“So why are you guys still awake?” Dad asked.The whole family was seated at the family private living room. We were all huddled together well, except for Baron and Aaron who were both seated at different couches. Both had bloodied their lips, and still looked riled enough to not have a problem starting another mini war. I sighed. They were twins, not just brothers. They had shared one womb for months and had lived in their gestational home as one.How could they be this mean to each other? How would they allow such things befall them? It did not matter the issue, they should be able to settle it amicably. Maybe now that the boys and I were repairing our once damaged relationship, I would ask them. They all loved one another, no doubt. Even Trenton who I would never had guessed he was not biologically theirs but they had not mind, they still took him in, no discrimination. They had never used his background against him or who he used to be.“Yes, why?” Mom was seated beside her husba
The light was still on. I did not think we were ready to sleep yet, except maybe for Baron who was turned the other way. “What do you think might have made mom decide to pack her bags and say she wanted you both to leave?” Lucas wondered.“You heard her say she had a fight with dad. She probably thought he did not want Katherina on the house anymore.” Zach replied him.“So girlfriend?” He called.“Yes, boyfriend?” I turned toward his direction.“Can I ask a personal question?”I could already guess what he wanted to ask, I sighed. But the problem was the kind of reply I was supposed to give him? What could I possibly say to him? He would not understand. My hand went to the bracelet on my wrist and toyed with idly. “Ask.” I simply said. That scenario that had taken place in school played in my mind, it was as though I was watching a movie. A movie of my own life. A section of my life that was quite embarrassing. That had been humiliating but for some very peculiar reason, the Salvato
What is going on here?” The loud voice pulled me out of my sleep.I stretched and yawned, blinking my eyes open. The light was on and I had to shield my eyes from its brightness. I was not in my room, that was the first thing I noticed. But my brain quickly walked me down memory lane. We had picked here to avoid going to school.I wanted to sleep more. I laid back down but I was a pull by my left leg spoiled that plan and caused annoyance to brew instantly. “I want to sleep a bit more.”“Get up there, Katherina May Salvatore!” Mom? I sat upright and stare into her annoyed face. The boys? My eyes roamed the length of the room to see that Trenton was up already. Baron too. Zach and Lucas seemed to be unperturbed by the noise. I turned to my side, Aaron was just waking as well.I watched mom lift the small pail of water, scooped some in her palm and dripped them on Zach and Lucas, but Lucas only muttered something incomprehensible and went back to sleep, Zach just changed his sleeping p
I rushed outside with the guys to see what the guys were on about. True enough, there was Greg and Bryan tied to two stakes, it would seem they had received more beating from the last time.But there was trouble, what would I tell mom and dad? What had the boys told mom and dad? I turned to see the faces of Aaron, Trenton, Lucas and Zach. They had this same exasperated look on their faces? For real? I thought they would be scared or something.“What are we going to do?” I vied for their attention.“I don’t know.” Lucas replied.“How did they know where to find them?” Zach asked.“I have no clue.” Lucas replied.Mom and dad were at the other far end of the mansion. They were yet to spot us and I hoped they would not ask too much questions.“We do not have to tell them the truth, you know.” I looked at their faces.“What do we tell them if they ask us?” Zach inquired.I had no idea. This was going to be big trouble if these boys revealed anything to them, there was going to be nothing t
“Criminals, hm?” Mom’s voice spoke over the intercom.“Yes, mom.” I met gazes with Baron. He shrugged and mouthed ‘don’t fall for their tricks’.What tricks? I frowned in cluelessness, he sighed. He mouthed the same statement again but what tricks would mom and dad try to play with me? There was no tricks, and if there were, I had no part in it, neither did I understand it. I just wanted to make sure we all survived this morning without mom and dad knowing the real truth.Them finding out was the worst, no one would leave here today. We would all remain here and a lot of other lies would be exposed. Like when I had pretended to break a leg so Baron could take me to school when the boys were refusing to talk to me.Or Baron growing his wolf’s nails just to pretend I had fallen, to cover up the main story of the phone theft and bullying. There were a lot of things mom and dad knew nothing about, it was better it remained that way.“So you, Katherina, are saying those guys are criminals?
“It’s not a big deal, mom.” Lucas responded to her.“He’s a sweet little boy, you guys are supposed to not let him do that.” Mom continued her yelling.“Honey, Lucas is growing amongst four boys, what do you expect? Look at Kathy, she was so shy and reserved when you guys came in here, but look at her now. She is beginning to behave exactly like them.” Dad stared at me pointedly.Well, he was not wrong about me being shy when I had come in here newly, and I could also see the difference. I was now roped into their drama, but who would blame me.“I know. Lucas.” She called him.“Yes mom.” The boy was tired at this point.Mom liked to believe since he was the baby of the house, there should be some restrictions to his exposure to what mom termed ‘violence and explicit drama’. If I was asked what those words meant, I really did not have any clue. And no matter how many times she had tried to explain, my brain was just not getting it.The boys too did not get it, so whenever she came up t
“What did you just say?” Aaron was not smiling and from his stance, he was poised for a fight.“I said that I love Katherina.” Baron repeated, his brow raised challengingly.“Are you trying to annoy me right now?” Aaron stood. Baron followed suit.“He’s joking.” I quickly stood to get to their middle before they did worse than they had done to themselves before.“No, I’m not. I love you.” He repeated.“What?!” I swallowed. Blinked a thousand times to make sure I was not dreaming. What the hell was wrong with Baron? Why did he always like to complicate things? What was his issue? “You heard me.” Forgetting I was supposed to not allow them fight, I stood still as a statue, rooted to my spot, studying Baron’s expression. What was wrong with him? I could not tell if he was saying the truth or joking.I observed his expression, it was holding nothing serious. It was quite unreadable, I groaned within me, this boy was a living, walking and breathing emblem of exasperation. I just could not
“Liz, let’s just leave this to them. I believe they handled it well without our knowledge, they can still handle it well and dispose off those rogues.” Dad tried to reason with mom.“But we’re the parents, we should be responsible for them. What if anything happens to any of them?” She argued.Mom was a very strong, opinionated wolfess, she hardly backed down nor succumbed. In our old pack, I had appreciated it, but here, in this pack, in this room, at this very moment, it was annoying. “Liz, nothing will happen to them.”“How can you be so sure, Dave? That they are over eighteen does not stop them from being our children.” “They will always remain our children, but nothing will happen to them, honey. Remain calm and let us trust them.”“But how are you so sure they will be fine?” She kept asking.“Were we there to parent over them when the boys snuck in? Were we there to help them fight these boys, succumb them and help them tie up these hoodlums in that room? Without us they were