A Blessing or a Curse

Chapter Twenty Two: A Sly Lie…or Two

Days seemed to go by in slow motion after that. Same old, boring routine. Wake up, Go to school, Come home, maybe go for a run and that’s it. On the weekends I couldn’t leave the house because I was still grounded for staying out all night, when in reality I had been kidnapped.

A week went by and it was Friday night and I was in bed eating Mocha Pots de Crème, a rich pudding like French chocolate desert my aunt adored, and studying for my Driver’s Ed test Tuesday. If I passed this I could take the official driving test and hopefully get my permit.
A knock came from outside my door and mumbled “Come in.”

It was my uncle. He sat at the foot of my bed and sighed. “Where were you that night Marilyn?”

I sighed and placed my pastry on the nightstand and my textbook of my lap and onto the bed to sit up further. I knew exactly what night he was talking about. I so badly wanted to tell him to get off punishment, shit, maybe he could help but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.
How would he react to my mate being a rogue? He’d have to tell Alpha Korlav and I wasn’t willing to let the Alpha find out. Plus, he’d be pissed enough I’ve been spending time with a boy behind his back.
Carter, the 19 year old bad boy rogue with the tattoos and who smokes cigarettes wasn’t exactly parent approved. At least, I know I wouldn’t want my daughter or niece hanging around a guy like that.
So I lied.

“Okay, um…I went to go see the band with Ashelle and after that we walked home, our separate ways and a few friends were driving by and saw me and asked if I wanted to go to this party and…”
He sighed and shook his head, “Even if you did go to the party. We gave you a curfew, twenty after midnight. Why did you come back literally ten hours after that, without calling and losing your cellphone?”
He had a pretty solid point.

“I wanted to look cool in front of the older kids.” I knew that would get some sympathy even though in reality if something like this happened it wouldn’t be the case. Bullshit. I didn’t feel the need to impress anyone ever. Well perhaps one person.
“Marilyn, did you do drugs?”

I gasped in horror as if that was the worst crime any being could ever commit. “Oh God no! I’m not going to become a psycho junkie and live on the streets!”
I mean, I was against serious things like meth, heroin and cocaine, but a harmless puff of marijuana didn’t seem bad to me. I mean I have done it before, and I did like it.
“Good. C’mon, I’m going to take you to the Apple Store to get you a new iPhone. You’re off punishment but you’re on probation. Meaning, you cook dinner Thursday nights, take out the trash every Friday morning, walk the dogs after school, wash the dishes everyday and when you got out be home by 10:45 and not a millisecond later, understood? This will be what it is until further notice.” He held a stern, no-nonsense look on his face.

The terms of agreement were a complete pain in the ass but I sure as hell wasn’t going to argue back, and miss the chance. “Deal!”
“Now get ready kiddo.” He got up from my bed and walked towards by door. He stopped right in front of it and faced me. “By the way, your parents and your brother liked you the way you are now. Don’t try to change and be something you’re not to impress the older kids. Remember that.”

I gave him a small, sad smile. Did he enjoy making me guilty? Now I felt bad for lying to him about what happened that night.
“Oh! And make some Argentinean food this Thursday! Your aunt on your dad’s side, I think her name was Penelope made some of that good stew when she visited from Argentina like a year or two back. It was delicious. All we eat around this house is French food. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good but ‘Light Salade aux Lardons’, ‘Bacon-and-Leek Quiche’, ‘Parsleyed New Patotoes’, ‘Chicken Fricassee with Tarragon’ and ‘Pork Chops au Poivre’ gets tiring after a while. What was that stew called again?”
I chuckled and shook my head. Like any other werewolf male, my uncle loved food. “Was a yellow color with vegetables in it? Was it thick?”
He nodded and licked his lips, probably thinking of that wonderful stew my aunt Penelope made so long ago.
“Locro stew.” I told him. “I’ll make it this Thursday.” I promised.

Hopefully the recipe was still imprinted in my head. Honestly after my dad died I almost forgot I was half Argentinean. I haven’t been in touch with that side of the family since the funeral, and I was only more involved with my French side because I was adopted by them.
A pang hit my heart remembering the summers I spent in Argentina with my family. My dad, a bunch of my cousins and I playing soccer in the backyard of my grandmother’s house and my grandmother forcing so much delicious food down my throat and me struggling to speak Spanish to my family. It was always easier for me to speak French than Spanish, I didn’t know why. I could get by on my Spanish skills, but I read, wrote and spoke French fluently. My grandmother and cousins struggled to understand me. My uncles there would call me “Niña Francesa”, which was Spanish for ‘Little French Girl.’ They were all bittersweet memories now.
I sighed and got out of bed and began to get ready.

~

My uncle and I had to wait before we could replace my phone so I wandered off in the store and starting messing around with iPads and started playing Temple Run 2.
“I used to be obsessed with that game.” A deep voice said from behind me. I turned to see the one and only Valentino.

“Valentino?”
“That’s the name you’ll be screaming tonight.” He laughed.
I cracked a small smile, but I wasn’t really amused. After laughing by himself for a moment he frowned and harrumphed awkwardly. This was Carter’s best friend?
“Uh, so what’re you doing here?”
“Replacing a phone I lost. You?” I shrugged nonchalantly.
“I wanted to check out the new Mac books.” He shrugged “Then I got bored and noticed you were here.”
“Oh” was all I said.
“How you been?” he asked casually.
I opened my mouth to ask about Carter but shut it quickly. He wouldn’t tell me where he is. Even if he did, what would I do? Go to him? That was just clingy and desperate. But I couldn’t help but be clingy and desperate. I missed him. He was my mate. “Okay, I guess. Trying to avoid trouble. You?”
“Exact opposite. Looking for trouble, finding it. But shit, life is exciting for me!” he seemed to have no same.
I couldn’t help but smile. He seemed…fun. “What do you mean?” I asked genuinely interested.
“Well, I like to terrorize a pack or two every now and then. Get deep in their land do a little vandalism here and there. Maybe I’ll break a window or hijack a car, stupid shit. I never really hurt anyone though. At least not often.” He smirked.
I then remembered he and Carter are rouges. Obviously careless, wild ones at that. “Does Carter do this too?”

Valentino shifted uncomfortably on his feet and ran a hand through his messy black, curly hair; a look of discomfort appeared on his chiseled-featured face and guilt clouded his cappuccino-brown eyes. “He used to.”
“Why’d he stop?” I asked genuinely curious.
“You came into the picture.” He admitted. “He wanted to change. Because of you.”
“What did he need to change? What he do that was so bad before?” I prayed I’d get something out of him.
“Just…he…” Valentino struggled to find the right words to say, clearly. “Okay he-”
Just then my uncle grabbed me by the forearm and gave Valentino a hard and cold glare. “You’re trespassing, rogue.” My uncle spat out the last word in a venomous tone.
“Uncle Phil please,” I didn’t want them doing this in public, where innocent and ignorant humans were walking about doing their own thing.
Valentino scoffed and rolled his eyes, an amused smirk played upon his lips. “I was just leaving. Relax.”
“Why were you talking to my niece?” he demanded, his grip around my forearm becoming uncomfortably tighter.
“Just a casual conversation” he shrugged and careless smirk still on his lips.
“He was just leaving Uncle Phil. He was asking for directions to get to Maine quickly.” I lied. “He meant no harm.”
My uncle dropped his gaze down to me for a moment and I kept a tenacious straight face on. I didn’t want to crack under his gaze and then he’d know I was lying and surely think something was up. He then narrowed his eyes at Valentino.
“She doesn’t know the directions to Maine. Get a GPS on your way out of Arctos territory.” My uncle spat out.
“Why do you want me to leave so damn bad? What happened to hospitality? I’m a stranger on foreign lands. And you pack dogs say us rogues I have no manners.” Valentino intoned.
My uncle let out a low, warning growl. Unfortunately it caught the attention of two passerbys, who directed their attention toward my uncle, questioning looks on their faces. Thankfully they turned back to their business short after.

“Guys, stop! Humans will hear.” I whisper-yelled.
“Listen pup.” My uncle was obviously ignoring me. “I’d hate to tell my Alpha about your appearance on our lands. He doesn’t take to rogues lightly.”
“Oh shit! Dammit old man you made me shit my pants.” Valentino faked a fretful voice.
Something about him reminded me of Carter.
“Please!” I cried getting both their attention. “Just go.” I turned toward Valentino.
He let out a short huff and shrugged. “I’ll listen to the lady.” He glared at my uncle. “See ya around”
“No she won’t.” my uncle snapped.
Valentino just ignored that and walked out of the store.
“Did you know him?” my uncle demanded. “Why’d you defend him?”
“No, I don’t! He just asked me where the shortest route up north is. I didn’t know. Then you came. Plus, I wasn’t defending him. I was trying to squash the issue before it caught the attention of humans.” I concocted. Damn, I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, lying.
“C’mon, I got your phone. Let’s get home.”