Welcome

ZAIRE

A baby’s cry was heard as she was carried through the woods by a mysterious man in a hooded cloak. The moonlight shining his path, leading him away from the pack and everything that baby might know. The man reached the edge of the woods, outside of pack lands and a black car waited for him on the side of the road.

“Here, take her as far away as you can. But be careful, she’s special,” he said as he handed her to the passenger of the vehicle. Taking the baby in her arms, she nodded her head, gave him the money she promised, and drove off. 

Back at the pack house, Jedrick and Adira were celebrating the birth of their new heir, when the maiden ran into the ballroom, her face pale and her eyes wide open in fear.

“The princess is missing!” she screamed, alerting everyone and Jedrick shouted orders at his warriors while Adira’s heart ached as she sobbed uncontrollably over her daughter’s disappearance. 

“Find her! No one is going to rest until she is back safe and sound!” He kept shouting as he held his wife in his arms, trying to console her.

“We’ll find her my love. I promise we’ll find her.”

~~~~~~~~~~

I was woken up by the sound of the van’s door being slammed shut. How did I fall asleep in under two hours? As I looked around, I realized we were here, in our new home. My heart beat faster than usual and my body trembled at my surroundings. Something about this place seemed familiar. 

“What do you think, honey?” dad asked, taking our bags from the back of the van. I stood there, wanting to go in but for some inexplicable reason, my feet were not letting me move. 

“Zaire, come on sweetie. Help us with the bags, we have to settle before we go and meet the people that hired your father,” mom said. The people that hired dad? I thought my school was the one in charge of that. Shaking the thoughts off my mind, I grabbed a bag and headed towards the house. 

Two black SUV’s approached our house, stopping right behind our van. A man dressed in black got out from the passenger side and opened the back door. A tall man got out, his presence exuded power, long black hair with a gray streak running down the side and tied up in a low ponytail. Gray eyes, just like mine that would look into the window of your soul, not to mention the extended goatee on his face. He also dressed up fancy, more like royalty. 

A lady got out right behind him. She was very pretty, and her presence suddenly sent a calming aura through my body. The air in my lungs escaped, leaving me breathless. I couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful brown hair and brown eyes, looking straight at me. Her high cheekbones made her look like a doll and her elegance was impressive.

The way the man held her in his arms as they walked towards my home was delicate and loving. They looked like they were a couple.

“Hello, young lady. Are your parents home?” He asked with a deep voice. 

“Umm….yes, but may I ask, who are you?” 

“Sir! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” Dad hurried out of the house and approached him, extending his hand to shake the other man’s hand. The lady looked at me with a soft gaze and a smile. I smiled back, she seemed really nice. 

“Nice to meet you, Cesar. Please, call me Jedrick and this is my wife, Adira,” he said, putting his hand on the lady's back, pushing her gently towards us. 

“Nice to meet you, Cesar, and you must be Zaire. We have heard good things about you,” she said, her voice sounded smooth and kind.

“Nice to meet you too,” I replied and when she touched my hand, sparks ran through them, making me pull my hand away from her.

 “I trust the accommodations are the best for your family?” 

“Oh yes, sir. It’s better than we expected. Would you like to come in?” dad asked. My heart kept racing and I couldn’t shake the lady’s gaze off me. 

“Dad? I will help mom unpack,” I said, waving goodbye to the mysterious couple. As soon as I walked in, I took a deep breath before I helped mom with our things. That was the strangest thing that has happened since we left Florida, besides what happened at the diner. 

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of the vehicles leaving and dad walking in the house. He looked excited, something he hasn’t in a long time. The stress of work has kept him in a bad mood, but something about this move and meeting that couple made him feel over the moon. 

“They want to invite us to their house, so let’s get all this done because in a few hours we have to dress nicely and head over,” he said, rubbing his hand and letting out a contented sigh before he headed to his bedroom. 

Mom and I looked at each other, our eyes opened wide, trying to absorb the news. We were going to visit dad’s boss at his house and that was a huge deal for the family, especially for him. He wanted to impress them and I couldn’t say I blamed him. 

~~~~~~

Dad drove the van, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He was nervous, I could tell. It’s not like we were going to meet royalty, it was just his boss. They looked mysterious, so you never know what kind of people they were. I looked out the window, tuning out the conversation between him and mom. 

“I’m a bit scared, Zaire,” Daniel said, tugging on my sleeve. He looked at me with those big brown eyes and rosy cheeks as the heat crept up on them, making them look like two red dots on his face. I held his hand and squeezed it in reassurance. 

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I replied. 

“I have a feeling these people are not who they say they are,” he whispered in my ear, making my skin crawl. What if he was right? That man at the diner seemed so strange too, and the way he greeted me made me shiver.

“Only one way to find out, right?” I pulled him against me, caressing his hair. He always felt safe in my arms. He was my little brother, of course I would keep him safe. 

The van pulled to a stop in front of a big mansion. My eyes open wide at the eeriness and luxury of the place. Dad parked the van and we all got out, my eyes not leaving the majestic place. We slowly walked towards the door. There were more cars and I knew this was going to be more than just a small affair. 

As we opened the door, the air was gone from my lungs, feeling as if someone was just squeezing my chest hard. My heart beat faster the further we walked in. I looked at the guests, and they were all dressed to impress. Most of them were looking at us, but just like the man in the diner, they focused more on me. 

What about me is attracting these people? I thought, pulling my sweater tighter against my chest. Trying to ignore them, I looked away when my eyes met those gorgeous blue eyes staring straight at me, making me feel fireworks exploding in my body.

Everyone bowed down to us after the man introduced us. What a weird town, I thought scrunching my nose while I looked at them with a frown on my face. I leaned over to my mom, and whispered in her ear.

“Why are they bowing to us?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s custom to receive new people that way,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders and looking just as confused as I was. My eyes took me once again towards that guy standing on the corner, talking with another one as a girl approached them, kissing him on the lips. 

Well, I guess he is not even available, but why would he look at me like that? Suddenly, I heard a low, threatening growl, making me look around to see where the noise came from. Confused and concerned, I decided to take some fresh air, while my family greeted everyone at the party. 

I passed through some arched double doors, ending in a balcony that looked at the horizon, as I took in a deep breath, feeling the nice, cool and crisp breeze blowing my hair. It was a great feeling. A feeling I haven’t felt in so long, not since my parents adopted me. They don’t know I figured I wasn’t theirs. 

That’s what happens when they leave their documents in plain sight, but I couldn’t be mad at them. They gave me a home, food and love, something I couldn’t say about my biological parents. The silence was suddenly disturbed by a smooth voice behind me.

“I hope you’re enjoying the view.”