2: The Wolf's Mystery (II)

The Tobata Library, located at the edge of the village and next to the church square, was a common space. A huge building containing a vast expanse of years and years of history and knowledge of all kinds. Even with its wide range of books from the most varied genres, all individuals, inside, are treated as equals. Either you borrowed a book to take home, or you retreated to a small table, so you could read, and this was exactly the situation that a particular individual found himself.

Seated at a small table by the window, with the sun's rays illuminating the pages of time-worn paper, the individual known as Adam Archen was quietly reading the book he had just chosen.

In a question of appearance, he was a dark young man, a little short for his age, with dark green hair parted across his forehead. For clothing, he wears a long-sleeved white shirt and an orange tie, covered by a black vest with yellow buttons, dark brown pants, and black shoes.

In the early afternoon, Adam's reading proceeded smoothly. The sunny climate and tranquility of the library brought the favorable conditions that every reader craved. But the boy's concentration was about to be broken, thanks to the tapping on the window next to his desk.

Scared, the boy turns with a closed fist to the window, prepared to attack the person responsible for interrupting his activity, who turns out to be none other than Leonard Flint. Astonished, Adam prepares to verbally berate Leonard, but stops when he makes a hush gesture and points to the sign in the library, which says not to speak loudly. Then Leonard makes a gesture calling his friend out, and when asked why, he just increases the intensity of the gesture and walks away from the window. Finally, the dark-haired boy sighs, closes the book and leaves.

"Am I disturbing you?" asks Leonard, restless, sitting on a bench in the chapel square.

"I was almost finished, but that's okay," answers Adam, still standing. "Called me why?"

"There will be such an 'orphanage birthday' and they need us to help with something's. I just don't know who this is for, we never had these perks. That sounds pretty weird to me."

"Maybe you're just jealous."

"No, I have better things to do today than worry about the things the younger ones get and I don't," answered Leonard, standing up. "So we need to go soon."

"But wait, will it be fast?" Exclaimed Adam with an air of concern. "I need to finish the book, and I have a huge list to complete."

With a pawky expression, Leonard answered him calmly, chuckling at the end of the sentence.

"Calm down, it's going to be real quick, dontcha worry…"

Adam was surprised by his friend's expression and laughter, but he decided to ignore it. Sometimes, Leonard is just strange.

Not far away, in the courtyard of the small village school, a group of children sat in a circle, with their notebooks in hand, while listening to an explanation from one girl in particular.

Charlotte Chloé was her name, and she looked like a blonde with vivid purple eyes and average height. As clothes, she wears a blouse with black and white stripes and a pink skirt underneath a denim jacket, with sleeves that only go up to her shoulder, and sandals.

She was the person who had been helping the children at their own request. Every sentence spoken by her mouth was meticulously noted in notebooks, she had a knack for explanation and a knack for people of that demographic.

But suddenly, a synchronized but distant scream interrupts the activity and draws the attention of the young woman. When she turns around and understands the situation, she asks the children for some time and goes to meet the authors of the scream: Leonard and Adam.

"Those are lucky," comments Leonard. "In my time, no one gave us a review."

"And even if they did, you wouldn't do much good," mocks Adam.

In response, Leonard raises his brows.

"Hey! How dare you send one of these in front of me?"

"It's for you to taste your own poison."

"Stop it already!" Rebukes Chloe. "I hope that the reason they came here is serious, because the children are waiting for me."

And Leonard continued to talk:

"It's a serious reason. The director wants us to help with the preparations for the 'Anniversary of the Orphanage'."

the girl opened her eyes in surprise when hearing the information

"Wait… THE BIRTHDAY IS TODAY?!?" She sighed. "Holy geez, how forgetful I am."

Leonard was confused by the overreaction.

"Well, then I am the one who is famous for being sloppy."

"But that is beside the point," interrupts Adam. "Anyway, will it take long with the children?"

She looked up in thought, putting her finger to her chin.

"More or less. There's still a little left to clarify."

"We break you a branch. Leo and I will wait at the orphanage gate."

"Would you do this for me?"

"Of course!" Leonard nodded. "What don't people do for a sister?"

Chloe then smiles in gratitude.

"Thanks! Anyway, I'm coming back. I promise I won't be late."

"But don't rush, it might end up hurting their learning."

"Relax, man, as you say, everything is under control!"

After a few hours of waiting at the orphanage door, as soon as the girl arrived, the trio was finally able to enter and receive their duties.

Leonard went to the laundry room, before starting his cleaning. What was nothing more than a washing machine and a large sink covered by a little roof.

Opening the lid of the machine, he removes the piece and extends it on the clothesline as requested. He quickly holds it out, and picks up the broom to proceed with the next step.

In the main hall, the obstinate man was quickly sweeping the floor, wrapped in his haste to finish his tasks quickly. His mind was clearly elsewhere, which became clearer as he whispered thoughts about the earlier sighting.

Finally

, he swept all the dust under the huge rug, gave himself up completely and went upstairs to continue what was of interest to him.

In the trio's room, Leo was completely immersed in the investigation. He was reviewing the various notes he had taken, which ranged from records of site reports to scribbles of a composite sketch. With a serious and concentrated expression, Leo tried to connect the dots and establish a connection between it all and his own sighting.

But the deeper he delved into his investigation, the more disjointed things got.

Some reports diverged from each other, even seeming to be invented. Little Leo's innocence got in the way of discerning what could be real and what was clearly fake.

The hours passed, and the day had almost set.

Now at square one, Leo hears a knock on the door that catches his attention and brings him back to reality. He had abandoned his post to do a quick review of the notes, and when he was done with them, he would come back to finish them off.

However, hours passed, and in neither task was he successful. Reluctantly, he went to the door of his room to admit who it was. When Ieo opened, the director arrives to talk.

She brought with herself an aura of calm and serenity, contrasting with the bitter taste that the young man was feeling after the lost time.

"Hello, Leo," Margareth said in an elegant tone.

"Hi, principal," Leonard said as he watched the floor with his eyes narrowed.

"Well, the night has arrived and the preparations for the party are almost ready, but I still need one last service from you."

"What service?"

"Adam is helping in the kitchen and Chloé has gathered the orphans. I need you to make a call to make sure they're all there."

"I make," answers Leo with a despondent voice.

"Splendid! Here it is." The director hands Leonard a clipboard with some sheets of paper and a pen. "Look for me when it's over."

"Alright." Leonard nodded, ending the conversation before both of them left the room.

He thought everything would run normally down there, little did he know the direction things would take.

The boy goes to the concentration of orphans. The children gather around him as Chloe leaves the main hall to offer help somewhere. Every orphanage was decorated with little flags, and the sounds of conversations filled the space, given the presence of most villagers in that place. A dejected Leonard Flint leads the activity, and everything seemed normal, until at a certain point.

"Raquel," he calls.

"Gift!" The children answer.

"Richard."

"Gift."

"Ryan."

But that time, nobody has answered. Leonard tries again, thinking that he just hadn't heard the boy's voice.

"Ryan!"

To just not be answered again, leaving him with a flea behind his ear and a feeling that something wasn't quite right. But he just continues to call… For now. At the end of it, he goes around the place in the hope of finding the boy lost somewhere or hidden, kidding with him. But still, there was no result, as if he had disappeared from the place.

But Leonard already knew what to do.

At the end of it, Leonard returned to the director, his expression determined yet hurried as he delivered the materials.

"Here it is," Leonard said, handing over the worksheet with a sense of urgency, as if he was already planning to leave.

The director, a formidable woman with a commanding presence, looked over the materials with a discerning eye.

"Excellent! Is everyone there?" she inquired.

"Almost all of them, except for one…" Leonard hesitated, his brows furrowing with concern.

The director's face softened with concern as she leaned forward.

"What do you mean this?"

"I feel that something happened to Ryan," Leonard admitted, his voice tinged with worry. "He didn't answer the call, and after searching the entire orphanage, I couldn't find him anywhere. But don't worry, I'll sort it out. I have a clue of what may've happened."

The director's expression remained serious as she insisted.

"I can't stop you from going, but please promise me you'll be careful. This is a dangerous task, and you should have backup."

"I'll be careful, don’t worry," Leonard replied, attempting to reassure the director, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. "It's probably not a big deal."

The director's face softened with genuine care.

"Please, take care of yourself, too. We all care about you here, and we don't want to see anything happen to you."

Leonard nodded, the weight of responsibility evident in his eyes.

"I promise, I'll be careful. And I'll be back as soon as I find him."