It was midnight when I jumped awake. The book fell to the floor from where it had been resting against my chest and it took me a second to gather my bearings. Looking around the room everything was as it had been, yet I didn't feel alone. It was worse than the feeling from this morning and a shiver ran up my spine making me thankful for the lamp still on.

'You were reading a book,' I told myself in comfort as I bent over to pick it up from where it fell. The page marker still sat on the first chapter as if I hadn't read a single word. Trying to think of the last thing I remembered reading, I couldn't think of a thing. I quickly scanned over the first page to jog my memory only to realize it was all in French; or maybe not. I didn't recognize a single word of it. As bad as my language skills were, I could usually work out enough to get by.

So how had I been reading it?

The more I thought about it, the first chapter began to appear in my mind. Closing my eyes I could imagine the forest and the village. I could almost smell the woodsy scent of the wolf. Then it hit me, I hadn't been reading it, I was dreaming about it.

Watching it all as if part of a movie.

But that's impossible.

Flicking through the first few pages of the book, the sketched image of the girl in her red coat heading into the forest which loomed in front of her like something out of a nightmare or horror movie. In my dream, she looked an awful lot like me only her eyes were green like my Mums and her hair was black.

It was a tale of Red Riding Hood, so of course, my imagination would take off in that direction and not thinking much more of it, I put the book down on the bedside table. A part of me wanted to pay more attention to it, but what was there to know? The woman in red walked into the forest where the wolf stalked her down the path. She must have been on her way to Grandma's as isn't that how the story goes?

Ignoring the feeling that was still plaguing me in the back of my mind, I reluctantly turned off the light and a dreamless sleep took over.  The next morning I decided not to read any more of the book before bed, and also to return it to Andrea, only three weeks later it stayed in the same place with my mind constantly lingering on my dreams. Most nights I had dreamt of the girl and the wolf, discovering their story. The dreams seemed so real. I woke feeling every emotion the girl had as though it was more of a memory than a dream.

The love she had felt was like my own ache for the man called William who I had learnt a couple of days ago was a werewolf. None of it had scared me when he revealed himself and now we had begun to taunt each other in a game of flirty compliments. Last night he had left me breathless,  his words were still fresh in my mind which wasn't ideal as I sat in a café with Andrea and her full English-speaking friend Derrick.

"You're everything a big, bad wolf could want," his hand cupped my face as his thumb lightly brushed over my mouth.

The thought of his bad side excited me. I wanted to see it.

"Earth to Beth?" Derrick waved his hand in front of my face and I instantly blushed, thankful they didn't know where my thoughts were going.

"Sorry, what?" I mumbled, quickly sipping my coffee.

"We are going to the woods for bonfire night. Winter is almost here and soon it'll be too cold so it'll be the last one of the season. Wanna come?" 

I nodded my plans currently involving sitting in front of the TV and staring into space as I daydreamed about my dreams. Being outside with real people was probably healthier for me.

"Great, we'll pick you up at seven!" He enthused before standing and giving each of us a quick kiss on the cheek. 

As he was out of earshot Andrea sighed heavily, I raised an eyebrow looking at her curiously.

"Do you think, I could ah, how do you say, ah, have a chance with him?" She blushed deeply and looked down at her plate.

"Definitely Andy!!" She seemed to perk up at that. 

Derrick was cute, but not really my type. He was originally from London and his parents had moved to Spain, before coming here. The being moved around part of his background was something I was able to identify with and helped as an icebreaker when we'd met at the bookshop. His short black hair, dark brown eyes and olive complexion, were definitely attractive though. I understood how Andrea could like him and they had chemistry which more often than not left me feeling like a third wheel on coffee dates.

"Let's see if we can work out how he feels about you tonight?" I suggested, thankful to have a girlfriend again. Andrea giggled, her blush deepening.

"I am so nervous." She exclaimed and mumbled to herself in French, which made me laugh more. 

She was the friendliest person I had ever met and her beauty wasn't just on the inside either. Where I had come from, girls like her were never single and also didn't have confidence issues when it came to asking out a guy. Then again, they were never genuinely nice in the way she was, so not quite the same after all.

She had told me she went through a really tough breakup about a year ago, the jerk had broken her heart and left her in a really dark place. I was glad Derrick had started to look like more than a friend to her in the last couple of weeks, she deserved it. They were adorable together and I hoped he was feeling the same way. Tonight we'd find out and it couldn't come soon enough.

Only it did and spending an hour lost in the wolf and Red Riding Hood's world didn't help my time management skills at all.

"Beth, Andy and Derrick are here!" James called.

"Two seconds," I answered, quickly grabbing my red trench coat from the cupboard by the door and pulling on my black knee-high riding boots. 

The days were barely warm and the nights were cold. Even though there was going to be a bonfire, I hated the cold and wanted to make sure I stayed warm.  A long gold chain with a wolf silhouette pendant hung from my neck after I found it in town this morning. After the book and my dreams, I had to get it.  I left my hair down in its natural wave and I quickly ran my hand through it giving it a bit of body as I got my bag.

"Have fun, Beth, just be careful. The woods can be a dangerous place." Mum yelled out. I left James in front of the TV, giving him a quick kiss on the top of his head and went outside.

"Hi!" I yelled as I headed towards Derrick's SUV.

"Hi, oh Beth, you can't wear that." Andrea frowned pointing at my jacket.

"Why not?" I asked, almost offended by the look on her face.

"You can't wear red in the forest." She practically whispered. Derrick and I looked at each other before Andrea for an explanation. "The wolf. If he sees anyone wearing red he will attack." 

She explained embarrassedly yet clearly afraid. Derrick burst out laughing before I could ask anything more. 

"That's some stupid superstition And." He carried on laughing only I wasn't. 

I could almost imagine him standing on the path waiting for me. I wasn't changing, not if it meant we could meet tonight.

If he was even real that is.

"He's right Andy, it'll be fine. Are there even any wolves around here?" I tried to comfort her with no luck. 

She shook her head and Derrick pulled out of my driveway. My stomach was doing flips as we got closer and I had no idea what that meant. Andrea was silent the rest of the way and I could feel how worried she was about it all.

"So where are we going?" I asked. The forest lined the road now and after taking a turn we were driving on gravel.

"Cassel is the caretaker of this land, he has his own small property near your place that he farms, but rumour has it, his main income comes from some old rich guy that owns it all. If he is even alive anymore. We use the field for parking and then it's about a ten-minute walk into the forest where the bonfire happens," Derrick explained.

 Andrea still hadn't said anything as I carried on with small talk with Derrick.

"Ah, so Andy, what is this wolf story you were talking about before?" This got her attention and she seemed hesitant to explain it but she did, her words slow and careful.

"As children, we have been told not to go into the woods in red. I guess it is a story like, ah, the Red Riding Hood? The wolf is still waiting to get her so if you wear red he thinks it is her and you die" She shrugged, "But you are both correct non, it is just a conte de fees, a fairy tale oui?"

I could tell she was nervous, everything had to be repeated slower in English and her French was thick and fast so neither of us could understand it. 

'Maybe this isn't a good idea,' I thought to myself as Derrick pulled alongside a car like his own.

Getting out the wind picked up blowing my hair out behind me. There were quite a few cars so if there were a wolf surely it would be scared off by the fire and crowd? Though if my dreams had told me anything, it was that he wasn't your typical wolf.

Derrick lied, the ten-minute walk to the fire was more like thirty and I was starting to get a little warm with my coat on. Finally, the sounds of a heavy base and laughing were heard and we soon found the clearing. The fire was as tall as my house, a beacon of light in the dark. At least forty people crowded around it, a few were dancing, and some couples made out. The rest were seated on logs as a couple of guys passed around red plastic cups. The whole thing was kind of cool. Thankfully they all spoke English so I had no trouble meeting people.

We had been there for maybe an hour and the vodka that had been passed around was starting to take its toll on me. Andrea, I noticed was the same way and that was my cue.

"Just go talk to him." I encouraged her. We sat on the log watching Derrick speak in German to some guy near the stereo.

"Ok," She finally agreed, bouncing up she swayed slightly. 

Taking a deep breath over she went. The guy was quick to leave and Andrea made her move. Ten minutes later after lots of nodding and shy smiles, the pair had their first kiss which then resulted in a lot of giggling before Derrick boldly kissed her again. For real this time and I quickly turned away before things got awkward. For me.

I'd just made my way back to the drinks table when I felt a change in the air. I couldn't describe it, only I knew everything from the last few weeks was leading to this moment. I instantly tensed looking around. No one else seemed to notice it as they carried on drinking and partying, but the fire seemed to burn with less intensity as the darkness of the night around us crept in. I forgot about the drink and went back to where I'd left Andrea and Derrick.

Of course, they had disappeared and as much as I wanted them together, I felt too on edge to be alone right now. Panic began to claw its way into my mind as faces began to blur around me, and the night got colder; had our drinks been spiked? Had I fallen asleep? I refused to stand still, wandering around before realising I'd gone too far from the main area.  Every hair on my body stood up as I began to follow the sounds of the party to get me back to where I should be, and from behind something rustled in the bushes.

I stopped, my heart starting to race as I turned around, and closed my eyes scared of what I would find.