The Loyal Alone

Chapter Nine

After the shower I didn't want to wear Lowell's blood on my clothes anymore and instead opted to wear the baggy shirt and sweats from the night previous. Cole and I had been in the kitchen snacking and playing card games, anything to take the edge off the day, the last little bit of it, even Austin came in to play with us. It felt kind of normal, like before my mother died.

"How'd you get so good at cards?" Asks Cole.

"My grandma used to play with me all the time, it was an after-dinner tradition. You do not want to play a game of poker against me," I said quietly with a smile.

"Are you kidding me? I can't even beat you in a game of 'Go Fish'. I vow to never play a game of poker with you."

"What happened to your grandma?" Asks Austin.

I smiled, knowing she was only trying to make conversation and didn't intend to bring up hard topics.

"She passed away about two years ago. Just after I started high school." I grabbed the left-over cards from our last round and started shuffling them for the next round.

"High school?"

"Yeah. That was her idea, my dad didn't agree with it, but he couldn't say no to his own mother." I smile fondly, thinking back. I didn't want to go to high school either, but she felt like socialization would be good for me. But I'd been homeschooled all my life, so I failed most of my classes, and I hadn't made any friends. I learned a few pop culture references, that was about it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just wondering why she wasn't here. I didn't know-"

"It's okay," I assure her, shuffling the deck one last time. I'd always liked the feeling of the cards as they run across my fingertips. I begin to deal.

"You can't wear that to the meeting." There is a voice behind me and it makes me jump. It's Ulric and he sounds less than impressed.

I glanced up and blushed. I'd almost forgotten the troubles of today. Female werewolf in unknown territory, a runaway dad with no hope of finding him tonight. Trapped in this home whether I like it or not. Men blaming me for what happened to Lowell, I'm sure Lowell blamed me too. No clothes, still no bra.

"My clothes were stained, Lowell was bleeding while I was carrying him, and it got all over everything. I didn't know what else to wear."

"Oh." Ulric looks surprised for a moment, "What did you do with the stained clothes?"

"I put them in the sink in my bathroom, so they could soak in cold water, you might be able to get them clean."

"No need. You can toss them." He looks away for a moment. "I will just have a few of the boxes brought down to the room you're staying in, so you can change. I- uh- I need you to look presentable for the meeting tonight. Things have not gone very well today. Some people are very mad about Lowell, I need to make sure you make a good impression. Please, do your best to look the part."

"Oh." I wasn't sure I liked this. I wasn't sure I wanted to go to the meeting. "Any suggestions? A dress? Slacks?"

"Just don't- were flannel? I don't know. Austin?"

She looks up from her hand that she's been shuffling for the last few minutes.

"Will you help Mira pick out something?" He says awkwardly.

"She most certainly will not." I hear Julie call from the living room. Austin looks at me for a moment and just shrugs, like Cole.

"I got it." Says Cole.