Chapter 8

A Giant Wolf and a Skunk

2 weeks later

Mr. B. Nimble's POV

"Grimm's coming back in a few days. Did you report it?" BW asked as we unpacked decorations for his return "celebration".

"Yeah, last week. I filed for adoption, too. Don't hit me." I waited for the smack. Instead, I got patted on the back then smacked.

"I can't believe you did that. Why?" BW shook his head, smiling.

"She's only 17 and her birthday is in August. That's too long to be alone." I protested.

"You mean she just turned 17 this year?" I nodded. He paled. The lumberjack-ize man looked at me with full and utter disgust.

"Was that important?" I backed off.

"Of course it was! HE kidnapped a child." BW started to change violently. First, his ears and eyes changed, then his jaw and face, and finally his body was trying to change into a canine one. Bones broke and he howled in pain, lashing out with half formed paws.

"I'm sorry." I kicked his knee sideways and jumped over his body to go get help.

Mr. B. Nimble's POV End

I was in study hall when I saw paramedics run down the hall. Momma Bear shut the door and told us, my characters and me, to keep working or whatever we were doing. What happened? I reached for my phone and Momma let me or didn't stop me, either one works.

What happened? R u ok?

I waited for Daddy's reply anxiously: I'm fine. Mr. Badwolf panicked when he learned u were 17.

How bad?

He tried to turn into his wolf form. They can't take him away yet bcuz he's still turning.

Owie. Why'd he panic?

U're still a child & Grimm took u from ur parents. It's a taboo thing in wolf culture.

Oh. I couldn't type anymore because a giant man-sized wolf barreled through the door. It was Mr. Badwolf. His fur was wet with something smelly. He growled at Momma. She roared at him. It was as tense as hell when it went quiet. I got up and Mr. Badwolf got in front of me. He didn't want me to leave. Momma growled.

"MINE!" He lunged at Momma. I hid under the desk and waited for the fighting noises to stop before I looked again. Both teachers were tranquilized and the paramedics were taking them away. One of them looked me over and said I was ok.

"Cocoa, you're ok." Daddy tried his best not to cover me in kisses and barely managed.

"Yeah." I pushed him away before I hugged him.

"Excuse me, Mr. B. Nimble, but do you have any idea why Mr. Badwolf would do this?" A police officer asked.

"Uh, can we go talk in private? No one should hear this just yet." Daddy asked him. The officer looked surprised and nodded.

"Where do I go?" I tugged on Daddy's sleeve.

"Go, wait, you shouldn't go to class right now. Ok, why don't you go outside?" Daddy said. It was in case I got emotional. He'd call it in.

"Ok." I wondered if Gala would let me play with her.

Mr. B. Nimble's POV

I led the officer to my office. I got out the notes I take after every session with Cocoa.

"You see, I've been working with that student you just met, Cocoa Evans. She told me that Milton Grimm kidnapped her. I reported it last week, but I didn't want to mention it in front of her. Mr. Badwolf found out about it when I found her at my friend's café and we were going home after she ate dinner there. I couldn't have him think we were dating. I meantioned that she just turned 17 and I think that's what upset Mr. Badwolf." I said as evenly as I could.

"I see," He skimmed through a few files, "These will have to be used for the trail. I'll pick them up later. Also, didn't you file to adopt, uh, Cocoa?"

"Yes." I heard my voice crack.

"Why?" He asked.

"I don't see how this is relevant." I replied.

"You will get asked that during the trail." He, his badge said Dawson, told me.

"I feel that Cocoa needs someone to care for her. Someone that she trusts." I said briskly.

"I have what I need now. Everything from here on out is off the record. It's awful when things like this happen." Dawson shook his head, putting away his notepad away.

"Yeah. Cocoa shouldn't have even met Grimm. She's from Earth." I put the files back in order and in my desk again.

"Really? I thought I saw the word Earth in one of your notes, but I had to skim." I nodded.

"You seem like a decent man." I told him.

"You too." Dawson left. I saw he took one of my pens. Why the pens? There's a bowl of candy right next to them. Maybe that's the problem. I moved the candy farther forward. Now, no one should mistake my pens for the candy.

Mr. B. Nimble's POV End

"Gala? Here, puppy, puppy." I called for her. I couldn't find her in her stall where she was suppose to sleep.

"Cocoa?" Sparrow hopped down from a tree.

"What?" I looked under a bench for the fox.

"Why're you looking for Gala? Don't you have your own pet?" He asked.

"No, where can I get one?" I called for Nevermore.

"The Enchanted Forest. I'll show you. Stop calling them." He took me to a certain spot and told me to say my name.

"Cocoa Evans." I wanted something small. A small red-brown skunk walked out of the treeline and ran toward me. She rubbed up against me. I picked her up.

"Good luck with stinker." Sparrow laughed walking away.

"Don't listen to him. He's being mean. I'll call you Lucia. Unless you're a boy, then I'll call you Leo or something." I petted her.

"Cocoa, you got your pet. I'll take you to Poppa's. He's in charge of the pets." Cerise showed me his classroom was. Poppa was a bear. He registered her, it was a her, and did a basic check up.

"She seems to be healthy, but I'll do a more through examianion tomorrow. Alright?" He put Lucia in a large pen.

"Ok. Bye bye, Lucia." I waved to her. Cerise took me to the Castletria to get dinner. I ate a burger. Cerise had steak.

"Cocoa, let's go visit Mr. Badwolf after dinner." Daddy sat next to me.

"Ok. I got a pet skunk today. Her name is Lucia." I told him.

"You did?" Raven smiled.

"Yeah, she's pretty." I took a bite of Daddy's fries.

Cerise's phone rang, "It's my mom. I'll be right back." She left.

"Where's Lucia now?" Ashlynn asked me.

"Poppa has her. He's going to give her another check up tomorrow." I told her.

"He gave Pesky a check up when we got back from summer." Hunter ate his salad.

"Come on, Cocoa. Let's go." Daddy said as I finished my burger.

"Ok. Bye, guys." I waved as I took a drink of my coke. We went to the hospital and asked where Mr. Badwolf was. The lady at the desk said he was in room 240. We got to ride the elevator. We walked in without looking and saw Cerise and, I guess, her mom, talking to Mr. Badwolf.

"Come in. Red made me tell them about you and Cocoa. Sorry." He apologized to Daddy.

"Hi." I waved to Cerise's mom.

"Baddy didn't say why you got taken." Cerise's mom looked at me.

"I dunno. Grimm's crazy. Why?" I asked.

"Cocoa, that's why he took you. He's crazy." Daddy told me.

"Anyway, let's get back to the more current issue." Mr. Badwolf cleared his throat.

"And what's that?" Daddy scratched his head. I thought I knew something about Cerise, but it escaped me.

"You've met my family." The wolf man held Cerise's hand. Oh, yeah, that's it.

"We won't tell anyone. Right, Cocoa-bear?" Daddy nudged me.

"I won't, Daddy." I said and my candle necklace started glowing.

"Mom?" Cerise pointed to me, alarmed.

"Hmm. Has she called you that before?" Mr. Badwolf thought.

"Yeah, but no one could hear it except me. It didn't glow then." He said, looking at the necklace.

"Did you get interviewed?"

"Yeah."

"What're you talking about?" I tugged on his sleeve.

"I adopted you. Well, I'm trying to adopt you." He explained.

"Oh. I'm your daughter now." I smiled. I love him and if he adopts me, then Grimm can't and that's good.

"Yeah. So, you don't mind?" Daddy bit his lip.

"If you adopt me, Grimm can't." I elaborated.

"That's our girl." Mr. Badwolf laughed a big hearty laugh.

"You're my uncle now." I told him.

"Uncle Badwolf? I like it. Red, do you want to be her aunt?" Uncle Badwolf asked his wife.

"I'd love to have someone to visit me and you seem like a wonderful girl. Cerise's still a junior. Yes, I'm Auntie Red." She patted my head.

"I guess a cousin would be cool." Cerise nodded. My candle glowed even more and then dimmed itself.

"My Ever After family." I proclaimed happily.

"Thanks, BW. This means a lot. Knowing Cocoa has someone else to go to." Daddy wrapped his arm around me.

"She's a good kid." Uncle Badwolf yawned.

"We should go. We'll come back later." Auntie Red ushered us out.

"Bye." Cerise and me waved. We talked about stuff we liked to do on the elevator ride. She likes running and being in the forest where she can put her hood down. It gets stuffy in winter and summer because of the heat. In winter, I guess they crank up the heat. I like baking and Auntie said we could do that when I came over. Writing, duh, and reading. And the normal stuff, watching TV, listening to music and the like.

"It was nice seeing you again after all this time." Daddy told Auntie Red and took me back to the carriage and we went back to school. I got to my dorm and went to bed.

The ghosts will come back. They didn't fit in this chapter so I gave them a brief mention where I could. Special thanks to my friend, Sydney, for coming up Lucia's name and Taranodongirl1 for helping me think of Cocoa's pet.