“Where’s Sophie?” I hear mum’s voice approaching and her footsteps matching with loud thuds. Dad enters into the house, and hugs mum. I slip under the car, and watch them. Mum plasters the smile on her face, still waiting for me. The smile turns to a grin then to a frown.
“Sophie?” Maybe she is chuckling right now. I try to drag myself out through the opposite direction but mom soon turns around, and opens each door of the car.
“Dylan.” She calls Dad with a slurry voice.
“Yes, sweetie?” I hear his reply.
“Come over here!” She yelps.
“A minute! I’ll be done with this, and come over, okay?” Dad replies and I sigh.
“Come right now!” She yells. “It hurts.”
Bloody Liar. One of the reasons I hate her. Oh my goodness, Dad will smell my immature wolf and detect my presence but mom can’t. I don’t know why but maybe because he helped me shift as an underage wolf.
“Oh!” Dad remarks, and he’s soon here.
“Sophia should have served as a first aid.” He says, peering into mom’s face.
“Where did you say hurts?” He clips, gulping.
“Nowhere hurts. I needed your attention. I wouldn’t get it if I didn’t show it as urgent.”
“You’re stupid, Isabella. Have you seen your daughter yet?” He says, chuckling and entering the sitting room again.
“Right here!” He laughs. “Asshole!” He kicks my legs behind the car, and I gasp.
“Why you hiding under here?” He says, as he drags me out with a hand. I need to think of a lie for mum. As soon as he drags me up, my hair flips and I come face to face with mom. I force a smile, and walk up to meet her.
“Mum!” I let out an exciting tone, spreading my arms for a hug. She knocks my forehead, and I take an inch step back.
“Daughter, you’ve grown so silly.” She screams, and hugs me tightly.
“Come on, get inside!” She screams with joy. I smile as I enter but before reaching the door to jerk it open, a hand waves to me. I look at mom to notice the hand but she only shrugs and says I’m too paranoid. We both enter, and we relax. Nothing has changed ever since I left. A fortnight ago. But my swivel chair is missing, I have to get another one. Well, a grey one has been replaced. Dad is sitting on the sofa seeing kdramas as usual. He hides a packet as we enter. I and mum. I squint my eyes to affirm that but he only tried bringing up a different matter.
“Sophia, shut the door tight.” He says, grabbing the remote and lowering the volume of the kdrams he’s seeing.
“Isabella, be quick. Don’t take long.” He faces mum, pleading with his eyes. Mum smiles, and darts towards her room.
No. The visitor’s room.
I sit beside Dad, and rest my head on his shoulder. Halfway seeing a kdrama show, I see a faint flashing of a bat. I sigh and release my head from Dad’s shoulders.
“Omega Isabella, we are coming for you.” This is the first time I’m hearing mum’s mindlink. Before I left home, I could only hear Dad’s but I can hear mum’s now. How?
Isabella furrows her forehead, and pouts her lips as she approaches Dylan.
“What’s wrong, Isabella?” He says, pausing the drama show and worried as he looks at her.
“SPLITMOON pack.” She says, fighting back an obstinate lone tear.
“What about it?” Dylan’s heartbeat increases. He stands up at once and I do too, staring forwards at mom and backwards at Dad.
“Ah!” Dad remarks, grinning. He places the tip of his finger on his lower lip as he makes a perplexful sound.
“What do I do?” Mum’s voice is breaking.
“Mum, what’s it?” I ask her but she gives it a wide berth as she has always been doing.
“Dad, what’s it?” I face Dad, blocking him from going outside the sitting room. He tries to clear me off but I stand in the way still. He aggressively clears me away but before he takes his last step out of the sitting room: “I know someone who can help.” He freezes at the spot and slowly faces back, staring at me.
“You said?” He tries to say while mum stares at me too then at Dad.
“The SPLITMOON pack is coming here to attack mum, right?” Dad nods. Mum nods hesitantly.
“I know someone who can help.” I tell them.
“And who is that?” Dad closes his mouth, and asks impatiently.
“Ben.” I say.
“Ben?” Mum retorts, glaring disgustingly at me. “Ben?” She asks again.
“Where do you know Ben?” Dad asks.
“Why are you so impatient?” I ask, and Dad replies almost immediately: “Yes, that word ‘impatient.’ SPLITMOON pack are impatient. I know the Alpha, I know the Beta. They are…” He suddenly stops and sighs. “They are strong.”
“Come in, let’s settle this.” Mum drags me into the sitting room, Dad follows and mun shuts the door behind her. I go over to the swivel chair to sit while mum and Dad sits on the sofa. K-drama still paused.
“Sophia, come over here. It’s not a distant talk.” Mum calls me but I roll my eyes at her, shrugging. She almost stands up to drag me but Dad holds her hands, and tells her to let me be.
“We can discuss it here.” He says, and mum sighs. Dad stands up, and turns on a switch. I look up to check what it is but out of curiousity, having not discovered what it is, I ask Dad.
“What’s that, Dad?” I ask, swivelling the chair.
“Soundproof. You can shout as much as you want here. No one will hear a single word.” He explains as he takes his seat.
“Werewolves too?” I ask him, stopping the rotating chair.
“MoonTeam pack members don’t have thar kind of ability. They can speed, run, fight but they can’t hear from a distant journey.”
“But this is not distant. How…” Mum comes in with a spank on the table, averting our attention.
“Can we start already?” She says.
“Okay, Sophia. What do you…” He gulps. “Can you come closer?” He says.
Mum rolls her eyes at me and smirks. “Not that i want her near her but just to hear her well.” She says, still smirking.
I stand up from the swivel chair, and carry it near them. Near Dad. I sit beside him and Dad sighs three times then he starts to speak.
“What can we do to stop the attack of the SPLITMOON pack?” Dad asks, his palms joined together and placed on his chins. He faces me then mum. Mum sighs, grinning at my silence. I roll my eyes at her and start to speak, slightly hissing.
“I know Ben. He can help us.” I clip, trying to hide his identity as a Vampire and as my mate.
“Who is Ben, Sophia?” Dad asks. “Can you be clearer?”
“Umm… Ben is one of my classmates.” I lie and mum’s eyes suddenly turn dark green. She just detected my lie. Dad notices that too, and he frowns.
“Who is Ben?” Dad asks again.
“Ben is just a friend, you know?”
“I don’t know.” Mum replied, her eyes now normal.
And she fine-tunes her tone as much as she can. “Sophia, have you gotten your mate?”
I suddenly freeze at the spot, gulping as I do. I try to hide my surprise but Dad speaks up.
“It’s not bad to get your mate now. But don’t just do what you’re not supposed to do.” He says, and mum nods.
“So, is Ben your mate?” Mum smiles. Dad smiles too and I believe they are in accordance with the trend.
I nod and space out. “Yes, he is.” I add. Suddenly, mum’s countenance changes but her eyes remain normal.