Half Breed

First Family Dinner

First Family Dinner

Some time after Fletcher shows me to my room--which is goddamn cool, I might add--he comes back, telling me we need to meet in the dining room for dinner with the family. I wanted to blurt that they weren't really my family but held my tongue when I saw his dejected look; he had already heard my thoughts. I felt kinda bad.

Now I'm just irritated and uncomfortable. There's six of us at the table, including the two 'family' members I hadn't formally met. I wish it had stayed that way. Caroline was to my right, fuming waves of utter hatred at her dad, who was at the head of the table to Caroline's right. Fletcher was across from him at the other end, and then Sarah was to his left, across from me. My apparent step-mother was next to her, gazing at me with that very intimidating, creepy smile of hers.

She had just gotten through drilling me on almost everything she could think of, from my favorite color to how many guys I'd slept with. I lied, and said three. I expected Fletcher to just burst out in laughter, knowing very well from reading my mind that that was definitely not true. But instead he was too busy drowning in his misery of hearing his younger sister almost having sex. By the look on his face, the boy was permanently scarred for life.

Anyway, I'm scared. Like, honestly, I think I'm shaking. After finding out everything she could about me before the second course was even served (yes, we're doing the whole three-course thing. I hate it--how do I know how much of each course to eat?! What if I get full and there's something better coming next?!) she has apparently ran out of things to say. Instead, she's just sitting there starring at me like I'm a dead bug under a microscope. And she's completely intimidating with her pitch black, shiny, forever long black hair that doesn't have a single split end anywhere. Big, bright red eyes with matching lipstick on her full lips, and high cheek bones. She's super skinny, but not so much that's she's boney, and has curves in all the right places. And I don't mean to sound like I'm hitting on my step mom or anything, but she's gorgeous.

To have someone like that looking at you, studying you, does hell to your self esteem. I wiggle in my seat a bit and try to ignore her, sending a help me glance over to Fletcher, which is futile. He's still starring at the table, picking at his food. Sarah's bouncing around in her seat happily, shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth. She just got through telling an almost five minute long story about this girl Tina at her school that tried to be mean to her. Sarah said she pushed her off the swing and Tina hasn't mentioned anything to her since. Nickolas approved of this, of course, and applauded his daughter for owning up to her last name and showing others their place.

Nickolas, by the way, has been as jolly of a fellow he can be. He's had a smirk on his face since I walked in here and has kept up with every conversation any of us (well, Sarah, myself, and mother) have had, always putting his input and advice, or making some snide comment about how stupidity isn't going to get us anywhere (okay, he only said stuff like that to me. The ass).

Caroline and Fletcher refuse to say anything other than one word answers, even when we try to coax them into conversing.

"So, Lyra." Mother--Jasmine, which is her real name--starts up. I internally groan and painfully slick my eyes up to meet hers. "How have--"

My lovely step mother is cut off by a sudden outburst to my right, and if she had said almost anything other than this, I would have thanked her from stopping whatever question Jasmine was going to ask.

"When are you and Fletcher going to screw each other? I'm sure we're all wondering." Caroline finally looks up from her plate and places her face into her hand, elbow on the table. She sends me a big smirk before glaring at Fletcher. This was of course right when Fletcher finally decided to actually put food into his mouth--as soon as Caroline opens hers, the food shoots down his throat and he starts into a big coughing fit. Caroline only grins wider, looking so much like her mother it was scary.