by Celeste Raye
“Well, dear, I need to get dressed first. And wake up a little bit. And get some coffee in me before we start breakfast. Or maybe we can do the last two things together.”
Dana did not seem happy with that answer, but Laura was not going to move any faster. It had always been rough for her to wake up in the morning. Laura was still tired and would have gone back to sleep if the little girl had gone away for a little while.
But she stayed, and Laura got dressed in the attached bathroom. When she got out, Dana was sifting through her things.
“Did you find anything interesting?”
“Not really. Although you don't seem very interesting.”
“And you don't seem very nice right now, Dana. Maybe we should get some coffee first before we have this chit-chat.”
Dana wrinkled her nose up at the suggestion, but Laura just ignored it. She had learned a long time ago that children wanted reactions more than anything else. She was not going to give in to her.
“So, what do you want for breakfast, Dana?”
The little girl sighed loudly and rolled her blue eyes.
“It's on the schedule.”
“You have a schedule for breakfast?”
“We have a schedule for everything around here. It makes things go easier.”
Laura was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that a nine-year-old had a schedule. Especially for breakfast. Coming from a very relaxed household that sometimes served cake for breakfast, she couldn't even imagine being raised with that kind of strict living. It made Laura wonder where all of the schedules had come from. When she asked the little girl, Dana was quick to tell her that it was her own making.
“So, you're telling me that instead of picking whatever you want every day, you would rather have a schedule of what to eat?”
“Yes. That way, I can spend less time in making the decisions.”
“You know you are really grown up for seven, right?”
“Well, it's not like I'm a human or something.”
Laura caught the insinuation. The little girl thought that she was human, and she wasn't going to tell her otherwise. But Laura did know was she going to have her hands full. She needed to find some kind of commonality between the two of them so that they could somehow get along.
“No, I hear that you’re a shifter. That must be very exciting.”
The suggestion just made the little girl pout.
“I am not going to be able to use my powers until I’m thirteen.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Of course you wouldn’t; you’re a human.”
Laura ignored the little girl’s tone and inflection. She didn’t know what to say to her. She hadn’t been around a lot of shifters, namely, because her family wouldn’t have allowed it.
Her family had not pushed for any kind of socialization whatsoever. She was supposed to stick to her own. That was made clear to her, many times over.
“Well, for now, maybe you can have fun just being a little girl.”
Laura was lost for what to say, but she didn’t think her latest attempt had helped the situation at all.
“It will be exciting one day. At least I have that to look forward to. Being human was never something that I wanted to endure.”
It was another dig from Dana and Laura just smiled back in response. She wanted to match the sweetness that the little girl was trying to convey. It was clear to her that not only did she think that Laura was human, but that she was better than her because of it. Laura had to imagine that many of the nannies that she'd had in the past had an issue with her.
When they got to the kitchen, Laura looked at the schedule and the menu and all of the other little notes. It was a lot, and even for her, an adult, she was a little bit overwhelmed.
“It is very well organized, all of these schedules. Did you do them?”
“I did. I did them with one of the other nannies. She didn't last very long, though.”
Laura just kind of rolled her eyes because she had a pretty good idea why she didn't last very long. The little girl was going to be a terror, she just knew it. If she didn’t find something the two of them had in common, it was going to be a challenge.
“Well, it seems very important to you, so if you want brown sugar oatmeal, I guess that’s what we will have.”
Laura wasn’t convinced that the little girl actually wanted that. She could have thought of many things that would have been better, but she was going to go with it for now. It appeared that Laura was going to have her hands full, trying to relax the seven-year-old that was way too uptight for her own good. From there, Laura was still trying to figure out what was going to come next in her own life.
Chapter Five
While Laura was dealing with a seven-year-old dictator, John was dealing with issues of his own. There was a family that had been done wrong by his own. Someone was murdered by his uncle, and that someone just happened to be a witch.
In general, his kind tried to stay away from witches. They could be trouble, especially when they thought they were wronged. Killing one of their own, surely justified what they were going to do next. The only problem was that John did not know what they were going to do, and all of the ideas that he came up with plagued him.
He was pulled into a family meeting because of it. John tried to stay out of the politics of the clan as much as possible. A lot of people in his family were hot-headed and did things that jeopardized the rest of their kind. Getting in trouble, killing humans, and fighting with the rest of the paranormal world could not be tolerated. It just so happened that he was related to them, so at times he had to show his face and give an opinion. This was one of those times and John did want to be there. He would have rather been anywhere else but at the meeting, but he was the Alpha’s only son. He had to show up.
“Now, son, why don't you tell us what we should do?”
“Has there been an apology?”
There was a little bit of nervous laughter in the room. His father just shook his head and sighed loudly.
“These witches are not worried about an apology. They are out for blood. It will not just be my brother that takes the brunt of this. It will be all of us. Our whole kind. That is why we have to take them out before they can attack. The only defense we have is offence.”
After listening to ten men talk about killing the whole family of witches, he finally had to silence the lot of them. While this was the first time he had been pulled in about the situation that was coming down the pike, he had already known something about it. What happened was months ago, but it was left to linger and get worse.
“We are not going to do anything. I am not going to agree to authorize the killing of an entire family. Leverage is needed. Not more death. They already think that we’re…that we can't control ourselves and we have no thoughts. Why would we do anything to make what they think so real?”
Dominic looked at his son, and John knew that his father was disappointed. It certainly wasn't the first time that he had looked at him that way. John had learned a long time ago that if he didn't go with the man that was currently Alpha, and also his father, he was no good to him. That's why he stayed away as much as possible.
“The Baxter women do not forgive easily. We certainly don't need to give them time to build a plan against us. You know what they've done. You know what they can do.”
“I am sure that there are a few bad apples in the bunch, but there are also good ones. I am sure of it.”
“So you say.”
“How can we justify more deaths when it was your brother's ignorance that got us here to begin with? He made a deal and broke it, from what I hear. I can see how this all happened.”
“Can you?”
“The witch was putting a curse on him.”
“What else was he supposed to do?”
“I would imagine he wasn't supposed to break her neck. He was being cursed because he had broken his part of the bargain. I have heard the t
ruth of this matter, and I will not allow you to stand here and talk about it like he is a saint. This was his fault, and we need to recognize that. When we can admit that it is our fault, then we can move forward.”
His father was furious, and only half of the room was agreeing with his sentiment. The other half wanted blood, and those were the people that John was trying to dissuade. Blood always had a bigger price tag than originally thought. The last thing he wanted to do was to see more blood spilled.
“Then what do you expect us to do, John?”
“You are to take my position and lead our people. What would you do?”
“I would immediately get leverage as soon as I found out about the situation. The sort of leverage that would stop any complication that would come by later. Nobody would know about it. And I would hold on to it and calm everybody down because I would know that, at the end of the day, I had the ace in my pocket. That is what I would do, Father. What you are suggesting is just barbaric, and we have come a long way in dispelling this image of us. Why do you insist on ruining the progress that we’ve made?”
John was saying more than he was supposed to. Whether he agreed with his father or not, Dominic was still the Alpha.
“And what if you are caught off guard?”
“That is going to be the difference between my leadership and your leadership. I plan, and you just react. This matter is taken care of, and for now, I am going to see it that way.”
“Are you telling me that you have the assurances that we need?”
He agreed, but would not say anything more. John had learned a long time ago that he should never show his hand until the very end.
The meeting did not go on for much longer. If John would have agreed to the crazy plan that his father had come up with, they would be on their way to hunt some witches. Very powerful witches. But instead, it tuckered out pretty quickly. John knew that Dominic was going to be mad that he had sucked the air out of his sails, but he couldn't go along with it.
When the place cleared out, it was just him and Dominic left alone. He did not have to look at his father to know that his dark beady eyes were on him.
“What the hell was that about?”
“I am just trying to stop us from going to war with a group of badass witches that are very powerful and destructive. They also have no shame in using large-scale violence on us. Some of us would not come back from it, and I don't understand why you are so quick to start a fight. Especially when you know that there is a good chance we wouldn’t win.”
“Do you really think that a handful of witches are going to be able to take us down? There are over fifty warriors in our clan, or have you forgotten?”
John scoffed. “I have not forgotten anything.”
“And what was it that you were talking about, the ace in your pocket?”
John knew that his father would want to have more information. Most likely, it would be so that he could take control of the situation. While Dominic may be the Alpha, everyone knew that his son had far more sense. Dominic tended to lose his cool.
“I told you that I'm not going to say anything else. I have the leverage that we need. I am not going to worry about these witches until they come. Then, we will take care of them.”
Dominic wanted to know more, but John wasn't going to give it to him. He would not let his father interfere. There was also a momentary feeling of protection that came over him. John wanted to make sure that nothing happened to Laura. The little witch was taking care of Dana. No one needed to know who she was, and Laura didn’t need to know that she was a pawn in their games.
He had not met the woman before, and now he was having second thoughts about his decision. However it played out; he knew that he would not let any harm come to Laura. Not by his hands, or anyone else’s.
Dominic left, stormed out because his son was not going to do what he wanted. John was just happy that he could prolong it a little bit longer. There was still hope that things could be worked out. He liked to believe that anything had to be better than war. Although not everyone was inclined to think the same, they would listen to him because he was the biggest and most fearsome of them all.
For a while, John hadn’t wanted to take his father’s place. Now, he was starting to think he wasn’t going to be able to wait for him to give it to him. Not if Dominic always insisted on war. John might, in fact, have to take it.
Chapter Six
Things were going better with Laura and Dana. They just had to get acquainted. When Dana finally showed Laura her room, Laura instantly knew what would bring them together. It was obvious from all of the drawings and paintings on her walls that she liked art. Laura probably wasn’t as good as Dana, even at her young age. But she did like to draw, and she had brought her art kit.
After she showed some interest in her art, Dana really opened up, and she was like a whole other kid. The rudeness was almost gone, though she still did make comments about humans several times. Dana kept looking at her expectantly, maybe waiting for her to say something back, but Laura just ignored it.
After a couple of days, the two girls were becoming fast friends. And on the third morning, Dana threw a real curveball, and they had pancakes instead of the suggestion of oatmeal that was on the fridge.
“Are you sure you want to go against your schedule?”
Dana agreed, and Laura wanted to push it a little further. It wasn't just breakfast that was regimented, but almost every minute of every day for the little girl.
“I will make you pancakes, even with chocolate chips and whipped cream, but you have to do something for me in return.”
“What is it?”
The little girl had a look that told Laura that she was expecting the worst.
“I want you to get rid of the schedule for the day. Send whoever is supposed to come here today away and let's go outside and paint or do some charcoal drawings. It’s too pretty to stay inside and work on a piano.”
For anyone else, the idea of having a free day would have been the best thing in the world, but Dana was different. The little girl had a serious control problem, and Laura could see that she was fighting it. For a moment, she thought that the schedule was going to win, but she held firm, hoping that a little incentive would help.
“Okay. I don't know what you're up to, but one day without a schedule shouldn't hurt anything. I am ahead on everything anyway.”
“Of course, you are.”
Laura had no doubt of that. The little girl was rather exceptional, and it wasn’t just her self-control—something that most adults hadn’t managed to handle. She was an exceptional artist as well, especially for her age.
Laura made the pancakes, and she put extra whipped cream on top for the little girl. Again, Dana looked at her like she was pushing the limits, but Laura didn’t say anything. She didn't say anything later, either, when she noticed that all of the whipped cream was gone. It made Laura wonder why the schedule was so important to the little girl. Was her father obsessed with schedules?
“Does your father have a schedule?”
“I don't think so. Daddy's old, and he's been doing the same thing for a long time. He doesn't need a schedule anymore. He just does it.”
That did not give Laura much information, but she was going to let it pass. She had tried several times to get information about John, but Dana seemed too interested in why she wanted to know. The little girl was way too observant, and sometimes it threw Laura off guard. Dana looked like a little girl but talking to her was a different experience altogether.
“I don't think I've ever had a schedule. Even when I went to school.”
“How did you get anything done?”
Laura shrugged. “We just did. We just knew what had to be done as well.”
“That doesn't sound very efficient.”
“Dana, you are only seven years old. You shouldn’t even know what the word means yet. Where do you get all of this drive from?”
Dana shrugged he
r shoulders. Her little shoulders were so tiny, but to Laura, they seemed to hold the weight of the world on them.
“I don't know. I just have a lot to do. I want to be a lawyer.”
“What about your art?”
“That doesn't pay the bills.”
Laura just waved her off. “You are too young to be worried about that. Let's go outside and do some drawing. You can’t put them on your college applications, but at least it will be fun.”
It was going to take Laura time to deal with Dana's schedules and her drive. She knew that it was going to take more than one day not looking at the refrigerator for the answer for everything. Laura was still going to take it as a win though.
They set up outside, and Laura was thankful for how pretty the day was. It was hard for her companion to be in a fussy mood when it was so pretty outside. The sun was shining, and there was a cool breeze. The birds were chirping, and Laura thought it was the perfect moment.
“So, what do you want to draw?”
Laura had checked out some of the trees, and there were a couple that had a good form she wanted to draw. It was a good way for her to zone out and forget about everything. When she lived in such a chaotic house like she had all those years, it was a very necessary thing for Laura.
“I was thinking of the bird.”
Laura looked over at the birds she was speaking of.
“You will have to draw fast. I don't know how long it's going to stay there for you.”
The little girl took her words to heart and immediately started to get her piece of the charcoal out. Laura had to give her a few tips because Dana told her that she had never used it before. Laura was happy to see Dana’s guard come down, and the smile on her face was easy. She was not only talented, but she enjoyed art immensely.
The funny thing was that when Laura mentioned something about it, Dana just brushed it off like it was a joke. She didn't seem to realize how talented she was, or she didn't care. There didn't seem to be a lot of value put in art by Dana, and Laura wondered by.
