Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) (15 page)

“Call me Alani.” She said as she removed her hand and started towards the door, then stopped in the middle of the room. “Come on now, let’s get you to the shower,” She began to move forward again and out into the hallway, pointing to it. “At the end right there is the
bathroom;
there are towels and washcloths under the sink.”

I nodded my head slowly, before I started down the hallway towards the door at the end. I turned the door knob and slowly opened the door going inside.

****
*

I took a long shower that was long overdue, yet excruciating against my bruised and scraped body. I had noticed while taking the shower just how filthy I really was; dirt
pooled in
the bottom of the tub. I also found there were cuts on me; I hadn't previously been able to see.

My wrist wasn't helping me either, the cut on my arm, where the tiger had scratched me, lead-up to the sensitive area on my wrist, and it was aching as I got out. The difference from hot water to cold air made it agony, but the water had felt so great I felt it was worth the pain.

I changed into the new clothes quickly. I used a few pieces of the bandage that weren't ratty looking or destroyed, and re-wrapped my arm up. After I was finished changing I went down the hall to where I heard voices coming from.

I stood there for a moment, watching Nixon and Talon playing with the two little girls who giggled happily. Talon looked happy yet pained to be around them, as if he wasn't sure if he could enjoy happiness or not. Alani had stepped in front of me blocking my view and smiled warmly at me.

“They fit well dear?” She looked at me, the question hung in the air for a moment before I answered her..

“I, um, yeah they fit perfectly.” I told her as I heard the door open. I looked over and saw two boys stepping inside quickly. One looked almost identical to Nixon, only with red hair but was paler and older looking.

Since he resembled both the boys in the house I figured he was their father, and that the other one was his brother, Raven. I stared at them for a long moment, blinking my eyes a few times before I looked over at the other boys to see if they'd heard. Before I got a good look I was startled again.

“Whoa, hey there cutie.” Raven smirked as he started toward me.

I think; I managed to turn every possible shade of red before Nixon stood up and yelled out to him. “She’s one of the chosen, thought you should know.”

“Nix?” Raven smiled brightly, he and his father went into the other room and right to
him
and Talon. They spoke fast, and then Raven sat down next to Nixon with their father on the other side.

‘Must be what it's like to have a real mom and dad’ I thought bitterly as I looked at them. I turned my head and looked at a wall, ignoring what was going on as I tried to push my own thoughts away. I saw Talon stand out of the corner of my eye, and say something to the group of people in the room. He walked past me, walking towards the door before he stopped with his hand on the door knob and looked back at me. “If you want, you can join me. I'm just getting some fresh air; you look like you could use it.” He said and then he went outside.

I looked at the door for a long moment, watching as he went out, then I looked back at the happily chatting family. I weighed my options and then followed, shutting the door quietly behind me.

“You looked like you were about to be sick.” He said, chuckling a little as he leaned back against the house, shutting his eyes tightly and breathing deeply.

“Oh? Sorry, it was just strange to me. I've never really had a family to speak of, other than Tom. I was never around any of my friends’ family.” I told him, shrugging my shoulders before looking up at the black night sky. It was empty, except for the moon, and seemed to go on forever into nothingness.

“Ah, well, I can relate in a way,” He rubbed his chin slowly thinking to himself, before he opened his eyes and looked down the cobbled pathway we'd taken to get here. “My parents didn't exactly, acknowledge, my existence.”

I looked over at him sadly; I knew the feeling all too well and understood how annoying and cruel it was, and how much it hurt. I looked back down before I began to speak. “I’m sorry.” When he cut me off with his hand, I blinked a few times and looked back at him.

He looked at me with a blank look on his face, shrugging his shoulders for a moment. “I don’t like living in the past, or having someone feel sorry for me. It’s been a little too long to stop and wallow in self-pity over it, or receive it from others.”

I slid down slowly, sitting on the cold stone. I let my eyes shut as I started to think to myself for a long moment. "When dad died, mom didn’t give a damn and was too busy trying to be the popular girl she never was when she was in high school. She even goes to the extreme of acting as if we aren’t hers. Stupid damn woman, she could’ve sent us to our aunts, but no. If she had we never would’ve been in this situation, and now... Now." I opened my eyes, gazing off into the distance for a long moment as I thought to myself.
“I
won't ever see her again, will I?"

“I can’t say that I know.” Talon said aloud to me, and then it dawned on me that I had said the last part of my thoughts out loud. I looked over at him as he tapped his fingers on his leg slowly, before he looked back towards the house for a second.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud!” I told him, wanting to smack myself now. “I shouldn’t ask you
things
like that, I don’t even know you!”

He looked down at me with a bemused look on his face, before shrugging his shoulders. “Don’t worry, I think we’re going to know each other
pretty soon
enough, besides. You're stuck with me and Nixon, remember?”

“I suppose so…” I said looking down, it was said more to myself than it was to him. I didn't want to get to know him, or Nixon. I wanted to go home.

Talon glanced back once more, then stood up to his full towering height, before he tilted his head in the general direction of the household we'd just come from.

“We should head back in; sounds like they’re readying the kitchen now.”

I stood up slowly, following him into Nixon's house once more. I was somewhat prepared for whatever was about to happen. Well, I hoped I was, since I didn't really know what was going to happen.

Alani had managed to prepare a feast. She called everyone from the living room into the kitchen. The girls were seated next to one another, looking as childish as ever, giggling and talking in hushed voices.

Nixon was sitting between his father and a rather expressionless Talon. I got the seat between Alani and Raven and wanted to run away almost as soon as I sat down. He wouldn't stop looking at me and smirking. I couldn't handle it for too long, but I just took a deep breath and tried to pretend that he wasn't sitting next to me.

“So, what’s your name?” Alani asked suddenly, looking over at me with a smile on her face once more. “Rude of me not to ask earlier, forgive me for that.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” I smiled back at her, as I sat up a bit straighter. “My name’s Raine.”

“Raine, that’s a rather vamp
i
ric name.” Heath told me, with a strange look on his face as he eyed me.

I looked at him rather confused. I didn't understand what he meant by that, Alani rolled her eyes - an odd gesture from a mother of five - and spoke to him.  “Heath, she’s not from this world; I'm not sure her family knew that.”

“What’s your brother like?” Pandora asked me. I looked over at her and blinked a few times, trying to figure out what to say to that.

“Oh, well, um he’s… uh, hard to describe.” I told her truthfully. Then I realized I hadn't even touched my food. There was a perfectly cooked steak, and I hadn't even tried it. “He’s usually very childish, unless he’s worried, then he gets overly mature and guard like.”

“Sounds like Nixon!” Bliss shouted happily,
and then
looked over at her brother.

Nixon looked at her, giving her a strange look before raising one of his eyebrows at her. “I am not childish, ever.”

“I call liar on that.” Raven called over to him, smirking as he did.

“What about your mom and dad!” Bliss asked eagerly. Obviously ignoring what Nixon had to say, in that way that little children tend to do.

“Well, my dad… he died when we were born, and my mom, she’s not around much.” I explained, wincing at how casual it sounded when I said it out loud. I regretted my words after they came out, and frowned slightly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Alani said slowly, looking over at me sadly.

I shook my head at her, smiling as much as I could. “Don’t worry about it, Tom and I take care of each other.” I told her and faked a bit of cheeriness, as if it didn't matter.

It didn't change the awkwardness that now hung close in the air around us. Talon looked from me to the others, before frowning a bit. Nixon looked down at his plate as if it would tell him something he could do to help.

“How old are you?” Talon asked me, arching one of his eyebrows. I saw the expression in his eyes; he was trying to help me out and for that I was extremely grate full.  I wanted to find a way to let him know...

I settled with looking at him thankfully, before I answered his question. “Eighteen, as of two days ago now.”

Pandora and Bliss looked happily at one another then to me. They were practically bouncing in their seats, and it frightened me a little. “What’s it like being an adult?” They asked at the same time. I just blinked a few times at them.

Laughing a little, I bit my lip and then thought about it. “Well, it really doesn’t seem any different than being a teenager, to be honest with you.”  When their faces dropped I instantly felt bad, and added in a quick. “But maybe, it’ll be different for you guys.” Their faces lit up once more with happiness, and I felt relieved to have been able to do that.

“Single?” Raven asked me, looking down at me and waggling his eyebrows back and forth, before he gave me a look that made my skin burn as if a lighter was being held to it.

“Er, well, um…yes?” I answered him as I started to inch over towards their mother without realizing what it was I was doing.

“Come on now Raven, give the girl some space would you?” Nixon asked him, letting out a very audible sigh, frowning at him.

“What? Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean I am, and I’m certainly not restricted from things like you are.” He told him, smiling back at me before he winked his right eye in my direction. My eyes grew at least three times their normal size, and I tried to look away from him. “I can have a little fun can’t I?”

“You can, but when you screw her up and you’re on your death bed, don’t say I didn't warned you.”

“Boys…” Alani warned them in a tone that even made me feel like I'd done something wrong. I looked up at her, and then at the two of them for a second, she seriously had the scary mom thing down.

“Sorry mum…” Raven said instantly, looking down at his food.