The Animals Have Come to Play (Completed) (unedited)

Menards

(Chapter 10: Menards)

"Oh my god! You're going to drop them. Stop!" I exclaimed at Cynric. My anxiety spiked as he continued to juggle the light bulbs. We were currently at Menards searching for items for the project.

"Would you stop worrying? I am not going to drop them," he retorted, shooting me a look. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed sarcastically, throwing one up high in the air. He caught the other two in each hand. He smirked at me, his eyes not leaving my face as the light bulb plummeted past our heads to the ground.

"Cynric!" I exclaimed. On instinct, I reached my hand out to try to catch it, but missed. The light bulb stopped suddenly right above the ground. He grinned at me.

"So, you can use your powers," he stated, looking at me with a glint in his eyes. Suspicion crept up my spine.

"Only a bit of telekinesis. I haven't had much luck with the others." I answered him quickly, worried he had something in store for me. Then I realized what I just admitted, my mouth parting in protest, ready to befuddle my notion. He frowned slightly. I dropped the light bulb from its suspended state in hopes of distracting him from the subject at hand.

I picked it off the ground before grabbing the other two from Cynric's grasp with a condescending look. I set them in the small basket before looking down at the list. My phone went off with the default ringtone I set it to. Cynric grabbed my phone before I could pull it out of my purse pocket. I took off towards the lumber section, knowing Cynric would follow. I trusted him enough to not do something stupid with my phone.

"Hello?" he answered. I looked over my shoulder at him to see his face contort into confusion and annoyance.

"Who is this?" he bit back at the person on the other line. Can you give me super hearing? I asked my wolf. Suddenly, my hearing sharpened painfully, and I winced before zoning in on the phone speaker.

"This is Leander Slipht. Who the hell is this?" Leander demanded from the other side. I whipped around and strode towards Cynric.

"Cynric, give me my phone," I told him, outstretching my hand to get my phone. Cynric looked at me for a moment before hesitantly handing me my phone.

"Leander," I said. Leander sighed on the other side of the line.

"Who picked up your phone, Geheimnis?" he asked me in a soft, but demanding tone. I raised an eyebrow as I looked over to Cynric. He was drowning deeply, and I could tell he was listening in. I beckoned him to follow me as I continued my way to the lumber section.

"His name is Cynric. He's my partner for our science project."

"Cynric Nanik?" Leander asked incredulously. I hummed in confirmation through the phone. Leander growled through the phone.

"But anyways, Leander. I need to go. We are buying parts for our project. If you want, you can call me later," I told him, stopping to look at some wires. I looked for the specific kind I needed.

"Be careful, Ari," Leander said to me, shocking me that he called me by my name. My mouth parted open in surprise, and I glanced over at Cynric to see him scowling at the device in my hand.

"Don't worry, I will," I chuckled into the phone. We exchanged good-byes before I hung up. What did he mean by be careful? I shook it off, grabbing some wire before continuing to the lumber.

"So, you know the Slipht family?" Cynric questioned me once I hung up. I looked up at him as he sped up to meet me in stride before slowing down.

"Yeah... I'm in an arranged marriage with Leander," I said, sending Cynric a watery smile. His posture went rigid. There was a screeching of metal to my right. We happened to be passing by the outdoor furniture section. My head whipped towards the noise, and I froze in spot as my eyes took in what had happened. Before me, all the furniture had been squeezed and smashed. Metallic frames were twisted into grotesque forms. Metal poked out at sharp angles, and cushions were shredded to the point the stuffing littered the ground.

"Cynric!" I hissed. "Fix this!" I gestured angrily towards the mess as I looked around for other people. As if just realizing what happened, his eyes widened.

Then Cynric's necklace started glowing a soft white-blue color. Ever since that first day at school where the window exploded, Cynric has had his necklace dangling free, not obscured at all. I watched as the metal slowly started unraveling. The stuffing floated back through the air, placing themselves neatly into the cushions before the cushions magically sewed back up. Within a matter of moments, the section of furniture was back to the way it was.

"What the hell?" I asked him incredulously. I glowered at him, grabbing his wrist as I pulled him towards the lumber section.

"Your temper is worse than mine! How is it possible for you to do all that in a matter of seconds? Why were you so angry? Yes, I get that you could be a bit upset because arranged marriages are ridiculous. But, learning I'm in one with another guy shouldn't make you so angry, unless of course you like me?" I ranted, not at all embarrassed by my boldness. Cynric grumbled heatedly under his breath, and I glanced back at him to see him shaking his head.

I sighed before stopping. Cynric halted beside me. I met his eyes, the previously light mood thickening considerably.

"Maybe you should go get the sockets. I'll get something for the box," I offered Cynric, trying to nicely tell him I wanted some alone time. He seemed to get my memo, because his mouth tilted downwards before he nodded and sharply turned on his heels.

I watched his retreating form before sighing heavily and sweeping a hand through my hair.  I continued on to the wood section. Making my way around the isles, I only found long boards. I cursed under my breath, ready to give up until I saw a worker roughly my age playing on his phone.

"Excuse me?" I said to him as I approached him, putting the carry basket into the crook of my elbow. I squeezed my pointer finger and middle finger as I waited for him to get off his phone. He looked up, his eyes glancing me up and down.

"Yeah?" He asked, turning towards me. He brought his elbow up to a shelf, so he could lean casually against it. I raised an eyebrow at his action, but didn't question it.

"I was wondering if you had any smaller pieces of wood than-" I gestured around us. "These? I'm just wanting a foot long at most." The worker shook his head. I rolled my head back in annoyance before looking back at him.

"All right. What's the smallest then?" I asked him, a frown adorning my face.

"6 foot." I grumbled angrily under my breath. I breathed in sharply through my nose, not wanting to figure out what to do with such a large piece.

"All right, care to show me where they are?" He nodded and beckoned me to follow him. I trailed after him as we weaved between aisles.

When we reached the area where the 6' planks were, I shifted through a few before picking one out.

"Do you need help with that?" he asked me as I shoved it onto my shoulder. Wincing slightly at the new weight, I shook my head 'no' at the same time the plank was taken off my shoulder. I opened my mouth in protest, but then I realized it was Cynric who had taken the lumber.

"I got it," he said before shuffling off in the direction of the cashiers. I smiled at the worker and said 'thank you' before jogging to catch up with Cynric.

"Thanks, but I could've have gotten that," I spoke once I caught up to Cynric. He snorted but proceeded to stay silent. "So... How do we plan on working with... this?" I gestured to the large board. Cynric tilted his head slightly to glance at me from the corner of his eye.

"One of the workers at the family estate should be able to cut it to how we wish," he responded.

"Your place?" I asked as I swallowed the information. I never imagined I would ever see his house. He raised an eyebrow towards me.

"Yes, but more than likely not until tomorrow. It is already getting dark outside," he finished as we pulled up to the cashier. As he said, I glanced out the floor to ceiling window to notice the sky darkening. I nodded to him as the cashier greeted us. Inside, I was reeling with anticipation. I get to see Cynric's house!