"Wake up, Bianca!" Meg yells in my ear and I open her eyes somewhat stunned. She run my hand over my neck, which hurts from having slept badly in the chair next to Matt's bed, who had a fever all night.
Poor boy, he didn't stop complaining about the discomfort, but Richard doesn't want to take us to the hospital for care. He says they are full of germs and that one comes in with one disease and leaves with three others. Sometimes that kind of mania on his part of him annoys me, like, for example, he does not like I'm around when he's meditating.
But with the fact that he doesn't want to take us to the doctor, he goes too far. Luckily for him, the guys who live in his foster home are very healthy, of course, except when a disease like chickenpox falls on us.
As always, I am at the foot of the bed when he feels bad. No idea how to cure them. Not nurse, nor do I want to be one, I am going to be a lawyer and mine is the law, not injections. Luckily, all the guys I have cared for heal very quickly. Although I must confess that I am happy to take care of them and see how they heal.
It makes me feel something special.
"Come on sleepyhead!" The cute blue-eyed girl shouts again as she tries to rip my arm off, "the new girl just arrived, I saw Maggie's car down the street from my window."
"Take it easy," I tell Meg," I only have two arms and you're going to take one off me." Try to joke, but she pouts at me and narrows her eyes. Rub my face and stretch in the chair, "let me see how Matt is and I already go down the stairs."
"But we're going to see her together, you promised me," she claims. Although it is exciting for her to receive a new sibling, as she calls us, for me it is normal. Seen so many people come and go from Richard's house, that now I try not to get attached to them, although of course it's hard not to love little Meg, with that sweet look and warm golden curls.
I near to her and kiss on the top of her head and take the thermometer from the nightstand and place it on Matt, while I pat little Meg's head. When the time marker sounds, I look at the device again and verify that the temperature is normal.
"Now we can go, little one," I inform the impatient cute girl.
"Then Matt isn't going to die anymore," the very cheeky teases, as we go down the stairs to the hall.
"Of course not!" Tell him in false amazement.
"He was screaming yesterday that he was dying," she tells me. Poor Matt, he's scared of everything, but I can't blame him, he's barely seven years old and has lived through more things than a typical child: the loss of his parents in an accident and having to live with strangers for six months.
"Of course not, if it was just chickenpox," I reply, and she looks at me somewhat puzzled.
"Got chickenpox and my mom took care of me for a long time. She had a high fever and I got hives full of water. You have to put medicine all over the body," she tells me and now I am the one who is surprised. In all the time that I have lived with Richard, that is, all my life, I have never seen a child with chickenpox that lasts more than two days with a fever and I have only seen a couple of little bumps each.
Not surprised about Meg, she is a bit exaggerated, the other time she had a wound that was made with a knife and said that she was going to die, but her wound closed in a matter of minutes, after I put her some of hydrogen peroxide. Sometimes I forget that she is only eight years old and that anything scares her from her.
"Well, let's see the new one, but I have to get coffee first, okay?" Ask her.
"Okay, but don't be late, I'll be at the door to see when they get out of the car," she tells me and I nod, while I goes to the kitchen.
"How's Matt doing?" Richard asks me as he walks into the kitchen, not saying hello or anything. Typical of him.
"He no longer has a fever," he replies, as he begins to set the table for the eight seats, as if Andrew were to appear today. Set the kettle near the seat of Maggie, who she doesn't like coffee. She is good at being a social worker, of which I have heard horror stories from other guys who have stayed around. When I'm done, I pour myself my cup of coffee to keep me awake.
Maggie is the one in charge of all the boys that arrive here, except for me. I don't know who my social worker is, but I've never needed one because I get along so well with Richard and I haven't wanted to run away, like Andrew. Richard is a great friend, except when he is meditating.
After a while Velkan appears going down the stairs accompanied by little Matt, who looks much better. They both sit down at the table and begin to help themselves to breakfast, which is already placed in bowls, thanks to Richard.
"They arrived!" Meg says excitedly, which annoys Velkan and Matt, who were about to bite into their bagels with jam.
"Come on, guys," Richard asks them, "we have to meet a new sister."
When the boys, Richard, and I head to the door, Meg has it open with two people standing in the doorway. Maggie looks the same as always, in that brown and black suit, with the scarf adorning her neck that makes her look like an old woman, but that she doesn't care. Beside her, a girl with tanned skin, red hair up to her neck on one side and shaven on the other, wearing a black leather jacket and matching boots, ripped trousers that were tight to the ankles, and a tight shirt that shows her belly button. Typical girl from foster homes.
Velkan clears his throat loudly, causing Matt to chuckle. Meanwhile, Meg takes the new girl's hand and gives her a hug. No one can resist Meg's charms from her.
"My name is Megan," she tells her, “But everyone calls me Meg."
"Hi, Meg," the new one answers with a smile from ear to ear, which takes away a bit that bad girl image that she has "my name is Kayra."
"Come, I'll take you to the dining room, everything is ready, there are bagels, jam, bacon, scrambled eggs, coffee ..." Meg follows the list, while she leads her to where the table is set.
"Hi everyone," says Maggie.
"Hi," we all reply and head the path Meg and Kayra just took.
"See the table is set for eight people," Maggie says suspiciously.
"Of course," Richard replies, "I know Andrew will come back."
"We'll talk about that later," Maggie just says.
We all sit at the table to eat. Meg sits next to Kayra, the new one, which makes me a little jealous, because until five minutes ago I was her favorite hers. I think she will be one of the few that I will miss when I come of age in a few months. Her and Richard, who has been like my father, of course, very in his own way.
He has been concerned with educating me at home, unlike the other guys who have been here, who have studied at the local school. That has been good, because he has advanced me so many subjects that this year, I graduated with only seventeen and I am going to go to college in the fall, with a scholarship that I won. He did everything he could to make that happen.
When we finish breakfast, Richard and Maggie head to his office from him to talk about Andrew, the last boy to leave here. Usually most of the guys who come here stay to come of age, but he left without telling anyone. Know that happens in other foster homes, but we have never had a case like that. Richard is not exactly everyone's best friend, but he gives us shelter and food, and he cares about us, very much in his way of him, of course.
He even takes us for summer vacation. Once he took us to visit the sea and it was wonderful to breathe so much fresh air that I felt my lungs renew. This year we will go to the mountains, in a reservation that has a lake. That's good because it takes us away from the stress of this huge city so dirty and full of smoke and noisy people and cars. I think that when I am a lawyer, I will live in a smaller and quieter place.
"So, what do you all do here?" Kayra asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"The same old as everywhere," Velkan replies, who can't hide how dumbfounded, and I make a gesture to wipe his mouth.
"The drool is coming off, brother," I say softly, and he rolls his eyes and approaches the new one. Decide to leave them alone, so I take the children to the back to take the dishes and I get ready to wash them. When I'm done, I send Matt and Meg out to play in the backyard and I head upstairs to my room. It is an advantage of having grown up here since I was a baby, I have earned the right to have my own room.
But my eyes widen when I see Velkan cornering against the wall the new one, Kayra, who is eating him with kisses. Their hands are everywhere, and they are so caramelized that I even get envious.
"Gosh!" Tell them with false surprise, "at the rate they are going, I'll have nephews soon," I scoff. They both part with a mischievous smile and looking at different walls.
"We wanted to propose something to you, but it has to be something between us," Velkan tells me, as if I hadn't found them reaching out.
"Let's see, shoot," I answer.
"Well," he says a bit hesitantly, but he looks me in the eye with a twisted smile, "it's that you spend so much time working here, and we think you'd want to go out to a club."
"Know one close by, it's called Scarlet Moon, it's for teenagers, you're going to love it," Kayra adds with a smile, as she puts her arm around her shoulders.
"Teen club, don't mess me," I reply and snort, "there's no such thing and I don't have a fake ID."
"Easy," says Kayra, "I have everything arranged. Know the security at the gate. Some friends of mine will be in town and I want to say hi to them."
"Velkan, you know Richard, no clubbing and you know it," if I will know, how many times have I heard him say to all the guys who have passed through here that.
"He doesn't have to know, Bianca," he winks at me, and I roll my eyes, "come on, little sister, aren't you tired of being Richard's spoiled girl?"
"I'm not the spoiled girl, I'm just the one who's been here the most," I snap, rolling my eyes. Kayra looks at me pouting, still with her arm on my shoulder.
"Come on, think it's my welcome to Richard's house," she says to me, and I meditate a bit. I never really leave the house, I even studied here. My social life is a big zero. Also, this girl looks like take fun and a lot, so nothing will come between her and the club tonight.
"Okay, let's get," I tell them both, raising my hands in surrender. They exchange a knowing look that they don't have to clarify for me. It seems that in the five minutes they know each other is enough to understand each other for a lifetime. As if they were two magnets. That's good for Velkan, who is a bit elusive at times. It seems like what they call love at first sight, although it still seems ridiculous to me.
"Have nothing to wear," I whisper to Kayra, who rolls her eyes. We are in my room. We told Richard we were going to have sleepover, trying to keep Meg from finding out about it because we don't want to break her heart from her. "Don't worry," she says, while she rummages through his suitcase, "I have some dresses here that should fit you well." She puts a couple of suits on my bed, the first is intense salmon, loose in the front, but it fits at the waist with some black leather straps and has a full skirt that reaches mid-thigh, at back side it has a neckline that reaches the middle back, which is intertwined with a leather strap, equal to the one in front. The second is satin, with three-quarter sleeves and a neckline at the front, which fits at the bodice and flares at mid-thighs. Both are perfect to wear with my black ankle boots, but I go for the first one as it makes me look a bit medieval. Kayra has no choice but to put on the second one. Since we are b
"She's already waking up," I hear a male voice next to me, "we must give her something to keep her unconscious." Have a shooting pain in my temple and my mouth is dry. Eyes are still closed. I feel scared. I don't quite remember how I got here or where I am or who these people are. "We can't give her more drugs, what she took was enough to put a horse to sleep," says a girl, "but she drank it all like water, she has too much resistance to liquor or to liquor plus drugs, in any case." "What did you expect of her, Astrid?" Another girl says, whose voice I recognize, "her liver must process what they put on her, alcohol, drugs, whatever. Anyone would love a liver like that,” she scoffs. "Told you I found her," the man says again. Now I'm sure who he is. Velkan. "Realized the moment I saw her, darling," says the other girl, "she's just like her, I have no doubt." Beginning to remember. These are Kayra's friends, and they drugged me. Velkan
"What?" I make fun of Kieran when we are in his room, "do you need an excuse to get a woman?" My lips are pursed with rage and my mouth is still dripping poison, "try to touch me and I rip your head off." Kieran laughs out loud at my threat. It's true, he's huge, he must be about six feet four inches tall, and his body is very muscular, so a small thing like me shouldn't stand a chance in comparison. That doesn't mean that I'm going to make it so easy for him, if he thinks that I am going to fall at his feet, he is very wrong. "Why don't eat and stop threatening me?" He says laughing, trying to get back to his cold position without succeeding, "I just want you to be well and you're hungry, that's why you must eat." "If you want me well, take me home," I snap, "do you know how difficult it is for an orphan girl to get someone to care for her?" "You are not an orphan, and you are not alone", he tries to tell me with the greatest kindness that hi
"It's going to be fine, my alpha," I hear Velkan say, who is sitting on the bed next to mine. Eyes are narrowed and the pain in my side draws a groan from my mouth. "Are you sure?" Kayra asks him in a shaking voice "that branch was stuck between her ribs, and it must have punctured her lung. She was drenched in blood. From what I know, she must have even pierced his heart." "Remember who she is," Velkan replies, but before he continues, I try to sit up. "And who am I supposed to be?" I tell him, looking at my side. The pain diminishes little by little as if I had taken some pain medicine and now it was taking effect, "and I think you two are exaggerating, I just scratched myself, look," I show Kayra, who is putting her hand to her mouth. The medicine or whatever they recently gave me to take effect and now I am much better. I sit on the bed edge still weak and look around me. The sun rays hit me directly in the face and I rub my eyes. Derrick and Fran
The U-shaped table is chaired by Kyle in the middle, with his wife Luna on one side and Kieran on the other. Richard and I sit opposite. He runs his hands over his face several times, leaving one hand stroking his three-day beard, as he does every time, he is speechless. But I have too many things to say, and I don't have time for him to take the courage he needs, so I break the awkward silence. "How did you get there first than us?" Richard looks at me in surprise, because I'm sure he didn't expect that to be my first question. "We took a plane," he answers me, "they told me that they took you by car and it was fine, it is more difficult for them to detect you," he adds as if it were normal to use the word "detect". I deep breath. I think neither he nor I can wait to think about this for another second. "Is everything they told me true, Richard?" I ask him. "It depends on what they have told you, Bianca," he answers me, "the great truth is th
A loud scream wakes me up, but I still feel a little dizzy, so I don't open my eyes yet. "Reject her!" Says a female voice, which I think is Astrid. "Even if I wanted to, I can't, she hasn't been transformed yet, she doesn't even know what I am," Kieran replies annoyed. "And what will you do then?" She asks him, "are you going to leave me?" "I ... I don't know," he replies, "I still don't know what to do, Astrid." He pauses, there's a lot of tension in the air, so I close my eyes more. "Work it out, Kieran," Astrid adds, "she can't be your Luna, she doesn't know anything about the pack, and she doesn't even care about our world. I will always support you, I will know how to be a better Luna, this is my pack, I grew up here and I will do everything to carry it forward as you need. " "Astrid, we were playing around, you and me," he replies, "you are my father's delta, and we are close all the time," he insists, "we are not a couple, it w
"I look like a bitch," I tell Kieran in dislike, as we walk down the hall towards the stairs, to head to the main dining room where dinner will be served in my honor. Never liked to attract attention; it makes me nervous and clumsy, and it is the last thing I need at this moment with so many strange people. Werewolf. Hope Richard is present. It wouldn't hurt to see a familiar face, even if I'm still upset by all his lies. "Yes, but a beautiful bitch,'' he answers near to my ear, placing his hand on my bare back, by the neckline that reaches my black dress waist with three-quarter sleeves and whose pencil-shaped skirt covers the middle thigh. He is dressed in a black shirt with two buttons opens and rolled up on his arms, which draws all the muscles of his torso and arms. His pants are black too. His dark hair is stylish in a well-organized ponytail with gel. "A bitch is a bitch," I reply. His closeness makes me dizzy, and I can no longer be up
"Thank everyone for being here, but we must end the soiree," Kyle announces to everyone, then he looks at a few. while "Kieran, stay in your room with Bianca, have Derrick and Frans escort them. Atea, by my side, we must see each other as a united herd." "Yes, my alpha," they all answer, except me. "Kyle ... uh, sorry, alpha Kyle," I correct myself when I see the warning look, he gives me, "if you don't mind, I'd like to stay in the meeting. I think I will be of great help if you let me be there." "This world is too new for you, darling," he tells me with more kindness than I expected, "you won't know how to act in front of two alphas and I wouldn't want a confrontation with Einar today. I'd like to buy more time for you." "With all the respect you deserve, alpha, I think that if he listens to my opinion, it will be easier for you to convince him," I say, "don't worry, you have my word that I will behave and know how to measure up." "I'll be b