Claimed by the Wild Ones (Book 1, The Transcendent Series)

Chapter 1: The Box

Twenty-One Years Later

The smell of the freshly cut grass abandoned Julia and Alana as they trailed into their childhood home, kicking off their high heels and sliding their little black purses onto the floral living room coach. The clinking chains of the bags echoed throughout the too empty house that was once filled with their father's contagious laughter. Where there was once the smell of home cooked meals that their mother used to make, was now the permanent absence of it. In its place now was the lingering chemical scent of apple cinnamon from the air freshener.

"I think I need some tea. Do you want some?" Julia asked as she walked to the kitchen—her voice wavering with each word, her eyes glazed over with a reddish hue—too dry for another tear.

Alana, who was caught in distant memories, looked up from the navy-blue doormat. The question sweeping the memories away, "sure." Anything to distract them from the earlier events of the day. Instinctually, she grabbed the television remote to dull out the silence as she followed her sister into the kitchen.

Soon the smell of peppermint tea filled the kitchen. The steam from the tea ignited hazy patterns in the hue of the setting sunlight, streaming in through the doors that led to the backyard. The distant muffled sounds of the news travelled to their ears as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, when are you going back to Dalhousie," Alana asked as she slurped some tea.

"Not anytime soon, I told my profs about the situation and they said I can submit everything online, there's only two more weeks left of the term. Jess said that she can take notes for me for the classes I miss, she's in most of them. I also heard back from the swimming pool and I got that lifeguard summer job... so um..." Julia's hazel eyes looked up from her tea and saw that Alana's golden-brown eyes mirrored her own emotional exhaustion. "So, I'll be here for a bit, perhaps till the end of the summer. When do you go back to work at the gym? You're still doing rock climbing right?"

"Yeah, that's right, I'm not going till next week though. I originally scheduled next week off so that I could work on my audition tape for that music program. Dad was going to help me record, but now—" Alana's hand began to tremble as she raised the cup to her mouth to suppress the newer lump that had formed at the back of her throat. Her shoulders began to shake from the sobs that were forced down.

"Hey, it's okay" Julia let go of her teacup and rushed to her sister's side, beginning to feel new salty tears sting her eyes and face as she drew her sister into her arms. Alana began to cling onto her sister's ebony dress, much like her own. Her entire body started to shake uncontrollably as the echoes of their sobs rang through the house. Minutes felt like hours as they stayed like that, till their heads began to throb and the bags under their eyes stung and itched.

"Uh—why does crying hurt so much," Alana wiped away her tears with her sleeve, immediately regretting doing it so roughly.

"I know, right!" A light laugh bubbled out of her as she did the same. "I knew this would happen." Julia rose from the floor and went for the fridge, her hand on the cold metallic handle, "you want me to show you a trick my roommate Amy showed me after she broke up with her ex?"

"Well if her advice has anything to do with helping stop the soreness around my eyes then absolutely, she's a genius!"

Julia smiled as she opened the fridge door, her eyes avoiding the magnetic family photo. Among the containers of baked goods and casseroles that the neighbors and family friends had made, four spoons laid in plain sight. "Now this will help with the redness and with the soreness," she said as she pulled the cold spoons out and handed two to Alana.

Alana looked from the spoons to her sister, her eyebrow cocked up and a smirk on her face, "spoons?"

"I know, I know it looks funny, but it feels so good" Julia sighed as she let the cool surface trace softly around her eyes as she sat back down in her chair.