Jenna pulled up outside the school, her brother didn’t get out for a few minutes still, but she had to pick him up and take him straight home, so she could head off for her shift. Lates were never fun at work, but at least they let her sort out her brother before she had to come in.
She tapped her fingers on the wheel and once she heard the school bell, she got out, walking towards the door.
The brunette hadn’t waited too long before his little smiling face came out. His face always made her smile. Despite having to raise her little brother, and struggling with med school, his smile always made everything seem a little brighter.
“Right Squirt, to the car, I have to take you home to Miss abernathy, then I am off to work. But you have to do all your homework, eat all your greens, and be good.” She said. She knew he would, the woman was like a Grandmother to them, took them in when they needed someone.
As she walked back to her car though, another car was parked right across the back of her.
“You have got to be kidding me.” She said, walking to the drivers door and knocking on it “Hey, can you move?” She asked, probably a little bitter than she should of, but she didn’t exactly have time to waste. When she saw who it was though, she rolled her eyes. “Oh Great.” She mumbled to herself. She had heard a lot about him. Nothing good.
WHO: Deucalion, Kali, Charlotte, Jenna
WHAT: Deucalion's long lost niece shows up at the Alpha pack's door.
WHEN: Last night sometime after dinner.
WHERE: The Alpha pack house.
Charlotte hears the knock on the door and moves from her spot on the couch to answer it, seeing a girl who looked about her age at the doorway. "Hello, oh. If you're here for Ethan or Aiden... most likely Aiden, I'm sorry but they're not here. I can tell them you came though." She said, trying to be polite though she was sick of having random girls show up for those two.
Jenna tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not here for Ethan or Aiden," her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm here for uhm... I'm here to see... I'm here to see Tristan." She stuttered out the words and shifted awkwardly in her position on the doorstep, clothes hanging off of her stick-thin frame.
Kali was curious as to why there was a teenaged girl on her doorstep, but like Charlotte, dismissed it as someone Aiden or Ethan had charmed recently. Going back into her book, her head snapped up when the girl finally said who she was looking for. Closing the novel, she tossed it to the other side of the couch and made her way to the front door. Stepping next to Charlotte, she crossed her arms, taking in the sight of the malnourished girl in front of her. "Excuse me, but did I hear you were looking for a Tristan?"
Jenna stepped backward slightly when the intimidating woman appeared next to the girl who looked to be her age. Her eyes darted around the area like a cat looking for an escape. "Yes," she nodded, a quick jerky movement that made her appear younger. "Tristan Cunningham? He's my... my Uncle. Or half Uncle really. It just depends on how you look at the family tree." Her words came out in a nervous rush.
Charlotte looks over at Kali, "Do you know this guy? I sure as hell don't." She said, looking back at the girl as though she was crazy and/or lost.
Kali felt both her eyebrows shot up at the word 'Uncle'. Whenever Duke spoke of his family, they were all deceased to his knowledge, and he never mentioned a half brother. Turning to Charlotte, Kali calmly spoke, "Charlotte, I need you to go find Duke, quickly." She waited until Charlotte left before turning back to the stranger. "Would you like to come in for a drink? We have hot chocolate."
Jenna bit her lip. "I... sure if I'm not imposing," Jenna swallowed. "I'm Jenna and I'm sorry that it's so late. It took me awhile to get here from my motel. Pretty long walk."
Deucalion is lying in bed, eyes closed as he meditates and tries to relax, blocking out all of his senses as he does so. He tried to clear his mind, but thoughts of Kali and pups and the future just wouldn't disappear.
Charlotte "Oookay then." She says awkwardly, not knowing exactly what was going on before running up to the room that Kali and Deuce shared and knocking on the door. "Deuce, you in there?"
Kali waved her hand and moved out of the door way for the girl to get in. "You may call me Kali, and you're not imposing. If anything I'm quite curious to hear more about this half uncle business, and if you don't mind me saying, you look like you could use a drink and a sandwich. Luckily we have left overs since Uncle /Tristan/ doesn't eat them, so please, come in. The kitchen is this way." She pointed towards the kitchen, waiting patiently for the girl to follow her further into the house.
Deucalion doesn't hear Charlotte because he is a master at blocking out all of his senses, knowing that the pack would be able to snap him out of it if he were in danger.
Jenna stepped into the house hesitantly. She knew what her uncle was. She knew that he was a werewolf. But she didn't know about this woman. "He doesn't eat leftovers?" Jenna's face brightened at that tidbit about her family. She followed the woman into the kitchen. "You have a very nice home," she noted sincerly.
Charlotte rolls her eyes and uses a quick spell to unlock the door before pushing it open, seeing him just lying on the bed. "Deuce, get up, lazy. There's a girl at the door asking for some guy named Tristan and Kali wanted me to find you. Don't make me levitate you down there." She threatened jokingly, a smirk on her lips.
Deucalion still doesn't hear Charlotte. Has she not been informed about these meditative trances?
Kali nodded, giving a tight smile. "He has something against left overs. He might just have a vendetta against plastic containers or something. I honestly don't get it." Walking into the kitchen, she opened the fridge door, picking out odd foods that could easily be eaten with just your hands. "Is there anything you'd prefer to drink? And thank you. Ennis picked it out, so I'm sure he'll enjoy the compliment greatly."
Charlotte sighs, "You're really going to make me do this... aren't you?" She walks closer to the bed. "Deuce, time to get your ass up." She mutters some things with a smirk still gracing her lips and his body slowly begins to rise above the bed until it's nearly to the ceiling. "Wakkkeee uppp" She chants, grinning evilling before letting him drop onto the bed. "C'mon. Apparently you must know this Tristan guy and Kali and random girl are downstairs. Let's go."
Jenna shook her head with a small grin on her face. "My mom tells me that my dad used to do that. But food is food," She wasn't quite opening up, merely telling her random facts. "Not really, Miss Kali. I'll drink whatever you are willing to share. Ennis?" She raised an eyebrow. "Is he a friend of my Uncle's?"
Deucalion is still blocked out as he rises up, but suddenly there is the sensation of falling that passes through his mind. Halfway down, he tries to jerk forward and gasps, then growls when he hits the bed. He doesn't hear Charlotte's words, but rolls off the bed partially shifted. When he notices her, he quickly asks, "Whats wrong?" through his fangs, worst case scenarios rushing through his mind.
Charlotte looks at him with her eyebrows furrowed, "Calm down there, Deuce. Do I honestly have to repeat myself three times? There is some random girl downstairs asking for a guy named Tristan and Kali told me to hurry and grab you. Now come on before she maims us both since apparently I need to invest in a blow horn to get you out of bed."
Kali nodded at the question as she brought out the gallon of milk and hershey's syrup. Moving towards the cabinet, she answered, "Yes, Ennis is a friend of Du- Tristan's." She didn't know how much this girl knew, so saying 'they're packmates' wasn't really acceptable. Pouring herself a glass of milk, Kali asked, "Here's hoping you aren't allergic, but do you prefer to pour your milk first or the chocolate syrup?"
Jenna watched as Kali brought out the milk and hershey's syrup, a small grin on her face. The teenager couldn't remember the last time she had had a glass of chocolate milk. She shook her head. "I'm not allergic to a lot of things. Definitely not milk. It's just so expensive," she sighed wistfully. "The chocolate syrup of course! That way the milk absorbs it better."
Deucalion shifts back to normal, standing back up. His face pales slightly at the mention of his given name. "I-I was meditating. Did you.. You said she was asking for a Tristan?" He extended his hearing down to where he sensed Kali, listening in slightly. "What did the girl look like? Quickly." He walked out into the hallway and stood there, extending his senses around the house and property as he listened for something off.
Kali grinned at the girl, sliding the hershey's syrup towards her, "Here, you pour to your taste buds desire. Wouldn't want to give you sub-par chocolate milk." She placed the milk gently next to the syrup, drinking from her own glass of regular milk. Kali watched the young girl, noticing the hollowed cheeks and the fact that she called milk expensive. She listened closely, waiting for Duke to finally come down and explain what was going on.
Charlotte nodded, "Yeah. She said something about a guy named Tristan. Oh, I don't know. Long brown hair, light brown eyes, light skin... wait, do you know here? She looked about my age so that would be a little weird but okay. I didn't touch her so I don't know what she is but if you're adding someone else to the pack, whatever floats your boat Deuce. Or wait... is this a threat? Should I get ready? Is Tristan code for somethi- oh nevermind. Just come downstairs!"
Jenna beamed at her. "Nobody would want that," She was relaxing a little bit more as she poured a careful amount of chocolate syrup in the glass and added some milk- careful not to go over the limit of what she knew was too much. "So uhm... this is a nice town," she stated awkwardly. "I mean, the scenery is really pretty." Taking a sip of her milk, she held the glass with both hands. "Thank you for letting me in."
Deucalion takes a deep breath and listens for a moment longer before turning to Charlotte once more. "You can do a shield protection spell around you, Kali, and myself once we're downstairs? You've been practicing?"
Kali shrugged, "You really think so? Cause honestly, between you and me, I've seen better towns." She leaned back against the counter, sipping slowly at her drink, wondering why it was taking Charlotte so long to bring Duke down. "You're welcome. It's not every day that family shows up on our doorstep."
Charlotte her face moves to concern, "Of course I have. I think I can manage up to about four people now so we should be fine. I'll do it, but you're freaking me out, Deuce. What's going on?"
Jenna shrugged her shoulders as well. "I didn't have a lot of money to spend so I headed right here. I've really only seen here and my hometown. Oh and I've been to England but I was kind of not born then so that doesn't count." Jenna smiled and drank some more of the chocolate milk, eyeing the way that the bubbles stayed at the top.
Deucalion swallows harshly and nods once before adjusting his clothes, grateful that he hadn't changed into something that wasn't presentable. He placed a hand on Charlotte's lower back and began to lead her down the stairs. "Put it up now and extend it to Kali as soon as you can," he whispered into her ear before walking them into the kitchen. Once there, he removed his hand and moved to stand next to Kali, but gave off no sign that they would be anything more than pack mates just in case. "Hello. I believe you were asking for a Tristan?" He asked, voice smokier than usual and all senses on high alert.
Jenna startled a bit when Deucalion walked into the kitchen, almost spilling the milk but catching it at the last second. All comfort that she had felt previously while talking with Kali disappeared and she fidgeted awkwardly under his gaze. "Maybe... I should... I can always come back at another time if he isn't here?" The girl suggested nervously, eyes darting around to find a way out. He looked as though he were judging her and Jenna /did not/ like being judged. "But yes... I'm looking for Tristan Cunningham, half brother to my father Charles."
Charlotte lets Deuce lead her and puts up the shield right away, muttering under her breath and once she gets to the kitchen she moves close enough to Kali that it can stretch to her, but no farther.
Deucalion blinked at the girl. He remembered Charlie - Charles - but he hadn't been his half-brother. He had just been a friend. "You said he is your father's half brother... Do you have proof?" His voice was sharper than he intended, but this was a serious matter, something that he needed to be sure about.
Kali looked between Duke and Charlotte, then Duke and Jenna, making no comment and opting for sipping on her glass of milk. She wondered if reality tv was as entertaining.
Jenna reached slowly towards her neck, where you could see the only piece of jewelry that she had and she pulled it out, showing him the Cunningham crest. "My mom used to tell me that they sent this back to her when my father died in war. My father had it given it to him by his father.... Tristan's father." She tangled her fingers in the chain, bruising her skin as she forced herself to fidgeting. Yet she still couldn't look him in the eyes- call it fear or nervousness or whatever but this man intimidated her.
Charlotte looked around the room, still confused as to who the hell Tristan was.
Deucalion strides around the kitchen island and to where the girl was sitting. His hand came up to grasp the necklace, eyes scanning the crest. That was his family's crest that was on the necklace. He could feel his control slipping, and when he spoke, it was slightly more growl than talk. "Where the bloody hell did you get this?"
Kali placed her glass of milk in the sink and moved forward, grabbing on to one of Duke's wrists, ready to pull him back if necessary. Jenna was human, and Kali could smell the fear rolling off her. If this girl was family, she knew Duke would regret hurting her after he processed everything. "Duke, calm down."
Jenna moved her fingers quickly out of the way when Deucalion got all up in her personal space and examined the family crest himself. Eyes narrowing, she got slightly defensive. "I told you," she repeated again. "My mother gave it to me before she died. And she told me that the army sent it back after my father died." She moved backwards slightly, trying not to fall on her ass but also trying to get him out of her area. This was too much. TOo much at one time.
Charlotte "So uhm..." Charlotte stepped forward, making sure not to break her shield. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on or... no? Okay then." She said, backing away slowly.
Deucalion yanks his wrist out of Kali's grip, turning his head slightly to growl at her. When he looked back at Jenna, his face was still human but his eyes ringed slightly with red. "You're lying. Who sent you and gave this to you? Because the person you're claiming to be your father was not my brother. He had no right to the Cunningham name. So tell.. me.. who gave this to you and who you are!"
Charlotte sends a glare towards Deuce's back. "Kali, do you need me do my job or do you have this?"
Jenna swallowed harshly backing up until she tripped over something and landed on her bottom. "I-I..." She attempted to stutter out an answer but just sat there and gaped at him.
Kali stepped in between Jenna and Duke, pushing back roughly against his chest. "Charlotte, protect the human. Duke, calm yourself down or step outside."
Deucalion glares at Jenna over Kali's shoulder before he looks at her, a growl starting to form itself in his throat. "She has my family's crest, Kali! I want to know where she got it! Move." None of this was making sense to him. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. This girl had no right to claim that she was a Cunningham. All of the Cunninghams were slaughtered. There were no survivors.
Charlotte quickly moved her shield from the three of them over to the girl on the floor and goes and stands beside her, holding her arm out to help her up. She was confused by this. His family's crest? All she knew is that all of them had died. "C'mon. Grab my hand. Don't worry, he can't touch you right now. I don't know what's going on, but you'll be okay." She said softly, assuring both the girl and herself.
Jenna bit her lip as she stared up at Charlotte's hand flinching as she noticed Deucalion's glare on her. Deciding that she could trust this girl (she seemed trustworthy), Jenna accepted the hand and used it to pull herself up. "Thank you," she muttered, not forgetting her manners. She ducks behind Charlotte's shoulder and stays there since she isn't quite sure as to where or how she should move.
Kali put her hands on her hips, standing her ground. "Her name is Jenna, and she looks like she's starved, has admitted that both her parents are no longer living, and is staying in a shitty motel spending the last of her money. Now, she has your crest, let's think? How the fuck would she come by it, because I doubt this poor girl is pulling an Aladdin over you. Calm down, and think rationally. She said her father gave it to her, and you clearly know the name Charles, so think." She glared as she spoke, not appreciating all the growls he had sent in her direction.
Charlotte "It's no problem. Just stay behind me, okay?" She said, giving the girl a reassuring look before turning back to Deuce. "Deuce... please don't make me do the spell that messes with your shifting, because I will do it. Kali's right. And please don't make a mess of things. I have friends coming over later." She noted, just wishing for half a moment that her life was normal.
Deucalion breathes heavily, chest rising and falling as his eyes flicker over the ground. His hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly, trying to gain a semblance of control. Deuce ignores everything except for the sound of Kali's heartbeat and his own thoughts. Finally, he looked back to his mate, eyes still ringed with red. "He was not my brother, Kali! He was some human maid's son that played with us because we felt sorry for him!"
Kali stared back, shrugging her shoulders. "Why would she have your family's crest, Duke?" she asked softly, looking back at Charlotte and Jenna, making sure she was still safe. Turning back at him, she commented, "There are blood tests, we could get Braggins to run background checks. All I'm saying is give the girl a chance to explain without wolfing out on her. She's human, you'll hurt her."
Jenna bit the inside of her cheek as harshly as she could at his description of her father, tearing the skin and allowing blood to rush into her mouth. Her mother had always told her such great stories. Stories that Charles had told her. Stories of a childhood spent with two great friends. Brothers, he later discovered. Apparently, the affection wasn't returned. She swallowed down the blood, hardly even feeling the pain as she kept herself quiet. She didn't want to anger him anymore. She just wanted to go back to the motel. Or take a train back to her hometown to visit her mother's grave one last time.
Deucalion takes a step towards Kali and drops his face into the crook of her neck for a moment, attempting to claw his control back by focusing on her scent and her heartbeat overwhelming his senses, one hand raising up to rest on the other side of her neck. After a few moments, he stood back up straight and fixed his shirt until it lay flat and perfect once more. He made his way to the alcohol cabinet and grabbed a glass and the bottle of aconite whiskey. When he had a full glass he made his way back to where he and Kali had been previously. Deuce took a sip and then muttered into the glass, "Stop that before you bite a hole straight through your cheek."
Charlotte stayed in front of the girl, watching at Deuce passed. Okay, so this girl was his niece? Cousin? Hell if she knew but she wasn't about to let this poor girl be put under Deuce's wrath and she wasn't one to wonder why or how it was possible. That wasn't her place.
Kali moved to stand beside Duke, casually grabbing the glass from him to take a sip before handing it back to him. "I think we should redo this meeting. Hi, my name is Kali, this," she pointed to Duke, "Is Deucalion, or Tristan if you prefer. That is Charlotte, and we're sorry if we've frightened you."0:04
Jenna watched as the man latched onto Kali, using her to calm himself down. And then she watched as he regained control of himself and became the perfect gentleman. Maybe if she blinked, she would forget that he had frightened her. She blinked and nothing happened. Red twinged eyes still clearly in her vision. She stepped from behind Charlotte and peeked at the couple shyly. Then she ducked back behind the girl when the man spoke. She complied immediately though, not allowing her tongue to worry the wound and make it even worse. She stepped back out from behind her when Kali spoke. "It's nice to meet you, Kali...You too Deucalion," Jenna wasn't about to call him Tristan. Not now. Or ever. Not after what had happened. "It's alright....Maybe I should... go?" She suggested, gesturing towards the door. "It's getting really late and it's a long walk back to my motel." Her expression dimmed even more when she mentioned the motel, terrified of going back to the place where men leered at her like she was a piece of meat.
Deucalion sighed and shot Kali a weak look when he took his drink. "You aren't going back to your motel." He didn't add the words not until you explain every little detail, but maybe that was understood. He took a deep breath before downing the rest of his drink and then moved to fix another.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, Tristan? So he was the guy she was looking for? This story was getting more strange by the minute. "Wait," she said, turning to the girl behind her. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name but as Kali said, I'm Charlotte. I'm having a few friends over later and there will be plenty of food. I'd like it if you would stick around. Right Deuce?" She said, shooting a glare in his direction before turning back to the girl with a smile.
Deucalion glances at Charlotte and mutters almost bitterly, "Right."
Jenna blinked owlishly when Deucalion told her that she wouldn't be going back to her motel. Opening her mouth to protest, she closed it really quickly before opening it again. "I really need to get back," she protested, attempting to think of an excuse. "I left the coffee maker on." She whipped her head towards Charlotte. "Oh, I'm Jenna. And I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I have to get back." She knew that Deucalion's agreement was almost against his will and she didn't want to be around someone who didn't want her around. She just worked that way. "I'll... just be going now. It was really nice meeting you all," she called this over her shoulder as she began to walk out of the kitchen.
Kali sighed, calling out, "Jenna, wait!" She looked at Duke, frowning at the man before stepping forward. "Listen, how about I drive you to your motel. It's late, and it's not safe to walk outside alone at night."
Charlotte nodded, smiling a little too wide for it to look natural. "Yeah! I'll come with. Are you sure you don't want to come back here later? My friends are very welcoming."
Deucalion bangs his fist down on the counter and squeezes his eyes tightly, feeling a stress headache slowly forming. "If you are who you say you are, then I will not allow you to go back to some germ infested, sex motel where you are defenseless and any man could have his way with you." He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... Show her to Erica's old room and if she doesn't like it then find her one she does." He looked at Charlotte with an almost pleading face, the headache getting worse by the second.
Jenna shook her head at Kali, a small smile appearing on her face. "No, no it's okay. I'll walk. Seriously. Don't worry. I intruded," she stumbled out. "No, no... seriously you guys. I'm good. I can walk. I have a date with my favorite novel." She bit her lip at Deucalion's words. Why couldn't they just let her go? She had ruined everything in one night. She sighed, hand on the door knob to leave. She could make a run for it? She didn't know if she could outrun a werewolf.
Charlotte her smile became more genuine, though she ignored Deucalion's blunt comments. "C'mon, Jenna. Erica's room is next to mine, upstairs. It'd definitely be nice to have another girl in the house. If you want, we'll drive you to your place and you can grab your stuff." She gave the girl a pleading look, "Please? I've seen that motel and it's absolutely awful. It's not place for a girl to stay."
Deucalion "Do not even dare take one step out that door after claiming all that you have," he said weakly, hand gripping his forehead as he tried to push the pain away.
Jenna stepped away from the door at his words, fidgeting uncomfortably before nodding at Charlotte. "Can Kali come as well?" she asked, looking at both of the women. "I do need to get my stuff. The lock cards don't do much. One person has already broken in." She muttered the last words under her breath and ran a rough, shaky hand through her hair.
Deucalion looks up at her words. "Someone broke into your room?" He asked, suddenly feeling completely defensive.
Kali was torn between trying to take care of the human and Duke. Stepping back, she leaned against him and placed a hand against his back, rubbing small circles. "How long have you been in town?" she quietly asked, frowning at the idea of this girl being in the motel for longer than necessary.
Jenna nodded when he asked if someone broke into her room. "It was a week or so ago," she said. "I've been keeping a knife under my pillow. I'm not as defenseless as they think." She lifted her chin proudly. "Well, it took me four months to track Deucalion down and I've been here for about two weeks. The library is pretty nice. We... we don't have to go and get my stuff tonight." She said. "I just really want my family pictures at one point. That's all I've got left."
Deucalion leaned into Kali's touch, bending down to rest his forehead on her shoulder and breathe in her scent in hopes it would chase away the headache before it fully formed. He listened to the conversation as it went on, but the dull throb of the headache was still there.
Kali continued to rub circles into Duke's back as she listened to Jenna. "If you don't mind, I could go and get the photos for you. I wouldn't need a knife to protect me from the perverts that like to stay in that area."
Deucalion let out a low growl, burying his face closer into her neck at the thought of guys worse than the one from the party the other night touching her. "How about I go in the morning? I don't want either of you going," he said into the crook of her neck.
Charlotte gestures towards the stairs. "C'mon. The room next to mine is empty. I'll show it to you and then we'll find something to have for dinner. Sound good? I'm sure Deuce doesn't mind grabbing your stuff."
Jenna nodded. "That sounds alright with me," Her cheeks burned red. "My journal is under the sink, my clothes are in the dresser, and the books are on the night stand. I don't have a lot of things." Jenna yawned suddenly and she swiped at her eyes sleepily before she follows after Charlotte. But she stops before she goes up the stairs. "Thank you," she says before stepping close to the older man and hesitantly squeezing his hand with a light smile. And then she's running back off after Charlotte.
Deucalion feels the girl's hand grab his for a moment, and then the feeling is gone. When he hears that the two girls are out of the room, he wraps his arms tightly around Kali and pulls her to him. "This is a bad idea," he whispered softly before pressing a kiss to her lips lightly. "But my brain is swelling as we speak, so i need to sleep.
Kali watched as the girl followed Charlotte, letting Duke pull her to him. "Shush, it could be good. She needs somebody, look at her," she whispered back, kissing him and then patting his ass. "Go to bed, I'll be up in a few." She waited for him to go upstairs before heading out to the motel. She had items to collect, and noses to break.
Charlotte led the girl up to the empty room next to hers and across the hall from Boyd's. "Okay, to be honest I've never been in here but if it's not in good condition then we can always tidy it up and make it girly or.. whatever. That's what Deuce let me do with my room." She turned and opened the door, seeing it looked sort of plain with the basic furniture and such. Yet, she knew that Erica didn't spend much time here in the first place and treated herself like a prisoner so it should have been expected. "Hmm... we can go pick up some paint after school tomorrow. Wait, are you going to school tomorrow?"
Jenna nodded lightly as she listened to Charlotte speak, hands shoved deeply in her jean pockets since she didn't know what to do with them. At the question of school, the girl's eyebrows furrowed. "I dropped out a year ago to help take care of my mother," she explained softly. "I did try to look at some online classes when I went to the library but... Should I go?"
Charlotte "Oh, well that's understandable. I nearly did the same thing last year with my dad. If it weren't for my brother, I probably would have." She admitted, not sure how many people she'd actually talked about this with before. "Uhm, well I'm sure we could get you in. I'd recommend it. I know Deuce offered to let us do home schooling but my grandma would kill me so it's your choice, honestly. I know Boyd and I are going."
Jenna looked at the girl in a new light. "Your brother is a good one," she said as she glanced around the spacious room. She didn't want to admit that this was the nicest room that she had ever been able to stay in, but it was. The bed looked really nice from here and if it weren't for the slight sound of her stomach growling, Jenna would be passed out under the covers. "I'll, uh, I'll go... I'll have to ask Deucalion about it, right?" She said his name carefully as she tucked some brown hair behind her ear.
Charlotte nodded, "Yeah, he really is." She smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure it will be fine. Uhm, how about we go downstairs? I can make us something to eat!"
Jenna smiled shyly. "Sure," she answered and then decided to be adventurous and take the lead. "So how old are you," she kept her voice low as she asked the question since she didn't want to disturb anyone in the house.
Charlotte followed Jenna down the stairs. "I'm seventeen, but I'll actually be eighteen in about four days, so there's that. How about you?" She asked, cutting in front of Jenna to look in the fridge. "Maybe I'll just call Kali and have her bring us Taco Bell..."
Jenna glanced in the fridge over Charlotte's shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. "I won't be eighteen for another three months," she answered. "Taco Bell sounds like a pretty good idea." When she had been supporting her mother, Jenna had tried to make mostly healthy foods that didn't clog arteries. But sometimes her mother would ask for something and Jen would cave and they would get tacos or pizza or whatever they wanted.
Charlotte "Oh! Well that gives us plenty of time to party plan then. You can bet I'll be throwing a rager this weekend." She smiled, "And yes that means you're invited. Now let me just shoot Kali a text... there. Hopefully we'll be getting some Doritos Locos Tacos within the hour. Oh, do you want the rest of your chocolate milk? That sounds good. I may make some."
Jenna smiled. "I've never really been to a party before. Are they as fun as TV makes them out to be? Do you have a boyfriend, Charlotte?" she asked before taking the glass of the chocolate milk. "Thank you. And you should. Chocolate milk is the best drink on the planet. I'll let you in on a secret: Extra chocolate makes it better."
Charlotte laughed lightly and shook her head, "If you're staying in this town, expect plenty of parties. Meh, some aren't so super sweet sixteen but they can get pretty fun. As for a boyfriend, no. I'm living the single life right now. How about you? Have any guys back home" She smiled at the girls naivety. "Okay, I'm going to mix some up. Want more chocolate in yours? There is plenty?"
Jenna wasn't so sure as to how she should feel about the thought of many parties. She'd probably go to some... on occasion but mainly, she knew that she would either be at the motel or wherever she was permanently staying. Blushing, she shook her head. "No, never any guys. I couldn't handle the fact that they are all four years behind us mentally," Jenna said and rolled her eyes. "No, no... I'm good. The chocolate to milk ratio is perfect! So... uhm... what is Deucalion really like?"
Charlotte walked over to the pantry, grabbing a bag of cheese rolls and bringing them over the the counter, pulling two out of the bag. One for her and one for Jenna. "I understand that all too well," she laughed. "But I can assure you, not all of them are bad. Sometimes you run into a good one when you're not even looking." She commented with a smile, not thinking of anyone specific until Nancy's voice popped into her head. "Oh, Deuce? He's actually a nice guy when you get to know him but he can be sort of confrontational."
