said, "It really does look like one of those big dogs."

    "You mean like a golden retriever?" the boy asked as he glanced at the video.

    "No. Why would you think that? Golden retrievers aren''t black."

    "That''s the only big dog I can think of."

    "All the black dogs I''ve seen are the small ones," a boy chimed in.

    "I don''t think I''ve ever seen a completely black dog before," another said.

    When Davion thought about it, he realized that they were right. He couldn''t think of any dogs that were big and completely black. No wonder a lot of people thought it was a wolf instead of a dog.

    "Anyway, what happened to the person in the video?" Davion asked, pointing at the phone.

    "Oh, the person said they were chased all the way back home. When they got inside, the animal disappeared," the boy said, playing the video again.

    Once the video ended, Davion shuddered.

    He wouldn''t want to be in that person''s place. Being chased by a normal animal was scary enough. Being chased by a giant animal was so much worse. Davion wasn''t sure he would be able to outrun whatever had been chasing them if he were in their place.

    "Why did he get chased anyway?" Davion asked.

    "They said it''s because he wore something red like in the legends," a boy said.

    "They got chased because they wore red? I thought that was for bulls."

    The boy shrugged. "That''s what people are saying. So, if you don''t want to be chased by it, don''t wear red."

    As soon as the boy said that, everyone stared at Davion, who looked down at himself.

    It was obvious what everyone was thinking, and Davion seriously regretted stealing his twin''s red cloak. It''s not that he believed the story was true because it wasn''t. That was just a story someone made up to get attention, but in the case it actually was true, he really shouldn''t be wearing red.

    "So what''s with the getup? Is that your costume or something?" a boy dared to ask.

    "It''s my sister''s," Davion admitted.

    This got him a bunch of curious and confused looks.

    "Why are you wearing your sister''s clothes?" someone asked.

    Davion opened his mouth only to close it right after.

    He didn''t really have a good answer for them. Originally, he did it to get back at his sister for not being there to go shopping for their mom, but in hindsight, it wasn''t much of a revenge.

    After several moments, he finally said, "I just felt like it." This earned him several odd looks, but he didn''t care. Instead, he continued, "I better get going. It''s getting late, and I have to head back before Mom gets angry."

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 2

    Davion stood up as one of the boys asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"

    "I have to ask my parents," Davion said. "See ya."

    There was a chorus of farewells and waves as Davion walked away. Their conversation bounced around in his head, but he soon shoved them aside with the red cape fluttering around him. Once he entered the store, he quickly hunted down the groceries and found an open register. He pulled out the money from his pocket and silently paid. After packing up his groceries, he took a moment to check the time. His eyes widened at the sight of numerous missed calls.

    Huh? How did I miss Mom and Dad calling me? Did I accidentally put my phone on silent?

    Without missing a beat, he immediately called his mom back.

    In an instant, his mother''s loud voice rang in his ear. "Davion, where are you?"

    He grimaced as he asked, "I just bought everything. Is something wrong?"

    "It''s been over an hour. I told you to be back within an hour."

    Startled, he checked the time on his phone.

    She was right. It was now a bit over an hour since he left the house. Davion hadn''t even noticed how much time had passed. It hadn''t seemed long since he had only stopped to chat with his friends, and the store wasn''t far from where they lived.

    "Sorry, Mom," he said as he picked up the pace. "I''m coming home now."

    "No need. Your father is already on the way to pick you up. Wait for him," his mother said before she ended the call.

    At the mention of his father, Davion winced.

    With his father coming to pick him up, he had no choice except to wait for the man to roll up to the curb. While it meant he didn''t have to walk home, he was definitely going to get chewed out once his dad got there. Davion only hoped that his sister wasn''t coming too. After all, he was still wearing her red cape, and she wasn''t going to let it slide. Unfortunately, luck wasn''t on his side.

    As he saw the car coming up to the curb where he was rocking back and forth, he noticed that there was someone in the backseat.

    It was hard to see from a distance, and he could easily be wrong about there being someone else in the car with his father, but he had a feeling his sister had hitched a ride.

    When the car stopped in front of him, he could see his sister sitting in the backseat with her arms crossed, glaring at him.

    Oh boy. She''s mad.

    Seeing no point in avoiding the inevitable, he opened the backseat door.

    Davion was greeted with his twin sister shoving herself into his personal space as she demanded, "Why are you wearing my red cape? Give it back."

    Without giving him a chance to respond, she grabbed the front of the cape as if to rip it off of him. He choked on the feeling of the cape tightening around his throat and fell forward from the force. The grocery bag swung back and forth in his hands.

    "Let go," Davion managed to force out as he pushed against his sister.

    "Not until you give me back my red cape," she snapped.

    "This isn''t the time to be fighting. Everyone is waiting for us back home," their father called out from the front.

    Neither of them took notice and struggled against each other.

    Narrowing his eyes, their father turned around and snapped, "Stop. Now."

    This time they listened to his words and looked back at him. Upon seeing the fierce look on their father''s face, the siblings quickly scrambled into their seats and shut the door. Once everything was settled, their father faced the road and drove back towards their house.

    His twin sister didn''t waste this opportunity to hiss, "Give me back my cape."

    "I''ll give it back to you later," Davion hissed back.

    "No, I want it back now."

    "Alright, alright."

    He grumbled as he removed the cape and handed it over to her. She wordlessly snatched it away from him and inspected it carefully, looking for any signs of damage.

    "Seriously," he muttered.

    She just shot him a glare before continuing to thoroughly check the cape. Once she was satisfied with what she saw, she nodded and placed it in her lap. Then she turned her attention back to Davion.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "You''re lucky that you didn''t rip it," she said with a huff.

    "We''re the same size," he pointed out. "How would I rip it?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe it got caught on some branches or something."

    "Well, you now have your cape back."

    Rather than give him a response, his twin sister resolutely turned her head away. Davion simply rolled his eyes at her tantrum and looked toward the back of their father''s head.

    His father had been silent the entire time.

    Not wanting to change that, Davion kept silent and fiddled with his phone instead. Realizing that he had indeed turned off the sound on his phone, he raised the volume. Suddenly, loud barking filled the car, startling everyone. Davion jerked back, nearly dropping his phone, while his sister snapped her head in his direction. Their father, on the other hand, slammed on the brakes.

    Fortunately, he hadn''t been going very fast, so it didn''t do any serious damage.

    "What was that?" their father barked as he whirled around. "Who did that?"

    Davion wilted only to draw his father''s ire. The muscles in his father''s jaw twitched as he gave them a once-over.

    Then his father said, "Do not do that. Do you want us to get into an accident? Keep it down, or I''m confiscating it."

    Dad''s definitely in a bad mood. Things must have gone really badly with our relatives.

    He turned the sound back off. Fortunately, the rest of the trip remained uneventful as the car continued down the road.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    That changed once the car got close to the house, and Davion saw that several relatives were outside shouting. He and his twin sister shared a glance before looking back at where their relatives were in the middle of an argument. With the door closed and the windows rolled up, he couldn''t quite hear what they were talking about.

    "Were they fighting before you came to get me?" Davion asked.

    His sister shook her head. "No, they were just fine earlier. Everyone had been getting along."

    Then why is everyone shouting?

    Once the car was parked, everyone got out. The rest of the family didn''t seem to notice their arrival and continued to bicker amongst themselves. The trio wisely kept to the sidelines and watched.

    "I can''t believe you. Why are you blaming me?" one of his aunts said.

    "Weren''t you supposed to be watching them?" another aunt shot back.

    Davion and his sister shared another glance.

    Who were they talking about?"

    He had a bad feeling.

    "How was I supposed to know they would wander off?" the first aunt asked. "Besides, it wasn''t my responsibility. It''s not like they''re my kids."

    The second aunt snapped. "What did you say? How can you talk about your nieces and nephews like that?

    "It''s because they''re my nieces and nephews. Why is it my job to watch your kids? I didn''t sign up to be your babysitter."

    Their father seemed to have had enough and stormed over. "What''s going on here?"

    The crowd turned their attention to him, and one of the uncles said, "Some of the kids vanished on us. We don''t know where they are."

    "Are you certain they aren''t hiding somewhere or taking a nap?"

    "None of us have seen them anywhere," another uncle said.

    "How many kids are missing?"

    "Three of them," the first aunt said. "Maybe if someone had been properly watching them, this wouldn''t have happened."

    Noticing her pointed glare, the second aunt snapped, "I was busy helping out. What''s your excuse?"

    "Enough!" Their father''s shout silenced everyone. "This isn''t the time to be fighting. We have to find them. Does anyone have any clues on where they could have gone?

    Before anyone could speak, Davion''s mother stepped outside with a fierce look on her face.

    "Davion, you''re finally here," she said as she stormed towards him. "Get over here and give me the groceries. The food isn''t going to be ready because you took too long."

    Davion silently handed the bag over. She peeked into the bag and nodded when she was satisfied with what she saw. When she looked up, she finally noticed that something was off and frowned.

    "What''s going on? Why is everyone gathered here?" she asked.

    One of Davion''s cousins blurted out, "Some of the kids are missing, and we''re trying to find them."

    "Huh? Who''s missing?" After hearing the names of the kids that had vanished, she had an odd look on her face. "Didn''t they go out with your grandparents?"

    Everyone blinked.

    What?

    "They mentioned it to me earlier that they wanted to go out and have some fun outside. They promised to be back in time for lunch," she clarified.

    So that''s what happened. At least it wasn''t a kidnapping.

    Normally, his thoughts wouldn''t jump to kidnapping, but there had been an incident recently where a kid got abducted. There had been a notification and everything.

    "Why didn''t you say anything?" the second aunt demanded.

    Bewildered, his mother said, "I didn''t think it was a big deal. It''s not like the kids were wandering off on their own. They have two adults with them."

    No one could argue against that. If they did, it would be like saying they couldn''t trust Davion''s grandparents to babysit kids. If that happened, his grandparents might not offer to watch the kids again.

    After a long stretch of silence, Davion''s father coughed into his fist. "Anyway, we should all head inside. Standing around out here doesn''t look good."

    "But what about the others?" one of Davion''s cousins asked. "They still haven''t come back."

    Several people frowned.

    That was true. Davion''s grandparents had promised to return with the kids when it was time for lunch, but they were nowhere to be seen. He certainly hadn''t seen anyone when his father drove them back. It would be hard to miss an elderly couple and several hyperactive kids.

    "Maybe we should go look for them," the first uncle muttered.

    "Who? Everyone?" the first aunt asked.

    After some discussion, it was decided that most of the adults and older kids would go to look for them. The rest would be left behind in the house. Davion and his sister were part of the group that stayed behind along with their mother. His mother intended to finish cooking the lunch and wanted to rope some kids to help, which happened to include himself.

    Unable to deny his mother, he worked alongside her with several others. It was almost an hour later before everyone started trickling back in.

    Apparently, his grandparents had taken the three kids to the nearby park to play. It wasn''t anything new as they had done it before. The problem was that they hadn''t brought their phones with them, so they hadn''t been able to keep an eye on the time or call the rest of the family to let them know, which caused the entire mess to begin with.

    He tuned them out as he focused on eating his meal.

    It tastes good. As expected of Mom.

    As he was about to take another bite, he froze when he heard one of his cousins say, "We saw a big dog."

    It was a good thing he hadn''t taken a bite, or else he would have choked.

    However, the food fell off his fork and dropped back onto the plate as he looked toward his cousin, who continued on without noticing Davion''s reaction. "I mean really big. It was black and had yellow eyes. We were so scared. We thought it was going to bite us."

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 3

    Davion instantly thought of the video his friends had shown him earlier that day.

    No way. Could they have really encountered the rumored wolf?

    He quickly disregarded the idea as soon as he thought of it.

    There was no way. It was just a coincidence that the description of the dog sounded and looked like the wolf in the rumors. If it had really been a wolf, then his grandparents wouldn''t have been so calm about it. Encountering a wolf was nothing like encountering a dog.

    "What happened?" one of his cousins asked.

    "It suddenly disappeared," one of the cousins who had been there said as he motioned with his hands. "Gone."

    One of his uncles frowned and turned to look at her grandparents. "Why didn''t you mention this earlier?"

    "We didn''t see the animal," Davion''s grandma said. "We just heard the kids shouting about a dog, but when we looked, it wasn''t there."

    "It probably got scared off by so many people," his grandpa said with a wave of his hand. "It wasn''t a big deal."

    The conversation quickly changed to another topic, but Davion couldn''t focus on what was being said. His mind kept lingering on what they had just discussed. Even though he was certain it was just a big dog, like his cousins said, his mind conjured up images of them facing a snarling wolf.

    "So what are your plans for tonight? Will you be heading back, or are you going to be trick-or-treating with us?" his mother said, her voice cutting through his thoughts.

    "Since we''re all here, we might as well," one of his aunts said.

    "We didn''t bring any costumes, though," one of his uncles pointed out.

    "We can just go buy one from the store."

    Instantly, there was a chorus of voices discussing whether the store was open and if they had any costumes available. Several of his cousins were throwing out ideas of what costumes they wanted to wear.

    Davion was glad that he had gotten his costume a week in advance. He couldn''t imagine trying to shop for one right at that moment.

    He glanced at his twin sister, whose expression reflected his thoughts. She seemed to notice his stare and stared right back at him. Her face took on a fierce expression before she abruptly looked away.

    She must still be angry that I took her red cloak before. I hope she doesn''t try something while we trick-or-treat.

    Someone loudly cleared their throat, quieting the group down. Davion watched as his father lowered his raised fist and scanned the crowd without saying a single word.

    Just as Davion wondered what his father was doing, his father said, "I have a suggestion. Since lunch is basically over, how about we let everyone decide for themselves what they want to do? For those who want to go shopping for costumes, you should head out now. Everyone else can either stay here, head back, or do whatever."

    "Sounds good to me," one of his uncles said.

    "We should go now," one of his aunts said as she stood up with her finished plate.

    There were murmured agreements as several people stood up from the different tables. Davion silently observed everyone going into the kitchen to place their dirty plates in the sink before heading their separate ways. Many of them headed out intent on buying costumes for his cousins to go trick-or-treating. Some sat back down at the tables to chat with who was left. A few wandered off to some other part of the house.

    "Davion." He snapped his head in the direction of his mother''s voice. "Don''t play with your food. Finish it before it gets too cold."

    "Yes, Mom," he said before taking another bite.

    After shoveling the food into his mouth, he walked into the kitchen to wash his plate. He grimaced at the stack of plates filling the sink. With a grumble, he washed some of the plates, including his own, before putting them into the rack. Leaving a couple of dirty plates for his twin sister to wash, he hurried away to find something to do.

    There wasn''t a lot he could do. He wasn''t interested in hanging out with his cousins, and the adults were just talking about boring stuff, so he didn''t want to stick around either.

    After some thought, he locked himself in his room and pulled out his laptop from its place in its bag on the desk. Davion set it down on the floor to open it and stared at the screen where it asked for the password. He took a moment to glance at the locked door before logging into his laptop. Once he was in, he opened the web browser to search about the wolf rumors to learn more about it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Most of what he found was the same as what he had found earlier on his phone and his friend''s phone.

    This looks so fake. How many of these videos are edited to make it look like a wolf? I could do better.

    Davion scrolled through several websites and videos before resting his head on the floor.

    He couldn''t find anything new about the wolf. All the information he found basically parroted the same thing over again. However, he did notice that there wasn''t a new article or video for the day. Without fail, there had always been something about the wolf every day, whether it was some random post talking about another wolf sighting or someone rehashing the same old stuff. Maybe someone would post something later.

    A knock on the door startled him. Davion instantly shut his laptop and scurried to put it back into place.

    There was another knock on the door followed by his mother''s voice. "Davion, are you in there? You shouldn''t be hiding out in your room while everyone''s here. Come out."

    "Coming, Mom," he said as he rushed to unlock the door and open it.

    His mother gave him a look before shooing him away to hang out with his cousins.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    When Davion stumbled upon one of his baby cousins drooling over one of his old toys in the living room, he wrinkled his face in disgust.

    Even if he didn''t play with them anymore¡ªDavion couldn''t even remember the last time he touched the toy blocks¡ªthey were still his toys. He didn''t want anyone playing with them, much less have his baby cousin cover them in saliva.

    Davion stormed over and tugged the toy block out of his baby cousin''s grip. Unfortunately, this caused his baby cousin to promptly burst into tears. His baby cousin wailed, reaching out for the toy block just out of his reach. He, on the other hand, took this chance to snatch up the other toy blocks nearby. Suddenly, several people showed up to see what the commotion was. One look was enough for everyone to figure out what happened.

    "Davion, why are you picking on your cousin?" one of his aunts demanded, snatching his crying baby cousin off from the ground. "He''s just a baby."

    He didn''t get a chance to defend himself as one of his cousins said, "Just give the toy back to him. "His crying is making my ears bleed."

    You want me to give my toys to my baby cousin? No way.

    "Auntie, it''s not safe for the baby to play with," his twin sister chimed in from behind the crowd. "The baby is going to hurt himself if he keeps playing with Davion''s old toys."

    His aunt, holding his sobbing baby cousin, frowned. "He was just fine earlier. He only started crying when Davion took the toy away from him."

    "I think she has a point. These don''t look like one of those soft baby toys," one of his uncles pointed out.

    Everyone stared at the wooden toy blocks in Davion''s hands.

    "He''s right. Those don''t look safe for a baby to play with," someone muttered.

    "Who was supposed to be watching the baby?" another asked.

    All eyes turned to his aunt cradling his whimpering baby cousin.

    Flustered, she said, "I just set him down for a moment. His other cousins are playing in the same room as him. Nothing was going to happen to him."

    "Well, the baby somehow got into the toy box to get his hands on the toy blocks," someone dryly said.

    At the mention of his toy box, Davion glanced at the opened box sitting in the middle of the living room.

    Wasn''t it supposed to be on one of the shelves? There''s no way a baby could reach it and pull it down on his own. How did it get down here?

    Davion quickly got his answer when he spotted one of his cousins hiding in the corner holding something. His eyes widened as he realized it was one of his toy cars that had also been in the toy box. With a stormy expression, he marched over.

    "Where did you get that?" he demanded as he pointed at the toy car.

    His cousin glanced up and said, "I grabbed it from the shelf. Why? No one was playing with it."

    "It''s mine. Give it back."

    "Why? You aren''t playing with it. Why can''t I play with it?"

    "You didn''t ask. Give it back now."

    Instead of listening to Davion, his cousin kept the toy car out of reach. Davion scowled as he reached out to take it back. They ended up sprawled on the ground fighting over the toy car.

    The adults instantly swarmed to break them up. "Knock it off, you two."

    The two were pried apart, and Davion glared at his cousin, who was still holding onto his toy car.

    "What''s going on?" Davion''s mother''s voice cut through the air as she made her way through the crowd. As soon as she saw the scene, her expression turned serious. "Davion, what are you doing? Didn''t I ask you to play with your cousins?"

    Keeping his gaze fixed on his cousin, Davion said, "He took my toys without asking me and shared them."

    "Aren''t these your old toys? You haven''t played with them in years. What''s wrong with letting them play with them?"

    "They didn''t ask. They just took them."

    His mother didn''t speak right away. She pursed her lips as if thinking about something.

    Then she said, "Davion, you still shouldn''t fight with them. They just wanted to play. You weren''t here to play with them, so they couldn''t ask you to borrow your toys. I''m sure they would have asked you if you were here."

    His cousin, holding the toy car, nodded along. Davion grimaced, feeling betrayed that his mom wouldn''t side with him.

    "What do you say, you two?" his mother asked.

    Crossing his arms, Davion refused to say a word.

    On the other hand, his cousin said, "Sorry, Davion. Can we play with your toys?"

    Even though Davion wanted to tell him no, he knew that would only upset his mom and relatives. They clearly were on his cousin''s side, so nothing he said would make them back off for him.

    He huffed. "Fine."

    "Davion, did you forget something else?" his mother asked.

    "...Sorry for pushing you to the ground."

    His cousin just nodded before going right back to playing with the toy car.

    "See. You don''t have to make it such a big deal. Now be good," his mother said before she walked away.

    The rest of his relatives dispersed, with some sticking around to chat. Davion scanned his surroundings before crashing onto one of the couches. He got himself comfortable before pulling out his phone.

    Luckily, he brought his headphones so no one would complain about the noise.

    After pulling up some videos to watch, he ignored everyone else and let the sounds from the video drown everything else out. He didn''t know how long he had been watching random videos when he felt something nudge his shoulder. Davion tried to ignore it, but the person was persistent, and he was forced to remove his headphones.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 4

    Whatever Davion intended to say was silenced by the sound of screaming and crying as his older cousin tugged on his arm with a serious expression. "Hurry up. We need to go to the hospital right now."

    "What?" Davion blurted out.

    "Your sister had an accident. Didn''t you hear?"

    Of course he hadn''t. With his headphones on, he hadn''t heard a single thing.

    Davion scrambled off of the couch, nearly dropping his phone in the process. The duo rushed over to where the commotion was, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of his twin sister on the ground at the foot of the stairs.

    "Sharlene!" he screamed, throwing himself towards her.

    His cousin grabbed Davion by the waist as he said, "Davion, don''t!"

    "Let me go! What happened to Sharlene?"

    "She fell and hit her head. Don''t touch her. You might make it worse."

    This stopped Davion in his tracks.

    Every part of his being screamed at him to go to his twin''s side to make sure she was alright, but his cousin''s firm grip and words kept him from moving a single step forward. All around him the adults were shouting and hovering over his twin sister, looking like they wanted to touch her, yet no one dared to get too close to her.

    "How much longer until the ambulance gets here?"

    "It''ll take a couple more minutes."

    "Maybe we should drive her to the hospital ourselves."

    "No! You shouldn''t move someone who''s hurt, especially if they''re unconscious."

    After what seemed like forever, the paramedics finally made their appearance to take Sharlene to the hospital. Davion followed after them, hoping to join her in the ambulance.

    Unfortunately, the paramedics only allowed his mother to join them. Apparently, they could only allow one adult to go with them.

    Even though he wanted to protest, no one paid him any mind as the doors of the ambulance shut closed. It took off, speeding away. Davion clung to his father''s side like a barnacle and jumped into the car before they chased after the ambulance. He glanced back and saw everyone else following suit. Then he turned his gaze back to the front of him, his gaze anxiously following the ambulance.

    Sharlene, please be okay.

    It felt like hours passed before they finally reached the hospital. He had lost sight of the ambulance a couple of traffic lights back and could only hope that it had already arrived at the hospital.

    The duo ran inside, charging for the front desk.

    "Excuse me, my daughter and wife arrived by ambulance. Can you tell me where they are?" his father asked in between breaths.

    The lady helpfully pointed them in the right direction after learning more about the situation. Without wasting any time, they quickly headed for the ER; however, neither of them was allowed in to see Sharlene. They were forced to wait in the waiting room with only his mother at Sharlene''s side. Davion fidgeted in his seat as he kept shooting glances at the door.

    His father placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "It''s okay. Your sister is going to be okay."

    It would have been easier to believe if his father''s hand wasn''t shaking so badly.

    As they waited, the rest of the family trickled in. After checking with Davion''s father if there had been any news, they took a seat in the mostly empty waiting room. When a nurse finally appeared to talk to them, everyone rushed forward.

    "Nurse, how''s my daughter?" his father asked.

    She glanced at the crowd before turning her gaze back to his father. "Are you family? What''s your relationship with the patient?"

    "I''m her father. These are the rest of our family."

    "I would like to speak to you in private."

    His father nodded and took a moment to say to Davion, "Davion, stay here, please. I''ll be right back."

    He reluctantly nodded. Watching his father follow the nurse, Davion suppressed the urge to run after them.

    It was his twin sister they were talking about. He needed to know if she was okay or not, but his father had told him to stay put, so he had no choice except to wait for his father to return.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    After some time, his mother, instead of his father, returned with teary eyes. Everyone rushed forward asking about Sharlene.

    His mother sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a tissue given to her. "They say she''s going to be okay, but they want to keep her under supervision just in case."

    Davion fell on his butt.

    Thank goodness. Sharlene is okay.

    "That''s good news. We''re glad to hear that she''s okay," one of his aunts said.

    "Do you know how long they want to keep her?" one of his uncles asked.

    "They said for a few days," his mother said. "But she''s still unconscious so who knows how long she''ll stay here."

    In an instant, Davion''s relief was replaced by uneasiness. When his mother said that she was okay, he had thought she had already woken up and was eager to leave.

    What if she didn''t wake up?

    He had heard plenty of stories where someone fell into a coma and never woke up ever again. The thought that his sister would never wake up again made him sick.

    His mother must have picked up on his emotions and reached out to him. "Davion, don''t worry. I''m sure she''ll wake up in no time."

    She gave him a shaky smile with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes again. Davion''s lip wobbled as he took his mother''s hands and lifted himself back onto his feet.

    "Can I see her?" he asked in a small voice.

    "I will have to check with the doctors and nurses, but I''m sure they won''t mind. Your father is with her right now, so you will have to wait. The doctors and nurses don''t want too many people crowding around her right now," she said.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion nodded and accompanied his mother to where his sister was currently staying in. His hands gripped hers tightly as the rest of the family followed after them. No one stopped the large group making its way down the halls. Eventually, they reached the room, but his mother didn''t open the door. Instead, they waited outside, making sure not to block the way. The only thing Davion could do was grip his mother''s hands tightly.

    He still couldn''t believe any of this could have happened. It wasn''t that long ago that they had gotten into a fight over him borrowing his sister''s red cloak. If he knew this would have happened, he wouldn''t have fought with her.

    Sharlene, please wake up.

    Suddenly, the door opened. His father stepped out with a grim expression on his face.

    Looking down at Davion, his father asked, "Do you want to come see your sister?"

    Davion frantically nodded. His father stepped aside, allowing Davion to hurry over to his sister''s side. Careful not to touch her, he placed his hands on the bed to get a closer look at her.

    She looked so peaceful. If they weren''t in the hospital, it would be easy to believe that she was just sleeping.

    His lips quivered, and he sniffled. A warm hand pressed against his back, but Davion didn''t look up. He kept his eyes fixed on his twin sister''s face, refusing to budge.

    After some time, the hand nudged him as his father said, "Davion, it''s time to switch."

    He balled his hands into the sheets, wanting to stick around longer, but he reluctantly left the room. As he waited outside, his relatives took turns to see her before leaving. Several people passed by without a glance meeting other patients.

    It was only when most of the family was gone that his mother spoke up. "Davion, I think it''s better if you go."

    Davion snapped his head towards her. "Mom, what about Sharlene?"

    "It''s not a good idea for you to stay. You should go with your relatives and have fun instead of waiting around. It''s Halloween."

    The thought of leaving his sister unconscious in the hospital while he went trick-or-treating churned his stomach.

    "Mom¡ª"

    "Your mother''s right," his father cut him off.

    "Honey, why are you here instead of with Sharlene?" his mother asked.

    "I heard you talking, so I wanted to add my two cents," his father said before turning his attention to Davion. "Staying here won''t help your sister. I know you want to stay by your sister''s side, but I think she would prefer it if you went trick-or-treating with the others."

    "I don''t think Sharlene would be happy we left her behind," Davion muttered.

    "Well, think of it as you grabbing candy for the both of you. You remember her favorite candy, right?" Davion nodded. "Good. Make sure you grab a lot of it so you can surprise her when she wakes up, okay? I''m sure she''ll be thrilled to wake up covered in her favorite candy."

    The image made Davion snicker.

    His mother patted his head. "Be a good boy and go with your aunt and uncle. Make sure you have a lot of fun."

    Despite his parents reassurance that it was alright for him to go ahead, Davion hesitated.

    It still felt wrong to leave his twin sister in the hospital to go trick-or-treating. If something happened to her while he wasn''t there, he wasn''t sure he could forgive himself.

    However, with his family and relatives encouraging him to go, he reluctantly went with one of his relatives back to the house. Along the way, his aunt and uncle tried to cheer him up, but he couldn''t bring himself to smile, leaving an awkward silence hanging over them. Upon returning to the house, he saw only a few cars were left.

    Did some of them go home after visiting his twin sister in the hospital?

    He solemnly entered the house, abruptly silencing the people inside. When he entered the living room, he saw several people look at him with guilty expressions, but what infuriated him was the sight of some of his cousins happily playing without a care in the world. Davion saw red and stormed towards them. Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed the phone out of his cousin''s hands and tossed it to the ground.

    "Hey! What was that for?" his cousin snapped, standing up.

    "Hey, easy now. Sharlene is in the hospital right now. Don''t pick a fight," one of his uncles barked before turning his gaze to Davion. "Davion, I know you''re upset, but you can''t just break your cousin''s things. It''s not your fault your sister is in the hospital."

    Even though he knew his uncle was right, he still left a bitter taste in his mouth that his cousin could be so carefree while his twin sister was in the hospital.

    To ease the tension, the uncle who brought Davion home cleared his throat, grabbing everyone''s attention. "I know that things aren''t good right now, but we shouldn''t mope around. If anyone still wants to trick or treat, you should change your clothes right now and get ready to go out."

    "What about Davion? His parents are in the hospital with Sharlene right now. Who''s going to be watching him?" one of his aunts asked.

    "We''ll stay with him until one of his parents comes home, or he''ll come stay with us if they choose to stay in the hospital."

    No one argued against it and went to grab their costumes to change. Davion robotically headed for his room to get his costume only to find it missing. Confused, he searched his bedroom, but it was nowhere in sight.

    It had vanished into thin air.

    Where did it go? I remember hanging it in my closet so it wouldn''t get wrinkled like Mom said.

    Unable to figure out what happened, he left his room and spotted one of his cousins wearing his costume.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 5

    "Why are you wearing my costume?" Davion blurted out.

    His cousin looked at him with a startled expression as Davion stormed towards him. Before he could reach his cousin, one of his uncles blocked his path, holding his hands out in front of him.

    "Davion, calm down," his uncle said, making placating gestures. "Your cousin couldn''t find a costume, so he borrowed yours. Is that okay?"

    Davion stared at his uncle in disbelief.

    Of course it wasn''t okay. That was his costume. He had specifically picked it out himself when he went shopping for costumes with his family. Davion hadn''t wanted to pick an identical costume as his twin sister''s and had searched long and hard for a cool costume to wear. It had taken forever before he had finally settled on dressing up as a dragon warrior from one of the books he read.

    Now that costume was being worn by his cousin.

    He didn''t get a chance to speak when one of his aunts chimed in, "Davion, just let him wear it. It can''t possibly hurt to let your cousin wear it. He needs it. I''m sure you can find something else to wear."

    No, I want to wear my costume. It''s mine.

    Staring hard in his cousin''s direction, he started, "But¡ª"

    "Don''t be so selfish, Davion," his uncle snapped. "You need to be more considerate to your family."

    "Don''t be so hard on the kid. You know right now is a tough time for him," a different uncle jumped in.

    "That doesn''t mean he should forget his manners."

    "I''m sure he''ll be happy to lend his costume to his cousin. Right, Davion?"

    Looking all around, Davion saw that no one was willing to side with him.

    Everyone else was busy minding his own business, leaving him to fend for himself. If his parents were here, they wouldn''t have let this happen, but they weren''t. They were in the hospital watching over his twin sister until she could recover. Well, this wouldn''t be the first time his relatives did something like this, but it didn''t hurt any less.

    This isn''t fair. My parents bought it for me.

    His shoulders slumped as he asked, "What am I supposed to wear?"

    "I''m sure you can find something. I mean, this is your house, so I''m sure you can look around and find something," his uncle said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

    Davion curled his hands into fists, barely keeping himself from glaring at his uncle. He wasn''t quite sure if he was successful, as his uncle turned his back on Davion.

    He really wanted to point out that they had no problem going into his room to steal his costume and how they could have easily found another costume instead, but he knew there was no point arguing. They had clearly decided that they were going to use his costume. Besides, he knew that there was no other costume in the house that he could wear.

    "We''ll head out first," one of his older cousins said as they headed for the front door.

    "Hold it. Wait for everyone," one of his uncles said. "You can''t go running off without everyone else."

    "He''s right. We need to stick together so there aren''t any more accidents," one of his aunts chimed in.

    "You''re taking too long," his older cousin whined, but he didn''t take another step towards the door.

    "Hurry up, Davion. Go find a costume," one of his uncles said.

    Right as Davion opened his mouth to say there weren''t any other costumes for him to wear, he paused when a thought crossed his mind.

    That wasn''t completely true. There was another costume in the house he could wear. His twin sister''s costume. It had completely slipped his mind. Since she was in the hospital, she wouldn''t get a chance to wear it. Even if they saved it for next year, she might end up too big to wear it or no longer interested in it.

    Despite finding a solution to his problem, he hesitated.

    The thought of wearing his sister''s costume didn''t sit right with him. It felt wrong to wear it even if she wouldn''t get a chance to wear it for Halloween. Davion hadn''t forgotten how upset she had been for taking the red cloak without permission. She would undoubtedly be spitting mad if she found out he actually wore the whole costume without asking her first. No, she would have been mad even if he had asked.

    "Davion," his grandfather snapped. "Are you going out or not?"

    "Do you need help finding a costume?" his grandmother asked. "I can help you find one. I thought I remembered seeing one lying around." She left to scour the house for the costume before returning triumphantly with Sharlene''s costume. "Here you go. Come wear it."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Davion grimaced. "Grandma, that''s Sharlene''s costume."

    "I''m sure she''ll be fine with you wearing it. Just change into it."

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea."

    "What''s wrong with it? Do you not want to wear it because you think it''s a girl''s costume? Look. There''s no skirt. This is a perfectly good costume."

    She had a point. The costume didn''t look specifically like a girl''s costume even though it was supposed to be a red riding hood costume. It didn''t have a skirt or dress like some versions of the costume he had seen. Instead, it was a simple white tunic paired with dark blue pants and a black belt. Of course he couldn''t forget about the red cloak.

    "Come, come," his grandmother said, waving at him to come closer. "Hurry and put it on. Don''t keep everyone waiting."

    Completely cornered, he was left with no choice except to go into the bathroom to change. Once he finished changing, he stepped out and bumped into his grandmother, who held the red cloak out in front of her.

    "Here you go." She draped it around his shoulders and tied the string around his neck. "Wasn''t that easy?"

    "Yes, grandma," he said with slumped shoulders.

    "Now take this basket and go with your cousins. Make sure to have fun."

    He took the basket from her hands and walked to the front door.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    "Good to go?" one of his uncles asked.

    When Davion nodded, his uncle pushed the door open. Instantly, the kids swarmed out, eager to get right into trick-or-treating. One of them nearly knocked down his uncle, who clung to the door to keep from falling in their desperate attempt to get outside.

    "Slow down, you guys. Wait for the rest of us," one of his uncles said.

    Fortunately, none of them had gotten very far.

    Most of them loitered in the driveway and sidewalk, bouncing with energy. A couple impatiently stared at their phones as everyone filed out of the house. The last person closed the front door shut.

    "Okay, we need to lay some ground rules," one of his aunts said. "You must always have an adult with you. You can''t go by yourself anywhere." There were some disappointed groans. "I know some of you want to run off by yourselves, but it''s not safe to go alone. If you somehow find yourself alone, immediately call one of us. If you can''t reach any of us, call the police." Then, as if considering something, she asked, "Does everyone have their phones?"

    A couple of kids waved their phones as proof or grunted in affirmation. Davion wasn''t among them as he surveyed his surroundings. A few people were already walking down the streets to beg for candy from the neighbors while others were going about their daily lives.

    "If you don''t have a phone, then you must stick with one of the adults no matter what. You can''t wander off by yourself. If you still somehow get separated from the group, try to return here or head to somewhere safe like the police station," his aunt said as she pointedly glared at one of his cousins.

    Either his cousin didn''t notice or didn''t care, as he didn''t react to the glare.

    "One more thing. You''re only allowed to trick or treat for an hour. Once the hour is up, you need to return back to the house," his aunt said.

    Several kids groaned or whined.

    "Whoever wants to come with me, this way," one of his uncles said, waving his hand to draw their attention.

    Only two kids¡ªhis uncle''s own kids¡ªchose to follow him, and their small group immediately walked away. The other adults proceeded to do the same and call out to the kids to pick which adults they wanted to follow. Davion scanned his surroundings, unsure who he should go with when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. He jerked.

    "Davion, I suggest you come with us since your parents aren''t here," his uncle, who had taken him home from the hospital, said.

    With no other options, he went along with what his uncle said and obediently followed. Their small group quietly made their way down the streets, walking up to any houses that looked open to trick-or-treating to ask for candy. The few neighbors who answered the door complimented their costumes before dropping some candy into their baskets and closing the door. No one batted an eye at Davion''s costume when they handed him candy.

    Davion wasn''t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

    Just as they were crossing the street, he heard someone shout, "Davion, is that you?"

    He glanced in the direction of the shout and saw his group of friends waving at him. Davion waved back. They seemed to take it as an invitation to walk over to join his group.

    "Davion, you''re here. We were beginning to think you wouldn''t come out to trick or treat with us," one of his friends said. "Where are your twin sister and parents?"

    Davion grimaced and said in a small voice, "They''re not here."

    "Huh? Why not?" another of his friends asked as he curiously searched the surroundings.

    Fortunately, not all of them were blind, and one of them nudged the previous speaker, who whined at being elbowed.

    "Well, why don''t you join us?" one of his friends asked.

    Even though Davion was eager to accept his offer, he glanced back at his uncle and aunt to see their reaction.

    If they didn''t agree, then he would have no choice except to stick with them for the entire time before returning home. He really hoped they would let him go. Sticking with them wasn''t what he thought was a good time.

    They frowned before his uncle asked, "Where are your parents? It''s not safe to let kids wander without any adult supervision."

    "Our parents said it''s okay for us. They say they trust us," one of his friends said.

    This felt like a direct blow, as if saying that Davion couldn''t be trusted alone without any adults.

    His uncle and aunt didn''t look convinced as the latter said, "I don''t think it''s a good idea to leave you kids alone."

    "It''s not even dark," one of his friends pointed out.

    He wasn''t wrong. It wasn''t even dinner time. They had all gone out to trick or treat early. His relatives had to return home afterwards, so they couldn''t stay out late. That was why there weren''t many houses ready to give out candy. They had probably visited maybe ten houses, with only four of them handing out candy at the moment.

    "Davion has a phone. He can call you if he needs anything," one of his friends said.

    They looked hesitant, so Davion quickly added, "We''ll stick in the neighborhood. Everyone knows each other, so you don''t have to worry."

    His uncle and aunt shared a glance before the former said, "Fine, but I expect you to check in with us every half an hour. If neither of us sees a text from you in that time, we''re calling everyone to look for you."

    "Okay," Davion said happily before joining his friends to walk across the street.

    Suddenly, one of his friends asked, "So what really happened to your parents and twin sister? Did they have to go somewhere and leave you behind?" This time he got a hard elbow into the ribs. "Ow! What was that for?"

    "Seriously? Do you have to ask?" asked one of his friends.

    "Yeah. Read the mood," another friend chimed in.

    "It''s fine, you guys. It''s just...it''s just my sister is in the hospital," Davion admitted.

    "What?" everyone blurted out.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 6

    Davion hadn''t intended to say anything. He had planned to keep quiet about what happened to his twin sister, but the words just spilled out.

    "What happened?"

    "Is she okay?"

    "How come you''re here instead of with your sister?"

    Under the onslaught of questions, Davion couldn''t find a chance to speak and backed away to avoid being knocked down by his curious friends.

    "Guys, chill," one of his friends said as he suddenly pushed everyone aside.

    Several stumbled, and one actually fell on his butt, but they at least stopped harassing Davion with questions.

    "Hey, what was that for?" one of his friends asked.

    "Yeah. Why did you push us?" another friend asked.

    His friend just rolled his eyes as he said, "Give the guy some space. His sister is in the hospital."

    This seemed to snap them out of it as they gave Davion sheepish looks.

    "Sorry about that," one of his friends said. "You''re not mad, are you?"

    "It''s hard to stay mad at you guys," Davion said, earning him some smiles.

    "But seriously, is it really okay for you to be trick-or-treating with us while your sister is in the hospital? You''re not going to get in trouble, are you?" one of his friends asked timidly.

    He shook his head. "No, my parents even told me to go because they didn''t want me to stay in the hospital. They wanted me to have fun since we don''t know when she''ll wake up."

    One of his friend''s eyebrows shot up. "Isn''t that really bad? What happened?"

    "You don''t have to tell us if you don''t want to," another friend said as he gave the previous speaker a look.

    "No, it''s okay. The doctors said she is fine, but she just won''t wake up," Davion said.

    His friends gave him dubious looks before one dared to comment, "Isn''t being unable to wake up a bad thing?"

    "My parents didn''t really tell me much. They only told me what they heard from the doctors. She should be fine in a few days."

    Despite his attempts to act unbothered by what happened, his friends could clearly tell he wasn''t okay given the looks they sent his way.

    "You know it''s too bad there isn''t some kind of magical cure to wake someone up," one of his friends mindlessly muttered.

    Even though his voice was quiet, they could all hear it clearly.

    Davion was ready to wave it off as being ridiculous when another friend said, "I mean, if the rumors were true, then Davion would be able to cure his sister."

    "What are you talking about?" Davion asked.

    "You know about the wolf rumors we were talking to you about before?" When Davion nodded, his friend continued, "Well, did you know that there was another part of the rumor that said if you can catch the wolf, you can get a wish granted?"

    At Davion''s dubious expression, another person chimed in, "He''s telling the truth. There are several parts about the rumors you must have missed."

    They quickly let him in on the details that he missed during his own search.

    He hadn''t known that one version of the rumors said that catching the wolf could grant a person a wish. It didn''t sound like how the original story of Red Riding Hood went, but if the rumors weren''t based on that story, it made sense. Of course there were even more versions based on that version with different rules about what kind of wishes could be granted. Some said it could only heal injuries. Others said only food-related wishes were allowed.

    If I could catch the wolf, then Sharlene could get better.

    His thoughts didn''t get far before he waved it off as silly.

    It was just rumors. Getting your wish granted by catching a wolf was so far-fetched that no one could take it seriously. If it was that easy, they would have heard someone bragging about it by now, and so many people would be chasing after the wolf.

    Besides, how would catching a wolf grant a wish? Would the wolf do it, or was it just magic?

    The rumors weren''t quite clear on that part.

    "Why don''t we just go back to trick-or-treating?" Davion suggested ending the discussion about the rumors.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    His friends quickly agreed, and they returned back to trick-or-treating. They only encountered two more houses willing to give out candy before they decided to take a break and sit on the curb. The group quickly revealed their bounty, marveling over the candy they had earned.

    "Look what I got."

    "Nice. I got the same one."

    "Hey, can I trade you?"

    "No way. I''m keeping it."

    Even though Davion was having fun and enjoying a piece of candy, a part of him felt guilty.

    While he was out there with his friends, his twin sister was unconscious in the hospital. She couldn''t enjoy the candy or hang out with her friends like he was doing right now.

    It made the candy taste less sweet as his mind wandered back to the wolf rumors.

    It would be nice if it were true. Then I could look for the wolf and cure my sister.

    "Hey, is it just me, or is it getting colder?" one of his friends suddenly asked.

    Everyone stopped what they were doing to look around. Now that he mentioned it, they noticed a chill in the air, but they could wave it off as it getting darker. The sun hovered over the horizon, the last traces of the light slowly fading away. Several street lamps glowed, spreading their yellowish light on the ground.

    "Maybe you should have just worn a warmer costume," one of his friends teased, pointing at the previous speaker''s costume.

    The boy pouted. "I like my costume."

    "You''re dressed as a caveman," another kid pointed out.

    "You just don''t appreciate my costume."

    The group continued to tease the kid dressed as a caveman when Davion spotted something in the distance. He squinted, but he was unable to get a good look at it. Pulling out his phone, he zoomed in on the object. His eyes bulged as a black tail vanished into one of the streets.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    "What?" Davion blurted out, drawing everyone else''s attention.

    "Davion, what''s wrong?" one of his friends asked.

    Davion pointed in the direction he was looking at and said shakily, "I think I just saw a wolf."

    In an instant, everyone''s head snapped in the direction he was pointing at with wide eyes. They scanned the area for the wolf, but there wasn''t a single trace of it anywhere.

    "Are you sure you saw a wolf?" one of his friends asked.

    "Yeah. It was right there," he insisted, pointing at where he had last seen the wolf.

    One of his friends gave him an apologetic look. "Davion, I know that you''re really worried about your sister, but there''s no way that there was a wolf."

    "Yeah, it''s just rumors. You must have seen a dog or something," another friend added.

    Hearing everyone telling him that he was mistaken, he felt silly for thinking it was a wolf.

    They''re right. Where would the wolf have come from? I must have been seeing things. It was probably just a dog.

    An awkward silence fell upon the group as no one knew what they should do next. No one dared to talk about the wolf rumors again, but returning to their previous conversation didn''t seem possible.

    After some time, one friend finally suggested, "How about we go around the houses to see if anyone else is giving out candy? I''m sure there are more people willing to give out candy now since it''s getting dark."

    Everyone quickly agreed to the suggestion and started their trek. This time more houses were giving out candy, and the group gladly accepted the candy wholeheartedly. The previous events from before were forgotten as they eagerly ran down the streets to collect more candy.

    Unfortunately, the fun didn''t last long.

    The group stopped in their tracks when a howl pierced through the night air. Davion''s eyes bulged as he stared at his friends. Their shocked expression stared right back at him. No one dared to speak.

    "Did you guys hear that?" one of his friends finally dared to ask.

    "Was that a wolf?" another friend asked.

    "Could Davion have really seen a wolf?" a different friend asked.

    As soon as Davion''s name was mentioned, all eyes focused on him.

    No way. Is it really the wolf from the rumors?

    He didn''t know how to feel. On one hand, it was a wolf they were talking about. Davion didn''t want to ever face a wolf. While he had never met one in real life before, he had heard and read how scary they were. He knew it was dangerous to confront one. The smart thing to do would be to run and find an adult to handle the wolf.

    On the other hand, in the back of his head, he recalled the rumor where someone could get their wish granted by catching the wolf.

    If there was the slightest bit of chance that the rumors were true, shouldn''t he try to catch the wolf?

    Another howl split the air. They all screamed.

    "Run!"

    Davion had no clue who spoke, and he doubted anyone else knew, but those words sent everyone racing away in different directions. Without paying attention to where he was going, Davion kept running.

    Whether it was towards the wolf or away from it, he wasn''t sure.

    After some time, he couldn''t run anymore and stopped to catch his breath. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, and he thought that it might jump out of his chest. Taking a moment to check his surroundings, he saw that there was no one else around him.

    He was completely alone.

    The worst part was that a fog that had come out of nowhere had settled around him, making it harder to see where he was. Davion clutched his basket, which he somehow didn''t drop during his desperate scramble, close to his chest as he tentatively picked a direction to walk in. He wasn''t sure how long he walked before he saw a shadowy figure in the distance.

    "Hello?" he asked in a small voice.

    There was no response. He hesitantly took several steps forward before he realized that the shadowy figure in the fog wasn''t human. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he realized that the figure looked like an animal.

    More precisely, a wolf.

    No way. I need to get out of here.

    Fortunately, the wolf didn''t seem to notice his presence. If he made a break for it, there was a chance he could get away before the wolf noticed he was there.

    Taking a single step back, he kept his eyes on the shadowy figure. There was no reaction, so he took another step back. Encouraged by the lack of response, he turned his back on the wolf. Right as he was about to run in the opposite direction, the thought of his twin sister popped into his head, stopping him in his tracks.

    This was his chance. If the rumors were really true and he caught the wolf, he could wake his twin sister.

    Davion hesitated, torn between the desire to run away to get as far away from the wolf as possible and his wish to wake his twin sister. After several moments of indecision, he quietly crept towards the wolf. Fortunately, the wolf hadn''t moved from its spot.

    He didn''t know if it was because the wolf really hadn''t noticed him the entire time he was there or it was distracted by something else.

    Once he was close enough, he threw himself at the wolf, hoping to catch it off guard. His body collided with its large body, sending the two of them rolling on the ground. His basket flew out of his arms in the scuffle, but he was too busy trying to keep his grip on the wolf''s fur. It struggled underneath his weight, thrashing around while Davion clung on to his dear life.

    Suddenly, the wolf shouted, "Get off of me!"

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 7

    Startled, Davion froze. The wolf took this chance to throw him off, sending him sprawling. When he sat up, he found himself face to face with the wolf. Its large teeth gleamed menacingly at him as Davion quivered, expecting the wolf to bite him.

    However, he never expected to hear the wolf say, "What was that for? That hurt."

    Davion''s mouth dropped.

    Did the wolf just talk? Wolves can''t talk. It''s impossible. I''m not going crazy, am I?

    The wolf eyed him warily as it asked, "You''re not another one of those people thinking the rumors are true, are you? I''ll have you know that I''m a decent dog. I''m no wolf."

    Unsure how to respond, Davion blinked.

    Now that he was face to face with the wolf, he could now see that the wolf, or rather dog, was telling the truth. Even though it did look similar to a wolf, it actually wasn''t one. In fact, it looked like one of those dogs he had seen in the shelter when he and his sister had considered getting a pet at one point, except bigger.

    After several moments, he said, "I''m sorry?"

    It was the dog''s turn to be stunned.

    The dog blinked at him a couple of times before it said, "Oh, it''s no problem. This isn''t the first time someone mistook me for a wolf."

    Was this really happening?

    Out of all the things he could have expected, Davion never imagined that he would one day be speaking with a talking dog. It sounded like something that would come out of a fairytale or fantasy book. He honestly had no clue what was going on anymore.

    "Anyway, I will be taking my leave before someone else thinks it''s a good idea to tackle me," the dog said, turning away from Davion.

    "Wait," Davion blurted out.

    The dog actually stopped to throw him a look that he couldn''t decipher over its shoulders.

    He swallowed. "Are you really not the wolf they were talking about in the rumors?"

    This earned him an exasperated look. "I told you I''m a dog. I know you humans mistake me for a wolf all the time, but I''m really just a big dog."

    "Oh."

    Davion knew it had been a long shot, but for a moment, he had really thought the rumors might be true and that he would be able to wake up his twin sister.

    Picking up on the sad tone in Davion''s voice, the dog fully turned around and asked, "What''s wrong? Did something happen?"

    "Well...it''s my sister." When the dog remained silent, Davion continued, "My sister is currently in the hospital. We were supposed to go trick-or-treating today, but she got into an accident. She fell and hit her head. The doctors said she would be fine, but she''s conscious. No one knows when she''ll wake up."

    "Is that why you chased after me? You thought the rumors were true and wanted to cure your sister."

    He nodded. The dog remained silent, and Davion guiltily looked down.

    Even though he had done it with good intentions, he had hurt the dog trying to help his twin sister. It was probably judging him right now, thinking he was dumb enough to believe the rumors.

    The dog sighed. "I guess I can help."

    Davion snapped his head up and stared at the dog with wide eyes.

    Did the dog say what he thought it said?

    Undeterred by Davion''s reaction, the dog said, "Show me the way to the hospital. I''ll see what I can do."

    "You really are the wolf from the rumors," Davion blurted out.

    "I''m a dog, not a wolf!"

    He jerked back as it continued to rant about how it was a dog and not a wolf. It pawed at the ground, digging up dirt and sending dust everywhere. Some of it landed on the discarded basket and spilled candy.

    Well, as long as it could help him with his twin sister''s condition, he didn''t care in the slightest.

    I wonder why the rumors say it''s a wolf and not a dog. Is it because everyone mixed it up with the Red Riding Hood story?

    Once the dog calmed down, it said, "We can go now. Lead the way." Then it added, "Remember I''m a dog and not a wolf."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    After hearing the dog go on a long tirade about being a dog, Davion was pretty sure the information was fully engraved into his brain.

    Getting to his feet, Davion retrieved his fallen basket and candy as he said, "I actually don''t know where we are. The fog is too thick."

    The dog huffed. "The fog is annoying. It seems to follow me everywhere, no matter how fast I run."

    Davion''s thoughts turned to the rumors, but he didn''t remember any of the rumors mentioning anything about a fog.

    Fog wasn''t in the Red Riding Hood story either. Maybe he somehow missed the rumors about the fog, like he missed the ones that mentioned having a wish granted for catching the wolf.

    Since neither of them knew where they currently were or which way was the right one, the two set out in a random direction with hopes they were going the right way. They barely made it a few steps when a figure suddenly stepped out in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. The dog growled as Davion trembled beneath the shadow of the looming man.

    Where had he come from?

    He hadn''t even seen a hint of anyone approaching before the man seemingly popped into existence in front of them. This was the first time he had seen such a large man before. The man had to be as tall as a building. What made it even scarier was the large ax in the man''s hand. It looked like the man was ready to cut down someone, and that someone might be them.

    "I finally found you, you wolf," the man said, his loud voice making Davion cover his ears.

    The dog snarled. "I''m no wolf. I told you that already."

    "I know a wolf when I see one. I won''t let you get away this time. I''m not going to let you harm the girl."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    For a moment, Davion completely forgot his fear as he stared at the large man in confusion.

    Girl? What girl?

    Davion was pretty sure that the only ones around were the three of them unless there was a girl hiding somewhere close by where he couldn''t see. If there was, then the giant man had to have good eyes to be able to see through the fog.

    "Why won''t you leave me alone? I''ve never hurt anyone," the dog said as it backed away to put some space between them.

    This caused Davion, who had been slightly behind the dog, to take several steps back.

    "Girl," the man snapped. "Get away from the wolf before it tries to eat you."

    It took Davion a moment to realize that the girl the man had been referring to had been himself.

    "I''m not a girl," he blurted out.

    This was the first time that anyone had called him a girl. No, that wasn''t quite right. There had been plenty of times when other people commented on how he looked like his twin sister and vice versa or had mixed the two. It was almost like being called a girl but not quite.

    His outburst didn''t faze the man as the man said, "Get away from the wolf before it decides to eat you."

    "What are you talking about? This isn''t a wolf. It''s a dog," Davion said.

    "Girl, I know a wolf when I see one. I have hunted plenty."

    Something about the man''s words niggled at the back of Davion''s head. His brows furrowed as he wracked his brain trying to figure out what it could be.

    I feel like I''ve heard those words somewhere before. Where?

    When the man took a step towards them, the wolf snapped, "Run."

    Without thinking, Davion obeyed. He spun on his heel and sprinted away from the giant man. Some of the candy from his basket flew out from his sudden action, but he didn''t spare a second glance back.

    There were more important things than losing some candy.

    The dog easily caught up to him and matched his pace, running alongside him. Out of the corner of his eye, Davion glanced at the dog with questions on the tip of his tongue.

    What was going on? Who was that man? Why was he after the dog?

    They didn''t get very far when something flew by them, missing the both of them by a few inches. The sudden gust of wind that brushed past them caused Davion to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. The dog, on the other hand, skidded to a stop, kicking up dust and dirt. Once Davion regained his balance, he took a moment to get a good look at what had passed them. His jaw dropped at the sight of an ax embedded into the ground.

    The ground around it was cracked, highlighting just how powerful the ax and throw had been.

    If that had hit me, I would have been a goner.

    Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air. He kicked his legs frantically, flailing against whatever had caught him.

    "Enough, girl," the man said as he continued to hold Davion by his red cloak.

    He wanted to argue back, but the red cloak''s string dug into his throat, making it difficult to breathe. His hands clawed at the string, hoping to either pull it away from his throat or untie the knot so he could be free. After several failed attempts¡ªhe couldn''t fit his fingers underneath the string and the knot was too tough¡ªDavion kicked towards the man, hoping he could force the man to let him go.

    Unfortunately, his legs were too short to reach the man.

    "Let him go," the dog demanded, its fur standing on edge.

    "It''s time that I end your reign of terror," the man said.

    The dog lunged at the man only to be knocked aside with a punch. Its head crashed into the ground not far from them, and it whimpered pitifully.

    "Stop it," Davion managed to say through gritted teeth.

    Either his words were too quiet to hear, or the man simply didn''t care to listen, as the man didn''t react to them and walked towards the ax. The man easily ripped the ax out of the ground, dropping bits of dirt and stone everywhere. Then he turned towards the dog that had gotten to its feet, ready to swing his ax again. A loud howl stopped him in his tracks.

    "What? Another wolf?" the man muttered to himself, lowering his ax and scanning his surroundings.

    The dog took the opportunity to leap towards the man and bite into his leg. The man cursed, dropping Davion to the ground. Davion rolled across the ground before stopping a few feet away. He coughed several times trying to catch his breath now that his throat was no longer being choked by the string.

    "You damn wolf," the man snarled, raising his ax high above his head.

    Davion''s eyes widened. He frantically searched his surroundings for a way to save the dog from the man. His eyes landed on the bits of candy that had spilled from his basket near him.

    He scrambled to grab a few and tossed them at the man''s face, screaming, "Don''t touch him."

    The candy bounced off the man, having no effect. Davion continued to grab the candy off the floor and picked up his basket along the way. Then one piece stabbed the man in the eye, causing the man to scream in pain. The dog took advantage of the man''s distraction to quickly bolt away towards Davion, who was still throwing candy. Once the dog reached him, Davion stopped what he was doing and ran. Another howl pierced through the night air.

    Isn''t that a wolf''s howl? Is it the real wolf from the rumors?

    Even though Davion had questions, he focused on getting as far away from the man as possible. He could worry about it later when they didn''t have a crazy giant man wielding an ax chasing after them.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 8

    The duo didn''t stop running until they could no longer keep going and collapsed to the ground. Pebbles dug into Davion''s cheek as he stared at the dog that had flattened itself until it looked like an animal rug.

    "What was that?" Davion asked in between pants.

    "Sorry," the dog said. "I didn''t mean to drag you into my problems."

    "Why did the man attack you? He really seemed to think you''re a wolf and wanted to hurt you."

    "I have no idea. He seems to think I''m a dangerous wolf that needs to be put down, but I''ve never met him until recently."

    "Do you really have no idea?"

    "Have you seen how he acts? It''s impossible to talk to him. It''s always him raving that I''m a wolf and how he''s going to cut me up and then sew me with some stones."

    Davion was hit with a sudden realization.

    He pushed himself off the ground and got to his knees as he said, "Wait a minute. Is he the huntsman?"

    The dog turned its head and gave him a strange look. "Huntsman?"

    "Have you heard of Red Riding Hood?"

    "Are you talking about yourself?"

    What? Where did it get that idea?

    Then he remembered what he was wearing. No wonder the dog thought Red Riding Hood referred to himself. He was wearing his twin sister''s costume, which fit the description to a tee.

    "No, this is just a costume based on Red Riding Hood," Davion said, waving a hand in front of his face. "It''s a story about a girl, a wolf, a grandma, and a huntsman."

    Raising its head and tilting it to one side, the dog said, "So you''re saying that the man who keeps thinking I''m a wolf is the huntsman from the story. What makes you so sure?"

    "Well, the story of Red Riding Hood is supposed to have happened here, and there have been rumors going around about a wolf being spotted. It''s kind of why I tackled you earlier, remember?"

    "Can you tell me about those rumors?"

    "Don''t you already know about them? I thought you mentioned them before."

    "I only know a little bit. I just know that the humans were talking about a wolf going around eating people."

    Davion blinked.

    He couldn''t recall there being any rumors about anyone being eaten by a wolf. There were definitely plenty of rumors of people claiming that was what happened if the wolf caught you, but that was it. There wasn''t a single rumor about someone going missing because they were eaten by the wolf.

    "Where did you hear that from?" Davion asked.

    "Here and there," the dog said.

    That wasn''t helpful in the slightest.

    Seeing no point in asking further, Davion spilled what he knew. While he spoke, his eyes darted around on the lookout for that man. He wasn''t the only one, as the dog''s ear would occasionally twitch, and it would glance in one direction before turning its attention back to Davion. When this happened, he would stop speaking and look in the same direction.

    The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that the man was the huntsman from the story. No wonder he thought there was something strange about the man earlier. Davion had never seen the man before, and there was no way he wouldn''t hear about him given how massive the man was.

    Once Davion finished saying everything he knew about the rumors, he jumped right into telling the story of Red Riding Hood.

    At the end of it, the dog considered his words before it finally said, "Huh. It sounds hard to believe, but maybe you''re on to something. I never expected to encounter characters from a story."

    Is it really that hard to believe that a character from a story is real when you can talk? I''ve never met a talking dog before until I met you.

    "He must think you''re the wolf that ate the grandma and girl in the story. That''s why he keeps chasing after you and trying to cut you up with his ax. He''s probably thinking he''ll save them if he does that," Davion said.

    "I''m no wolf, especially a wolf that eats people," the dog snapped.

    "I said he thinks you are."

    "Well, I''m not. I''m one hundred percent innocent. I would never eat a person."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Well, the huntsman obviously doesn''t believe you. He''s not going to stop chasing you as long as he thinks you''re the wolf he''s looking for."

    The dog whined, covering its face with its paws. "This is horrible. This is a complete case of mistaken identity. This is the worst."

    Davion simply petted the dog''s fur.

    There wasn''t much else he could do. The huntsman was obviously out of his mind and wouldn''t stop at nothing to put the dog down. If they bumped into him again, the chances of them getting him to listen were slim if not nonexistent. Last time, they barely escaped in one piece. They only got away because of the wolf''s howl.

    His hand stopped combing through the dog''s fur as he blurted out, "That''s it."

    The dog perked up. "What''s it?"

    "Remember what stopped the huntsman from hitting you with his ax? It had been a wolf''s howl. That has to be the real wolf that the huntsman is looking for."

    In the blink of an eye, the dog jumped to its feet. It threw itself onto Davion, sending him sprawling to the ground and lathering his face with licks.

    "Hey. Stop that. I mean it," Davion said in between licks.

    After several minutes, he finally pushed the excited dog off of him.

    He was pretty sure that the dog had let him go because there was simply no way he would have been able to push the dog off of him given how heavy it was. It had felt like being crushed by a ton of bricks.

    "That''s great. We just have to find the wolf and make it clear things up," the dog said as it scurried around him.

    "I don''t know. I mean, if I had the huntsman after me, I wouldn''t dare to get close. What makes you think the wolf is going to help you?" Davion said as he wiped the dog''s drool off his face and stood up.

    This instantly dampened the dog''s mood, and its wagging tail fell.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion felt a little bad for the dog, but he knew he wasn''t wrong. The wolf was clearly keeping its distance from the huntsman if the dog was the one that kept bumping into him. It probably was hiding somewhere where the huntsman wouldn''t get to it, which was what he would do if he were in the wolf''s place.

    But why did it keep howling? Wouldn''t it attract attention?

    This wasn''t the first time he had heard the howls. If he remembered correctly, this was probably the third or fourth time he heard the wolf''s howls today. If it kept howling, the huntsman would surely be able to track it down. He was a huntsman after all. It made no sense. No matter how hard Davion wracked his brains, he really couldn''t come up with an answer.

    "Then what do you suggest? I can''t keep running from the huntsman forever," the dog whined.

    He shrugged. "I don''t know what to tell you."

    "If you can''t help me, how am I supposed to help your sister?" Davion instantly frowned as the dog continued, "I''m not saying I don''t want to help your sister, but will it really be safe for us to head to the hospital with the huntsman chasing us?"

    Oh, that''s what it meant.

    Now that Davion knew that the dog hadn''t brought up his twin sister as a threat, he felt a bit guilty for thinking badly of it. It had a point. They had no idea where they were, and the fog didn''t help. There was a chance they would bump into the huntsman while trying to find the hospital. Even if they did somehow find the hospital, he didn''t dare imagine what the huntsman would do if he barged in while they were in his twin sister''s room. They couldn''t let that happen.

    "What should we do?" Davion asked helplessly. "We don''t have anyone who could help."

    "What about the girl and grandma from the story? Do you think they would help?" the dog asked.

    "...I''m pretty sure they would scream for the huntsman."

    In fact, he was very certain that they would run in the opposite direction while screaming.

    I couldn''t even tell it was a dog without it being pointed out to me, and we were literally face to face. We wouldn''t be able to get close, much less talk to them.

    After a while, the dog declared, "There''s no point sticking around here. The huntsman might find us again. We should keep moving and head towards the hospital."

    Davion agreed, but there was a slight problem. "Which way do we go? If we''re not careful, we''ll just end up walking into him like before."

    "Not this time. Since I took a bite out of him, I can now smell his blood. I''ll be able to smell him a mile away."

    He perked up.

    That''s right. Dogs had a strong sense of smell. In that case, it would be able to tell when the huntsman was close, and they would be able to avoid him with no problem.

    "Wait," he said as his happy mood faded. "How come you couldn''t smell him before? Shouldn''t you be able to smell him without having to bite him and drawing blood?"

    The dog flinched, and its ears flattened against its head. "Normally, I would, but there are a lot of smells right now, so it was a bit hard for me to pinpoint him."

    Since Davion wasn''t a dog himself, he had to accept the dog''s words at face value. Besides, there was no reason for the dog to lie to him about it.

    What would be the point?

    "Let''s head this way," the dog said looking in one direction.

    Davion obediently trailed after the trotting dog. The duo walked through the fog for some time without encountering anything or anyone.

    It felt like an endless road stretched out in front of them. For all Davion knew, they could easily be walking in circles. He could only rely on the dog and hope it was leading them down the right path.

    Unable to stand the silence any longer, Davion asked, "So how are you going to help my sister?"

    "What?" the dog asked as one of its ears twitched.

    "I said how are you going to help my sister?"

    "Why are you asking?"

    "I just want to know. The rumors don''t say how it''s done. They just say a wish is granted if you''re caught."

    "I just can."

    "Can''t you just tell me?"

    "I don''t know what you want me to say. Do you think I''m going to magically wake her up by licking her face?"

    The image of the big dog licking his unconscious twin sister''s face earned a laugh.

    He honestly didn''t know what he was expecting, but that certainly wasn''t it. It made for a really bizarre picture. Davion was sure everyone in the hospital would freak out if they saw it happen.

    "I don''t think you would be able to get away with it," he said still smiling. "My parents and the doctors would try to stop you."

    "About that. They''re not going to stop me from going into the hospital, are they?" the dog asked.

    "What are you¡ª"

    Then it hit him.

    How was he supposed to get the dog into the hospital?

    Davion had been so focused on catching the dog and bringing it to the hospital to wake his twin sister up that he forgot a very important detail. Animals weren''t allowed inside. There was no way the doctors and nurses would allow a dog, much less a big one like the one next to him, inside. They wouldn''t even be able to get in through the front door.

    What do I do? I have to find a way to sneak the dog inside, but that''s easier said than done. It''s way too big for me to hide in my clothes or basket. Sharlene isn''t on the ground floor, so it''s not like it could just peek its head through the window either.

    He sheepishly asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 9

    The dog actually stopped and threw Davion a confused look over its shoulder. "What?"

    Thinking that the dog didn''t hear him the first time, Davion repeated, "Do you have any ideas?"

    "Why are you asking me? I''m a dog."

    "You''re a talking dog. Shouldn''t you have some ideas?"

    "I''m not sure what you were expecting. Yes, I can talk, but I don''t know how you humans think. You humans do the strangest things."

    Haven''t you been around humans for a while now? You know what a hospital is. Shouldn''t you have at least some idea?

    Unfortunately, it looked like it was pointless to keep asking.

    Davion decided to change the topic and asked, "When did you get here?" At the dog''s bewildered look, he added, "I mean the rumors about the wolf only popped up recently, and this is the first time I''m seeing you. When did you show up in this town?"

    The dog remained silent, staring unblinkingly at him with its big yellow eyes.

    Feeling a bit uneasy by its silence, Davion asked, "Can''t you tell me?"

    "It''s not that I can''t tell you. It''s just I wouldn''t know," the dog said as it resumed walking.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I don''t keep track of stuff like that."

    "I don''t get it."

    Suddenly, the dog stopped in its tracks and turned around to face him. Davion stopped to gawk at the dog''s expression.

    Why does it feel like it''s judging me for something?

    "I''ve said it before. I''m a dog. Why would I need to know the time? I only need to know if it''s day or night," the dog said.

    He hadn''t considered that. Davion couldn''t imagine being unable to know what time it was. Everyone carried a phone or at least a watch to keep track of the time. In hindsight, it would be weird that a dog could tell the time, but this was no ordinary dog. It was a talking dog.

    Davion''s brows furrowed as he went over his thoughts again and slapped his forehead. The dog flinched.

    "I''m so stupid," Davion muttered. "I have my phone."

    Ignoring the dog''s presence, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Somehow his phone remained undamaged despite everything that happened, and Davion eagerly typed in his passcode. His face fell when he saw that he had no signal.

    So much for that. I really thought I could get in contact with my parents or one of my relatives.

    Now that he thought about it, he wondered how everyone was doing. After he had gotten separated from his friends, he had completely forgotten about them. Considering everything that happened, Davion was sure his friends wouldn''t blame him too much. If they were in his place, they would surely act the same way.

    "Wait a minute. Is my phone broken?" He shook his phone and pressed on the screen a couple of times. "That can''t be the right time."

    He remembered that it had been around six when he last checked. That had been the last time he checked in with his relatives to let them know he was still okay. They had reminded him that trick-or-treating was supposed to only be for an hour, but they hadn''t forced him to come back either.

    His phone currently said it was only five minutes after six.

    That can''t be right. It has definitely been longer than five minutes. What''s going on?

    "What''s the matter?" the dog asked, hovering over Davion as if trying to see what he was looking at.

    "The clock on my phone is broken. It says it''s only been five minutes," he said, showing the screen to the dog.

    "...I don''t know what that means."

    "Oh, right. Well, it means not a lot of time has passed."

    "And?"

    "It doesn''t make sense. We''ve been walking and running for a while now. It should at least be fifteen minutes. I don''t know what''s wrong. It looks fine."

    "Does it really matter? We just need to keep walking until we get to the hospital."

    "I guess you''re right."

    Davion still felt something was iffy about the whole thing, but it was right. He could worry about figuring out what his phone''s problem was later after they visited his twin sister and woke her up.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He returned his phone back into his pockets.

    Right as they were about to start walking again, Davion abruptly asked, "Are you really sure you don''t know when you got here? You don''t have a clue? Not even a little?"

    The dog pawed at the ground, digging up dirt, and barked, "Yes, I don''t know. I just remember looking for food and a place to rest when I stumbled into town. I avoided humans so they wouldn''t catch a glimpse of me."

    Caught completely off guard, Davion stumbled back. He nearly tripped over his feet to put some distance between him and the angry dog. Davion raised his hands and repeatedly apologized.

    Please don''t bite me. Please don''t bite me.

    Instead of responding, the dog spun around and stormed off. It kicked up dirt everywhere, with most flying in Davion''s direction. He watched the dog''s retreating figure for several moments before chasing after it. Davion quickly caught up to it and kept some distance between them as he stared into its back. An awkward silence settled upon the duo, but Davion didn''t know how to break it.

    Davion didn''t want to take the chance that the dog would lunge at him the next time he spoke.

    Why was the dog so upset?

    He couldn''t wrap his head around it. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t figure out what would cause the dog to become so aggressive.

    Was it because he kept asking so many questions?

    It was the only thing he could think of that he did. They hadn''t done much else.

    Was it really bothered by all my questions? I know I asked a lot, but was it really bad enough to make it want to bite my head off? I just don''t get it. It doesn''t make any sense.

    After thinking about it a bit more, Davion decided that he shouldn''t worry about it anymore. As long as the dog helped his twin sister, it didn''t matter. It wasn''t like they would stay together. They would end up going their separate ways afterwards.

    Then a thought hit him.

    Stopping in his tracks, he blurted out, "Are you mad that I don''t think of you as a dog?"

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    The dog stumbled but didn''t turn around, which Davion took as proof that he was right.

    So that''s the reason why it got so upset. It''s a complete misunderstanding. I did think it was a wolf at first, but I know better now. I have never once said it wasn''t a dog. I have to clear it up before things get worse.

    "So, I know you''re a dog and all..." he trailed off, scrambling to come up with the right words to say.

    All of a sudden, the dog rushed forward and put some distance between them. Startled, Davion stopped in his tracks. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, and he ran after the dog.

    "I really need to talk to you," Davion said once he caught up.

    Unfortunately, the dog''s only reaction was to run off again.

    Davion was getting a bit annoyed. All he wanted to do was fix the misunderstanding between them, but it wasn''t cooperating. If he didn''t need the dog''s help, he would have turned around and walked away.

    He took several deep breaths before he chased after the dog. This caused it to run even faster. In turn, Davion grimaced and sprinted.

    Soon it became a game of cat and mouse, but instead of a cat and mouse, it was a human and a dog. Neither one of them was willing to give in; however, it was just a matter of time before one of them got tired. Sadly, it turned out to be him.

    With sweat dripping down his forehead and his clothes sticking to his skin, Davion slowed to a jog. Even though he wanted to keep running after the dog, his limbs refused to cooperate as it got farther and farther away. It eventually disappeared into the fog, leaving him completely alone. He came to a complete stop and rested his hands on his knees as he panted.

    Seriously? How is it not tired yet? Is it because it''s a dog? It''s not going to leave me here all alone, right?

    Davion stared in the direction the dog had gone, searching for signs of the dog''s return.

    After some time passed, he was forced to admit that the dog was probably not going to come back. It would have done so already unless it had somehow gotten lost. He was pretty sure that wasn''t the case given the dog''s keen sense of smell.

    "Did it really abandon me?" Davion mumbled to himself, falling onto his butt.

    He sat there in a daze.

    What was he supposed to do now?

    With the dog gone, he was completely on his own. As soon as he thought that, it finally hit him that he was alone.

    In an instant, he jumped to his feet only to fall flat on his face the next second. Davion groaned. He laid there for several moments before rolling onto his back.

    Everything hurts, but I can''t stay here by myself. I have to find someone. Anyone.

    Being left alone made his stomach flip and churn.

    Davion knew how dangerous it could be traveling alone. It had been drilled into his head by the school and his family. They had talked about what he should do to avoid it and what to do when he had no choice, but that was under normal circumstances. Right now things were anything but normal.

    He swallowed, wishing the dog was by his side.

    Even though their time together was short, he had gotten accustomed to its presence. The dog had become his companion not long after he had gotten separated from his friends, so he hadn''t been on his own for long. As long as the dog was at his side, he had nothing to fear except for maybe a deranged huntsman. Now he was at a complete loss.

    Suddenly, there was a beep. His eyes widened, recognizing the sound. Davion eagerly pulled out his phone, expecting to see a message, only to see a warning that the battery was running low. He stared unblinkingly at the screen. Then he lowered his hand and gazed despondently up at the fog-covered sky.

    Davion had really thought that one of his relatives had finally gotten in contact with him.

    What were they doing right now? Were they panicking and searching for him frantically?

    Since he hadn''t checked back in with them when he was supposed to, they wouldn''t just let it slide. He was sure they had acted as promised and got everyone involved. At least that was what he would like to think.

    It''s really quiet.

    He didn''t hear a single sound other than his breathing.

    If they were really looking for him, wouldn''t he be able to hear them?

    Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t encountered anyone since he got separated from his friends. He should have at least bumped into someone even with the fog swirling around him. The dog and crazy huntsman didn''t count.

    After forcing himself to sit up, Davion checked his phone again and saw that there was still no signal.

    Did he somehow end up in another world?

    The idea was ridiculous. Things like ending up in another world only happened in stories, but it would explain a lot of things, like where the mysterious fog had come from or why the time on his phone hadn''t changed. Falling into the story of Red Riding Hood made more sense than the characters appearing in real life. However, figuring that out didn''t really help him.

    So what if he was in the story? How was he supposed to get out and return to the real world?

    Unfortunately, there was no one around to answer his questions.

    The phone beeped again, pulling him out of his thoughts. Davion frowned at the screen before turning it off. His fuzzy reflection stared right back at him. Then he returned the phone back into his pocket. He studied his surroundings with a serious expression until he eventually settled for following in the same direction the dog had disappeared to.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 10

    Davion didn''t know how much time had passed since he had started walking again. It certainly felt like a long time, but with the heavy fog around him, it was hard to say. Maybe if he had a working phone or watch, he could find out. Unfortunately, he had neither.

    A noise stopped him in his tracks.

    What was that?

    He anxiously scanned the area for the source, but he couldn''t see anything because of the dense fog. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, threatening to burst out of his chest. Davion clutched the basket close to his body as his eyes continued to dart around. He didn''t dare to move from his spot, his legs quivering in fear.

    Was it a person or something else?

    While he hoped it was the former¡ªhe didn''t care who it was as long as it wasn''t the huntsman¡ªsomething told him it was likely the latter. After all, he hadn''t bumped into another person since he separated from his friends unless he counted the huntsman.

    If it wasn''t a person, then what could it be? Could the dog have returned?

    For a brief moment, he felt a rush of hope surge through him at the thought. However, reality soon came crashing down.

    After several minutes of looking around, he still didn''t see any signs of the dog anywhere. He strained his ears trying to catch the sound again, but it was silent except for his breathing.

    Where is it? I don''t see the dog anywhere. Was I wrong about it being the dog?

    If the dog had really returned, it would have shown itself already. There was no need for it to hide in the fog. It wasn''t like he would hit the dog for leaving no matter how upset he was. He wasn''t even angry. Davion would just be happy to see it come back. He didn''t want to be alone.

    Davion stared a bit longer into the fog before daring to take a step forward. When nothing happened, he took another step. Seeing and hearing nothing, he continued to move at a slow pace. He observed his surroundings, ready to react at any given moment. After walking for a bit, he felt the tension in his body ease a bit.

    It was hard to stay cautious when nothing jumped at him from out of the fog.

    But if it wasn''t the dog, then what was it? What had made the sound?

    He had nothing to go on other than that brief noise. Without any other clues, he was beginning to think that his mind was just playing tricks on him.

    I don''t know which is worse. Going crazy or having something stalking me in the fog.

    Suddenly, he heard a sound and instantly stared wide-eyed in the direction it had come from. Unlike before, the sound repeated several times in quick succession. It echoed loudly, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

    The worst part was that it sounded like it was coming towards him.

    Davion frantically searched the area for a place to hide. The shadowy figure was coming closer, and his knuckles turned white from the grip on his basket. Unable to find anything, he turned on his heel, ready to make a break for it.

    That''s when he heard someone say, "Oh, my back. I''m really too old for this."

    His jaw dropped slightly as he took a moment to really look at the shadowy figure. Upon a second glance, he realized that the figure did look like a hunched person and dared to walk towards it. When he got close enough, he saw it was an old woman tapping the ground with a cane.

    The sound he had been hearing was the cane.

    "Oh, I shouldn''t be running around outside in my old age. When I find that silly girl, I''ll give her a good talking to," the old woman said, seemingly unaware of Davion''s presence.

    Studying the dark glasses the old woman was wearing, Davion wondered if she was blind.

    She continued to walk towards him and said, "Oh, I hope she''s safe. It''s so dangerous out here. A young girl like her should be at home."

    When it became clear to him that the old woman was going to walk into him, he blurted out, "Watch out."

    The old woman stopped in her tracks, lifting her head up slightly. Her eyes seemed to peer through her dark glasses and into his soul, making him swallow. He unconsciously took a step back out of wanting to avoid bumping into her and fear.

    "Oh, hello, is there someone there?" the old woman called out.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    "Hello," he said tentatively after a moment''s hesitation and studied her.

    "Oh, I didn''t expect someone so young. This is completely unexpected."

    How does she know I''m a kid?

    Since she was blind, she shouldn''t be able to know he was a kid.

    Was it a lucky guess, or was she really not blind?

    It was hard for him to say. She did look up after he had warned her to watch out, but it could just be that she noticed where the sound was coming from. The old woman hadn''t reacted to his presence either until after he spoke up. Unless she had been purposely ignoring him earlier, she hadn''t seen him there because she was blind.

    "Oh, dear, I hope he didn''t leave already," the old woman muttered to herself.

    He snapped out of his thoughts. "I''m here."

    "Oh, good. I was afraid you left. You suddenly went quiet."

    "Sorry, ma''am."

    "Oh, no need to apologize. Just call me Grandma."

    Isn''t it weird to ask a random kid to call you Grandma?

    "What are you doing out here, Grandma?" Davion asked. "It''s dangerous to be alone outside."

    She simply waved his words off with her cane. "Oh, I should be the one saying that. A young child like you shouldn''t wander alone. Where are your parents?"

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion hesitated.

    Even though the old woman didn''t seem dangerous, he still remembered the warnings about stranger danger and didn''t want to tell her too much. He also didn''t forget how strange her appearance was. Ever since he got separated from his friends and got trapped in this strange fog, he had only encountered the huge dog and huntsman. An old woman showing up out of nowhere was highly suspicious.

    This isn''t some kind of trick, is it? She''s not going to suddenly pull out a knife and lunge at me, right?

    He eyed her warily. The old woman smiled cheerfully at him, completely unaware of his thoughts.

    Well, he was sure she wouldn''t try anything with him, especially since she was blind. If it was really dangerous, he could just make a break for it. She wouldn''t be able to catch up to him.

    "I''m a bit lost," Davion admitted while keeping his distance.

    "Oh, dear. That''s terrible," the old woman said, raising one hand to her mouth. "I would love to help, but as you can see, I''m not as young as I used to be."

    Davion politely didn''t say anything.

    Pointing out that he could see that she was old and blind would be rude, and he didn''t want to tempt fate in case she really was dangerous. Davion didn''t want her coming after him with a vengeance.

    "Oh, how I miss my younger years. It only seemed like yesterday that I would run down the streets without a care in the world," the old woman said, her voice taking on a dreamy tone.

    He stared.

    She says oh a lot.

    Without fail, she somehow managed to use the word oh every time she opened her mouth. Normally, he wouldn''t notice something like that, but it was hard to miss such a quirk when talking to her.

    The old woman snapped out of her daydream and said, "Oh, enough about me. I doubt you want to listen to an old lady talk about her youth. You must be anxious to get back to your parents. Do you remember where you last saw them?"

    Davion carefully thought about his answer.

    Should he tell her the truth or lie?

    He felt pretty confident now that she really meant him no harm even if her appearance was strange. She really seemed like a genial old woman.

    After some hesitation, he said, "At the hospital."

    "Oh, the hospital you say?" the old woman asked as she tilted her head to one side.

    "Yes, ma''am?"

    "Oh, I''m afraid I don''t know where that is. I really can''t help you there."

    "It''s okay, ma''am."

    "Oh, I told you. You don''t need to be all formal with this little old lady. Just call me Grandma."

    "Yes, Grandma."

    "Oh, you''re quite an obedient child. I''m sure your parents just adore you. It reminds me of my own grandchild."

    Seeing that the conversation wasn''t going anywhere, he was eager to leave. However, leaving the old woman by herself didn''t sit right with him. Between the two of them, she was obviously the one in the most danger. If the huntsman stumbled upon her and decided she was dangerous, she wouldn''t be able to get away. Even without the huntsman, under normal circumstances, letting a blind old woman wander around on her own was wrong.

    "Oh," the old woman abruptly said, startling Davion out of his thoughts. "I kept you long enough. You should run along now and find your parents. Be sure to stay safe."

    "What about you?" he asked.

    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about me. I can manage fine on my own."

    Despite how confident she sounded, he was reluctant to leave.

    Davion glanced around at their surroundings before whispering conspiratively to her, "I met a very scary man earlier. He was wielding an ax. I managed to get away, but he''s still out there."

    Unlike what he expected, she calmly said, "Oh, is that so."

    Why isn''t she worried or scared? There''s a crazy ax-wielding huntsman out here. Shouldn''t she at least be a bit panicked?

    "We should travel together just to be safe," Davion said.

    "Oh, there''s no need. You shouldn''t let this old lady hold you up. My old bones would just slow you down."

    "I can''t just leave you alone."

    "Oh, you''re so considerate, but you don''t need to trouble yourself with me. No one''s interested in an old lady like me. I''ll be fine. You go on ahead."

    He stared as the stubborn old woman waved him off, refusing to go along with him.

    It felt wrong to leave the old woman alone, but he couldn''t exactly force her if she didn''t want to go with him. Davion wasn''t going to drag her along, which he wouldn''t be able to do in the first place. He wasn''t strong enough for that. Even if he was, he didn''t think she would let him without putting up a fight.

    Davion eyed her cane warily, imagining how she would use it as a weapon if he dared to try anything with her.

    Yeah, I probably should keep my distance. I don''t want to get whacked by her cane. I just wish she weren''t so stubborn. It''s not safe, but maybe it''s better this way. If the huntsman finds us, I don''t know what I''ll be able to do.

    He could barely help himself, much less the old woman. The last time he came across danger, he barely escaped in one piece. If they bumped into the huntsman, he wouldn''t be able to do anything against him. The best Davion would be able to do was maybe bide some time for the old woman to run away, but he doubted she would be able to get far.

    Just thinking about having another encounter with the huntsman sent shivers down his spine. "Are you really sure, Grandma?"

    "Oh, I''m sure," the old woman said, nodding her head. "I don''t want to hold you back. Besides, I can act as a distraction if the scary man shows up to give you time to escape."

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 11

    Davion could scarcely believe what he just heard.

    Did she say what he thought she said?

    "Excuse me?" he asked, his voice cracking.

    "Oh, did I say something wrong?" she asked innocently.

    "I think I misheard you."

    "Oh, I said I''ll act as a distraction if that scary man ever shows up."

    I was wrong. She''s not calm or brave. She''s just crazy!

    All this time he had been worried about her safety, but she didn''t bat an eye¡ªno pun intended¡ªat the idea of meeting the huntsman despite his warnings. No one sane would act so calmly at the idea of acting as bait, especially for a stranger they just met.

    "Oh, and if you do encounter the scary man yourself, you can just lead him back to me so I can slow him down and give you time to escape," the old woman said, tapping her cane on the ground.

    Her words just fully cemented the idea that she was completely insane.

    How was she able to say it was a calm expression?

    He took a huge step back, afraid she might snap and swing her cane at him.

    Davion didn''t want to take the risk that she would go wild and attack him in a frenzy. Even though she hadn''t shown any signs of being violent, it might have just been hidden under her innocent fa?ade.

    "Oh, are you going now?" she asked innocently.

    How did she know I was walking away? I thought I didn''t make a sound. Is her hearing that good? So scary.

    Unaware of his thoughts, she continued, "Oh, take care. Let''s meet again."

    He didn''t spare her a second glance or speak a single word to her as he hurried away. Every couple of steps, he would look back and check to see if the old woman had moved from her spot. Fortunately, she stayed put and continued to wave. Her figure slowly became distant and blurry until her figure was enveloped by the fog. Davion didn''t stop until his feet ached, and he was forced to take a break.

    His feet throbbed as he sat down. "Ugh. My feet."

    This was probably the first time he had walked so much in one day. His P.E. teacher would be so proud of him.

    Davion took a moment to take off his shoes and socks and rub his sore feet. He sighed as his feet felt slightly better from his massage. After several minutes of rubbing his feet, he begrudgingly put his shoes and socks back on.

    He had to keep going.

    With great reluctance, he got back onto his feet. Davion grimaced as pain shot through his feet. Ignoring his aching feet, he marched forward through the dense fog.

    It was only after some time that he realized that the fog had gotten even thicker, making it harder to see anything. Originally, he could at least see silhouettes even at a distance. Now he could barely even see his feet. If he wasn''t moving and couldn''t feel the pain from each step he took, he could easily believe that he somehow lost his legs.

    What''s with this fog? How am I supposed to see where I''m going?

    Davion came to a complete stop and squinted his eyes, hoping to see something.

    Unfortunately, all he could see was fog everywhere. He seriously wanted to turn back, but it was now impossible to know which way he had come from. Even though he was certain he had walked in a straight line, he couldn''t be sure now.

    Suddenly, a gust of wind hit him, causing him to stumble back. The hood of his red cloak fell off. Davion raised his arms to shield his face as the wind swirled around him. His basket bounced against his body several times, spilling candy. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the wind stopped. He took a moment to catch his breath before opening his eyes. His jaw dropped at the sight.

    "How is this possible?" he blurted out as he found himself standing in a forest.

    Just to be sure he wasn''t seeing things, he rubbed his eyes, but the scene didn''t change.

    Even with the fog, which had strangely lightened up¡ªit was almost back to how it was when the fog first appeared¡ªhe couldn''t miss the obvious silhouettes of numerous trees surrounding him in the darkness. Well, he was pretty sure they were the silhouettes of trees. With the moon being blocked by the clouds and the slightly present fog, he couldn''t see clearly.

    "What''s going on?" he muttered to himself, looking around.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    The town was next to a forest, but the path he had been taking shouldn''t have led him right to it.

    Had he somehow traveled across town and ended up there?

    He found that hard to believe. Not too long ago he had been sitting in the middle of a street, or at least he thought he had. If he were to enter the forest, he would have to pass through several places and a gate, which he would have noticed. Then again, the fog had been particularly dense earlier, so it had been difficult to see, and after everything he had experienced so far, magically ending up in the forest wasn''t that unbelievable.

    Well, it could be worse. I could have bumped into the huntsman again.

    The thought sent shivers down her spine, and he frantically scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, he didn''t seem to jinx himself and breathed a sigh of relief.

    The last thing he wanted was for the huntsman to really appear. Being in the forest wouldn''t save him from the huntsman, who would obviously know more about the forest than Davion did.

    After some hesitation, he picked a direction and walked. His head swiveled back and forth, his eyes scrutinizing every inch of the forest so as not to miss a single thing. He strained his ears listening for any noises, but the only sounds he heard were his footsteps and breathing. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy figure move. Davion instantly spun around.

    However, there was nothing there.

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    What was that?

    Davion bit down on his lip, his eyes bouncing around madly.

    He didn''t see anything out of the ordinary, but the darkness of the night and fog made it difficult to be sure. For all he knew, someone or something could be lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce. If only the fog cleared up or it got brighter so he could see better.

    His eyes widened as the clouds abruptly parted, allowing the moon to peek through. The moon shined down on him, enveloping him in bright light.

    It was almost like it was answering his prayers. Unfortunately, the same couldn''t be said about the fog, but Davion didn''t mind. Despite how it was nighttime, with the moon acting like the sun, it was almost like it was daytime. Almost.

    Not wanting to waste this chance, he quickly scanned his surroundings. His eyes swept over the rows of trees and bushes surrounding him on all sides.

    I don''t see anything. Am I just overthinking things?

    After looking over the entire area, he started walking down the brightest path.

    While he didn''t notice anything unusual, he didn''t want to take any risks and chose what he thought was the safest path. Taking the brightest path was obviously the best option.

    As Davion walked, he noticed how the clouds were slowly covering up the moon again. With a curse, he hurried down the path while keeping an eye on his surroundings. The shadows crept in, nipping at his heels as he searched for the exit, but all he could see was more trees and bushes. Suddenly, he tripped and fell flat on his stomach. He wheezed.

    What happened? Why did he fall?

    Davion took a moment to catch his bearings before looking over his shoulder. Even with the shadows covering his feet, he could sort of make out something sticking out of the ground after lifting his feet. He rolled onto his back and sat up. Davion squinted at the strange protrusion. Pulling his feet away, he confirmed it wasn''t anything living and guessed it was a protruding tree root.

    "Just my luck," he muttered, getting to his feet.

    He winced and glanced down at the foot that had tripped over the tree root. Even though he couldn''t see anything wrong, a burst of pain shot through his leg every time he put pressure on it.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me," he muttered.

    It was already bad enough that he was lost alone in the fog-covered forest in the dead of the night with a crazy huntsman on the prowl. Now he had a sprained ankle to deal with.

    Davion sighed. Then he dusted his clothes and checked his basket.

    Despite the fall, the basket remained in good condition. It really was a sturdy basket, leaving him to wonder where his grandmother had found it. He couldn''t remember his parents buying it.

    A sound pulled him out of his thoughts, and he spun around to see an animal in the distance.

    At least he thought it was an animal. Since it was far off, he couldn''t be sure what it was, but it looked like a four-legged animal. In fact, the silhouette looked very familiar.

    It took him a moment to connect the dots, and his face broke into a relieved smile. Without hesitation, he dashed forward. His feet and ankle throbbed in pain, but he didn''t let that stop him. Davion pressed on, closing the distance between him and the animal. The animal didn''t move from its spot, as if waiting for him, spurring Davion to hurry.

    It really came back. I thought it abandoned me, but it came back.

    He didn''t question how it had found him after all this time. He was just glad to see a familiar face, or rather, figure.

    When he was only a few feet away, his smile faltered. He slowed to a crawl, staring at the dog. The dog stared blankly back with its yellow eyes without a trace of excitement at seeing Davion.

    Was it still mad about before?

    Davion stopped at arm''s length from the dog, unsure of what to do next.

    After several minutes of awkward silence, he finally said, "Hi."

    As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

    Hi? Really? I can''t believe I said that. Why did I say something so stupid?

    Surprisingly, the dog bowed its head as it said, "Hello."

    He blinked. "Oh, uh...hello."

    If he had been embarrassed before, he was simply mortified now. His only saving grace was that it was just the two of them. Otherwise, he would never be able to show his face in public ever again.

    "Do you need something?" the dog asked.

    Davion''s brows furrowed in bewilderment. "Didn''t you come here to find me?"

    Silence.

    Had he been mistaken?

    He had been so sure that the dog appeared in the forest to find him.

    If it wasn''t there for him, then why was it there? Was it just a coincidence?

    "Right," the dog said, breaking him out of spiraling thoughts. "You''re lost, aren''t you?"

    Ignoring the strangeness of its words, Davion said, "Yeah. Do you know the way out of this forest?"

    "Follow me."

    Without hesitation, he trailed after the dog. As the duo traveled down the path, Davion found his eyes glued to the dog''s back.

    Davion felt like there was something off. The dog was acting strange, but he quickly waved it off as the dog still being upset from before. He was just grateful that the dog really hadn''t abandoned him and came back to help him despite their earlier dispute.

    After some time passed without an end in sight, Davion asked, "Are we almost at the exit?" When the dog didn''t respond, a sense of unease crept up his spine. "Uh, are we almost there?"

    There was still no response.

    He was about to speak again when a sound from up ahead drew his attention. His eyes darted away from the dog to the path up ahead, and he noticed a shadowy figure in the fog.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 12

    What is that?

    Davion didn''t dare to speak as the shadowy figure approached. His feet remained rooted to the ground, unable to move. Turning his gaze to the dog, he silently begged for the dog to do something with his eyes.

    However, since the dog''s back was to him, it didn''t notice Davion''s look.

    It abruptly darted to the left, leaving Davion standing there. In a daze, he could only watch as the dog disappeared from view. Once he could no longer see the dog, he panicked and glanced back at the shadowy figure. Fortunately, the shadowy figure turned coarse and chased after the dog. The moment he could no longer see the shadowy figure, he fell onto his butt. Davion breathed heavily, cold sweat dripping down his face.

    That had been too close for comfort. Even though he couldn''t see who or what it was thanks to the fog once again, he was pretty certain it had been the huntsman based on its shape.

    What was going on?

    First it was the dog. Then it was the huntsman. Davion couldn''t understand how the two managed to end up in the forest like he did. What was even stranger was how they somehow came from the opposite direction. If they had followed him there, they should have come from behind, not from the front.

    He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

    "Forget it. I should get out of here before the huntsman comes back," he muttered as he got onto his knees and crawled.

    Davion felt a bit guilty for abandoning the dog to the huntsman, but it had been the one to abandon him first. It had run off, leaving him to fend for himself. If the huntsman hadn''t chased after the dog, Davion would have to face the crazy man alone.

    It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

    I can''t believe it did that. Why did it just run without a word? Last time it protected me from the huntsman. I just don''t get it.

    No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn''t figure out what the dog was thinking. Nothing it did since they reunited made sense.

    "Whatever," he muttered. "If it''s going to be like that, then I won''t care about it either. I''ll get out of this forest by myself."

    Unfortunately, his plan to escape the forest by crawling was cut short.

    Unable to ignore the pain any longer, he stopped moving. He breathed heavily, his arms shaking and his nails digging into his palm. Davion bit his lower lip as his brows furrowed. His eyes burned holes into the ground. Then he looked up, studying his surroundings before landing on a nearby tree. With grim determination, he dragged himself to it and rested his back against it. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he glanced down at his legs.

    His pants were completely covered in dirt, and the section around his knees was particularly worn down.

    Sharlene is going to be so angry when she sees this.

    When he was ready to keep going, he tried to move his legs only to wince in pain. After a couple more attempts, he gave up and kept his legs in a position that hurt the least.

    There was no way he could move with his legs hurting so much. He had to wait until his legs got better or until someone found him. However, he didn''t know how long it would take. Davion wasn''t sure when his legs would recover on their own or if they could without help. As for someone finding him, the huntsman was the most likely person, which was the last person he wanted to see.

    He froze at the sound of rustling behind him. Davion didn''t dare to move or speak, listening attentively for the source of the sound. The rustling grew closer, and he covered his mouth with his hands. Right as it was about to reach him, it abruptly stopped. He waited with bated breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

    Davion was sure that whatever it was was still nearby and refused to let his guard down.

    Suddenly, something popped out from the bushes behind him. His screams were muffled by his hands as he threw himself away from the thing. Pain shot through his whole body, with most of it focused on his legs. He scrambled to his feet, but he quickly lost his balance and bumped into a tree. Davion leaned against it for support and glanced back at what had appeared from the bushes.

    It was the dog. In an instant, his fear dissipated into thin air.

    The dog shook the leaves and branches off its body before turning to face him. "There you are." It trotted over, unaware of the chaos in Davion''s mind caused by its appearance. "I''m glad to see you''re okay. I was worried that the huntsman had gotten to you."

    He remained silent, his jaw slightly slack, and his eyes glued to the dog.

    Davion had thought the dog would never return considering what happened earlier. It had really seemed like the dog had left him as a distraction to save itself from the huntsman.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Had he been wrong? Had the dog actually been trying to protect him by distracting the huntsman so he could escape? But why didn''t it say anything before running off?

    It could have at least warned him or given him a sign that it wasn''t ditching him to save its own skin or fur in this case.

    How was he supposed to know what it was thinking?

    It was really giving him mixed signals.

    The dog stopped right in front of Davion as it asked, "Why aren''t you saying anything?"

    He snapped out of his thoughts and said, "You came back." The dog gave him a quizzical look. "I really thought you abandoned me to the huntsman." After a moment''s hesitation, Davion murmured, "Thanks for coming back."

    Unexpectedly, the dog asked, "What are you talking about?"

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    "When did I abandon you to the huntsman? I remember clearly that we ran away together."

    This time it was Davion''s turn to be confused.

    "What are you saying?" he asked, pushing away from the tree he was leaning on with a grimace. "We literally found each other earlier before getting separated again when the huntsman showed up."

    "That''s not possible," the dog said, digging up dirt with one paw. "I only found you just now. I never even saw the huntsman."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    The dog''s words stunned Davion.

    How was that possible?

    It had clearly been the dog. Even with the dim light, he obviously recognized the dog at a glance.

    After all, just how many big dogs were roaming around?

    "But I saw you," Davion protested.

    Its face wrinkled in annoyance. "Are you sure you weren''t imagining things? Has the fog made you see things? Don''t tell me you confused me with some random animal."

    Seeing how insistent the dog was, Davion had to concede that it really hadn''t been the dog he met earlier.

    However, if that was the case, then who was the dog Davion had bumped into? Was there really another big dog roaming around?

    A stray thought crossed his mind that sent chills down his spine.

    What if it hadn''t been a dog? What if it had been a wolf he encountered?

    Davion didn''t want to believe it, but he had confused the dog as a wolf when they first met. It wouldn''t be a huge jump for him to mistakenly think a random wolf was the dog.

    That was really close. I nearly got attacked by a wolf without realizing it. If the huntsman hadn''t shown up, who knows what the wolf would have done?

    Then he recalled a very important detail that made his eyes pop out of their sockets.

    "The wolf," he blurted out, making the dog flinch. "I can''t believe it. I really met the wolf from the story."

    "What?" The dog jumped onto Davion, knocking him to the ground. "What did you say?"

    He could only groan in pain, his head throbbing from hitting the ground hard. The dog continued to paw at him, completely oblivious to the pain it was inflicting on Davion, who struggled to push the dog off of him.

    Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

    Ugh. Why is it so heavy? It feels like being dogpiled by a bunch of my cousins.

    His legs already hurt, and having the dog''s full weight on them didn''t help in the slightest.

    "Off." The dog didn''t seem to hear, so he repeated, "Get off." There was still no response, and he had enough. "Get off of me!"

    His shout stunned the dog, giving him the opportunity to shove the dog off him. It rolled off of him as he rubbed his aching legs. The dog stared dumbly at him before rolling onto its stomach and standing up.

    "What was that for?" the dog asked.

    Davion didn''t give it any attention, his eyes darting around. The dog seemed to understand something and scanned their surroundings. Once he was certain that nothing would pop out of the trees and bushes, Davion breathed a sigh of relief.

    He had been worried that the wolf or huntsman had heard his shout and had come running. Luckily, neither of them seemed to have heard him.

    Relief turned into irritation as he crossed his arms and glared at the dog. It pointedly avoided his gaze, its ears flat against its head and its tail tucked between its legs. After some time, it dared to glance up before quickly looking down at Davion''s legs. It poked its nose at one of his legs, and he hissed. The dog flinched.

    "What happened to your legs?" it asked in a small voice.

    Seeing how despondent it was¡ªand what a sight it was¡ªDavion felt his annoyance falter. "A lot happened." Then he hesitated before asking, "Where were you?"

    One of the dog''s ears twitched as it said, "I had wandered for a bit when I finally picked up your scent." At Davion''s puzzled expression, it continued, "After we separated, I found that I couldn''t find you. Your scent had completely vanished. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t find you."

    Davion was stunned.

    When the dog hadn''t returned right away, he had thought that the dog had purposely left him behind and wasn''t going to come back for him. It turned out that the dog couldn''t go back to him.

    "How''s that possible?" he asked.

    "I have no idea. You can''t believe how confused I was." The dog shook its head. "There were a lot of confusing scents, but you really have a unique scent."

    "Are you saying I smell?"

    "All things smell."

    "Never mind. Anyway, how did you end up finding me?"

    "I actually bumped into an old woman. She was willing to help me out and pointed me in the right direction."

    He was about to ask how it managed not to scare the old lady away when he recalled the blind old woman he came across before. "Did the lady have glasses?"

    The dog tilted its head to one side and asked, "You mean those things some humans put on your face?"

    "Uh, sure."

    "Then yes."

    No wonder she didn''t freak out at the sight of a giant dog that looked like a wolf approaching her. For all she knew, she had been talking to another person.

    "Did she say anything else?" Davion asked, not expecting much.

    Surprisingly, the dog nodded. "She asked me to give a message to her granddaughter if I came across her."

    "What message?"

    "She asked her to come home since it wasn''t safe outside."

    That was a reasonable request. With a wolf and crazy huntsman on the loose in the dead of the night, it made sense that the old woman would want her granddaughter to hurry back home. He would honestly love to run back home and avoid them, but there were too many things that kept that from happening.

    Now that the dog''s back, we can still go to the hospital and help Sharlene. We just need to find a way out of this forest. We also need to avoid the wolf and huntsman.

    His face wrinkled in displeasure.

    Davion tried not to think too hard about the difficulties, and his mind wandered back to the old woman. He wondered why she hadn''t asked him to do the same or mention that she was looking for her granddaughter when they met, but he quickly shoved those thoughts away. It wasn''t any of his business what the old woman did now that they had gone their separate ways.

    Despite this, he found himself asking, "Did she say what her granddaughter looked like?"

    Even if it wasn''t his problem, it didn''t hurt to ask. If he did bump into the granddaughter, he could pass the message on to her.

    "Actually, it sounded a lot like you," the dog said.

    He blinked. "Excuse me?"

    "She said her granddaughter was wearing a red cloak and carried a basket."

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 13

    Davion had to admit that it did sound like him. The only difference was that he was a boy and not a girl. Well, that and the fact that the old woman was definitely not his grandma. He wouldn''t make the same mistake he made with the dog.

    Wait a second.

    His eyes widened, and he mumbled, "Is she the grandma?"

    "What?" the dog asked, poking its nose into his face.

    He shoved the dog''s face away as he asked, "Don''t you remember the story I told you about? The one about Red Riding Hood?" At the dog''s blank look, Davion fumed. "How could you forget? I just told it to you not long ago. I thought dogs had good memories."

    "Why would I remember that?"

    Davion blankly stared at the dog, unable to decide whether or not he should scream at it.

    Eventually, he settled with saying, "Whatever. The point is that I think the old woman is the grandmother from the story, which means her granddaughter is Red Riding Hood."

    The dog nodded. "Okay, so what does that mean?"

    He was left speechless.

    What did it mean?

    That was a good question. Davion hadn''t thought about it when he had his revelation. He had just been so excited about his discovery that he overlooked how unimportant it was.

    So what if the old woman he met was the grandma from the story and that her granddaughter was Red Riding Hood?

    It wouldn''t help them leave the forest and get to the hospital. Davion didn''t even know where the old woman or her granddaughter was now.

    Davion sighed. "Forget it. Let''s just get out of this place."

    When he put pressure on his legs, he grimaced, which didn''t go unnoticed by the dog. "You shouldn''t move if there''s something wrong with your legs. When I hurt one of my legs, I always hide away to recover."

    "Thanks, but I don''t think a little rest would make my legs better."

    "Can you show me your legs?"

    Right as he was about to protest, Davion remembered a very important detail.

    What am I doing? The dog can heal me.

    He couldn''t believe he forgot about it when he had literally been thinking about getting the dog to heal his twin sister. Fortunately, no one was around to make fun of him for having a brain fart.

    Davion settled back onto the ground and pulled up his pants. Once he did, he hissed. The dog recoiled, its mouth curling into a scowl that made it look sinister. In the dim light, they could see the scrapes and small cuts covering the reddened skin of legs. He grimaced at the state of his legs, unable to comprehend how they ended up like this.

    "What happened? How did your legs end up like this?" the dog demanded, its yellow eyes staring deep into his soul.

    Unable to give a proper answer, Davion just looked back at his legs. He prodded a cut and flinched at the sharp pain.

    The dog swatted at his hand and snapped, "Stop it. Are you trying to make it worse?"

    He never thought he would see the day where a giant dog would be lecturing him like his mom. No one would believe it if he told them. Then again, this entire night was so unbelievable that he would have a hard time believing it, and he was the one living it.

    "Hold still. It might sting," the dog said, bending down over his leg.

    Davion eagerly watched, wanting to see it work its magic, only to be disappointed that it simply licked his legs.

    Really? Is that it? Where''s the magic?

    This was not at all what he imagined. He didn''t know what he was expecting, but this wasn''t it.

    Every time the dog''s tongue brushed against his scrapes and small cuts, he winced. Davion couldn''t take it anymore and pushed the dog away from his legs, feeling gross.

    "Ugh. That''s enough," he muttered, wiping the dog drool off his legs.

    That''s when he noticed something strange and stopped what he was doing to take a better look at his legs. His eyes widened in disbelief. He tentatively touched a smooth section of his skin, unable to find the cut that he had been sure was there moments ago. Then Davion snapped his head up to stare at the dog.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "What are you looking at me like that for?" the dog asked.

    He simply asked, "How?" When the dog didn''t seem to understand his question, Davion asked again, "How did you heal my legs?"

    "I just did."

    "That''s not an answer."

    "Why are you unhappy? Now that your legs are better, you can walk."

    "I''m not unhappy. I just can''t figure out how you did it."

    "Haven''t you seen a dog lick their wounds and get better?"

    "No."

    Davion had seen plenty of animals lick their wounds all the time. He had even once seen kids do the same if they got a small cut, but he had never seen anything or anyone heal from just doing that.

    Well, it is a big talking dog, so maybe that makes a difference.

    The dog huffed, turning its nose up as it said, "If you don''t like it, then I won''t do it again."

    He immediately said, "Sorry. Thanks for healing my legs." It ignored him. "Please don''t leave."

    This grabbed the dog''s attention. "I''m not going anywhere."

    "Really?"

    "I won''t make that mistake again."

    Hearing that, Davion breathed a sigh of relief.

    For a moment, he had been worried that he had upset the dog so much that it would run off again, leaving him behind. If that happened, he wasn''t sure they would find each other again.

    The dog nudged his side with its nose and said, "Come on. Get up. Aren''t we going to meet your sister?"

    "Yeah, yeah, I''m getting up," Davion said, pushing the dog away as he stood up. "How do we get out of this forest?"

    "I have no clue."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion stared. The dog stared back. For several moments, neither of them said a thing and didn''t break eye contact.

    He was the first to break the silence. "What do you mean you don''t know?"

    "How am I supposed to know?" the dog asked, taking a few steps back from Davion.

    "Shouldn''t you remember which way you came in?"

    "No. What about you? Why don''t you remember the way out?"

    "I don''t know how I got here. One moment I was in the town, the next I was in the forest."

    "Well, it''s the same for me."

    This can''t be happening. How are we supposed to get out if neither of us knows where the exit is? The forest is so big that it''ll take forever for us to find it.

    Suddenly, a howl pierced through the air. They tensed, their eyes darting around, but neither of them could spot the wolf anywhere. Despite this, the duo didn''t let their guard down and continued to scrutinize their surroundings when Davion spotted something unusual in the fog. He squinted his eyes, focusing his attention on the one spot before they were blown wide open.

    "Run!" he shouted, spinning on his heel.

    Before either of them had the chance to run, a large wolf burst through the fog. Davion screamed, and the dog growled. The wolf skidded to a stop in front of them, snarling.

    "Stay back. It''s dangerous," the dog snapped as it kept its eyes on the wolf.

    Davion didn''t need to be told twice and scurried away to a spot farther away where he could keep an eye on the both of them while staying out of danger. The two sides circled each other warily, with neither of them willing to make the first move. His heart raced as he could only helplessly watch, hoping the dog would win, but the longer he looked, the more he felt something was strange.

    That wolf. It looks funny. I don''t know what it is.

    Suddenly, the wolf charged towards Davion. He screamed, turning to run. The dog sprinted to cut the wolf off, only for the wolf to abruptly turn course and lunge at the dog.

    His eyes widened. "Watch out!"

    Unfortunately, his warning came too late as the wolf sank its teeth into the dog''s side. It yelped in pain and thrashed underneath the wolf. Davion anxiously looked around, searching for a way to save the dog.

    He didn''t have anything that he could use. His basket had long since been empty of candy, and it wouldn''t be a good weapon to use. It would probably break if he hit the wolf with it. Davion doubted his phone would do much against the huge wolf either. If anything, it would only aggravate it more. That was assuming he could even hit it. He didn''t think his aim was good enough nor was sure he could get close enough without getting caught up in the fight.

    Then his eyes landed on a large branch a couple feet away from him. Without hesitation, he rushed to grab it. Davion lifted it, his arms straining against the weight. He lumbered over to where the dog and wolf were before tossing the branch with all his might at the wolf.

    Please work. Please work.

    The branch grazed the wolf''s side, but it was enough. The wolf released its grip on the dog and snapped at Davion. The dog took the chance to bite back and dig its teeth into the wolf''s neck.

    "You can do it," Davion cheered, still breathing heavily from his previous effort.

    Just as things were looking up, the huntsman stepped out from the trees and bushes. Everyone froze, staring at each other in various states of shock.

    Davion couldn''t believe his luck. First it was the wolf. Now it was the huntsman. He hadn''t even heard the later coming until it was too late. This was the worst possible scenario.

    The huntsman was the first to recover and raised his ax, saying, "Got you now, you mangy wolves."

    "How many times do I have to tell you that I''m not a wolf?" the dog snapped, scrambling away from the wolf.

    "I''ll have two new wolf pelts to add to my collection."

    At the huntsman''s words, Davion choked.

    What?

    He knew that some people like to keep trophies of animals they caught, but the huntsman from the story never did that. The worst thing he did was cut up the wolf to save Red Riding Hood and the grandma before sewing the wolf up with stones.

    The huntsman charged, causing the wolf and dog to go in opposite directions. Unfortunately, the wolf chose to dash in Davion''s direction while the huntsman chased after the dog. Davion''s eyes widened, and he bolted. He could hear the dog''s shouts about being a dog and how the huntsman should be going after the real wolf, growing fainter as Davion tried to outrun the wolf.

    What do I do? It''s catching up. I don''t think I can outrun it.

    Davion dared to peek behind him and nearly screamed in fright at the sight of the wolf about to bite his red cloak. In a flash, he was looking forward, his eyes darting around for a way to escape his predicament.

    He had to lose the wolf before it was too late.

    Then his foot caught onto something. Davion stumbled and fell to the side, rolling. Pain shot through his body as branches and stones poked into him. When he finally stopped rolling, he laid on his back momentarily stunned and gasping for air. He could vaguely hear the wolf running off, leaving him behind.

    Luck seemed to be on his side this time.

    After some time, he forced himself to sit up with a groan. His head spun, and he pressed a hand against it. Feeling something wet and sticky, he pulled his hand away. Blood covered his hand. Davion cursed as he struggled to get back on his feet. That''s when he heard a branch snap. He whipped his head around and saw a wolf.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 14

    "Why is there another wolf? Just how many wolves are out there? Don''t tell me there''s a wolf pack nearby or something," Davion babbled.

    Of all the luck, he just had to run into another wolf after escaping the last one.

    How was he supposed to get out of this mess?

    All of a sudden, the wolf said, "Don''t lump me together with ordinary wolves. We''re not the same."

    With a bewildered expression, Davion dumbly stared at the wolf, his previous fear replaced by utter confusion.

    That was the last thing he expected to hear from the wolf''s mouth. He had expected it to remain quiet like the last wolf or make some threats. Complaining about being compared to other wolves was something he had never considered.

    "Now if you''ll excuse me, I have to go now," the wolf said as it walked around Davion.

    Davion snapped out of his daze. "Wait!" When the wolf stopped and stared, Davion blurted out the first thing on his mind. "So what are you exactly if you''re not a wolf?"

    "Just think of me as a talking wolf."

    Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I really couldn''t tell you were a talking wolf.

    Instead of saying this out loud, Davion asked, "Where are you going? Do you know the way out of the forest?"

    While he was still wary of the wolf, it didn''t seem to mean him any harm. After all, it had intended to leave without giving him a second glance if he hadn''t called after it. He might as well cling to it and leave this forest with its help.

    "No." His shoulders slumped, wincing in pain, his hopes dashed when the wolf continued, "But leaving the forest isn''t my goal right now."

    Unsure how to respond, Davion simply said, "Okay?"

    "If that''s it, I''ll go now."

    "Wait," he said, jerking forward, his body protesting against the action. "Can I come with you? I''m lost, and I don''t want to be alone."

    The wolf took a moment to consider his words. "I supposed it wouldn''t hurt. In exchange, you have to answer some of my questions."

    What questions would a talking wolf have?

    He decided not to question it and nodded. "I''ll do my best."

    "First, let''s do something about your state. You look like you''ve been through a wringer," the wolf said, waving a paw in his direction.

    Davion looked down at himself as blood dripped down his head to the ground.

    His clothes were torn in several places, revealing cuts and bruises. He must really look frightening. No wonder everything hurt so much. It was probably worse than what had happened to his legs.

    "Hold still. I don''t want to mess this up," the wolf said as it approached.

    It can heal? It''s like the dog. Are they related? But one''s a dog, and the other''s a wolf. How does that work?

    He tensed when the wolf stopped its face inches away from his own face. Davion expected the wolf to start licking him all over like the dog had; however, the wolf simply pressed its nose against his forehead. As he was about to ask what it was doing, a strange feeling overcame him, and he gasped.

    The feeling felt like it would last forever when it abruptly stopped, leaving Davion lightheaded.

    "There," the wolf said, backing away. "You should be good as new."

    Davion shook the grogginess away and looked down again.

    Though his clothes were still a mess, he no longer saw any cuts or bruises anywhere. Even the blood on his head was gone like it had never been there to begin with. The only proof was the bloodstains on his head and on the ground.

    This is completely different from what the dog did. It''s like magic. Could this wolf be a magic wolf?

    "Can you stand?" the wolf asked.

    He jumped to his feet feeling refreshed. "Yeah. I''m good."

    "Then follow me."

    Davion followed without hesitation. Strangely, the wolf didn''t immediately bombard him with questions and instead focused on sniffing the ground. He could only watch awkwardly from the side as they slowly made their way through the forest.

    Fortunately, they didn''t run into the other wolf or huntsman. Unfortunately, the dog was still nowhere to be seen.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Unable to take it anymore, Davion asked, "What are you doing?"

    Without bothering to lift its nose from the ground, the wolf said, "I''m on the lookout for someone."

    "Who?"

    "You probably won''t know them."

    "It can''t hurt to tell me."

    He had a faint idea of who, or rather what, it could be, but he didn''t want to make any assumptions.

    After some hesitation, the wolf said, "I''m looking for my sibling."

    Davion groaned. "So there is another wolf."

    "They''re not a wolf, or at least I don''t think they are."

    What was that supposed to mean? How could the wolf''s sibling not be a wolf?

    He had never heard of such a confusing statement before. It didn''t make any sense.

    The wolf glanced up, noticed the look on his face, and said, "It''s complicated. Think of us as magical animals." Davion decided not to question it given all the crazy things that had happened so far. "Anyway, I''ve been chasing after them to stop whatever crazy stunt they''re doing now. Unfortunately, I haven''t been very successful so far."

    "Did they sneak into a grocery store and steal some food?" he asked, genuinely curious.

    "No, it''s much worse than that. I believe they''re the one behind the rumors I''ve been hearing."

    It took a moment for Davion to realize what it was talking about.

    "Excuse me?" he squeaked before flushing in embarrassment.

    "I really shouldn''t be telling you this, but you are my best clue so far to finding them," the wolf said, lifting his head and flicking an ear.

    "Can you tell me more about your sibling?"

    "Not a lot. What I can tell you is that they sow chaos everywhere they go. I need to stop them before they do something that can''t be undone."

    "How bad is it going to get?"

    "Let''s just say they once caused a war between two species."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion''s jaw dropped.

    "Uh, they''re not going to destroy the town, are they?" he asked tentatively.

    The wolf looked him dead in the eye and said, "I''ll do my best to make sure that doesn''t happen."

    He wasn''t reassured in the slightest. When he woke up this morning, he never expected to be dragged into such a fantastical adventure. Davion would gladly trade it for a normal Halloween. Unfortunately, it seemed he didn''t have a choice except to go along with whatever was happening.

    Pushing those thoughts away, he asked, "Do you at least have an idea what they did?"

    With a nod, the wolf said, "I think so."

    "What did they do?"

    "It looks like my sibling somehow pulled the characters from Red Riding Hood into the real world to reenact what happened."

    That had been the opposite of what Davion had thought before. He had thought he had somehow ended up in the story and not vice versa.

    Right as he was about to open his mouth again, the wolf stopped and stared straight ahead. Davion followed its gaze, noticing something in the distance. Thinking it might be the huntsman again, he froze. The wolf, on the other hand, jogged over to the shadowy figure. Startled, he watched it leave before snapping out of it, and he trailed after it at a slower pace.

    If the wolf had no problems running towards it, it had to be safe, though he was still cautious.

    His eyes widened as the figure came into view. Stunned, Davion came to a stop and stared at the small house in the middle of nowhere. To be sure that he wasn''t seeing things, he rubbed his eyes, but it was still there.

    Where had the house come from?

    Wait. Is this house what I think it is?

    "This place might give us clues about what my sibling did. Be careful," the wolf said, cutting through his thoughts as it approached the building.

    Davion nodded, eyeing the place warily.

    If this house was really the place he thought it was, he was pretty sure that it wasn''t a good idea to stick around. After all, it was an important place in the story where everyone ended up gathering at. There was a chance that the same would happen now. The thought of meeting the huntsman again almost made him turn to leave. The only thing holding him back was the wolf.

    He observed the wolf as it turned the corner of the building and disappeared from sight.

    From what little he knew about the wolf, it probably wouldn''t listen to Davion if he suggested they leave. It would probably choose to stay, which meant that if Davion wanted to leave, he would have to do so alone. Traveling alone in the fog-covered forest was something he wanted to avoid, especially since there was no guarantee that he wouldn''t bump into the huntsman along the way.

    After some hesitation, he trailed after the wolf. His eyes bounced between the house and the surrounding forest. When neither of them found anything suspicious, they stopped in front of the door, burning holes into the wood.

    "Are we really going to go inside?" Davion whispered, afraid that someone or something might hear him.

    "We didn''t find anything outside. That only leaves checking inside the house," the wolf said, pawing at the door.

    "What if someone''s inside?"

    "That''s why we''ll knock."

    That''s not what I meant at all.

    Davion, after some pressure from the wolf, reluctantly knocked on the door. He tensed, prepared for something to open the door and jump out, but minutes passed by without anything happening. The duo exchanged a glance.

    "Try again," the wolf said, prodding his leg with a paw. "They might not have heard the first time."

    He knocked again, but there was still no response.

    "Maybe no one''s home," Davion said as he tried to peek through the window.

    Unfortunately, the window was covered, preventing him from looking inside. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. He had encountered the old woman in the town, and she probably hadn''t returned home yet. The same could be said about the huntsman. The only two he had to worry about were the wolf and Red Riding Hood herself.

    I have no clue where Red Riding Hood is. I haven''t seen her at all. As for the wolf, I''ve already bumped into two so far. I don''t think the wolf I''m with right now is the wolf from the story. It could have eaten me the moment it found me, and nothing would have been able to stop it. Maybe the other wolf I met was the wolf from the story.

    Davion wasn''t sure which was worse. The other wolf he met being the wolf from the story or it being a different wolf lurking somewhere in the forest.

    "How about trying to see if the door is open?" the wolf suggested.

    He scoffed.

    Why would anyone leave their door unlocked?

    It was dangerous. However, the wolf continued to insist Davion try the door, and he eventually relented.

    Giving the door a light shove, he expected nothing to happen. To his utter surprise, the door swung open without a sound. He gaped at the open door, unable to believe what he was seeing.

    The door really was open. Not only that, but the door hadn''t even creaked despite how old it looked.

    The wolf peered inside and said, "I guess we''ll take a look ourselves."

    By the time Davion snapped out of his shock, the wolf was already inside the building. "Wait a second."

    "What''s wrong now?"

    "Are you sure it''s a good idea to just walk in? I mean, what if the owner is inside and catches us?"

    "I can outrun them."

    What about me?

    Seeing how reluctant he was, the wolf said, "You can wait out here if it bothers you that much. I won''t force you to come in. You can keep watch and warn me if anyone else is coming."

    "Okay," Davion agreed and watched as the wolf disappeared further into the house.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 15

    Keeping watch was more boring and nerve-wracking than Davion expected. He couldn''t let himself be distracted in case something or someone approached, which meant standing around until that happened or the wolf returned.

    I hope the wolf hurries up. I don''t want to stay longer than we have to.

    His gaze swept the area as he fidgeted in place. His hands fiddled with the basket. As time passed, Davion found himself peering through the open front door more and more.

    What was taking the wolf so long?

    It couldn''t possibly take that long to search the house. It wasn''t even that big.

    Unable to stand it anymore, he quietly called out, "Hey, psst, you there?" There was no response. "Hello?"

    When he still didn''t get an answer, Davion gave the surroundings one more glance before stepping into the house. His eyes scanned the dark house looking for any signs of the wolf.

    Nothing.

    Davion frowned, slowly walking further into the house, mindful of his steps. Despite his original thoughts on the place, it was a lot bigger than he expected, and his eyes scrutinized every nook and cranny. He clutched the basket close to his chest, ready to use it as a shield or weapon at any time. That''s when he spotted a bed at the end of his path and stopped in his tracks.

    Where''s the wolf? I walked through this place without seeing it even once. Where could it have gone?

    Right as he was about to turn back, the bed moved. Davion froze, staring at the bed.

    Had he imagined things?

    Then it happened again. He quickly realized it wasn''t the bed that had moved, but rather the sheets had shifted, which meant that there was something underneath the covers.

    As he was wondering what he should do, he heard someone say, "My, what big ears you have."

    The instant Davion heard these words, it felt like he had been punched in the gut.

    They were very familiar. He was certain they were the exact same words that Red Riding Hood had said in the story when she found the wolf in her grandma''s bed.

    He frantically searched his surroundings for the source of the voice, but he couldn''t see anyone else.

    It seemed like he was the only one in the room. If there was really someone nearby, the poor lighting kept him from finding them, or they were very good at staying hidden.

    Davion''s brows furrowed as he considered the possibility that he had been hearing things when something from the bed said, "The better to hear you with, my dear."

    In an instant, his gaze snapped toward the bed. His heart raced as he squinted, trying to get a better look, but it was too hard to see in the dark room.

    What was that?

    He was certain he heard someone speak. Once could have been mistaken as him imagining things. Now that it happened a second time, he was pretty sure that there were other people in the room with him. It was either that or he was going crazy, but he doubted it was the latter. Something about the words bugged him as they were also quite familiar to him. Then it hit him.

    Wait a minute. Those words are also from the story. Is the wolf from the story in the bed right now?

    He wanted to leave, but his feet were frozen in place so he could gawk at the bed as the first voice said, "My, what big eyes you have."

    "The better to see you with, my dear," the thing in the bed said.

    "My, what big teeth you have."

    "The better to eat you with, my dear."

    Suddenly, the invisible force keeping him rooted to the ground disappeared, allowing Davion to spin around and bolt away. His red cloak flapped around him as his feet pounded against the wooden floor, creating an echo.

    Davion didn''t dare to glance back. If he did, he was afraid of what he might see.

    Spying the door just up ahead, he stretched his hand out to it. Before he could reach it, something slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. He clawed desperately at the ground, trying to drag himself away from the thing and go for the door, but something pressed down on his back to keep him in place. Davion gasped and choked. Just as he was about to faint, he was forced onto his back. He stared up at his attacker in disbelief.

    It can''t be. Why?

    Before he could get any answers, the dog snapped its jaws at his face. Davion screamed.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "Hey, snap out of it!"

    In a blink of an eye, the image of the dog vanished. He abruptly fell silent, trying to process what he was seeing. Realizing a wolf was standing over him, he screamed again. The wolf jumped back as Davion scrambled backward. It didn''t chase after him watching his retreat. His back bumped into something, keeping him from being able to go any further. While trying to catch his breath, his eyes darted around.

    He was still in the house, but something was different.

    Davion took deep breaths as he observed the small room he was in before turning his eyes to the wolf, who calmly said, "You''re awake. Good. I was worried you wouldn''t wake up."

    "What happened?" he asked.

    "You tell me. I saw you walk in and stare at the bed before suddenly turning to run and tripping over your own feet. I tried to help you, but you just screamed out of nowhere. For a second, I was worried you would lash out at me."

    What?

    That sounded almost exactly like what he did; however, some of the details weren''t right. He couldn''t recall seeing the wolf anywhere when he came inside. That''s why he explored the place to find it. Not only that, but he clearly remembered that the inside of the house had been a lot bigger than expected. Davion had walked for a while before reaching the other end of the house. Now it looked like he could reach the other end of the room in a few quick strides.

    "Hey," the wolf said, waving a paw in front of his face. "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

    He swallowed before saying, "I saw and heard something terrible."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion couldn''t bring himself to say more. He was still reeling from what had just happened. It had felt so real, like he was really in the story and at the most frightening part. However, there was something that bugged him.

    Why had he seen the dog instead of a wolf?

    In the story, there had been no dog. It should have been a wolf chasing after him.

    He rubbed his hands through his face as he wracked his mind to no avail. Unable to figure out what was going on, Davion sighed. Through the gaps between his fingers, he saw the wolf take a step towards him and flinched. It immediately stopped and waited for him to make the first move.

    Calm down. It''s not going to do anything to you. It''s just trying to help.

    After he swallowed the lump in his throat, he said, "Sorry."

    The wolf shook its head. "It''s fine. I get that a lot." That just made Davion feel even more guilty. "If you can''t talk about it, that''s fine, but I don''t think it''s a good idea to stick around."

    "Oh, uh, okay."

    Davion shakily got to his feet and followed the wolf out of the house. Once outside, he glanced back and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It looked like a normal house, but then he remembered what had happened moments earlier and shuddered. His head snapped away from the house, and his eyes landed on the wolf that was scanning their surroundings.

    "Is something wrong?" he asked anxiously, copying its actions.

    "Not exactly," the wolf said as it turned its head towards him. "We''re not in danger just yet, but we should hurry and leave the forest."

    It didn''t need to tell him twice. He was so done with the place like forever ago.

    As they hurried away, the wolf asked, "Are you sure you''re okay?"

    He hesitated.

    Even though Davion wanted to say he was fine just to get the conversation over with¡ªhe really didn''t want to think about it more than he had to¡ªhe really wasn''t. What happened in the house loomed over him like a dark cloud smothering him.

    "I just want you to be ready in case we come across anything dangerous. You might have to run for it," the wolf continued.

    Right as Davion was about to reassure the wolf that he could run, a wolf crossed their paths. Both sides stopped and stared at each other like deer in headlights.

    No way. Isn''t that the same wolf from before? What''s the chance of us bumping into each other?

    "Stay back," his companion barked as it stood in front of him. "I can sense something off about it."

    Davion didn''t hesitate to back away and glanced between the two wolves. Even though the other wolf had done nothing to him when they were last together, he didn''t want to take any chances and kept throwing wary glances at it. Neither of them moved an inch as they stared intently at each other. The growing tension left Davion feeling high-strung as he prepared to bolt at a moment''s notice.

    Suddenly, some of the bushes rustled, and the wolf snapped, "Run."

    Without hesitation, Davion sprinted. As he ran without looking back, he could already feel his body protesting from the nonstop running he had done throughout the night.

    Maybe the wolf was right to worry. I don''t think I can run for long.

    He just hoped that the other wolf would give up on chasing after him and walk away with its tail tucked between its legs.

    That''s when something slammed into his midsection, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling to the ground with a wheeze. His head spun from when it hit the ground, but Davion wasn''t out of it not to be able to tell it was the dog standing over him. Instantly, memories of what happened in the house just earlier flashed before him. He frantically waved his hands in front of him to get the dog off of him as he babbled nonsense.

    The dog scrambled to get away. "Hey, watch the hands!"

    Once the dog was a good distance away, Davion finally calmed down enough to stop waving his arms around like a lunatic. His heart still raced violently in his chest as his eyes remained glued to the dog. It didn''t make any threatening moves, and he took a moment to catch his breath.

    What''s with my luck? First I bump into the wolf again. Now it''s the dog. Am I some kind of magnet? How are they finding me in the fog?

    Not that he was unhappy to see the dog. He was really glad to see it again after getting separated. It was just that what happened in the house was too recent for him to look at the dog calmly.

    "Hey, you okay now?" the dog asked as it dared to take a step towards him.

    Davion abruptly sat up with a grimace, startling the dog. "How did you find me?"

    "I just got lucky. I really thought I would have to search this whole forest to find you."

    "Me too."

    After several moments of awkward silence, the dog asked, "What happened to you? Why did you hit me?"

    He winced not just because of the question. "It''s kind of crazy."

    "Crazier than dealing with a crazy huntsman and this fog?"

    It had a point.

    Right before Davion could tell it what happened, two howls pierced through the air. They snapped their heads in the direction of the sound as Davion hurried to his feet. He pressed a hand on his midsection as throbbing pain coursed through his body. With the dense forest and fog, they couldn''t see anything, but Davion was sure it was the two wolves fighting each other.

    Davion had been in such a rush to get away that he hadn''t even noticed that his companion hadn''t run after him. It must have stayed behind to fight the other wolf so he could escape.

    "They sound really close. We should get out of here," the dog said as it turned to run away.

    "Wait," Davion blurted out.

    "What are you doing? We need to get away. We don''t want to face two wolves."

    He knew that the dog was right about needing to go, but it was wrong about one thing.

    "No, we need to go. We have to help it out," Davion declared.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 16

    The dog gave Davion an incredulous look. "What?"

    Davion didn''t spare the dog a second glance as he hurried back to where the two wolves were. He knew that if he did, he might lose his nerve, so he steadfastly kept his gaze forward. Behind him, he could hear the dog pawing at the ground before ultimately coming after him.

    Phew. For a second, I thought it wouldn''t follow me.

    If the dog hadn''t joined him, he would have been more hesitant about rushing back to the wolf''s aid. It''ll be three against one, or rather, two against one. Davion wasn''t sure how much help he would be, but he was sure the dog would make up for it. The other wolf would surely back off when it saw that it was outnumbered.

    He pushed past the bushes only to see his worst nightmare. His jaw dropped at the sight of the huntsman wielding not just one but two axes and glaring menacingly at the two wolves.

    Davion couldn''t believe this was happening.

    What was with his luck? How did the huntsman show up so fast? Was he just around the corner when he heard the two wolves fighting?

    If that was the case, then he got really lucky that he hadn''t run into the man when running earlier.

    He shuddered at the idea. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed him, and Davion prepared to take a step back. Unfortunately, the dog collided into his legs, causing him to topple to the ground face-first with a loud thud. Davion refused to lift his head off the ground and continued to lie there, hoping that they didn''t notice him at all.

    As if. There''s no way they would miss me making a fool of myself. If they somehow didn''t see me, I''ll eat the cloak I''m wearing.

    Davion reluctantly glanced up. Three pairs of eyes stared back at him. He was certain that another pair was burning holes into his back as he slowly picked himself back up. Luckily or unluckily for him, no one made a move until he was completely upright.

    "Boy, you shouldn''t have come here. It''s not safe with all these wolves prowling around," the huntsman said in a gruff voice.

    The two wolves and dog snorted. Davion gave them an odd look.

    Could wolves and dogs snort?

    "If we''re talking dangerous, shouldn''t we talk about you?" one of the wolves asked.

    It took Davion a moment to realize which wolf spoke.

    Why did the three have to look so similar to each other?

    "Why are you provoking him?" the dog snapped, throwing a vicious look at the wolf Davion had originally been mistaken as the dog.

    "You can''t be telling me you don''t think the same. If anyone is likely to hurt the human child, it''s the huntsman with his axes," the wolf said.

    "You don''t need to point that out."

    Frankly, Davion agreed. He didn''t need a reminder that the huntsman was armed and dangerous. Davion could see it just fine from where he was. It would just remind the huntsman he had two axes if he somehow forgot about them, which Davion didn''t see that happening.

    Taking a good look at his surroundings, he felt his stomach drop as the reality of the situation sunk in.

    There were two wolves, a dog, and a huntsman with him stuck in the middle. Things weren''t really looking good for him. Even though he was certain that the dog and one of the wolves were on his side, he didn''t like their odds. The wolves and dog had always run away when confronted by the huntsman.

    Would they do so again? If they did, who would the huntsman come after?

    This is bad. Very bad. Why is the wolf making things worse?

    He didn''t think it could get much worse.

    "Oh, it''s you. I''ve finally found you," said a very familiar old woman as she stepped out of the bushes.

    Davion took back his words. It just got a whole lot worse. Now there were two wolves, a dog, a huntsman, and a grandma with him stuck in the middle.

    What was even happening?

    "Please don''t get worse," he muttered to himself.

    The dog glanced up at him and asked, "Aren''t you just jinxing yourself?"

    Davion ignored the dog and focused on the old blind woman he had encountered a while back.

    What was she doing here? How did she even get here?

    It couldn''t have been easy for her to walk through the forest by herself.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    How did she avoid tripping over tree roots or crashing into trees?

    Then he suddenly recalled where her house was and took back his previous thought.

    She must really know how to get around this place if she lives here, but what did she mean by "I finally found you"? Wasn''t she looking for her granddaughter?

    The huntsman narrowed his eyes as he ordered, "Granny, stay out of this."

    Instead of listening, she raised a fist and waved it at the huntsman as she said, "Oh, I won''t let you bully my granddaughter."

    In disbelief, Davion watched as the old woman rushed over at an incredible speed despite her old age to attack the huntsman with her bare fists. The huntsman carefully avoided pointing his axes at the old woman while trying to fend off her attacks. She hadn''t raised her cane, but Davion had a feeling it was only a matter of time as he continued to watch the spectacle. Something nudged his leg, and Davion glanced down at the dog.

    "What are you doing? We got to go," the dog whispered.

    Distracted, Davion asked, "What?"

    "What do you mean what? This is our chance to escape while the huntsman is distracted."

    He looked back and forth between the fighting old woman and huntsman¡ªcould it really be called fighting?¡ªand the dog.

    "What about the old woman?" he asked.

    "I''m sure the huntsman isn''t going to hurt her. I can''t say the same for myself," the dog said.

    The dog had a point, but Davion still felt uneasy leaving her behind. She had been so kind to him, even if she was a bit odd when they met. Even now she was helping them out by protecting them from the huntsman for some strange reason. He still wasn''t sure why, but it didn''t change the fact that she came to their rescue.

    Could he really leave her behind?

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    The two wolves didn''t have the same hesitation as they bolted away in opposite directions. One ran the other way while one ran past Davion and the dog. Caught off guard, Davion was nearly knocked to the ground. He just barely managed to keep his balance thanks to the dog''s presence, meaning he used it as a cushion. Unfortunately, this drew the huntsman''s attention.

    "Enough, Granny. The wolves are getting away," the huntsman said as he finally pushed the old woman away.

    She stumbled a few steps, her hands gripping her cane tightly. "Where do you think you''re going? I''m not done with you just yet."

    "Crazy old woman, I don''t have time for this. Leave."

    "Oh no you don''t. I won''t let you lay a hand on my granddaughter."

    Davion shot the old woman a bewildered look.

    Granddaughter? Where?

    He wasn''t the only one confused as the huntsman demanded, "What are you talking about? Your granddaughter isn''t here."

    "Oh yes, she is. She''s right there," the old woman said, pointing in Davion''s direction.

    Davion immediately glanced behind him, yet he didn''t see anyone there. To make sure he wasn''t looking in the wrong direction, he looked back at the old woman. She was still pointing at him. He scanned his surroundings, thinking that the old woman might be pointing the wrong way¡ªshe was blind after all¡ªbut there was no one else there besides them. Then a crazy idea struck him as he looked back at the old woman.

    He pointed at himself and asked, "Are you talking about me?"

    "Oh, of course, dearie," the old woman said, lowering her hand. "Who else would I be talking about?"

    For a moment, no one said anything as they stared at the old woman.

    I think she''s serious. She really thinks I''m her granddaughter.

    She looked so happy, ready to run over to Davion and give him a hug like he was actually her lost granddaughter. It felt wrong to burst her bubble, but he couldn''t let it go.

    "Grandma, I think you got the wrong person," Davion said slowly, hoping the shock wouldn''t be too much for her.

    "Oh, what are you saying? Of course you''re my granddaughter. I''m certain. I''ve been looking everywhere for you. Do you know how worried sick I was? I thought the wolf got to you," she said, waving her cane.

    "You blind old woman," the huntsman snapped. "That''s not your granddaughter."

    "Oh, are you saying I can''t recognize my own granddaughter?"

    "Yes."

    The old woman swung her cane at the huntsman and landed a direct blow on his arm with a loud smack, just like Davion expected her to do from the beginning. He winced at the sound, rubbing his own arm at the thought of the pain the huntsman must be feeling.

    However, the huntsman didn''t so much as flinch. "I don''t have time for this, Granny. I''ll help find your granddaughter after I deal with the wolves."

    She didn''t listen and continued to attack him with her cane.

    "Davion, we really have to go," the dog whispered.

    After a moment''s hesitation, Davion reluctantly followed after the dog but not before giving the huntsman and grandma one final glance. The two were too busy fighting to notice their escape as they continued to argue about Davion being the old woman''s granddaughter, which he pushed to the corner of his mind as not to think about it. After some time, the duo stopped and glanced back in the direction they came from.

    There were no signs of the huntsman or old woman. It seemed like neither of them followed after them, so they were safe for now.

    "That was a close call," the dog said as it pawed at its nose. "I don''t know what you were thinking heading back there to begin with. We nearly got skinned by the huntsman."

    Davion barely paid the dog any mind as he continued to stare where he had left the old woman. Guilt clawed at his heart, and he clenched a fist.

    The whole incident left him with mixed feelings. On one hand, he never expected to be mistaken as the old woman''s granddaughter. They were nothing alike. He was a boy, and her granddaughter was a girl. Not only that, but they had already met before, so it couldn''t be because this was their first time meeting each other. He couldn''t even say it was because he was wearing a Red Riding Hood costume. The old woman was blind.

    Was she going senile?

    He had heard that old people had memory problems, so that could be the reason. In that case, he couldn''t really blame her, though it stung to be mistaken for a girl. It reminded him of the ongoing issue he and his twin sister faced. He couldn''t count the number of times people would confuse them with each other. It would get so infuriating when someone mistakenly called him Sharlene and vice versa.

    Just because we''re identical twins doesn''t mean we don''t have any differences. I''m a boy, and she''s a girl.

    It was why they tried their best to show how different they were, even if they did like doing things together and sometimes wearing the same clothes.

    "Hey, are you even listening to me?" the dog asked, its words cutting through Davion''s thoughts.

    Focusing his attention back onto the dog, he saw it wagging its tail furiously. "Yeah."

    The dog huffed, clearly not believing him but not calling him out either. "What now?"

    "What else? We can only keep going."

    Despite the craziness of everything, Davion hadn''t lost sight of his goal. They needed to find their way to the hospital to cure his twin sister. That hadn''t changed. Davion was determined to see it through to the end.

    Now if only we could find a way out of this fog, but it''s not like the answer is going to fall in my lap.

    That''s when something jumped out of the bushes.

 Just a Big Dog Chapter 17

    "Wolf!" Davion blurted out as the wolf lunged at them, forcing Davion to throw himself out of the way.

    The dog didn''t hesitate to rush forward to face the wolf head-on when the wolf suddenly declared, "Found you."

    In an instant, the duo froze and stared at it.

    After several moments, Davion tentatively asked, "Is it really you?"

    The wolf gave him a confused look as it asked in return, "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Uh, I, you never gave me a name."

    Davion had been strictly referring to the wolf as wolf in his head the entire time, but with two wolves roaming around, he couldn''t keep doing that without getting confused.

    "You can just call me Miss Wolf," the wolf said as its tail wagged back and forth.

    Oh, it''s a girl wolf. I couldn''t tell.

    "Anyway, I''m glad to see you two are doing okay. I feared that the huntsman got to you," Miss Wolf said.

    "No thanks to you," the dog muttered at Davion''s side.

    He ignored the dog and asked, "Why did you come back?"

    If it were him, he would have kept running without looking back. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration since he did come back for the wolf, but that was only because he had the dog with him, and he hadn''t known that the huntsman would be there. Facing a wolf and facing the huntsman were two different things.

    "I couldn''t just leave you alone," the wolf said.

    Davion was tempted to point out that the wolf had already done that. However, he didn''t think it was a good idea to say it out loud and kept his mouth shut. The dog, on the other hand, had other ideas.

    It scoffed and said, "It''s a bit late to say that."

    Miss Wolf didn''t bat an eye. "I can see that you have a problem with me. Is there a reason why?"

    "Besides the fact that you''re a wolf?"

    Oh no. I better stop them before things get ugly.

    "Okay, that''s enough. Don''t fight." Miss Wolf complied easily while the dog reluctantly backed off. "Come on. We better go. The huntsman might catch up to us."

    "Good idea, but which way do we go?" the dog asked as it scanned their surroundings.

    Unfortunately, Davion didn''t have any ideas.

    "I wish there was some way to see through this fog," he said to himself. "It would be so much easier for us to see where we''re going."

    "There''s nothing we can do about it. We''ll just have to pick a direction and hope for the best. Of course we should avoid going back the way we came," Miss Wolf said.

    With no better ideas, the trio walked in the opposite direction away from the huntsman. As they moved in total silence, Davion occasionally glanced between the two animals.

    Ever since they started walking, neither of them seemed interested in talking, leaving it up to Davion to fill the silence, but he found himself unsure what to say. It was impossible not to notice how the dog disliked Miss Wolf while Miss Wolf had no interest in the dog. He feared that if he said something wrong, a fight might break out between the two of them. Davion couldn''t understand why the dog didn''t like Miss Wolf.

    Is it because Miss Wolf is a wolf?

    Acting so hostile to Miss Wolf because of that didn''t seem right, as she had done nothing wrong. She had only helped Davion since they met. Then he suddenly remembered his own reaction to Miss Wolf when they first met and the dog''s reactions when wolves were brought up. Maybe he was being unfair to the dog. It clearly had issues with wolves in general, not that Davion could blame it.

    He threw a pitying look at the dog.

    As if sensing his gaze, the dog turned its head to look at Davion, who quickly looked towards Miss Wolf. "By the way, Miss Wolf, do you know what''s causing the fog? I think you mentioned early about having an idea."

    The wolf gave him a confused look. "Did I?" Davion couldn''t actually remember if it had or not and had only said that because he thought it had. "Well, I''m not sure. I don''t remember it being part of the story." His shoulders slumped when Miss Wolf said, "By the way, there''s something that I''ve been wondering for a while."

    Davion perked up. "What is it?"

    "Why are you dressed up as Red Riding Hood?" The question completely caught him off guard¡ªit had really come out of nowhere¡ªand he stared dumbly at the wolf. "Most boys your age wouldn''t pick that costume for Halloween."

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    He hesitated, unsure how much he wanted to say.

    His family issues weren''t something he wanted to talk about to anyone, much less a wolf. It felt wrong to tell anyone who wasn''t his parents or twin sister, like revealing a dirty secret. On the other hand, it wasn''t like the wolf was going to tell anyone what he said.

    "It wasn''t my original costume. This one belonged to my sister," he reluctantly admitted.

    "What happened to your original costume?"

    "One of my cousins took it from me."

    "They just took it like that?"

    "Yeah."

    The dog chose that moment to jump in. "That doesn''t sound fair. Shouldn''t family be nicer to you?"

    "Well, my relatives are like that."

    Seeing the look on the dog''s face, Davion wondered if it had any family.

    It hadn''t mentioned any, and he hadn''t asked about it as it hadn''t crossed his mind. There hadn''t been any reason for Davion to bring it up before, but he now wondered if maybe he should have.

    "That doesn''t sound like a good family," Miss Wolf said, drawing Davion out of his thoughts.

    "I just have to live with them," he said with a shrug. "You mentioned having siblings. Just how many do you have?"

    "A lot."

    "You mean like five?"

    "It''s more in the double digits."

    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

    Davion tripped over his feet, nearly falling face-first into the ground.

    What? How was that even possible?

    He had never heard of so many siblings before. The most he had ever heard of was like five, which was why he had thrown that number out earlier. He could scarcely imagine having five siblings, much less over a dozen of them.

    As if reading his thoughts, the wolf said, "It''s a bit complicated."

    "I want to hear more," he instantly said.

    "I can''t share too much since I''ll get in trouble, but let''s just say we weren''t born the normal way."

    Davion wasn''t sure what it meant. He knew where babies came from. That was something they had taught in school. Well, at least where human babies came from, but he was pretty certain it was the same for wolves. Sort of.

    What other way could the wolf be talking about?

    "Enough about me, what about you? Do you have family?" the wolf asked, looking at the dog.

    "I''m pretty sure I don''t have any siblings. I don''t remember my parents."

    "Then how did you survive?" Davion blurted out.

    The moment the question left his mouth, he instantly wished he could take it back. Davion hadn''t meant to say it like that. He just couldn''t imagine a puppy surviving on its own without help.

    Fortunately, the dog didn''t seem to take any offense as it said, "Don''t know. I don''t think about stuff like that."

    He wisely kept his mouth shut and didn''t dare to press further on the topic. It was an obviously sensitive subject, and he didn''t want to risk putting his foot into his mouth again. Once was already bad enough. If he slipped up, the dog might take offense and ditch him like it had before.

    "Just how big is your family anyway?" the dog asked. "You said you have a sister and cousin, but then you mentioned another cousin."

    Davion gratefully took the chance to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory. "Really big. I think I have at least ten cousins."

    "That''s a lot. Just how many aunts and uncles do you have?"

    "A lot."

    "You really have a big family," Miss Wolf chimed in.

    "Not as big as yours."

    "Not really. I only have siblings."

    "Your parents don''t have any brothers or sisters?"

    "As I said, my situation is unique."

    He immediately stopped talking.

    This is so awkward. And I thought my family had issues. I feel like if I say anything more, I''m going to offend one of them.

    "You know you don''t sound like you have good feelings toward your family," the dog suddenly said.

    Startled, Davion asked, "What do you mean?"

    "You talk a lot about your parents and twin sister. Mostly your twin sister. Whenever you talk about any of your other relatives, your face turns funny."

    "Really?"

    Davion hadn''t noticed and touched his face, wondering what kind of expression he was making now.

    "It does make sense. From what little he said about them, they don''t sound like good people," Miss Wolf pointed out.

    "Well, they''re not bad. They''re just kind of annoying," Davion admitted.

    He wasn''t sure why he said that. Yeah, he didn''t like them, but hearing Miss Wolf say they weren''t good people didn''t sit right with him. They just didn''t get along.

    The wolf and dog shared a look and seemed to reach an understanding.

    "You don''t have to make up excuses. We understand," the dog said as it nodded.

    Davion blinked. "What are you talking about?"

    "It''s obvious that you''re defending them because you feel obligated to or that we''ll judge you for not standing up to them. Don''t worry. We won''t. We support you," Miss Wolf said.

    Looking between the two of them, Davion couldn''t believe his ears.

    Were they seriously getting along by teaming up against him?

    I don''t know if I should be annoyed or happy.

    On one hand, he didn''t like how they didn''t believe him when he said they weren''t bad people. Yes, they could be mean to him, his parents, and his twin sister. He wasn''t arguing that, but they weren''t bad people. If they were, someone outside the family would have spoken up, yet no one had. That had to mean they weren''t bad. On the other hand, it was better that the two were working together instead of picking a fight with each other.

    "You can be honest with us. We won''t judge you or tell anyone what you said," the dog said.

    "This might be your only chance to get things off your chest before your return to your family," Miss Wolf said. "Don''t you have anything you want to say but feel like you couldn''t before?"

    Under their relentless prodding, he finally caved in. "Alright, alright, I get it. I''ll talk."

    They backed off, waiting for him to speak. Seeing their eager expressions, Davion faltered.

    Was it a really good idea to tell them what he thought of his relatives?

    It''s not like I''ll get in trouble for talking bad about them, right? They''re not around to hear me, and Miss Wolf and the dog said they won''t tell anyone. It can''t hurt, right?

    He took a deep breath before blurting out, "They''re always causing trouble for the family. Do you know how many times I wished I could kick them out of the house?"

    It was like the floodgates had opened. Now that he started, he wasn''t going to stop.

    All his grievances poured out like a faucet as Davion told them everything about his relatives that made him so upset. The more he spoke the angrier he felt and the more he waved his arms around. When he finally finished, his mouth was completely dry, and his throat hurt from talking so much. He couldn''t believe how much he talked and wished he had carried a bottle of water with him as he ran his tongue along his teeth.

    "That sounds rough," the dog finally said after a long silence.

    "Sometimes I wish it was just me, my twin sister, and parents," Davion said in a small voice.

    The wolf nodded. "I can see why a huge family is frustrating. I don''t get along with all my siblings."

    Recalling how Miss Wolf said she had over a dozen siblings, he winced. "I can see why." Suddenly, a thought crossed Davion''s mind. "Hold on. I think we''re getting sidetracked here. Shouldn''t we focus on getting out of the forest?"