by Quell T Fox
I don’t let it ruin my mood though. Even after the crap morning I’ve had, I try to keep my spirits up. When I get home, I take all my school things and head down to the library. With Grim at my feet, I open my laptop and get working on my paper that’s due on Wednesday.
I enjoy having the house to myself at times. For a while, being alone was just as scary as being around a crowd of people was, but as I got older and learned more about everything the guys do to protect their house, I started to feel safe while alone. There is nowhere else that makes me feel as safe as this house. It’s a different kind of feeling having comfort with no one else around, especially when all I’ve ever wanted was to be with people who cared about me. Growing up, I just wanted someone to talk to, to spend time with. When I finally got all of it, I was terrified. Being in this house with all these people at first was overwhelming for me. It was so much change all at once.
Everyone has offered for me to stay in the guest house, but I’m not quite there yet. I still don’t feel comfortable enough being separated from them even though it is only by a short walkway. I’m okay during the day but it’s the nighttime that gets me. I’m not afraid of the dark, far from it. I love the dark. It’s just the knowledge of knowing what lives in the dark. Knowing people are more likely to come after me in the dark. As much as I’ve grown to realize my mom was most likely crazy, I still have some of the paranoia she instilled in me over the years.
While we’re on the subject, I’m not so sure she was crazy. It’s one of the things that keeps replaying in my head, over and over. What if someone has been after me this entire time? What if my mother wasn’t crazy and knew who it was? She always hid me away, keeping me inside the house at all times. I was allowed out in the back yard only a few times a year, but it was never for long. She’d tell me people could take me and we couldn’t risk it.
When I came here, the guys assured me it wasn’t true. They told me she was most likely worried the cops or child protective services would come to the house, and it made sense.
But now?
I let out a long sigh, scrubbing my hands over my face.
At night, I like knowing the guys are just a room away. Nighttime was always the worst when I was with my mom. It’s when people would come and go the most. I’d hear all kinds of sounds throughout the night. More often than not, people would wander into my room. Nothing ever happened and not for lack of trying, but that was a line my mother wouldn’t cross, and she somehow always found whoever it was who wondered into my room before they ever had a chance to do something that bad. I was on edge when bedtime came around, feeling the most vulnerable. I waited for the night she would be too high to realize what was going on in her daughter’s room next door. Because I’ve always had trouble sleeping, I saw and heard everything. I had to force myself to sleep and would wake up at the tiniest sound. I’m still the same way now and I’m not sure if it’s trauma and nerves, or if it’s just who I am as a person.
The night she died… I remember falling asleep early the night before. I’d had a rough week, barely getting any sleep at all. Mom and Gary were arguing about something, which was normal, and she said she was going to bed too. The sun had just gone down when I closed my eyes, and I didn’t wake up until the next morning.
I’ve always found a semblance of comfort in the darkness. Like it’s where I belong. It’s the thought of what goes on in the night that scares me. It’s when the monsters like to strike. And by monsters, I don’t mean the vampires and werewolves because humans can be the biggest monsters of all.
Chapter Fifteen
Leona
Lina picks me up for school on Monday morning. Apparently, her and Eddie had a fight over the weekend and she doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Stop worrying about my problems and tell me about your date with your giant, sexy hunk of man meat.” She steals a glance at me. “Does he have a big dick?”
“Lina!” I laugh, slapping her arm playfully. I tell her all about the date though. How perfect it was, how much fun I had. I also express my thoughts on how everything was too perfect.
“Stop being a Negative Nancy, Leona. Just because something good happens to you doesn’t mean it’s going to backfire. Good things happen to good people.”
Her positivity is one thing I love most about her.
I do tend to be negative, but not on purpose. In fact, I purposely try not to be negative.
I consider telling her about the date with Hunter but decide against it. She really is going to kill me when she finds out, but I don’t feel like having that conversation right now. It’s Monday and it’s early.
Lina turns the volume up on the radio and we scream sing 90’s songs until we reach school. We put our stuff in our lockers and head to our first period. She promises me she will be in class later because her and Eddie are over.
For now, is what I think. No matter what she chooses, whether with Eddie or someone else, I will always be here for her. That’s what friends do.
Hunter is already in class when I get there and he greets me with a forced smile. I don’t know what is up his ass and quite frankly, I don’t care. He acts like he doesn’t want anything to do with me, yet he still acknowledges me. It doesn’t make any sense. You can’t act like a jackass on a date, then smile at me when I get to class like it never happened.
We get through most of class without having to say anything to each other because we’re all taking notes. But towards the end, the teacher puts on a movie for us to watch about the different types of chemical reactions and excuses himself.
“How was your weekend?” Hunter asks in a hushed voice, though his tone tells me he could not care less.
I play along.
“Fine. Yours?”
“Acceptable.”
As I finally turn towards him, about to give him a piece of my mind, I notice he’s sporting a black and blue eye and a few scratches down his cheek.
“What happened to you?” I ask instead.
“Walked into a door.”
“Oh please. Everyone knows when you use the excuse ‘I walked into a door’ it’s to cover up something they don’t want to talk about.”
“Okay. I don’t want to talk about it,” he says through clenched teeth.
He is infuriating. I stare at him for a long minute, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
“Were your uncles upset about the date?”
And just like that, he changes his tune again. I keep playing along, wanting to know what his game is. My guard is up and I’m going in with my eyes wide open.
He asks about our date. Date? It was supposed to be a date but that was no date. Anger rises up at the memory of it, and how his attitude towards me now is. But I reign it in and decide to go with kill ‘em with kindness.
“You know, you guys sure ask a lot of questions about my uncles. If you want a date with one of them, I’ll gladly ask, but I don’t think you’re their type.”
He raises an eyebrow, like he can’t believe I even spoke those words. Smartass is what he gets. It’s less than what he deserves. He’s lucky I don’t flip my lid right here in class.
And thankfully, I’m saved by the bell. I gather my things quickly and get up, rushing to my next class. I work straight through the bell, taking down notes and completing my worksheets. When class is done, I take my time getting my stuff together knowing if I go slow, I’ll run into Thorne as he comes in. He is someone I could stand to see right now.
Even if I am suspicious of their perfectly timed requests for dates, I can’t help the way I feel. I’ve felt something towards them since the first time I saw them. The more time goes on, the harder it is to ignore. Even though Hunter is being a royal jackass, I’m still feeling something. And even though Castor has basically pretended like our date didn’t happen, there are still feelings there. It’s hard to explain. Thorne hasn’t actually done anything wrong, other than being guilty by association, which isn’t fair of me to be upset with him over.
<
br /> I can’t blame him for something that hasn’t happened yet, it also wouldn’t be fair. All I can do is keep my walls up and see where things go. With all of them.
“Hey, beautiful.” His deep voice causes goosebumps to erupt all over my skin and a smile crosses my lips. The familiar feeling of warmth creeps up and settles right into my chest. He must have rushed from his other class because I’m only now zipping up my backpack.
“Hey,” I say back, turning towards him and tucking some hair behind my ear. He’s so close I have to crane my head back a little to see his face. His hair is up today, but he looks just as good as he always does. It’s in a perfectly messy bun, small bumps popping out everywhere from his untamed curls. I think of what it would be like to run my fingers through it. It looks so soft, and I bet it smells as good as he does.
“Text you later?”
I smile and nod. Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I step beside him and meet Lina at the door. She’s fanning herself dramatically, leaning against the door jamb like she may fall over. I roll my eyes at her and push her out the door. I sneak a peek at Thorne before I enter into the hallway and find he is watching me with an adoring look on his face. The butterflies go crazy in my stomach well into next period over his look.
At lunch, it’s only Thorne who sits with us and as much as I don’t mind, I want to know why. They’ve never been apart during lunch before. He tells me they are busy making up work, yet for some reason, I don’t believe him. Thorne doesn’t make a good liar, but I don’t call him out on it. I keep it in the back of my brain in case I need it later. Either I’ll find out he lies to me often, which is a big no-no, or it’s a simple white lie to protect his friends. Which is something I can’t necessarily hold against him because I would do the same for Lina. Thorne and I have no ties to one another.
About halfway through lunch, the missing boys walk in. Only they aren’t alone. Three girls from their school trail behind them. An unwanted jealousy rises up, stirring in my stomach. Why are they all together? I watch with angry eyes as they walk to the back of the cafeteria and sit at the table they’ve dubbed as their own. Most of the students from their school sit in that area, though a few have seemingly made friends and are intermingling with some of the locals. It’s actually nice to see.
The girls take a seat at the table with the boys. Cassidy plops her perfectly round ass right on the side of Castor. Cassidy is the girl who was rude to me the other day, the one I almost told off before Castor made them leave. Apparently she’s been after Castor since elementary school. Turns out, Lina being in class with Brenna is beneficial to me.
Castor has his forearms resting on the table, leaning in towards Hunter. They’re having what looks like an in-depth conversation when Cassidy reaches over, placing her hand on his forearm, and says something to her friend that causes her to erupt in hysterics. I scoff and turn back to my food. The corner of Thorne’s mouth twitches, as if my annoyance by them is humorous.
“What are you doing after school?” Thorne asks.
“Catching up on homework.”
“Care for some company?”
“You want to come over after what my family put you through on Friday?”
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He looks funny sitting in the chair, like an adult sitting in a child’s chair. He really should have one specially made for him.
“Why not? Your brother seems like a fun guy and they didn’t pull out any shotguns. Always a plus.”
Lina looks up with an I told you so look on her face. She’s been telling me forever I need to stop lying to them, tell them how it is and they’ll eventually get over it. Turns out she was right. That’s how it seems, anyway.
“They don’t need shotguns. They’re Paranormals,” I retort, pushing my half full plate of food away. Lina looks up at me from her phone for only a moment, an annoyed look on her face. Her and Eddie must still be arguing. She chose not to get anything for lunch today, and she’s been glued to her phone since we left class. I get the occasional look and side question, but mostly she’s occupied.
“Good point.”
Thorne is the only one who hasn’t questioned me about my family. I wonder if they had different upbringings when it comes to Paranormals. It doesn’t exactly worry me, but it definitely makes me curious. It isn’t out of the norm for humans to ask about Paranormals and their lifestyle. Maybe they don’t have a lot in their town, so I don’t think anything of it. I’m used to the questions at this point in life. I was the new girl with a Paranormal family not too long ago. When I first started school, the questions were overwhelming.
Where did you come from? Where is your mom? Why are you starting here so late? Why do you have so many dads?
The guys would take turns bringing me to school. Most of the time it was more than one of them. The kids would wonder why so many different guys were dropping me off. I’m sure their moms knew; they couldn’t take their eyes off them.
When you’re a kid, you don’t understand how things work in the adult world. Especially for human kids learning about the Paranormal lifestyle. It’s not something parents would explain to them for no reason.
I pull out my phone and text Friday.
Me: Thorne is coming over after school for homework.
She answers back almost immediately.
Friday: Your funeral, Kid.
Well, thanks.
Thorne raises an eyebrow in question at the groan that escapes my mouth.
“Feel free to come by but know if any injuries occur, I will not be held liable.”
He lets out a deep laugh and we make small talk as I finish lunch. Lina is glued to her phone and I know better than to ask questions. She gets in these modes where she goes from Lina to Devil. She internalizes her anger and never lets it out. I mean, ever. The girl never gets angry. But try talking to her when she’s like this and I swear you’d hear a demon speak for her.
No doubt her and Eddie are on their downfall; if they haven’t reached it yet. This stretch was shorter than the others but it makes sense. Over the years, they’ve tried to make things work, yet it never does. Their patience for each other is all but existent. It’s clear as day. Not even the sex can make up for not liking someone.
Best friends usually tell each other everything, but Lina knows I hold back some of my information, so I can’t get on her case for not telling me some of hers. At the end of the day, we understand each other and that’s all I can ask her for. I know if I need to talk, she’s there. And she knows the same is true for me.
We split ways after lunch and the afternoon goes by rather quickly, considering I’ve been stressing about Thorne coming over.
Picking me up for a date is one thing. It’s in and out. But coming over to stay? This is a true test. One I hope he makes it through.
Because I really like him.
Lina drops me off at home after school and thankfully it’s only Callan, Friday, and the kids. Hopefully Thorne gets here before the others get back. It’ll be a lot easier for them to walk into him being here, rather than him showing up when they’re already here. We’d even be able to get some homework done instead of having to dodge questions and insults.
I get my stuff ready in the library, knowing going up to my room is out of the question. Not that I wouldn’t be allowed to. I’m sure I would, but it’ll cause more problems than it’s worth. I really do need to get my homework done and being upstairs, alone with Thorne, is not a good idea with how I’ve been feeling lately.
My phone dings as I’m pulling out my books. I spread them out on the long table before picking up my phone and checking who it is.
Thorne: On my way.
Sooner than I expected. Great. There is a good chance he will get here before the guys return home.
Twenty minutes later the buzzer is going for the gate, and two minutes later the doorbell is ringing. I rush to the door and let him in, greeting him with a smile but nothing more. Even
though I want nothing more than to throw myself at him. He’s next greeted by Grim and Briella, who looks up at him like he’s Santa Claus.
“Wow! You’re even bigger than my daddies!”
Thorne gets down on his knee and he still towers over Briella. In fact, he’s just about an inch or so shorter than me. I wonder if he’s part giant.
“What’s your name?” he asks in the sweetest voice I have ever heard. My panties practically melt off my body and it’s such a shocking thought to have because nothing like that has ever crossed my mind before.
“Briella.” She smiles bashfully. “You’re Thorne.” She points to him.
“That’s right.”
I catch something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head to find Friday waving me down with one arm, Milo is sleeping in the other. She gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up and I laugh quietly, shaking my head.
“All right, Bri. We have some homework to do. We’ll hang out later, okay?” I say, placing my hand on Thorne’s shoulder. It’s firmer than I expected. Warmer, too. I kind of don’t want to let it go, but I quickly move it away knowing if I don’t, I may end up doing something that is highly inappropriate considering we are in front of a small child and my adoptive mother figure.
“Promise?” Briella asks, pulling me from my dirty thoughts. Thorne stands up, keeping his eyes on Briella with a smirk on his lips.
“I promise,” I say.
“Can we go to the beach to find shells?”
“Whatever you want,” I respond, starting towards the library.
“Can Thorne come?” she asks, bouncing on her feet.
I pause, look back to him and he gives me a slight shrug.
“Sure. He can come, too.”
She jumps for joy and runs over to Friday to tell her the good news. I lead Thorne into the library, and we spend the next couple of hours doing homework. Friday does a good job of keeping Briella out of our hair so we can study and finish homework, but after hearing her right outside of the door talking about seashells for five minutes straight, I can’t help but give up on the schoolwork and tell her it’s time to go.
