part ii

She must have had that bug-eyed look of bewilderment she wore in situations like this; she'd never been good at hiding her emotions.

"I fear you do not remember me, Nahla," he observed, scratching the back of his neck.

Her confusion was made clear with her apologetic, "Yeah."

"I figured; you were quite young when you last spoke to me," he said, a chuckle at the edge of his words.

"Was I now? Were you a friend of my mother's," she asked, "Maybe it'll jog my memory."

"I was the one that delivered you," he said without missing a beat, his smile returning.

Nahla blinked, taken aback. The last she would have seen this man would have been then, considering she didn't even know her birth mother. Being adopted had a set of perks, if they could be called that. Whatever crazy nonsense her mother might have been into stayed with her, and Nahla was free to live a possibly better life.

But this man knew her. He knew her before she was sent to live with Kimberlee, her adoptive mother. So how was he here now? Did he track her down or something?

"I was also at your baptism, the one Kimberlee insisted on shortly after you arrived," he added, most likely reading the questions off of her expression, "And your fifth birthday party. Kimberlee was short on hands for the set up, and I filled in. She let me stay, but I was only there for an hour. It is entirely understandable that you do not remember me."

The way he said Kim's name was like a solemn reading of a name from a book. Like she was a disassociated character from the story he was telling. But there was a hint of disdain there, deep in the undertones of his brassy voice. He rubbed a hand over his hair, shorn close to his head. His smile never dimmed, brilliant and inviting. Then, as if struck with something, he let out a soft gasp.

"Forgive my rudeness, I forgot to give you my name," he chuckled, "I remember you used to call me Wolfie, for my last name. I doubt you will do the same thing now, but I am Theolde Wolfe."

He opted for a handshake rather than another hug, hand outstretched. Nahla's brows rose for a moment before she took his hand, shaking it.

"Nahla Jennings," she replied, offering a giggle of her own, "Mind if I call you Theo?"

His smile widened, if such a thing was possible, in response before he asked, "Do you work here, Nahla? I see you've got a badge, but I did not want to assume."

"Uh, yeah," she affirmed, "I do a little bit of everything here, but I mostly help out the research teams."

"Research? So I take it you are studying biology?"

"Yes, indeed."

A smug look overcame his expression, smile becoming a smirk. But for a moment something else flashed over his features. Something like regret, something that made her stomach flip and her blood run cold for only a second.

"I see. Well, would you be willing to take me on a tour or am I intruding on your break time," he asked her, expression back to smug and hopeful.

The change in topic, while nice, was disconcerting. He'd flipped so easily from that regret or sorrow or whatever that was and now he was all smiles again. Nahla had seen it before with other people, like Kimberlee, but that was something to be expected with someone as fast-paced as she. But Nahla didn't need to be thinking about these things right now; this was supposed to be a time to destress. Walking with Theo could help. Plus, she wasn't too big on walking around places alone these days.

There was far too much going on in the world for her to just allow herself to be unguarded. From what she could tell, Theo had the lithe build of an athlete. There was a precision in the way he held himself, intentional harmlessness in the slight slouching in his posture. There was something there, lurking beneath the surface of what he presented her. But Nahla would not ask; it was not her place to do so. And even if she did ask, she didn't think she'd like the answers.

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, tugging at the hem of her dark green uniform shirt. "Sure. Anything in particular you want to see?"

Theo's brows furrowed and he worried his bottom lip with his thumb as he proceeded to think on his options. "I have heard there is quite the impressive reptile exhibit," he remarked offhandedly. His tone was distant enough to make Nahla wonder if he was speaking to her. Then he turned his blue eyed gaze back to her.

"Reptiles it is," she said after a beat, shrugging and offering him another smile.

The two of them traversed the halls of the museum, Theo firing question left and right. But with a look that made it seem like he knew the answers to what the answers would be. It was like he was just going through the motions of conversation. There was also the way his gaze lingered over the area, like he was searching for something.

His pointless questions came to be unbearable, especially when he started repeating himself. Nahla wondered when would be a good time to point it out that he'd asked the same question three times in succession.

"What are you really here for," she asked after the sixth time.

His smile dropped at her question, his steps faltering. That chill came back to her as his gaze dropped to the ground. Theo's lips pressed together and his brows furrowed as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. A beat passed before he looked up again.

"We cannot discuss my purpose for being here at this location," he stated, scanning the hall they were in, "We must find somewhere else."

"What did you have in mind?"

"There's a small restaurant in here, isn't there? That would be best."

"Isn't it the same as here?"

"No, no. It isn't. I couldn't smell them down there."

"What?"

He smiled ruefully, lips curling up prettily. "Another matter to discuss in a different place."

// the  contest is most decidedly over, but i don't really give a fuck. happy reading, and don't let the wolves bite.  keep howling, rem