Chapter 63: Disappearance.

HELENA. It'd been three weeks. Three weeks since the last time the goblins came. Life in the house became relatively normal, like a daily routine. Every morning, I'd wake up and find Aaron already in the kitchen, making breakfast. We'd have small talk, teasing each other and having a little laugh. Then, I'd take a shower, prepare myself for the day and find Luna standing in the halls, performing one of her rituals. I remembered when Aaron had confronted her about using magic on me, but she openly denied it. I knew she was, I just had to stay silent. Aaron didn't take it so lightly. The two almost got into a fight if I wasn't around. We settled it out, and life returned back to normal. The only thing I had to do was get used to Tyrus' presence. She was one bubbly little creature. Soon, she would follow me to work. But I'd have to hide her. Today was like every other Thursday, except it was storming outside. Early morning chills, perfect. Just perfect. I couldn't sleep properly last night, and that was because I was working on a big presentation I had this morning. This morning. And it was storming outside. I glanced at the wall clock in my bedroom. 6:30am. 30 more minutes. I pulled out my latest obsession in the world of books, The Twisted Series. I had seen so many tiktokers rate the series and they were pretty high reviews, so I decided to try it for myself. So far, I loved Alex and Ava in book one, and I was in book two, Twisted Games. Rhys and Bridget were giving me a run for my money, but I loved it. I simply adored romance novels. They made me all giddy and excited, only to be reminded of the constant reality that I might never have any of the men I saw or read in my books. I was almost completely lost in the book when a soft knock startled me out of my thoughts. 'Yeah?" 'It's Aaron." 'Ou.." I hurried off the bed, tossing away the book and checking out my reflection in the mirror. I tried to straighten my hair and clothes, and gave myself one last reassuring nod before walking towards the door. I paused. That was weird. Since when did I care how I looked in the morning? I shook my head and opened the door. Aaron stood, apron covered, carrying a tray of food. He did this almost every morning. Well, on the mornings where I didn't feel like going downstairs too early. 'Good morning." He smiled. That smile could lift up even the gloomiest of moods. I returned the smile, taking the tray from him. 'Morning." 'You look like you slept well." He leaned in the door frame, folding his arms. His signature smirk was in position, playing strings on my heart. Oh sweet Jesus. 'I did, thank you." I set the tray on the bedside table. Aaron still stood on the doorway. 'Can I help you with anything?" I said, laughing nervously. It was freezing cold, but I was sweating so much. 'Oh no, I just wanted to stare at you for a while." He said, straightening up. 'We still have the outing this weekend ay?" he smiled. I think I could die from someone being too cute. Was that a thing? Maybe. 'Of course." I said quietly. At this point, one more word and I'd fall to the floor. 'Alright. It's pouring outside, so if you wanna leave, carry a raincoat. I'm heading to the restaurant." He said, turning away. 'How are you gonna get there without getting soaked?" 'I'm a werewolf. I can just run." He shrugged, walking out. Idiot. I crashed on my bed, grabbing the tray of steaming hot eggs and bacon. There was freshly squeezed orange juice in the cup, and another cup of water beside it. Gosh. I didn't know what to say anymore. Right now, I didn't know what I and Aaron were. The sparks were there. The connection. The random gestures. I was damn sure I had fallen for him, and he probably did too. I rubbed my palm over my face, trying to erase thoughts of a certain wolf. Breakfast was done in a jiffy. I looked outside, the storm had cleared up, but the downpour basically flooded everywhere. 'Argh…" I groaned. I got up, showered, dressed and began the slow tedious walk to the bus stop. I could just take a cab, but those little vehicles wouldn't want to drive in this flood. I saw an elderly woman, with a young child resting on the benches underneath the bus stop. They were shivering. A young woman walked to them and offered them some cash. The elderly woman thanked her so much, and even offered to clean her muddied shoes for her. I felt a strange wave of nostalgia, but I pushed it aside and focused. The bus came minutes later and I boarded, trying to control my thoughts. I got down from the bus around 30 minutes later, and stopped in my tracks. Customers lined the entrance of the bank in their numbers, some yelling, others trying to break in. It was a total riot. I sneaked in through the back, careful to make sure none of them saw me. I met Georgina and some other of my colleagues hidden behind one of the ATMs. She motioned for me to shut the door and be quiet. 'What the hell is going on?" I whispered. 'The manager went berserk yesterday. All the customer's accounts are in jeopardy as of now. We don't know what to do." One of my colleagues, whom I knew as Joseph, said. 'What do you mean by he went berserk? He was totally fine when everyone left yesterday." 'Yes dear, but I had to come back because I forgot my flask. The moment he saw me, he changed. He looked almost inhuman. He started growling at me and tried to bite me." Georgina said, whimpering. I walked towards her, holding her shoulders. 'It's okay…it's okay…" I patted her back until she calmed down. 'Look, you're gonna have to tell me what happened, and quietly. And where is Mr James?" 'We…don't know." Joseph said. I snapped my head at him. 'He just….vanished. We can't even think of opening the bank. It'll be a total disaster." Georgina said, a little calmer. He was right. A total disaster indeed. I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. 'Alright. Joseph, Precious, you two go inside and get the place neat. Georgina, I really think you should go home. You don't need all this drama." She nodded softly. 'What are you gonna do?" Precious, one of our clerks asked. Even she was shaking. 'I'll try to calm the crowd. We can't just leave them out there." It'd be hard, but I was willing to try. I knew a lot of people that had a whole lot of money with us.