Their Little Sunshine

[30] Teasing or School?

Third Person POV

Kiara spent the whole Sunday either packing her school bag, talking to her aunts, uncles, and cousins to check if they had arrived safely, or playing games with Grayson, Kritton, and Jake.

The next day, Stefan had just woken her up to get ready for school.

School!

It was her first day here, and she was feeling a lot of emotions about it. Going through her massive closet, she finally picked out the clothes she wanted to wear for her first day. After grabbing a pair of shoes, she placed them on the floor, then took out socks. Once ready, she stood in front of the mirror, picked out a bracelet to wear, and smiled at her reflection. She looked good-well, she thought, much prettier than she ever had back in Texas.

A knock on her bedroom door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she called out in her usual soft tone.

Alex walked in and sat on the edge of her bed, his posture straight and composed. "Good morning, Kia," he said, his voice calm, but firm.

She took a few steps toward him, placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and hugged him briefly. "Good morning," she muttered, unsure why this moment felt different than usual.

Alex didn't move, his hands cool as they gently took hers. He made her stand in front of him, his gaze unwavering. Even though he was sitting on the bed, he wasn't at eye level with her. She looked up, trying to read his expression, but as always, there was nothing to decipher. Was he here just to wish her a good morning? Something felt off.

"Excited for school?" he asked, his tone lacking any real warmth.

"A little bit," she shrugged, feeling an odd distance in the air.

"There are a few rules you need to follow while you're there," Alex said, his voice steady and direct.

Her eyes widened, and she almost rolled her eyes, but stopped herself, staring at him. "Rules? Again?"

"Yes," Alex said, his gaze unwavering. "First, the most important: you won't leave the school premises without one of us, even in an emergency." That wasn't hard to understand, she thought. Where would she go, anyway?

As Alex listed the next two rules-no fighting at school and keeping her grades up-Kiara's mind wandered. Did Alex have a girlfriend? Was he even interested in anyone? Did any of her brothers? Or boyfriends? She wondered. She'd been here for almost a month now, and she liked them all. They cared for her, and their actions showed they liked her too. Would they let her meet their partners?

"Is that clear?" Alex asked again, snapping his fingers in front of her face, his tone sharp, forcing her to pay attention.

She nodded quickly, alarmed by the sudden attention. "Yes, yes, it's clear."

"Are you ready?" he asked, as if he expected a more immediate answer.

"Almost. Can you please tie my laces?" she asked, pointing at her untied shoes. "I'll just wear them."

He stood up without a word and gestured for her to sit on the bed. Kneeling down, he carefully took her shoe and made her wear it before tying the laces. Kiara's nerves always went on edge when Alex tied her laces. He could have just asked her to put her foot somewhere-on the couch, the bed, or a chair-but instead, he always kneeled. Did his leg hurt from kneeling like that?

She unknowingly clenched the bedsheet tightly, her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn't know why, but this act of his always made her nervous. Before she knew it, Alex stood up and looked at her with a cold expression. "Come downstairs for breakfast, Kiara."