Circle Quartet: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I come back home, feeling a little bit disappointed because I can’t buy the thing that I wanted to since this morning; the battery for my air-conditioner remote. I don’t know whether I can make it to next week. The 70 percent off thing is still lingering in my mind.

I sigh and throw myself on bed. Why today? Why can’t they invite me tomorrow? I really need the battery. Otherwise I have to get the stand fan in the study room.

“Alice, let’s choose the dress for the hi-tea. Hey, why do you look so gloomy?” she asks as she pops to my room.

“Nothing. I’m thinking of the Biology project,” I lied. “You choose, Bet. I don’t mind,”

“Don’t be like that. Let’s see,” she opens my closet, “how about the red blouse? You love the colour, don’t you?” she takes out the red blouse and shows it to me.

I nod. “Yeah. I think I’ll wear that one. What about you?” I get off from bed.

“I think I’ll wear the yellow. Zayne will like it. After all, this dress is his last year present,” she giggles.

Zayne Silver is Beatrice’s fiancée. And they are a romantic couple, I guess.

Raina dashes into my room and shows us her weird dress. It looks more like a pyjama than a dress because there brown bears spotted all over the dress. “Isn’t this pretty?” she sways right and left.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to wear that freaky dress for the hi-tea? Grandma will kill you!” I burst into laughter. The dress definitely not suitable for hi-tea.

“Hey! This is not freaky! It’s unique. You two don’t know how to appreciate creativity.”

“That’s not creativity, Raina. That’s ridiculous!” laughs Beatrice.

“Go ahead. Laugh your head off. You’ll see what Aunt Amethyst will say about this dress. She’ll say this is the nicest dress ever,” says Raina.

“She’s not blind, idiot! She’ll definitely laugh louder than us. Go change to more suitable dress, Raina. Or Grandma will turn you into a frog,” I say, wiping my tears because of the laughter.

“Oh, really? That would be great because I can be a frog princess. Tavis will kiss me and I’ll turn into human again,” she smirks.

“Okay then,” I smirk and glance at Beatrice. “Grandma!” I shout but Raina quickly cups my mouth with her hand. I can see she is nervous.

“I’m just joking, okay?” she hisses. “Fine. I’ll wear the other dress.”

She goes to her room and Beatrice and I laugh again. Raina can be bothersome quite sometimes.

We go to the Silver’s Mansion with Rolls Royce car. It is the car for formal occasion, just like this one. I can’t wait to meet Dafne. Last time we met was two months ago during the family gatherings. Dafne’s family lives a little bit far from our mansion because Uncle Anders, Dafne’s father is an assassin. Basically, assassins live far from their family.

We reach the mansion in 30 minutes. Raina is getting sleepy; she yawns so many times and asks are-we-there-yet question every 5 minutes, though she can’t wait to meet her fiancée, Tavis. I can see the mansion as soon as the car passes the main gate. Welcome to The Wolf’s Den, I say to myself.

“Welcome my lovely dearest!” greets Amethyst Silver; Amy, for short; the Wolf Mother. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

We greet her and follow her to the garden which is surrounded by apple, peache and orange trees. It looks like an orchard to me. It is wide, open and sunny. Mr. Azure Silver, the Wolf Father, is waiting for us with their sons, the Wolf Children. Raina makes the first attack as she sees Tavis, the blond-haired Wolf. She runs towards him - Tavis does likewise, and they hug and twirl on the grass and giggle. That’s Raina and Tavis for you. They seem like they haven’t met for several years – ironically, they go to the same school.

“I see that both of you are happy to see each other again,” Mr. Azure smiles.

“Of course, sir. We all do,” says Raina. She is still hugging Tavis.

“Come, come,” Aunt Amy takes my hand and Beatrice, “before the tea gets cold.”

We take our seat and Aunt Amy pours the tea. “Where’s Dafne? Grandma said that she’ll come too,” asks Beatrice.

“She’ll come soon. Nash has gone to pick her up. Both of them are taking a break from the intensive training. So,” Aunt Amy turns to Beatrice, “how’s the college?”

“It’s quite good and I have to memorise some of the magic spells. Before that, we need to undergo certain tests. Grandma is expecting me to go for the next level next year,” Beatrice answers politely but sounds happy.

“Aunt Zelda told me once that you have the potential to surpass her. Nowadays, girls do much better than boys, don’t you guys think so?” Aunt Amy glances naughtily at her husband and we laugh. She has the point there.

As we are chit-chatting about the current issues – which make Raina keeps talking most of the time, there’s a car parks near our Rolls Royce. The car is very familiar to us. Dafne and Nash, the dark-blue hair Wolf arrive. We greet her with joy and she really misses us. The hi-tea is getting happening with jokes sharing and laughter. Mr. Azure is a genuine joker. I can’t believe that Werewolves can make jokes, just like Dad. We love and laugh at his jokes, except the hazel-haired Wolf who is sitting in front of me. He doesn’t utter any word since the hi-tea started.

“It’s still early,” says Aunt Amy, looking at her watch. “Sons, why don’t you take the girls to somewhere special? It’ll be nice.”

“I was thinking of that, too, Mother,” says Zayne. I know that he loves going out especially with Beatrice.

Zayne is the eldest Wolf in his family and he’s a brother to us, even though we have our own brothers. Smile never fades from his face and what makes we like about him is he likes to treat us at the Mc Donald’s.

“Great! We can go shopping!” chirps Raina and Dafne. Although Dafne may seems to be a quiet person but when it comes to shopping, nothing can stop them to squeal with joy.

“Let’s go now! I heard that the sale is still on!” Tavis raises up his hands.

Dafne grabs Nash’s hand, Beatrice and Zayne excuse themselves to Zayne’s car, and of course, the out-loud couple, Raina and Tavis have already gone with the wind. Only Hazel Wolf and I are still sitting and staring at each other. This is not going to be good. I really, really want to go to the Jher Mall. The word ‘70 percent off’ pops out in my head.

“Stefan, aren’t you going to ask Alice to go somewhere? To a mall perhaps?” asks Mr. Azure, patting gently on his son’s shoulder.

Stefan nods and I follow him to his silver sporty Mazda. He opens the door for me and we leave the mansion.

“Where do you want to go?” he asks.

“Umm…Jher Mall,” I say without looking at him, “please.”

He nods and the awkward silence begins.