Diana has been tucked to bed. She had been reluctant though, not pleased that she had been sidelined from our discussions again. She had finally agreed, however, when Peter had promised that he would tell her a bedtime story with some demonstrations. He has been gone for fifteen minutes now, leaving Laura and I to tidy the dining and kitchen.
“Are you done arranging your clothes and room? It’s possible that tomorrow, Peter will take you to some places like the school and the palace. He might introduce you to some of our friends that will look after you if we are not around.”
I nodded, ruminating on Laura’s words.
Diana had helped me arrange my clothes in the wardrobe after she had told me about her classes in the palace and what they entailed. Whilst we had been busy with that, Peter had returned with some people, carrying a table and a chair, a small sofa, a dressing table, mirror, a flower vase, and some other room rudiments.
At first, I had thought the items wouldn’t fit in, but as time went on, my opinions had been annulled. At the point when the dresser had looked too big to be in the tiny room, I had watched with my two eyes, as the walls of the house had expanded, on their own accord, without anyone saying anything. The people had acted like nothing spectacular had happened.
When the strangers had left, I had asked Peter, and he had laughed as if the answer was obvious, before telling me that the walls of their house were built with magic and so, was subject to magic.
Not all houses could do this. He had said. Would he have agreed to live here if there were no perks like this? He had questioned, twitching his eyes the way he usually did, whenever he cracked jokes. I had been too amazed to respond.
“How many schools are there?” I asked Laura, my mind reprocessing that her eyes were stuck on me.
She must be wondering what I am thinking. I thought, findling with the spoons in their rack. We were in the kitchen tidying up.
At my question though, she furrowed her eyebrows as if the answer to that question should be obvious to me already. “Just one. It’s big enough for everyone. College though is in the land of the humans. The kids attend there when they are done with the grueling high school if the queen deems it necessary for them.”
The queen decided who went to college? Could this get any more controlling?
“I know what you’re thinking, but there isn’t much need for college education. You see, all we do here is magic; there is barely a need for a college certificate. We live a contented life here.” Laura mentioned, and I almost snorted. For once, I didn’t agree with her.
A life that was contented and boring? I didn’t want that. Contented yes, but not one where someone would determine if I attended college or not. The whole thing was speaking ‘big brother’, and I didn’t like it. I hated the long slimy hand of forced control.
Was this their definition of peace?
When I noticed Laura still looking at me, I sighed, and nodded, not actually knowing what to say. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear my contradicting opinions.
“I know you might not agree with some of our methods, but in due time you will understand why things are done this way. Things are not exactly the way they seem at first sight.” She cited, letting out a deep breath.
I didn’t know what she meant with that last phrase, but it somehow reminded me of the one thing that surely didn’t look like the way it was at first. Adam.
He had appeared as a calm bully, then as a loving partner and a romantic, then as a beast.
Adam. What would he be doing now? What would the pack be doing now? By now, he would be nineteen, about to leave school. Would he have chosen his mate already? What about his brothers, Noah and Daniel? Have they chosen mates too, or was it only Adam that was pressured with this task? How was Naomi? How was my mother?
I tried to check if today’s date correlated to any happening or celebration in the pack, but there was none at first. I shut my eyes sharply the next second, when it dawned on me suddenly that today was Naomi’s birthday.
We had spent such full moments together. I thanked the goddess for her new age and hoped that she would have a good birthday. She would be eighteen now, and ripe for mateship. Was Noah her mate?
She had alway had a mighty crush on Noah even though she never spoke about it. Did she explore it, or did she abandon it, after finding out that I was no longer in the holding cell?
But why would she? She had no idea that Noah and his brothers had beaten me and left me for death.
Those cowards! What kind of man beats a girl to death?
I gritted my teeth, unconsciously, my mind reeling with several thoughts propelled by anger. As much as I was being incorporated little by little into this community, I couldn’t forget my main purpose for living; to take revenge on Adam and his brothers by all means possible.
“Maya, what is the problem? You look so deep in thought.” I heard Laura speak, and shook my head.
“No problem at all, Laura. I’m just thinking about how my first day in school will go.” I answered, turning aside when I heard Peter’s footsteps marching toward us.