Arrive at the Smith Mansion

{if not game}Author's note: I'm using Game State Variables from Act 1 to reduce repetitive chapters. So if you're not in game mode, some of the branches might be inconsistent with your previous choices, and some variable-related contents in certain chapters might seem more ambiguous.

{endif}

Act 2 - Diving into the Smith Mansion

June 4th.

What happened in the past week was the most frightening and uncomfortable experience you've ever had since your escape from Owl City.

Being fucked and scratched by a female werewolf, being consumed by the urge, gathering information about what you were dealing with and making amends for what you had done... They made you really anxious all the time, and you didn't dare to slow down and rest.

That being said, unlike that time when you knew Olivia was the master vampire that needed to be dealt with, this time your enemy has been hiding in the shadows. You didn't know who was the werewolf among the humans, so there wasn't much more you could have done.

You needed an opportunity, and it has finally come.

You got a call from Leonard yesterday, where he invited you to his family dinner hosted at the Smith Mansion tonight. It was a good chance for you to investigate his daughter's, Shannon's, condition. If she really was the werewolf that had attacked you, you might find some clues there, and perhaps deal with her right away.

"Do you still insist on accompanying me to the mansion?" You asked Fran while you were checking everything you were about to bring with you, like a notebook, a pen, and a flashlight.

"Of course. What will you do without me? Last time you went ahead of me, you got attacked by a werewolf and contracted this lycanthropy, remember?" She playfully smiled, then she took a deep breath and said, with her eyes locked on yours, "You're not leaving me behind, no matter how many times you try."

"Oh dear... Can you just have some faith in me?" You helplessly sighed.

"Nope. Not these days..." She curled up the corners of her mouth. She picked up that old book you borrowed from the book shop, "Tales of the Wolves", and asked, "By the way, aren't you going to bring this with you? It could be boring at night, and you might need something to kill time."

"I just finished reading it this morning. But you're right. And maybe you can have a try." You took the book and put it in your bag.

The plot of the story twisted 10 years after the founding of Howland Town, when the alpha of the local black wolf pack was killed by the one of a foreign pack, which mainly consisted of white wolves. A war between the two packs began.

It was a tie until the humans of Howland Town fought side by side with the black wolves. In the final battle, the protagonist Ralph helped his friend, the female black wolf which he called Elsa, defeat the alpha of the white wolves, ending the war. The two packs merged and united under the new alpha, Elsa, for the rest of the time.

At the end of the story, when Elsa died of old age, Ralph carried its body to a place called the Wolf's Grave and buried it with its ancestors, so that it might rest in peace.

By now you've already convinced yourself that those sentient wolves in the story were actually werewolves, and somehow Howland Town's people managed to coexist with them peacefully. Black wolves, huh? The one that attacked me had black fur, though...

If you weren't attacked by one just recently, you would have believed this fairy tale. Werewolves could easily infect a human with one scratch or one bite, turning them into one of their own. You just couldn't imagine these dangerous, lustful monsters coexisting with humans, instead of corrupting humanity and expanding their pack.

"Hey, Fran, did you see the knife I just bought yesterday?" You checked all the pockets of the jacket you wore, but you couldn't find it. However, you noticed a red dot on the jacket's sleeve cuff. You looked confused, as it looked like blood, but you didn't see any wounds on your hand or your wrist.

"You put it in the drawer of the bedside table last night. You don't remember?" Fran frowned and pointed you in the direction.

You went to the bedside table in doubt, pulled the drawer, and the knife was really there. It was a fruit knife which was small enough for you to hide in a side pocket of your trousers, so that you could at least fight back if anything happened. Luckily, you were totally fine to buy and carry a knife like this in Oregon.

But you just looked at the knife in your hand and couldn't stop thinking. You actually had no memory of putting it there. No, it's not just that. You had completely no memory of last night.

"Fran, what did we do last night?" You turned and asked.

"What, you're that drunk? Oh, my..." Fran rolled her eyes and sighed, "Okay, after we returned from the market, where you brought the knife, we visited the book shop and met George and his wife, May. We had dinner together. You drank a lot of wine, and after I helped George wash the dishes, you were almost out on the sofa in the reading room. I drove you back here, and before you went to sleep, you put that knife in the drawer."

You really had no memory of anything Fran just told you, and you didn't feel hungover at all this morning. Something didn't add up, but you didn't have time to figure it out today.

"Do you think you're really gonna need it?" Fran looked at the knife you were holding in your hand. "You really think Shannon is the werewolf?"

"I'm not sure. But... better safe than sorry." You looked at the knife, too. You convinced yourself that it wasn't like you were going to hurt someone, or kill someone. It was just a measure of self-defence. As a matter of fact, you wouldn't hesitate to bring a gun, if you could get your hands on one.

"I understand. It's just... Don't be reckless, alright?" Fran sounded concerned.

"Yeah..."

You put the knife in the side pocket and checked everything else again before you went out with Fran as the sun was about to set.

"Going out for dinner tonight, Mr. Wilson?" Cole gave you his usual, professional smile when he saw you going to the parking lot.

"Yeah." You replied.

"Please try not to drink too much this time, Mr. Wilson. Miss Evans and I had a hard time carrying you up the stairs last night." Cole glanced at Fran before he jokingly complained to you.

"I'll make sure he behaves." Fran giggled and held your hand tighter.

"Okay, okay... Well, thank you, Cole." You smiled awkwardly.

"You're welcome, Mr. Wilson." Cole gently nodded and watched you leave.

The Sentinel was waiting for you quietly in the parking lot. You stepped into the driver's seat and, with Fran sitting beside you, started the engine. You took a deep breath and set off for the Smith Mansion.

You arrived at the mansion at around 6 p.m.. It was Fran's first time here and she was amazed by how huge the mansion was. The beautiful garden, the big fountain, the fashionable limos... She couldn't help looking around all the way from the yard to the front door, and you had to walk slowly with her arm in arm to prevent her from falling down more than once.

The old butler, Ben, has been waiting for you by the front door. "Good evening, Mr. Wilson." He said and turned to Fran, "You must be Miss Evans. Nice to meet you. I'm Benjamin, and you can call me Ben."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Francesca." Fran slightly nodded with a smile.

"Hello, Ben. I hope I'm not late." You shook his hand casually.

"Oh, not at all." Ben laughed in relief, "You are the first of our guests to have arrived! Please, come inside and take a rest in the living room. It's a long way from the town. You must be tired."

Ben guided the two of you inside, and Fran was soon captivated by the luxurious interior decorations of the foyer. Last time you were here, you didn't really have time to admire these. Lit by the warm light, the landscape paintings hanging on the walls emitted a serene atmosphere. "Wow..." Fran looked up and admired the paintings while trying her best not to fall behind.

"Those were old paintings, like, more than half a century old. Master Leonard told us that they were here when he was a kid. His father's collection, I believe." Ben led you down the hallway while he said, without turning around.

"That old?" Fran was more astonished.

"How long have you been working here, Ben?" You asked curiously.

"I think... 17 years. Will be 18 by September." He replied calmly.

"Wow, that's a very long time." Fran sighed with emotion.

"Indeed." Ben sounded a bit tired after a deep breath, "I watched those two ladies grow up. They're like my family."

You arrived in the living room. You stood by the door for a few seconds before you went deeper. The white clock above the fireplace was ticking 6:10. That armchair and the small table near the fireplace showed signs of wear and tear, while the two sets of brown sofas which Ben was leading you to looked relatively new. Not many guests, huh?

"How's Shannon? Is she okay after she came back?" You took the opportunity by following up on the topic to ask while you followed Fran to the sofa.

Ben paused for a moment when he was pouring tea for you. "Miss Shannon hasn't been feeling too well recently. I'm sorry to inform you that she won't be attending the dinner tonight. And I suggest not disturbing her." His last sentence sounded even more serious.

"I see. Please say hello to her for me." Your doubts were growing, but you tried not to show them.

"Of course. Master Leonard will meet you shortly. Now please excuse me, I must attend to other things and receive other guests." Ben gently bowed to you before he left the room.

"He looks like a respectable person." Fran gave you a warm smile.

"I don't doubt it." You took a sip of tea and replied. You had a feeling that Ben knew something. You just didn't know what it was or why he was hiding it from you.

Not long after, you heard footsteps coming from the hallway outside. They were much steadier, more casual, different from Ben's. You stood up and turned to the door, just as Leonard appeared. He was frustrated, but when he saw you, he immediately put a smile on his face.

"James! Always a pleasure to meet you, my friend." Leonard stepped quickly toward you and shook your hand.

"Likewise, Mr. Smith."

"And you must be Francesca. James told me a lot about you." Leonard looked at Fran and smiled.

"Really? I thought you knew each other a long time ago. What did he say?" Fran stared at you. If you didn't know better, you would say it was a threatening stare.

"Well, it would be inappropriate for me to say it. Please, just have a seat." Leonard just walked past you and headed to the armchair.

"What did you say?" Fran whispered before she sat down beside you. She sounded very serious, and you knew that you couldn't avoid it anymore.

"I said that you were my childhood friend, beautiful, sensitive, and sometimes you liked to toy with me." You were being 90% honest.

"What?" She almost screamed.

"That was 3 years ago! You did back then!" You managed to keep your voice down.

"We're gonna talk about this later." Fran forced herself to calm down and sat up straight.

"I heard about Shannon. Is she alright?" You expressed your concern.

"She's having a fever. We got her some pills and she's feeling a little better now." The smile on Leonard's face faded as he spoke, "She has been... quieter since she came back. I don't blame her. The trauma she had endured must be tremendous."

"Did she mention what happened to her?"

"She said she had been kidnapped by someone. She could only say that it was a man. She escaped that night when he was not looking and returned home." Leonard sighed helplessly, "I don't know if we can find the kidnapper, but what matters is that my daughter is safe."

"Yes, of course." You nodded, but you didn't fully buy the story.

"Anyway, I believe the case is closed, James. Don't worry, I'll pay you as I promised." Leonard rested against the back of the armchair and smiled.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Smith."

"So, I assume that you haven't met the mayor before, right?" Leonard switched the subject.

"I heard he is a wise man who knows everything that has happened and is happening in this town." You heard that from Cole. Although the dinner hosted for the mayor tonight was your excuse to get into the mansion, you did want to meet the mayor and have a conversation with him.

"Indeed. He grew up in the town and has been its mayor for almost 20 years. He always said that he had seen the most terrible things that no one else would ever believe. We all think he's just boasting." Leonard laughed.

You were more curious now. But suddenly you heard footsteps again. Multiple and disordered. Instinctively, you turned around and looked at the door. When it was opened, you saw Ben leading George and Grace into the living room. You were surprised. You didn't know they were coming tonight.

When Grace's eyes and yours crossed, she blushed awkwardly. The scene where you were cornered by her in the book shop emerged in your mind. She was under the influence of the pheromone you emitted back then, topless and wanted to give herself to you. {if game}{if game:F2R1_Act1GraceSex == false}You tried your best to resist the urge and rejected her. {endif}{if game:F2R1_Act1GraceSex == true}You allowed your urge to get the upper hand and breast-fucked her. {endif}{endif}Just recalling that made your heart pound heavily in your chest. Fran noticed your reaction, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, George! Good to see you again. Nice to see you, too, Grace." Leonard stood up and greeted the duo warmly. He looked behind them for a moment and asked, "Your wife is not coming?"

"Sorry, but May said she wasn't feeling so well. She asked me to send you her regards." George looked around the room and immediately noticed the presence of you and Fran. He looked surprised and smiled, "James? I didn't know you and Leonard knew each other!"

"That's what I'm going to say." You walked towards him and shook his hand.

"You knew each other?" Leonard was surprised, too.

"James went to my book shop the other day. We had dinner together at my place yesterday." George said gently, "Leonard and the mayor are the most important sponsors for my book shop. They donated more than half of the books there."

"Nah, those were my father's books, and I'm not quite a reading person." Leonard turned to you and explained, "When I learned of George's plan, I was just happy to give them to him."

"It's very kind of you." You smiled.

"Hello, I'm Francesca Evans. We didn't meet last night. Friends call me Fran." Fran walked up and introduced herself to Grace.

"Oh, hi! Grace Clark. Nice to meet you, Fran." Grace happily shook hands with Fran. She seemed to be relaxed once she looked away from you.

"Master Leonard." Ben entered the room and interrupted your conversation, "The mayor and his wife have arrived. The dinner has been prepared."

"Good." Leonard looked around and said, "Well, everyone, please follow Ben to the dining room."