Chapter 3

"It's a waffle. Someone making a waffle....what? What the Hell is that?

"Trent!" Mom scowls.

"Sorry...It's not a person making a waffle? Then what the hedgehog is it?!"He groans

"Checkers. Chess. Playing chess!"Gran yells.

I nod my head and point 1 finger.

"I think one word is 'playing', right?" Charlotte asks.

I nod.

"Yes!" Charlotte laughs.

"I still think it's a waffle." Trent crosses his arms over his chest and sits back down in the sofa disappointed.

Gran bounces up and down, blocking Charlotte's view. "They're playing with fishnets!

Who knew playing Pictionary in the living room, would connect us as a family? Mom and Gran weren't arguing and my siblings haven't physically clawed each other's faces off. However, just to be safe, I've purposely sat between Trent and Charlotte just in case.

Up at bat, or in this case the white board, Trent was drawing some unworldly thing, to me, looked like a fly swatter.

Mom is the current score and timekeeper.

"Times up. Marker down!" Mom yells.

"Damn it! No one ever guesses right. I hate this game." Trent slams the marker on the coffee table and groans all the way to the coach.

Mom glares at him again.

"Two words: Sore. Loser." Gran mumbles and Charlotte gives her a high five.

"All right, game over. First one to get 25 points and 25 words guessed correctly is Celeste!" Mom announces.

Gran makes a loud "woot" noise. I comically bow to my audience and blowing flying kisses.

Everyone claps except for Trent.

"No fair, she's an artist. Of course she would win." My brother whines.

"Hear that Gran?" Charlotte cups one ear, as if listen to something.

"Hear what sweetie? I think my hearing aid might be off."

"Mother, you don't use a hearing aid. You never needed one." Mom starts to put the game materials away.

"Well I seem to need it now. I don't hear anything." She looks at Charlotte questionably.

"Of course you do!" She giggles more to herself. This was Charlotte on the verge of producing a lame joke. She wraps an arm around Gran's shoulders. "You just heard a this little piggy go wee wee wee because he didn't get what he wanted!"

Trent crosses his arms and tilts his chin up. "I'm not--complaining."

"Believe what makes you happy, bro." Charlotte chimes.

A few hours of peace were finally at an end.

"Stop it you two." I tell them.

"Glad I was an only child." Gran says.

Ding-a-ling-dang-dong

"Was that the doorbell?" I ask. It was the strangest doorbell I've ever heard.

Mom gasps. "Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I invited Debbie and her family to eat lunch with us today."

We hear a small smash.

Charlotte dropped the basket of dry erase markets and everything rolls all over the floor. She frowns at our mom.

"Mom how could you! I can't let people see me with unwashed hair and house clothes!" She storms out the living room, up the stairs and slams her door.

"Next time we should play charades, she would definitely win Drama Queen." Trent mutters.

Gran snorts. "You'd take second place."

His mouth drops and I grab him in the arm to avoid another bicker. I tell him to help me pick up the markers on the floor.

"Did I do something wrong?" Mom asks me. She was referring to the situation with Charlotte.

Trent kneels down and reaches for the markers that rolled under the coach. "Don't worry about her, mom. She's being a diva. You better get the door before they think we left them standing."

Gran and I stand up at the same time.

"Oh goodie, Debs is here! I hope she brought something for me. She's much more caring then my own daughter. I wish you were more like her Tracey." She sighs. Mom clenches her teeth so hard I could hear her teeth grinding. "Oh well...I should go to the kitchen and prepare some treats." Gran makes her way to the kitchen.

"Need some help?" I offer her.

"Sure sweetie. You can help me reach up the shelf and get the saltine crackers. I think there a week expired though, but that's not a big deal. We can serve it to them, that way we can get rid of them and not waste a penny."

Trent and I look at each other as if disgruntled by what we heard. When you invite guests over, you're supposed to treat them with hospitality, not as garbage disposal.

Mom heads to the door.

"Welcome!" Mom's voice echoes and we hear a collection of hellos and footsteps entering the house. "Who's this?" Mom says.

"My eldest son Leonardo. We call him Leo. He worked long hours last night. That's why you weren't able to meet him but here he is!" Debbie sounded so chipper, I could imagine her smile.

I find it a coincidence that both her sons are named after two famous painters: Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh.

"It's nice to meet you Leonardo." Mom says.

"Please call me Leo." His voice was really deep. Deeper than anyone I've ever met, but it was also warm and not frightening.

"Psst...Celeste." Gran waves her hand over my face. "Aren't you going to help me?"

Oh. "Right"

"The crackers are in the second shelf in the food storage, which is located across the refrigerator. I'll get some apple cider stored in the bar downstairs. I think your mom bought a new pack this morning."

At least that's not expired, or old.

When she left to the drinks, I emptied the bowl of stale crackers into a plastic bag and replaced them with chips. I searched the fridge for dip and prepared the sauce plate. I turned around with the bowl and sauce plate in my hands. My heart palpitates when I see Gran with three bottles of Apple cider wrapped across her chest, standing inches from me, glaring at the chips and dip.

"Thought you can sneak past an old woman, eh?" She slurs.

"Gran, it's not what it looks like."

My instincts tell me to putt my hands up, but with my hands full that wasn't going to work.

"I caught you dirty handed." She reaches for the bowl.

Before she could stop me, I make a dash for the living room.

"Celeste, good afternoon!" Debbie sees me first and grabs me for a hug as soon as I place the food on the table.

Was it me or was someone staring daggers at me?

"Good afternoon." I sit on the other coach with Trent and look over my shoulder to see if Gran followed me. She didn't, but I felt her watching.

"Look what I brought you and your sister!" Debbie squeals, handing me a small cardboard box.

I see three males sitting on the larger coach. One of them was Robert. I give him a friendly smile. Vincent's pupils anxiously move side to side, obviously searching for something--or someone who has not yet come down from upstairs.

The third person sat square stuff like a statue. Legs wide, the way most guys sit, hands clasped together and elbows resting on his thighs.

He glances at me for a quick second and looks away.

Mom hovered over the box with a half-smile on her face. "It's not a live animal right?"

"Trace, it was only one time! I don't bring animals home anymore." Debbie puts her hands on her hip, frowning at mom like a pouty child.

Robert chokes on a chip and cover's his mouth with his palm. His whole face turns red and everyone rises to his, or her feet to check if he is okay.

Robert holds his hand up. "I'm fine." He says between coughs.

Leonardo, sitting to his left, pats his father's back. "Are you sure dad?"

Just like Robert, Leonardo was built. Not overly bulky like a body builder, but lean like a person who works out and runs daily. He had on jeans and a white t-shirt that emphasized each and every muscle on his upper body. He had the facial features of a male model: square jaw, symmetrical features and high cheekbones.

This man is way out of my league and I had all instincts to avoid him. He gave me frat boy vibes.

Robert grabs a napkin. "Sorry everyone, it went down the wrong pipe?"

"Robert, you have to eat slowly." Debbie scolds her husband.

Gran finally makes her grand entrance with sparkling bottle of cider and a stack of cups on a serving tray.

"Sounds like someone has tuberculosis. Who is it? You better fess up now, or I'm kicking you out of my house. No one is making me die younger!"

Debbie chuckles, while mom looks about ready to commit assault.

"Robert choked, Diana. It's a good thing you brought some juice," Debbie says, then stands up to help Gran by taking the heavy refreshments off her hands and onto the table.

I didn't miss the way Gran looked at mom with a told-you-so expression on her face.

"So what do you do Leo?" Mom completely changes the subject.

As if noticing me staring, Leonardo glances at me and holds his gaze. His crystal blues stun me before he turns his head to answer mom's question. I was suddenly breathless, but in a fearful kind of way.

"I work as an official. Kind of like a second-in-rank officer."

"So a police officer... You look so young to be second ranked. I mean...don't they usually give that position to senior officers?" Mom appeared impressed. "I'm not trying to sound rude and sorry if I am, but if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"You are rude and he does mind you asking." Gran places the tray on the table and takes a seat next to Trent.

Leonardo's smile could break icebergs-it was that stunning. "I don't mind. I'm twenty five years old."

Debbie smiles proudly. "Kids grow up so fast."

"You can say that again." Gran sighs. "Tracey grew up as soon as she learned how to pee in the toilet. Even in diapers, she thinks she's an adult."

Mom points her finger at her. "Mom, can you please stop being inappropriate!"

Robert clears his throat and stands up, "Can someone point me to the restroom?"

"I'll take you." Trent volunteers. "I'm heading up to the entertainment room anyway. You guys want to come?" He asks Leonardo and Vincent.

Vincent immediately gets up. "I do." He says in relief.

Boys can never sit still more than half an hour.

"I'll stay here, thanks anyway bro." Leonardo says to Trent.

Mom, Debbie and Gran continued their conversation in the kitchen while they prepared lunch. I find myself alone with Leonardo preparing the dining table. I reached up the cabinets for the stack of plates and although I could reach them, I used a small stool to give me an extra lift. The glass cups were on the second shelf so the stool would be useful eventually.

Usually Wyatt prepared the table, but since this was the weekend and Gran wasn't alone at home, mom let him have the weekend off. He really looked like he needed it. Gran is quite the handful and I admire him for the decades he's dedicated to working for her.

I got the plates and slowly took a step off the stool. When I turned around, I was looking at a white wall.

"I'll get the cups."

I look up and see Leonardo staring down at me, face full of amusement. Man, he's tall.

"Thanks."

He places the stool back where I got it. "If you need something on the top shelf, don't hesitate to call me. Most my friends work as firefighters, police and EMT. We get emergency calls all the time about people accidentally falling from reaching up the top shelf. I'd hate for you to be one of those phone calls."

I grin. "Glad someone's got my back."

His smile broadened. "All in a day's work, miss."

Did that sound like a flirt—I hope not.

We set the stable for nine people. When we finished Leonardo pulled out a chair for me to sit. He wanted us to talk, something I wasn't really keen on doing but our mom's didn't want us in the kitchen and watching the boys battle it out on X-box was not an option. Why he wanted to learn more about me, irked me as something odd. Most of the time, he was the one asking.

"How long have you been here?"

"This is the third day."

His brows perked up. "How do you like it so far?"

"It's great. I really love how you can see the stars out here. Back home, I live in the city and the city lights usually drown out the sky."

"The best view is out in the mountains, especially the peak. You can see the town, the sky and the lake on the other side. It a really great view."

His eyes look all dreamy as he speaks.

"There's a lake here?"

His mouth drops as if realizing he said the wrong thing. "Umm...yeah there is but I've only been there once in my life. It's really dangerous to explore the woods, even in the day time."

"How come? If being in the woods was so dangerous then why did people settle here and build a town?"

"There are animals in the woods that may attack people."

Well...duh. "That doesn't stop people from camping. I used to camp with my dad all the time." I said, but the bittersweet memories made me feel kind of sad.

His eyes lower to the floor and he fidgets awkwardly. "I'm sorry about your dad. Mom kind of mentioned it once."

"It's okay. It has been 15 years since...you know." I grin slightly.

"This maybe a weird question, but do you believe in monsters."

Twenty-five year old say what?

His face looked so serious. At first I thought he was joking, but he didn't surprise me and say "joking!".

Still I thought his question was rather weird. "Under my bed, or in my closet?There's a difference." I tease, hoping he was a really great actor and fooled me.

He reads my reaction and realizes I don't believe him. "Did your grandmother tell you a story?"

"Little mermaid or the beast that kidnaps girls?"

He's isn't amused by my carefree behavior and leans forward caging me to a corner. "Look." He sighs and runs his hand down his dirty blond hair. "In this town people believe that legend. For the people here...that story is real. It's been twenty five years since the last missing person's case and coincidently someone—a girl in her late teens, or early twenties, gets abducted and never seen again. The police do their best to find them but it's always brought them to a dead end."

If this was meant to scare me, I'm nothing but. I was furious that he would attempt to terrify me and if I were Charlotte, I'd have nightmares.

"Families of these lost girls morn for a couple years, but after a long time they accept what's reality--that their daughter won't come back. But the strange this is after every kidnapping the family is hit with good fortune. Family members suddenly earn more income, get promoted at work, or strangely get saved from a freak accident. Some very superstitious towns people actually want their daughters taken."

That bit of news makes me sick. Who would be okay with their kid being kidnapped?

"That's absurd. My mom would never sell me out nor stand by as her child gets taken! I thought you are a cop? People of justice are not supposed to cause fear." I frown at him disapprovingly.

He shakes his head feverishly. "No! I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to be knowledgeable of what could..." He searches the side of his head in frustration. "Listen...Tonight is an eclipse. Homes with girls between the ages of 16-25 hang a white flag as tradition during an eclipse. Over a century ago, rumors say a family retaliated when the beast tried to take their only daughter. The beast was not happy that the family tried to have it killed. The girl's father was almost bleed to death from the animal attack. The whole family was critically wounded and found half dead the next day. It was a surprise that all of them lived to tell the tale. Ever since then white flags were placed to plead the beast not to harm them and it would not harm them back."

I mouth wow. "That story is a load of lies. I'm sorry officer Leonardo but I'm not superstitious and as an officer you shouldn't impose fear like that. To be honest, I think your insane. Are you sure you're fit for your job?"

Expecting him to call me put for insulting an officer, he surprises me with a grin. "You got guys. Let's just forget we had this conversation." He smiles radiantly like a totally different person. "I just thought you deserve the full story. I tell visitors this all the time and I watch their reaction. Yours is a bit unique. You pass, kid."

He's 10 years too young to be calling me kid.

"I'm nineteen. Not a kid," I point out.

"My mistake, miss. It will never happen again." He winks. "However you're not legal to drink alcohol. I just wanted to clarify."

I roll my eyes, "Officer, watch it. Your badge is showing. I thought you're supposed to be off duty?"

"You know, girls as cheeky as you are usually sent to my station." He smirks.

"Oh? Then you better engrave my name on a plank across one of the cells. You may see me more often then you want."

I know I told myself this guy is out of my league, but...

He looks me over and smiles suggestively. "Looking forward to it."

When a hot guy flirts with you, you want to play along.

Mom screams from the kitchen and tells me to call everyone for lunch. Leonardo tells me he needs to go to the restroom first and I should go ahead and call everyone to the table. I find Trent and Vincent playing X-box. Freshly washed and glamorized Charlotte, cheered for Vincent who happily let Trent kill his character once I called them for lunch. He did that thing again; placing his hand on the small of Charlotte's back as he pulled her along to the dining room.

"Dude, you weren't even trying!" Trent complained about the game.

"Sorry man."

When we got to the dining room, everyone was seated except for Leonardo.

"Can you look for him? He probably got lost." Mom said.

This was a large house.

"Okay."

I went to the nearest bathroom and just as I got there I see the doorknob twist open but stop midway as a cell phone went off.

"Hello"

I shouldn't be eavesdropping.

"Yes, I'm here right now. I meet the newcomers...two daughters within age...yes...they are informed...hm, the grandmother placed the flag...I will be attending the shift tonight. Everything will run smoothly...yes sir. See you then Alpha Grey."

Did he just say alpha?

What the hell is going on in this town!

NOTE: Dec 24, 2016

Let's make one thing clear though IF YOU COPY MY BOOK...I WILL FIND YOU.

BE WARNED. xo