Jungen Mädchen

"Jungen Mädchen" - Hund am Strand

🎵 Wir könnten ein Exempel statuieren / Wir könnten uns lieben und diese Liebe einfrieren / Dann könnten wir die Liebe weitergeben / An andere lieblosere Leben🎵

Immediately I noticed the warmth, and then the softness of flannel bed sheets were registered. The fabric was so comfy and I sank deeper into whatever bed I was lying in, enjoying the all encompassing sensation of melting into the memory-foam mattress that perfectly molded to my frame. All in all, this was the best bed in the world. I mean, back home in Canada, I'd always had trouble falling asleep for some reason— it was too cold, I couldn't get cozy, the pillow wasn't cuddly enough, the darkness was too creepy, et cetera.

Secondly, I'd noticed the stench of wet dog that hung thick and heavy through the air—

"Wha—?!" I loudly gasped as I shot up in bed, memories of the rabid wolf fresh in my mind. I whipped my head all around to try and survey my surroundings; or more specifically, to see if there was a giant wolf nearby.

It was dark in the bedroom, letting me know that it was nighttime. Whether or not it was still the same day as when I'd flown in was unknown. That, or maybe I was dead and this was Purgatory?

There was an audible click as the light was switched on, illuminating the mysterious room that I'd found myself in. It was a standard-sized bedroom (not a hospital?) and it seemed to be freshly cleaned. I could tell by the obvious vacuum track marks on the floor rug that covered up a majority of the hardwood. There was a large, unbleached black blanket tossed over the curtain rod, blocking out any of the moonlight. The bed that I'd found myself in was a queen-sized bed with red flannel sheets that were a little wrinkly and that had stray fibers sticking up here and there— freshly washed. There was only one pillow, and it seemed to be beaten down flat, offering little to no neck support. Across the bed was a double-wide dresser with a TV on top of it. Next to the TV was a PS5 and a Nintendo Switch with the rainbow joy cons... but the yellowish bedroom light refracted off the plastic protective film that was still on the Switch's screen, letting me know that it hadn't been used yet. It took me a second to realize that the bed was pushed against the far wall, meaning that there was only one side in which the occupant would be able to roll out of it. And on that free side was a nightstand with a lonely lamp. Yet I could see a small, thin rectangular outline in the small layer of dust on it. The walls had a few posters on them, each one depicting some kind of rock band that I've never heard of; and there was a large crack in the thick German home wall near the door, indicating that some angry person must've lost their cool—

I was in Dominik's bedroom!

I finally registered that Alaric was standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Um, how are you feeling?" he asked, avoiding direct eye contact with me.

"What happened?" I asked, ignoring his question altogether. The last thing that I remembered was being attacked by a wild animal and then being dragged into the woods by said animal. I looked down at myself and saw that I'd been dressed in an oversized grey t-shirt. I tugged the collar to the side, expecting to see a gnarly gash from where the wolf had chomped down onto me.

A wordless gasp was chocked out of me when I stared in awe at the neat, bloodless scar that marred my pale skin. I rubbed at my eyes to make sure that they were working correctly, and I even poked at my crescent-shaped scar with shaky fingers to see if it was real. My fingers grazed my unbroken skin, feeling absolutely no pain whatsoever. Now I may not be a doctor, but my mom's a surgeon, so I knew for a damn fact that it was impossible for the skin to heal in such a short amount of time.

I looked back up at Alaric, my eyes wide and questioning.

The older man stomped forward and yanked my collar back upright to hide my scar. "Let's go ahead and cover that before your father walks in," he nervously chuckled, his voice sounding low like he was trying to remain quiet.

"Huh?" I sputtered. This man is insane! "B-but the wolf— and my skin... what the fuck?"

The color drained from my stepfather's face and he still wouldn't meet me head on. His burly shoulders rose and then quickly fell as he deeply sighed. I could smell coffee on his warm breath, and he seemed to be silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Max," he slowly muttered, "um... Dominik found you passed out on the driveway and carried you inside."

That's a lie. I haven't seen Dominik yet, so I know that he hadn't found me sprawled out on the damn driveway like some drunk loser on his way home from the bar! There was a frickin' wolf and it'd attacked me and had dragged my skinny ass into the dirty forest!

"No," I scoffed, even shaking my head. "There was wolf and it bit me—"

Alaric chewed on his lower lip. "One of the neighbor's dogs must've gotten loose and knocked you down. I think you hit your head when you tumbled and just imagined everything."

"I did not!" I nearly shouted dramatically, throwing my hands up in the air. "It was wolf, Alaric. It bit me and then tried to drag me into the forest. Probably to eat me!"

Alaric clenched his jaw. "If it bit you, then where's your wound?" he challenged.

This jerk... I know what he's trying to do... well, actually I don't. I mean, clearly he's lying. But for what reason?

"Right here!" I scoffed, tugging the shirt collar to the side again to show off my mysterious new scar.

Alaric's yellow eyes were trained onto the opened doorway, like he was gazing out into the hallway. "That's an old scar," he mumbled without even examining it for a split second.

"You didn't look—"

"And besides, Dominik found you and brought you inside. That's it. There was no wolf and there was no bite."

What the fuck's going on around here?! "B-but—"

"You don't have proof," Alaric curtly interrupted, straightening his posture and lowering his voice some more. "So no one will believe you—"

Dad quickly hurried into the bedroom, his hair looking messy as if he'd been running his hands through it (a nervous tic of his). "Max!" he breathed with relief once his frantic eyes landed on me and saw that I was awake. He rushed forward and wrapped me into a huge hug.

Alaric clapped a large hand onto Dad's shoulder. "I was just filling Max in on what happened. He doesn't seem to remember it too well," he said in a much cheerier voice, and since he was standing behind my dad, I could gain an uninterrupted view of his "You-Better-Play-Along-Or-Else-I'll-Murder-You" glare that he sent me.

My big sister is Emilia Estrada. I know what's like to be gaslit. Something was wrong here in Alaric's house. I know what I saw and I know that I didn't have that scar on my left shoulder back in Canada; therefore, despite its appearance, it was brand new. I just didn't know how on earth I could get bitten by a wolf and then have my wound scar over like I'd had it for years all in the span of a few hours.

Maybe... maybe I did imagine everything?

The second that doubt started to seep into my mind, it was hard to keep it from snowballing. I mean, wolves don't just attack people. Sure Bedburg was world famous for its werewolf legends, but my father had lived in the area for years. When I'd visited him as a kid, I'd never seen a wild wolf before!

Dad blissfully carried on, unaware of my inner turmoil or his husband's secretive attitude. "I'm so relieved that you're alright! Gott sei Dank Dominik was outside just in time to shoo away that animal."

So the story is that, not only did Dominik find me unconscious on the driveway, but he'd also scared away whatever the hell had knocked me over? If that translates into him being my hero, then that's sad.

An earsplitting screech screamed out from downstairs and Dad perked up in response. "Oh! I'm making you some tea to soothe your headache," he explain, getting up to hurry downstairs.

Well, if he really wanted to help out my headache, he'd tell his husband to stop being a lying bitch. But whatever.

Speaking of whom, after shooting me one last pleading look, Alaric trailed behind my dad like some sort of lovesick puppy.

Something's wrong. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but I know that Alaric is trying to hide something from me and Dad. I can tell by the la-di-da way he was making tea and acting like he was all concerned for my wellbeing while simultaneously happy that Dominik was there to help me, that Dad was in the dark too probably.

I know what I saw! A big wolf attacked me and bit me. I wasn't knocked unconscious by some excited pet colliding into me in the driveway. I was straight up bitten by a wild wolf!

Then again...

On my left shoulder wasn't an opened wound that was all bloody and needing a rabies vaccine. Instead, I had a scar that looked like I'd been bitten by a large canine back when I was ten or whatever— not now. That, and the way Alaric was making me feel like I'd imagined everything had me second guessing myself. After all, if there really had been a large wolf in the drive way, then why hadn't it attacked Alaric or Sibylle?

And why would a wolf want to carry me away?

Maybe I am wrong? It wouldn't be a first, but I wouldn't admit it to Alaric. He's still on my shit list, so I'll probably just try to avoid him for the rest of time I'll be living under his roof. That can work. At the end of the day, I am a junior in high school and I'll be seventeen in five days. I'll graduate soon and the legal age in Germany is eighteen, therefore, I can move out and just be on my own again (legally, this time). I just have to bide my time.

"Mein Hase? Are you awake?" a deep voice asked, followed by a light knock on the door jam.

I was jolted out of my inner monologue and turned my head to see a frickin' giant walking into the bedroom. Seriously, this man was taller than any other guy I've ever seen— and I'd thought that Alaric was a big guy, but this dude must've towered over him. And I didn't even need Alaric up here to do a side-by-side comparison, it was that evident! The unknown man was also hella broad too, his impressive musculature wrapped up in dark blue jeans that still showcased how thick his quads were. He wore a black leather jacket that was left unzipped, his white t-shirt clinging tightly to his enormous chest muscles that oozed masculine power. I could even spot some chest hair curling over the v-neck collar of his shirt. Traveling upwards, the man's top half of his thick neck and his lower jaw were dusted in stubble that appeared scratchy to the touch. His yellow eyes were wide as they traveled over me, and the right side of his mouth pulled up slightly when it spotted my left shoulder— but then it was quickly replaced by a deep scowl. The deep lines near the guy's mouth indicated to me that he was used to scowling. His thick, dirty blond hair was unkempt atop his head, looking like he'd just had it wind whipped.

But it was the scowl and the narrowed eyes that sent the alarm bells screeching inside of my aching head.

"Dominik?" I gasped in awe at the giant. Holy crap! He grew up! Damn it, why do I have to stay small while he gets taller and more muscular? Life's not fair.

The older Dominik stalked over towards the bed, his bulk swaying from side to side as he moved. He stopped directly by my bedside, his scowl faltering for a little bit as he looked down at me. He swallowed loudly, his Adam's apple quivering. Even though I was lying down in his bed, I could easily see the massive size difference between us. I doubt that if I were standing that I've even come up to his shoulder.

"...here!" he grunted, shoving something at me while looking away, but not fast enough so as to hide the blush forming on his face.

"Huh?" I wondered aloud as a rabbit plushie was tossed at me. It was a white-colored bunny with big floppy ears, and it was holding a sign that read out in stitched letters: Willkommen daheim! My German is terrible, having gotten worse after seven years of not using it, so when I looked up at the young man with a confused look, he knew what I was asking.

"It means, 'Welcome home'," Dominik muttered, that familiar blush deepening on his face as he clenched his jaw.

Gradually, the blush disappeared, but he remained tensed, even tightening his large fists as he turned his head to stare me down, hard.

"You blocked my number." The way he said it with the words oozing disdain let me know that he was pissed.

Ugh, that was six years ago. Why was he still bent out of shape all over that? Seriously, this dude is obsessed with me or something. Since I was in his bed, though, I swallowed down my snarky retort. "...yeah..."

"And," he sneered, narrowing his icy gaze at me, "you never came to see me."

I kinda wanted to point out that if I were to sit my ass on an airplane for hours on end, suffering through turbulence and stale peanuts, that it would've been to see my father. Not him. Again though, I didn't want to anger the guy who has muscles on his muscles. "W-well, the economy..."

My voice trailed off when Dominik's square jaw clenched even more, and I briefly wondered if his teeth would shatter from the sheer amount of force he was exerting onto them. Even his upper lip curled over them, immediately reminding me of the dangerous wolf that I'd apparently dreamt up. His focus refusing to drift away from me in the slightest, Dominik slowly bent forward and invaded my personal space. His snarl still plastered onto his pissed off face, he bared his sharp teeth at me once more, making me sink deeper into the memory foam mattress that reeked of dog— but where was this dog?

When he spoke, his voice was low and there was harsh quality to it. "Now that you're here," Dominik growled, "I'm gonna make sure—"

"Here's your tea!" Dad obliviously announced as he walked into the room.

Dominik instantly perked up and took a large step away from me, putting on the fakest smile that I've seen anyone wear before. Plus, Dominik smiling was an anomaly in of itself. The usual happy and bubbly visual expression looked creepy as hell on the young man, especially by the way his sharp teeth protruded out over his bottom lip.

My father, the man with the worst hairline in the room, had a difficult time picking up on the thick tension. Hence, he strutted right up to the bed and placed the mug filled closely to the brim with milky tea. "Oh, and Maxie, here's some sleep aid," he hummed, handing me an oval pill.

It'd been a stupid/weird tradition for me and Emilia to have taken sleep aid whenever we'd visited Germany in the past. That way, we could adjust to the massive difference in time zones. Dad had always told us that the best way to defeat jet lag was to go to bed whenever the locals did. Since it was probably still late afternoon back home in Canada, I would definitely need the sleep aid to get some rest and get accustomed to everyone else's circadian rhythm.

Plus, I seriously doubt that I'll be able to get some peaceful shut eye with a wolf outside the house and a psycho inside it.

"Thanks," I told him, grabbing the pill in one hand and the cup in the other.

Without hesitation, I popped the pill into my mouth and took a big gulp of the tea that wasn't too hot. Dad had made it just as I used to like it as a kid: loads of creme and sugar to drown out the bitter tea taste.

"Well, I better head off to bed then," I grumbled, not really sure what to make of this day (and to get the F out of Dominik's room before the sleep aid knocks me out). This whole day had turned out to be a roller coaster to say the least. Not only did I move to an entirely different country, but I swear that I'd gotten attacked by a wolf outside my new house. Alaric claimed that my mind had made it all up while I'd been unconscious, and that scar on my shoulder was new but old. I couldn't made sense of it whatsoever.

Worse of all was that Dominik was still living here, and that he genuinely seemed angry that we hadn't kept in contact with one another when I'd been in Canada. What the hell did he expect me to do? Be his foreign pen pal? Hell no! The guy was a jerk to me when we were younger. There's no way I'd forgotten that, even if he has. I have a decent-ish memory, and I vividly recall him calling me a "Nobody" to his group of friends.

What an asshole.

Dominik even wore a shit-eating smirk on his face and he puffed out his muscled chest. "Yeah, about that..." he stated, trying to keep the unexpected cheeriness out of his voice.

Alaric stomped into the bedroom this time, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, 'about that', apparently last night's storm was bad enough that it knocked one of the nearby tree's branches loose. It broke your bedroom window. And no matter how hard I'm sure he's tried, Dominik hasn't been able to find a contractor to fix it." He narrowed his gaze at his son.

Dominik avoided Alaric's stare and shrugged. "It's getting colder and colder every night," Dominik smirked. "It's supposed to be minus five tonight. Max here will freeze to death if he sleeps in that room."

Dad frowned, looking concerned. Alaric rolled his eyes again, not caring about my safety I guess.

That cocky grin still on his punchable face, Dominik shrugged once more, the movement of his broad shoulders making the bottom of his tight t-shirt ride up slightly to offer a peek of his hairy stomach. "And someone, we still don't know who, broke the bottom support on the couch."

Alaric's forehead vein popped noticeably.

"So I guess Max will have to just use my bed in the meantime," Dominik added, his yellow eyes darting towards me for a split second when he added that last part. He attempted to sound disappointed, but his cocky grin told otherwise. "Especially since we turned Emilia's old room into Paul's office."

Dad clapped his stepson on his broad back. "Danke, Dominik," he told him. "I appreciate you stepping up to help look after Maxie."

Dominik's smirk grew, but this time, Alaric wore a matching smile.

"Ja," Alaric chuckled, "which is why I went out and bought you a lovely cot to sleep on. Max just had a really rough day, so it's nice of you to give him your bed to himself."

Dominik's smirk rapidly morphed into his trademark scowl that looked exactly the same as he'd worn when he was fourteen. "Was?" he growled.

Alaric stepped away from the doorway, revealing a cardboard box with a picture of a tiny, single-person cot on it. Based off of the picture, the olive green material looked like it'd been starched to no return and would be incredibly uncomfortable for the muscle man to have to sleep on... if he even fit on the tiny thing!

Okay, why did Dominik look so disappointed/angry that he'd be sleeping on a cot? He'd already pointed out that the couch was broken, so that meant no one would be able to comfortably sleep on it. Emilia's old room was now an office, so I doubted that a bed was in it, and my bedroom had its window broken so my room was -5° C. Despite me actually enjoying the room being cold while smothered in thick blankets, I would probably die if I slept in there... and so would Dominik. Call me crazy, but it almost seemed as if the young man was annoyed that we wouldn't be sharing a bed together.

I'm wrong though, right?

Dominik's angry face was beet red, and his strong jaw clenched as tightly as ever. Yet, once our eyes met, he seemed to relax by the smallest percentage. And I swear that his yellow eyes honed in on my left shoulder, the corner of his mouth pulling up slightly.

Dad handed me his phone. "Make sure you call your mother and let her know that you made it safely," he told me. "And tomorrow we'll go out and buy you a German SIM card so your phone will work here."

Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that. I had a Canadian SIM card, so my phone wouldn't work here in Germany. Ugh, just another minor inconvenience to moving here. Without that SIM card, I wouldn't be able to contact Mom or Emilia, or really anybody at all. My phone wouldn't work at all. I didn't really have anybody I wanted to call, but I'd be relegated to being all by myself even more so because of some stupid technological technicality.

Dominik perked up. "His phone doesn't work?" he asked in a low voice, almost to himself, scrunching up his thick eyebrows.

Dad shook his head. "No, so if you're not busy, would you take him to the Wasgau so he can get a German SIM card?" he asked my stepbrother. "I'll give you some euro before you leave?"

Dominik curtly nodded.

Alaric and Dad left the room to give me some space so that I could talk to Mom, yet Dominik refused to budge.

Trying to ignore the weirdo, I scrolled through Dad's contacts before pausing. I love Mom and I want her to know that I made it to Dad's semi-safely so that she wouldn't be worrying, just in case she was. However, as soon as I saw my mom's first name "Marisol" in the contact list, I immediately scrolled all the way up to "Emilia" and pressed on my sister's name.

As the dial tone sounded out, Dominik sighed as he dragged the cot's box inside the room and slammed the door shut. He muttered angrily to himself in German, so I couldn't understand what he was saying as he tore through the cardboard with his claws. He grimaced the whole time he opened it up, his upper lip curling over his sharp teeth.

I have no idea what his problem could be this time.

Because Emilia was one step short of surgically implanting her phone into her hand, she picked up immediately. "What?" she asked, her breathy tone and the chatter in the background letting me know that she was still at work.

"Hey, Emilia," I said, letting her know that it was me on the line.

Dominik rolled his eyes as he dragged the olive green cot out of the box. It was the same color green that I've seen some of the American soldiers down near K-Town wearing, making me stifle a giggle. There was no way that tiny thing would be comfortable for such a big man like Dominik. Not wanting to sleep on the cot myself, I settled down deeper into the memory foam mattress to illustrate that I was not moving.

In response, Dominik's eyes narrowed at the cot and for a brief moment I thought that he'd toss it out the window.

"Oh! Hi Maxie!" Emilia happily greeted, even taking the time to shush whoever was next to her. "How was your flight? And how's it living with Alaric and Dominik now?" She gave a throaty chuckle, but there was a sharpness to her tone that indicated that she was really checking up on me.

It was weird that she'd brought up Dominik again— twice in twenty-four hours. She hated him and never wasted a moment to let anyone know it. I'm pretty sure it's listed in her Tinder bio.

On cue, Dominik oh-so-suddenly stopped making a ruckus as he tried to put the metal bars of his cot together. Instead of allowing them to clang loudly together, he now handled the cot with care and utter silence. He still looked pissed beyond belief, but now he seemed to quietly stew in his anger as opposed to growling like a feral dog.

Every so often, his yellow eyes would dart over to me, and I'd swear that his broad shoulders would relax the smallest bit. The sleeping pill must be kicking in early!

"It's okay," I muttered, trying to keep my voice low and to avoid using Dominik's name so that he wouldn't know I was talking about him. "I mean, my room is kinda messed up because of some storm but other than that, s'all good."

"A storm?" Emilia scoffed. "If you looked on the weather app, would you see that a storm passed recently?"

"I can't, I didn't get a German SIM card."

"Maxie, that's not... *sigh." It wasn't hard to envision my sister pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"Huh?" I was confused.

She sighed again and there was some mumbling in the background. "Look, I gotta go," she finally said. "Just keep your guard up and let me know if a certain someone keeps messing with you." Then she hung up.

A certain someone?

I struggled to wrap my brain around who on earth she could be referring to. After all, at the airport in Vancouver, she'd told me to let her know if Dominik bothers me. She'd already mentioned him once, so why not just say it again if she meant him...?

Meh, I think the sleep aid is starting to make me foggy. To punctuate my point, I swung my arm around to place Dad's phone on the nearby nightstand, but my sense of depth perception was all out of whack and I accidentally dropped the phone to the hardwood floor with a clatter.

Dominik cocked his eyebrow at me and picked up the phone. "You okay?" he asked, his yellow eyes running up and down my tiny frame as he knitted his eyebrows. He looked worried, but I think he was more concerned about me throwing up in his bed or something.

I nodded. "Yeah, the sleep aid is working," I explained before tucking myself deeper into the really soft bed. I placed the rabbit plush that Dominik had bought for me (for some odd reason) onto the nightstand, and began to do mental gymnastics as I attempted to think up a way to steal this dude's mattress. It's super comfy! Maybe he won't notice if I swap mine with his?

Dominik hurried out of the bedroom at near superhuman speeds... that, or I'm high. After returning the phone to the my father, he rushed back into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him, an audible clicking sounding out.

I settled in deeper into the mattress when Dominik snatched the TV remote and turned it on, putting some deep ocean documentary on. The narrator spoke English and there were German subtitles on the bottom of the wide screen. Then the young man turned off the bedroom light, allowing the faint illumination from the screen to barely allow me to see.

It was kind of nice that Dominik turned the TV on before lying down since back home I would need it on in order to fall asleep. I guess he's the same way too.

Once the cot was finally made up, it looked pitifully small. The thing wasn't even as long as Dominik's bed, and I knew that the right thing to do would be to offer to swap beds since I am using his after all; and my tiny body would probably fit perfectly on the cot. But alas, I'm selfish. Therefore, I pursed my lips so damn quick and forced my eyes towards the TV.

In my peripherals, I could still see the young man grumbling to himself as he placed a little knitted blanket onto the cot before he kicked his boots off. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and carefully placed it on a hanger in the closet. His increased muscular bulk strained against the fabric of his t-shirt, making it look like he was trying to take a thirst trap picture for whatever social media he had. His biceps squeezed out of the tight sleeves and his pecs were even perfectly showcased... I really need to stop staring. Still, out of the side of my eyes, I could see him grab the bottom of his shirt and yank it off over his head. Even in the dark and without direct eye contact, I could easily tell that the young man was frickin' jacked!

He must've known it too, because I swore up and down that Dominik smirked before puffing out his already impressive chest muscles.

I diverted my gaze back to the TV to learn about... marine snow. Gross.

Dominik shucked his pants, staying in just his black boxer briefs. He rested on the cot, folding his hands behind his head, his biceps flexing from the motion. Sure enough the cot was way too small for a giant like him. The bottom half of his legs wouldn't fit, and his knees could form a perfect ninety degree angle when he rested his feet on the floor while lying on the cot.

"Scheiße," Dominik snorted, a little growl escaping his lips. "You asleep yet?"

I shook my head, the sleep aid leaving a sense of vertigo behind, kind of like I was on a carousel at the carnival. "No," I said slowly, knowing that sleep just on the horizon.

Obviously I thought that it would next to impossible to fall asleep in Dominik's bedroom— thank God for sleep aid! Based off the pissed look on his face and his general grumpiness, I really don't think that Dominik's my biggest fan. Quite the opposite, really. He's probably waiting for me to fall asleep so he can beat my face into a pulp with one nightly swing of his lumberjack arms! B-but because of the sleep aid, I won't be able to stay awake and protect myself from his wicked blows!

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier by the second, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

...Zzzz...

Even in my sleepy, drug-induced haze, I couldn't help but admire how soft and comfy Dominik's bed was. I nuzzled my face into his warm, fuzzy pillow and I could feel the blankets seem to tighten around me in response as something soft pressed against my forehead. It was so warm and soft and I felt incredibly at ease and at home.

"Gute Nacht und süße Träume, mein Hase."