Lunaticus

5

Evan found me in the kitchen just before dawn, a mess of wheat, eggs, syrup, and honey. My hairs stuck out and sweat beaded my forehead as I set the frosting on the cupcakes. For some reason, my hand kept trembling, the swirl not quite right.

Stupid piping. Stupid world. Stupid life.

"Good...Morning?" I looked up to glare at him. "Woah woah. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"I never went to sleep." I dead-panned.

"Could've fooled me, sleeping beauty." He grinned. "Well, I should get some rest then, since you're done with pretty much everything."

I grinned at him mockingly. "You're on dish duty for the next two days."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"You're the absolute worse!"

"Well guess who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," I smiled sweetly.

He mimicked my words as he left the kitchen, leaving me with stubborn thoughts. Just as I pulled back from the batch of cupcakes, he stomped back in and roughly took a piece in his hands.

"Hey!"

He munched angrily. "You're the most annoying person on this planet."

"Look who is talking."

He took another angry bite. "These are delicious. No thanks to you."

"No welcome to you." I shot back, flipping him the finger as he left the room again. I looked back down and realized only now that I had topped them all with white frosting.

White frosting that matched his hair. Silver beads that were a replica of his eyes.

I was already in too deep. I did not like this. Not one bit.

"What's not to like?" Arthur asked as he grabbed a cupcake.

I threw my head in the air. "Not you too!"

"Having a bad day? Woke on the wrong side of the bed?" He snickered as I tried to swat him with the rolling pin.

"You heard that from Evan didn't you?"

"Pfft, no way. I read your mind." He made his eyes huge like saucers. "I'm like Dr. Xavier. Whoo."

I almost said, You heard that from Lyell didn't you before clamping my mouth shut. "Out, now. Or I'll be serving extra tobacco with your sausage."

He knew I'd do it. "Whatever. The cupcakes are good. Keep up the nice work, pup." And he took off the running, the slip I had thrown after him missing him by a hairbreadth.

"Stupid males," I mumbled under my breath. I couldn't wait to see Lyell again, which made me even angrier with myself.

And my heart do the skips.

But he wasn't there for breakfast, which surprised and saddened me. I elbowed Arthur, "Hey, where Ly- where's the new kid?"

He smirked. "Chloe and Lyell sitting under a tree-"

"Shhh," I clamped a hand on his mouth and gave an impish look to the guy looking in our direction. "It's nothing. We were just playing a game of interrogation."

The guy nodded. "I can play too."

I dropped my smile. He hurried to gobble down his portion.

"If you do anything like this again I swear I'd clip your hair while you sleep and shave your eyebrows and paint permanent lipstick on your face. Capish?"

He nodded frantically. "Jesus. Woman." He hurried to his explanation. "He is with the task master. They're assigning him to a position. I think he will patrol?"

My stomach churned. Patrolling was the hardest and the riskiest duty out there. Which made it reasonable for newbies, to prove their worthiness to the pack. "No way. Don't they take, like hunks and strong wolves for patrol?"

He puffed his chest. "Hunks like me?"

"Idiots like you as well, yes."

"I'm not talking to you anymore." He shoved a spoonful in his mouth. "Women should only be allowed to cook and sweep, and take care of the kids." He seemed to mumble.

"What did you say?"

He didn't answer, focusing instead on the food.