7 Lucas

Lucas knocked. He was frantic.

John and Nenita were scratching their eyes—they just got up from bed. It was almost midnight.

Lucas barged into the huge living room. He was catching his breath. The two were surprised.

"You did not call," John said.

"Somebody… somebody…was following me." He tried to regain his rhythm but felt heavy, still. Nenita went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Lucas took a glass of water that Nenita offered her. He was calmer.

"I'd need a place right now."

"You came to the right place," John kidded. He was trying to calm Lucas.

Lucas had been living alone. He liked a life where there were no intrusions in his detective career.

Lucas looked in his eyes. "The night we got together. Somebody smelled."

"Okay…" John muttered.

"We have to protect ourselves."

"But we didn't say anything that's against the law—and even as we did, what happened to freedom of expression?"

"They know that we don't agree with what they say."

"Personal opinions are opinions?" They looked at each other.

xxxxxx

The sky was clear the next morning. Sunshine was all over. Thanks for the breakfast that Teresa cooked. Lucas could smile now. Last night was a scary one. Wolves were different from ordinary people. They were a difficult enemy—they were different. He had a gut feel it was them.

"Aren't you worried what happened last night?" Lucas asked the couple while eating.

Isabella was looking, wondering what this man in front of her was trying to say.

"Should we be affected?" John said. Nenita and Teresa were looking at Lucas. Both agreed with John.

"What I am trying to say is, we should take extra care nowadays because of the turn of events."

John stood up to drink. "Okay, I would have to agree with you. But don't let what happened last night spoil your day if you are to leave. However, if you want to stay with us today, that would be fun, right Isabella?"

Isabella smiled at her father and Lucas. She wanted to be taught by this man his father had been talking about frequently.

She admired him. She wanted to know whether instincts were true or whether these couldn't be depended upon. Or were instincts right all the time? How did it support his detective job? Oh! There's so much that she wanted to know at her young age.

"Do you know uncle one time when me, father, mother, and Aunt Teresa were running in the wilds there were a bunch of dogs that came. I smelled them. I was trying to find out if they were friendly. They were not. I could do that with only a sense of smell," she was excited to tell Lucas.

Lucas smiled. "Yes you can. Your instinct is a hundred and one percent correct because you're the daughter of your father and mother."

Isabella returned what to her was a compliment with a smile. "But uncle, was there ever a time that you were wrong?"

Lucas was surprised. "You're also right. We have to be level-headed which means that we may also not be correct all the time—even as we are, isn't it true what the old adage says that we can always adjust our sail. Push comes to shove, then we do what we must do."