The Hidden Luna

Chapter Fourteen

A few days later, Carter and Scarlett sat at the kitchen table eating some cereal. Well, he was eating cereal, she was eating strawberry ice cream. She licked her spoon clean and she plopped it back in the near-empty bowl, eyeing the book Carter was reading. "What are you reading?"

Carter placed a bookmark at his spot and flashed the cover. "Hamlet."

Scarlett grinned. "My favourite."

Carter arched an eyebrow, looking impressed. "You read Hamlet?"

"Yep," she said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "Junior year of high school. Fun fact: I played Ophelia in the school play that year."

"Really?" Carter leaned forward, his eyebrows raised over his round glasses. "That must've taken a toll. The poor thing was put through the ringer by Hamlet."

"Oh yeah," she laughed. "Nothing says true love like having your boyfriend accidentally murdering your father."

For the first time ever, well, at least the first time she has ever seen, Carter burst out into a laugh and then added, "Don't forget he killed her brother too."

"Poor Ophelia," Scarlett sighed with a shake of her head, taking another bite of her ice cream.

Asher came into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. "What are you two laughing about?"

"Ophelia's misfortune," Carter answered as if they had known Ophelia personally.

Asher looked between the two of them, looking lost, but didn't press it further when his eyes landed on her ice cream. "Scar, it's eight in the morning."

"What?" Scarlett questioned innocently. "Strawberry is a fruit."

Asher shook his head with a grin and then handed her a banana. "Can you at least eat a fruit that isn't in ice cream?"

She sighed, taking the banana. "I suppose."

Asher winked at her and then turned his attention to Carter. "Hunter says there hasn't been any action around the perimeter so I'm thinking we should expand it, see if there's any chance that who we're dealing with is further than we suspect. Maybe we can catch them if they slip up."

Carter nodded his head. "That's a good idea. I'll devise a schedule and map for tonight."

"Thanks man," Ash said, clapping Carter on the back while he put his empty bowl of cereal in the sink.

"No problem," his friend responded, leaving the kitchen quickly to work on his new task.

Scarlett finished eating her banana and eyed Ash up and down as she tucked her knee under her chin. "So, what are you up to today?"

"We," he began with a suspicious smile. "Are going to train."

Scarlett scrunched her nose, shaking her head. "No thanks."

Asher chuckled. "Do you remember the amount of pain you were in when you shifted?" Scarlett nodded her head and he continued. "Do you want it to keep feeling that way? No. Okay, then we'll train."

He looked so serious, Scarlett ended up bursting out in a fit of laughter.

Asher's serious demeanor shifted as he started to laugh too. "What's so funny?"

"You," she replied, throwing out the banana peel and placing the bowl in the sink. She turned to him and laughed again. "You looked so serious. It's just, you were such a goofball before you left, and now you're a super serious manly man."

"Manly man?" Asher mused, arching an eyebrow, clearly entertained by her observation. When she nodded my head, he shook his in disbelief. "Go get changed, then we'll train."