“Hey, Norah!”

Olivia opened the front door and walked in, coffee cup in her hands.

“Hey, Olivia, what are you doing here?” Norah stood up from her spot in the middle of the floor.

“I haven't seen you for a couple of days, and Wendy said writers sometimes hibernate so I thought I'd bring the coffee to you.” She placed a hot cup in her hands.

Norah’s eyes closed, enjoying the smell. “Thanks, you didn't have to do that.”

“Of course I did,” Olivia leaned against the kitchen table. “You're the only customer I like and after your break in the other day, I was worried when I hadn't heard from you.”

Norah didn't want to tell Olivia that one of the reasons she had been avoiding her was because of the break-in. She still liked Olivia, but her chicken nerves still got the better of her. “Sorry I kind of dropped off the planet. I just get in the zone sometimes and forget about everything else. Alice says I'm the most oblivious person she has ever met.”

“Who is Alice?” Olivia asked.

“My friend from back home. Her husband co owns this place with Jack.”

“Ah, okay! I think I can see what she means too, about you being oblivious.”

“Why?” Norah asked nervously. “What have I missed?”

“Not much, just someone taking an interest in you,” she said slyly.

“What, you mean, Brad? I've already told him –“

“No, I meant Rylan!”

Norah's whole body froze. “What?”

“Yeah, he's been asking how you are whenever I come home from work. I didn't even know you two had met, until he gave me this.” She pulled out an envelope and passed it to Norah. “I couldn't help myself, I had a peek at the contents. What did Rylan do to your couch?”

Norah opened the envelope and found a wad of money and a small note. She opened the note - Sorry about the couch, hope this will cover it, R.

“He did nothing,” she snapped and passed the envelope back to Olivia. “You can tell Rylan that I don't want his money.”

“You want his body then?”

“What? No!”

Olivia laughed. “Sorry just had to check. So, there's nothing going on between you two?”

“Nothing at all,” Norah declared and ran a hand through her hair, her fingers getting caught in the knots.

“If you say so.” Olivia sang and looked around. “So, are you doing okay, since the break-in I mean?” Her voice had softened and Norah nodded.

In truth, she had been doing better. Her sleep had been broken the last couple of nights, every small noise waking her, but there hadn’t been any more scary intruders, no more threats and no more weird nonsense. Apart from the wolf watching her on the cliffs. She had noticed him last night; all white, he had stood out on top of the cliffs, he was too far away for Norah to see properly but he looked quite large. She wasn't sure why the wolf was hanging around near the cliffs but she thought maybe there was prey nearby - as long as it wasn't her, the wolf could do what it wanted.

Olivia hung out for a few hours and Norah forgot all about the threats. Olivia had a personality that was hard to hate, and Norah couldn't understand why someone would tell her to stay away from her. Norah liked to trust her instincts, and Olivia didn't send off any alarm bells. After they finished arguing over who was the hottest Avenger, Olivia had to go home and Norah put on her running shoes and headed into town.

It was a busy afternoon, children were returning from school and running down the main street, candies in their mouths. She waved to Dylan who walked out of the pub and he gave her a quick nod before hurrying down the street. She wasn't sure what to make of him. He seemed like a sweet boy, but he was a little introverted. Not that Norah had anything against that - she was introverted herself - but his was more...odd.

She crossed the street and went into Dante's Emporium, secretly hoping to find a book to use for procrastination.

“Hey Charlie.” She saw the big man standing behind the counter, a sullen look on his face. “Has Wendy got you on babysitting duty?”

He nodded. “My day off from the mill, and she has me selling stupid books.”

Norah glared at him. “Don't take it out on the books, they never did anything to you.”

“They made my sister into a book freak,” he muttered and Norah sighed.

“Wait until I tell Wendy you called her a book freak.”

His eyes shot up, fear glinting in them. “Don't tell her, she'll beat me.”

Norah laughed, sizing him up. “I still can't understand how you're afraid of Wendy.”

“If you had grown up with her, you would understand. The smaller a woman is, the scarier they are. A piece of advice my dad gave me when I was little. Mom had been a small woman and I can still remember my Dad folding beneath her icy glares.”

“Wow,” Norah murmured. “Your family sounds scary. So, where is Wendy? She said the other day she had a book she was saving for me?”

“She's with Madison,” he said glumly and she grinned.

“So, you're upset because Wendy is spending time with Madison when you could be on your day off?”

“Yes - no! I mean...”

“It's all right, Charlie. You don't have to pretend in front of me. It's obvious you like Madison.”

“How did you know?” he asked sheepishly.

She stared at him. “How could I not know? You look at her like she's the most amazing thing you've ever seen. The only one who can't bloody see it is Madison herself.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Tell me about it. I think she might know though and is just pretending, because of Wendy, you know? I know Wendy doesn't want me to like her.”

Norah leaned against the counter. “How do you know that?"

"She told me - screamed it at me more like it.”

“Oh... Well maybe if Madison likes you back, Wendy will have to go along with it.”

He looked at Norah, a silent plea in his eyes. “But how do I get her to do that?”

Norah couldn't help but giggle. He may look like a player but he was so innocent. “Excuse me for a moment.” He looked confused and she reached over, squeezing his cheeks. “You are just too adorable!”

He shoved her hands away. “Stop it!”

“Sorry,” she laughed. “I couldn't help myself. Look, you just need to show Madison that you aren't some little boy anymore. Show her that you're a capable man and you can look after her.”

“It's not that easy, Norah.”

“What do you mean?”

“Madison won't like me because she's still in love with Parker.”

Norah was lost. “Who is Parker?”

Charlie pushed away from the counter, his eyes growing sad. “Parker was Madison's boyfriend in high school. They were a few years above me, but everyone knew who they were. They were known as the perfect couple. She was a cheerleader, and he was a football player, classic high school romance. They'd known each other since preschool.”

“What happened to them?”

Charlie's voice grew quiet. “Parker committed suicide at the end of their final year. Jumped off the cliffs. They say he was depressed and couldn't handle it anymore. I can't understand why he was depressed when he had Madison.”

Norah thought about how old Madison was. “That was eleven years ago, Charlie. Has Madison really not let go?”

He nodded. “Wendy told me, Madison used to say her and Parker were soul mates, and that there was no one else for her. When he died, she changed. She stopped eating, stopped laughing. She seemed to disappear within herself, it took months for us to bring her back. But she wasn't the same. A part of her died with Parker and she can't seem to live without that part of herself.”

Norah felt a small pain in her chest. Poor Madison. She looked at Charlie, who appeared lost himself. Walking around the counter, she reached up and kissed his cheek. “Madison is lucky to have someone like you around, Charlie. Don't give up on her.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Norah.”

She left a note for Wendy and left Charlie to his moping. She knew he would be alright though. Charlie had a beautiful heart and she had a feeling he held a piece of what Madison needed to move on.

Brad caught her as she walked down the street. “Hey, Norah.”

“Hey Brad.” She knew he was still feeling a bit hurt since she'd lied to him and she sighed as he brushed passed her. “Are you free for lunch today?”

His turned to look at her, face guarded. “Why?”

“Well, I’ve been meaning to check out the restaurant on the wharf, and I always feel a bit weird going to restaurants on my own, so...”

He thought for a moment, and nodded. “Sure. Give us a minute.” He ran up to the garage and returned a few minutes later in a clean shirt. “They wouldn't let me in with grease stains,” he explained.

She nodded, looking down at her own attire. “Am I too under dressed?”

“No, you look pretty.”

Norah snorted. She knew she looked like she'd just been for a run; her hair was knotted on top of her head and her shirt had a tear down the side. “I look like a mess, Brad. Don't lie to me.”

They walked down the street together. “I thought most girls liked it when you fibbed about how they look?”

“I'm sure most do, but I'm not most girls. I know I look ratty.”

“You definitely aren't like most girls,” he murmured.

Brad led her onto the deck of the restaurant, choosing to sit outside. It had a beautiful view of the ocean; a few sail boats drifted by and the faint sound of Jazz music came from the speaker’s situated outside.

Norah took a seat as a woman came by to take give them menus. She felt her eyes take in her clothes with disdain, and Norah stared at her. “Is there a problem?”

“No, ma'am,” she said sweetly. She turned to Brad and smiled. “Is there something I can get you, Brad?”

“I'll just have my usual, Carla. Do you need more time, Norah?”

She shook her head. “No, I'll just have the prawn salad, thanks.”

“Any drinks?”

“Water is fine.”

The waitress went to place their order and Norah glanced at Brad. “She likes you.”

“What?” Brad laughed. “No she doesn’t, we’re just friends.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Norah murmured as she poured herself a glass of water. “Friends don’t look at your lunch date with disgust, unless there is something lurking beneath the surface.”

“This is a date?”

She rolled her eyes, laughing. “That was all you took from what I just said? This is a lunch date, it’s not a real date.”

“Yes it is,” he grinned. “It’s real enough to me.”

“Don’t make me change my mind,” she warned and he chuckled.

Although Brad didn’t give up on his flirting, Norah did actually have a good time. He made her laugh with some of his old high school stories, he’d been a bit of a prankster; he was telling her about the time when himself, and Parker covered the principal’s office in feathers when she interrupted. “You were friends with Parker?”

Brad nodded. “I was a few years above him. Our school wasn’t big so we often had classes together. He was a funny guy.”

“Charlie told me what happened to him.”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “No one really talks about him anymore.”

“Because of Madison?”

“Yeah, she’s a sweet girl and she took his death pretty hard.”

“Everyone seems to have gone to school together here.”

He grinned. “We’re a small town, everyone knows everyone.”

“Six hundred is still pretty big.” Norah protested.

“Six hundred? No, there’s probably only three hundred people in Bellvale.”

Norah tried to remember the town sign. “I’m sure it said six hundred…”

Brad seemed to realise what she was talking about. “Oh, don’t pay attention to those signs, they haven’t been changed in years. Bellvale used to be pretty big, but people were finding it too expensive to live here. The town houses are big and cost a lost to upkeep. Now, a lot of them are empty most of the year and families only use them in summer.”

“But many of the locals have stayed in the area, right?”

“True, there’s a few who have left over the years, but many choose to stay in Bellvale. Growing up in such a close community, it’s hard to just leave it unless there’s a good reason.”

The lunch passed quickly as Brad told her stories about the town and its inhabitants. Soon her plate was empty and it was time to head home and get some writing done for the day. “Thanks for lunch, Brad. I had a good time.”

“Me too.” He surprised her, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “See you soon.”

She smiled. “Sure.” She could have told him that the kiss was inappropriate, but she held her tongue, not wanting to end their lunch on a bad note.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

Desire creates emotion.

Norah stared at the quote on her wall, the words blurring as she tried to figure out what she was doing. She had carefully plotted out this story from beginning to end, adding scenes and side stories as she went along, but suddenly the story had taken a huge unexpected turn, and Norah felt like she was lost in her story.

On one hand, she liked turn the story had taken, but if she continued on this path then the entire story would need a remodel, and just the thought of doing all that work again made her want to bury her head in the sand outside. Plotting the story out was hell. Norah had thought if she planned it all, it would be easier to write.

Yeah right. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at the clock; eleven pm. Maybe this problem would sort itself out on a night’s sleep. Closing her laptop, she headed to bed, hoping the story would make more sense in the morning.

She drifted fitfully for a few hours, the story not letting her rest. It kept calling to her, demanding to know what she planned to do with it and she stared at the dark ceiling, huffing loudly.

“Annoying story,” she muttered. Rolling over, she tried to force it out of her head, when the sound of a chair did it for her. Her heart stopped when she heard the sound of a chair leg scraping on the wooden floor and she remained still, listening intently for the noise again. The silence suddenly felt deafening and she bit her lip.

Maybe I imagined it?

Her stomach dropped as growling came from the kitchen, washing her with fear and she sat up. You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought. That better be a bloody Chihuahua.

Getting up, she grabbed her knife and walked out. She must have left the back door open, it was the only door she didn’t check when she went to sleep. She’d been too busy thinking about the damn story.

The growling got louder and she turned the light on, ready to scare the creature but she shrieked instead. The kitchen was flooded in light and she saw two large wolves - one white and one dark - near the dining table, biting at each other. Their teeth were bared and their jaws bloody.

“What the hell?” she screeched. “Get out!” She reached for the phone, thinking to call the police or animal control, when the brown one lunged at the white one. They crashed into the floor in a flurry of limbs, the noise intensifying and she dialled the first two numbers, her fingers shaking.

As she was about to press the last button, a yelp sounded and the white wolf bit the neck of the other and she realised he must have bitten into his jugular, as blood poured from his body. He fell to the floor and the white wolf snarled, circling the body. It finally turned to look at her, its eyes piercing her own, and the phone slipped from her fingers. She knew those eyes.

Time seemed to slow down, and she looked away as the dead wolf moved, the sound of bones cracking echoed through her living room, and her heart pounded as the wolf disappeared, and dark Thor was left in its place, lying naked on her floor. A roaring sounded in her ears, her blood pumping loudly and she couldn’t breathe.

The white wolf moved and she turned to look at him, her body trembling at what she had just seen. It started to step towards her and she stepped back, hands raised.

“S-stay away from me,” she choked.

The sound started again and she watched the white wolf curled in on itself, body cracking and she dropped the knife, staring at the man crouched before her. He stood up, and she recognised his body, and the eyes watching her with wariness.

“Norah,” Rylan said quietly. “It’s all right, I won’t hurt you.”

She screamed.

________________________________________

A/N: Sorry for the delay this week, life's been crazy :-)

What do you think?