One Of The Enemy (Hidden Descendant Series, Book 1)

by C. M. Chidgey

“No, we are just going to show her remember?” Mark answered.

  “Sure, but I was sure Denise would break.”

  Denise snorted. “You’re more likely to than I am.”

  Matt just snorted in return as Dom entered mid yawn. I had to stop myself from staring at his muscles moving beneath his t-shirt. It was almost painful to look away, but somehow I managed it.

  “Morning sweetheart.” He said kissing the top of my head.

  “Morning.” I muttered trying to remember that he could never really be mine.

  “Has anyone told her yet?” Owen asked following Dom in no longer the form of a cat.

  “Yeah, Matt told me.” I said with a smirk at Matt.

  “I knew it! When are we going to show her the p-“ Owen started before Matt shouted.

  “Dude, shut up I didn’t tell her she was just trying to get you to.”

  I chuckled shaking my head before Owen pointed at me. “Ah, you’re a sly one you are.”

  Rolling my eyes at him as everyone laughed I got up to get a glass of water still feeling unusually hot. After two glasses my skin seemed to cool down at least a little, I had to resist the temptation to just pour a glass over my head. Dom was looking at me curiously as the others were talking about different things so I just shrugged and gave him a smile before saying.

  “Just a little thirsty.”

  The frown deepened on his face, but he nodded and looked away before asking Matt.

  “You know when Andrew is getting here?”

  He glanced at his watch. “About five minutes ago.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Dom muttered as I quickly and as quietly as I could poured another glass of cold water down my throat.

  At that moment we heard the front door opening before Andrew’s voice travelled down the hallway.

  “I’m here guys!”

  He practically skipped into the room before kissing Denise on the cheek and then heading towards me and giving me a hug. I hugged him back and had to stop myself from crying into his chest before he pulled back and examined me.

  “You look a bit flushed girl.”

  I shrugged moving away from him before leaning against the kitchen counter. “Hot shower.”

  He glared at me as if to detect if was lying, but he didn’t say anything to suggest if he thought I was telling the truth.

  “So, have you guessed what we got you?” He asked.

  I frowned looking around at everyone who was now staring at me before shrugging. “I have absolutely no idea.”

  He grabbed my hand and yanked on it. “Well come on then and we’ll show you.”

  I ran upstairs to pull on some boots before climbing back down and meeting them just outside the front door. When we had reached the end of the driveway they all looked at me and Andrew asked.

  “Do you trust us?”

  They were all staring at me and it was freaking me out a little.

  “Come on Cayla, you need to trust us for this.” Matt said.

  I looked around at each of them and frowned. “Not when you are all staring at me like that, it’s kind of creepy.”

  Dom chuckled and shouldered the others out of the way before standing in front of my and looking down at me with those beautiful green eyes of his.

  “Do you trust me?”

  I looked up at him and thought about all the times he had tried to protect me, how could I not trust him.

  I nodded silently.

  “Good.” He smirked and held out his hand to Andrew who passed him one of those blindfold things that some people wore when they slept. Without another word he put it over my head so that I couldn’t see a single thing. “Can you see us?” He asked.

  I shook my head and then I felt hands on my shoulders as I was gently guided in a certain direction.

  “What the hell is going on guys? I feel like I’m being kidnapped.” I asked.

  “I told you this was too much.” Denise insisted.

  “Oh, don’t worry she’s fine.” Andrew said. “Although the kidnapping isn’t a bad idea, we could lock her up to keep her out of trouble.”

  I snorted. “You make it sound like I get in trouble on a daily basis.”

  “I think you’re attempting to make it that regular.” Dom murmured.

  “Whatever, if I have this thing taken off and I’m in a cage I’m going to show you how vicious I can get.”

  “Oooh, fighting talk. I swear that confrontation she had with Maddy made her a little crazy.” Andrew said.

  I groaned. “It did not make me crazy.”

  “Of course it didn’t.” Matt said. “You were already crazy before that.”

  I made a growling noise at him before hitting out in the direction his voice was coming from. I heard Matt, Owen and Dom chuckling.

  “Ow, wrong direction girl.” Andrew said. “And you see what I mean? You were all sweet when I met you.”

  “Maybe she just has her women monthly issues.” Matt stated with a chuckle.

  I stopped suddenly with a frown as I realised that I hadn’t had one since I had been here, I should have been due on my birthday, I was never late and I mean never not even by a day. I mean pregnancy wasn’t an issue for me, but it was just weird.

  “What is it?” Dom asked me.

  I shook my head muttering. “Nothing, it’s fine.” Before I continued walking.

  Matt and Owen were laughing before Owen said.

  “That was like one of these things you see on a movie when the girl is like. Oh shit I’m pregnant.”

  Suddenly they all went deadly silent and Dom halted me. Rolling my eyes behind my blindfold wondering who the hell they would have thought I had done anything with I said. “Unless the female reproductive system has changed since I last learnt about it that isn’t even possible.” My face reddened as I spoke, but immediately after I had finished we began walking again.

  Eventually after what seemed like ages although it probably wasn’t very far it was just the blindfold making things seem that way since I couldn’t see anything I heard a door open and close before we walked into warmth so I guessed it was a building. I felt the squishyness of the carpet beneath my boots and the voices of a few people as I was lead to what I discovered was the elevator when the doors closed with a ding.

  “Where are we going?” I muttered mostly to myself.

  “Wait and see.” Andrew said.

  I heard another ding when the elevator doors reopened before I was lead onto some more squishy carpet. A few moments later I heard some beeps and the sound of keys moving before being put into a keyhole and turned. I guessed I was pushed through a door then onto yet more of the same carpet. The sound of the door closing was followed by Andrew asking.

  “Ok, are you ready?”

  “Sure.” I said wondering where I was.

  The moment the blindfold was taken off I noticed we were in someone’s apartment. It was a huge open layout, lounge in the centre mostly taken up by a big corner sofa and plasma tv, over to the right was a step leading up to an awesome kitchen with black countertops and black cupboards. There were high bar stools around a breakfast counter in the centre of it. Left was another step leading up to a dining area with a wooden table and chairs, but beyond that were some doors to what I assumed would be bedrooms and bathrooms.

  The apartment was amazing and I was definitely jealous of whoever lived here, but I knew I would never be able to afford somewhere like this even with the generous sum of money that my parents had left me. I realised then that I was here for my present, but after another I glance I couldn’t see anything that would resemble one.

  I frowned and looked back at the others who were looking at me expectantly.

  “Ok…..So, where is the present guys?” After the blindfold thing I half expected them to tell me I had to find the clues to get to it, but to my surprise Andrew grinned and Matt said.

  “You’re standing in it.”

  That completely baffled me, I couldn’t remember stepping into a
nything, but just to make sure I looked down at my feet before looking up at them again.

  “Is this some kind of panther thing that is invisible to humans because I’m really not getting it?”

  Dom chuckled and grabbed my shoulders before turning me around towards the apartment again and whispering in my ear. “This whole place is yours.”

  I couldn’t help, but laugh before turning back to them. “The apartment? Very funny, but whose apartment is it, it is pretty great.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Yours.”

  I laughed again, but I was slightly less sure now by the serious looks that they were all giving me.

  “You can’t buy me an apartment.” I said to them.

  “We already did.” Matt said with a grin.

  They were all enjoying this way too much. I stared at Matt as if I had never seen him before. I felt like I had been dropped into another world. There was no way they could have actually bought me an apartment, especially one as nice as this.

  “This is too much; you can’t expect me to accept this.”

  “We will be extremely offended if you don’t accept your present.” Andrew said.

  “Are you ok?” Dom asked as I leant against the wall.

  I nodded. “Uh huh, just trying to decide if I’m going to pass out.”

  Matt snorted and Owen said. “I told you this would be a youtube moment.”

  “Watching Cayla pass out isn’t something to put on youtube.” Denise scolded him.

  When I had decided I wasn’t going to pass out I looked at them shaking my head trying to hold back tears of happiness that I had somehow met such amazing people. “Thank you guys, really. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  To my annoyance a tear slipped down my cheek so I brushed it away quickly not willing to let myself cry like a baby in front of them. I made my way through all of them then giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  Mark dropped the keys to the apartment in my hand before saying. “The code on your door is the day and month of your birthday.”

  Well that explained the beeping. I nodded giving him another smile before Owen said.

  “Well guys, this has been great, but these people around here are talking too much and it’s giving me a headache so if you don’t mind I’m going cat.”

  He had barely finished the sentence before he was replaced by the familiar black cat with yellow eyes. I stared at him still amazed that they could all do that. It was rather odd when the cat winked at me before he strolled around the apartment.

  “Ok, we are off home. I trust you three can help Cayla unpack her stuff?” Denise said.

  They all nodded and I gave them both another hug and a kiss before thanking them again. They assured me they were glad to do it and soon they had left the apartment, well my apartment. It might take me a while to start thinking of it as mine.

  “You guys are the awesomest friends ever!” I exclaimed before launching myself at them wrapping them into a group hug. It wasn’t until hugging them all together like that, that I really noticed that Matt’s and Dom’s body temperatures seemed to be a little higher than Andrew’s. It must just be a shapeshifter thing, I had always noticed how warm Dom’s skin was, but I thought it had just been because I liked him.

  “Well, yes we are pretty awesome.” Matt said.

  “I think we are to be honest.” Andrew agreed.

  “No doubt about it.” Dom added.

  I ran into the spacious lounge and jumped around before doing an actual cartwheel. When I landed my eyes widened.

  “Wow, I haven’t done one of those since Kindergarten.”

  Dom chuckled shaking his head in amusement.

  “So, can you get your Dad’s truck here?” I asked Matt.

  He grinned. “No need, we already bought the boxes up here, they are in your room.”

  Realising I hadn’t seen my room yet I jumped up the step on the dining room side and ran straight through the first door I came to.

  “Spare bedroom.” Andrew called behind me chuckling.

  I glanced around to see an average size ordinary room, which had a door leading to what I guessed was its own bathroom before running over to the next door.

  “Toilet.” Matt called.

  He was right it was just a smallish room with a toilet and a sink. The last door was my last option so I ran over to that one and through the door. My mouth dropped open as I took in the ridiculously huge room, the first thing I saw were my boxes from my Uncle’s. Next I saw the double bed, desk and bedside tables all matching. There were two doors leading off of it, one I discovered led to a bathroom with a tub sunk into the floor, a huge shower, sink and toilet all looking shiny and it made me almost feel afraid to touch any of it in case it ruined it.

  The second door led into a large walk in closet with more compartments than I had clothes and shoes to fill them. I wouldn’t even be able to fill the drawers that were built into it for underwear and socks. At some point I would have to do some serious clothes shopping to get even close to filling it.

  “So, what do you think?” Dom asked from the bedroom where he was now standing with Andrew and Matt.

  I grinned. “I love it! Who wouldn’t?”

  They all smiled and Andrew said. “We have just one more present.”

  I glared at them. “No way, you guys can’t get me anything else!”

  Matt shrugged. “Too late, you might as well have it; it won’t fit any of us.”

  I sighed, which as far as they were concerned was me agreeing to have it. Dom knelt down and pulled something out from under the bed, which turned out to be a white box. He bought it over to me and gave me a smile before holding it out until I reluctantly took it. After I had stood there for about five minutes he chuckled before saying.

  “Just open it.”

  I groaned before kneeling down on the floor, putting the box down and pulling the lid off. Pushing the paper stuff back I revealed a dark blue material, it took me a moment to realise it was exactly the same dress as the one that had been destroyed.

  I looked up at them in amazement.

  “How? I couldn’t even remember where I got that from?”

  Andrew smirked. “We did some research.”

  I smiled. “Thank you guys so much.” I said before jumping up and wrapping them into another group hug. “I should be the one giving you guys presents, you’re the ones who keep saving me.”

  Matt smirked when we pulled away. “But everyone loves to save a damsel in distress.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks, that make me feel soooo brave.”

  Dom grinned. “You were a little brave when you hit the wolf with the stick, but besides that you were kind of damsel in distress like.”

  I snorted. “Don’t forget me threatening you panthers with a stick, that was brave too!”

  Matt chuckled. “Oh come on, that hardly counts.”

  “It so does count.” I insisted.

  “I’m so upset I missed that.” Andrew pouted.

  “I’m glad you all get amusement out of my misfortunes with wolves who I’m pretty sure have a tracker on me by the way, I’m pretty sure I don’t smell that tasty.”

  “Oh I don’t know, I felt like chomping on you for a minute there.” Matt said.

  Dom elbowed him. “Good thing you didn’t act on your feelings or you would have been the damsel in distress.”

  I chuckled shaking my head before fanning myself with my hand as my body seemed to do a ridiculous increase in temperature all of a sudden. Andrew was looking at me so I stopped and walked over to one of the boxes before I began to unpack. The others helped almost continuously asking me what I wanted to keep and throw or where I wanted it. I had unpacked another two boxes when I picked up a magazine to fan myself with it.

  “Damn, it’s hot in here.” I mumbled.

  “Not really.” Matt answered as he continued to search through the box.

  Sighing I threw the magazine down and continued with t
he unpacking. I had never liked to be too hot and now I kept having hot flushes for no reason. After another two boxes I was glad when I began to cool down a little and soon I was at normal temperature as if it had never happened.

  It was nearing evening when I dragged my suitcase to the closet and began to unpack that. Almost as soon as I did Andrew stood up brushing his hands on his jeans and said.

  “I’ll go and get Cayla’s suitcase from your place Dom. Then shall I pick up something for dinner?”

  “Pizza!” Matt shouted at the same time as Dom.

  I chuckled shaking my head, sometimes it was like they were twins.

  “Owen, do you want pizza?” Andrew asked.

  I saw the black cat walk into my bedroom before sitting and licking his paw.

  “He says Pepperoni.” Dom said.

  They each decided what pizza’s they wanted before Andrew called.

  “Hey Cayla, what pizza do you want?”

  I jumped and somehow cut my finger on the zip of the suitcase in the process. A drop of blood leaked out followed by more. Shoving my finger into my mouth I sucked the blood off before pulling it back out to see how bad the cut was. I stared and stared at my finger, but there was nothing there. It was as if the blood had appeared out of thin air and now there was no evidence of it at all.

  “What the hell?” I muttered trying to find the cut I was sure was there somewhere.

  “Cayla?” Andrew prompted walking into the door frame of the closet.

  I looked up at him completely forgetting what he had been asking me.

  “Pizza…..What toppings?” He stared at my held up finger. “What’s wrong with your finger?”

  “Oh!” I quickly dropped my hand back to the clothes. “Nothing, I thought I had cut it, but I didn’t and cheese and tomato please.”

  He grinned and walked towards the bedroom door. “Well I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

  “Bye!” We all called together followed by Owen’s meow.

  Chapter 10

  We had finished unpacking and were all sitting on the sofa when the buzzer went off for the door. Matt stood up and pressed a button near the door with a screen on showing Andrew standing outside the front of the building.

  “Hey guys, can one of you come down and help me bring up the pizza?” He asked.