Conbellia

Chapter 6

Mrs and Mr Damer are that kind of people you can't help but admire. Everyone adores them. No exceptions. Jere and I hear the front door open at around 7 pm. We're sitting in the living room. Jere is watching some old movie while I'm listening to music through headphones. My cellphone is remarkably new. My parents get payed very well considering their rank and they always wanted me my sister to own the newest things. Many people in our country can't afford new cellphones in years. Not having the newest technology led to bullying at school sometimes. Every citizen of Conbellia owns at least some kind of cellphone, tablet and computer. The rich kids at school still always talk about the newest products. How did people live without all the technology?
I shake my head slightly. I'm thinking too much these days.
Mrs Damer enters the room. I can't help but almost jump up from the sofa. Jere lets out a small laugh.
"Ah, Jeanine Alison, right? I'm Catherine, you can call me Cathy! It's so nice to meet you!"
"The pleasure is all mine." I reply shyly.
"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I know this is all probably very hard for you Jeanine. If there's anything you need, please tell me." She gives me a soft smile.
Jere goes back to watching the movie after a brief "hi" to his mother. Just then his father enters the room.
"Jeanine, I'm Vincent, it's an honor to have you here" he extends a hand to me with a smile. I shake it. "Did Jere show you the house already?"
"He did" I answer "and it's hilarious! I can't believe you're actually the ones taking me in. The best known family in the country and all."
"Oh please don't think about that" Cathy winks at me "it's always wanted to have a daughter. You have no ode how annoying boys are." We both laugh and suddenly I can't help feeling accepted by them. I didn't think is find a home that soon after the testing.
I follow Cathy into the kitchen. She ties her shoulder long hair into a messy bun before getting to work. She's only 35 and her beauty can't possibly be overseen.
"Can I help you?" I ask.
"Oh dear, there's no need to, really! You can hang out with Jere while I prepare dinner."
"I can't just let you do all the work and then some and eat. Especially that I'm a guest. I've been hanging out with Jeremiah the whole day. He'll survive the 30 minutes without me." I laugh.
"Well, could you cut the salad?"
"Of course!" I take the knife eagerly.
"I was a Conbellia too, you know?" My eyes widen as Cathy says that. "The Damers are a generation of fighters, they've also always been the ones to take the Conbellias in. So they took me. I was a Healers' daughter. When they told me I had a potential for Healer, Hunter and Fighter, I was scared out of my mind. The Damers' son was really nice to me. He taught me a lot, and he trained me too. I'm not sure I'd have passed the tests without him. We didn't like each other at first though. He hated me because I was a simple girl. I wasn't strong or fast in the beginning. He used to make fun of me, make jokes of me. It hurt so much. He trained fighting with me but he wasn't careful. He'd hit me so hard I used to be unable to move for days. One day he started to notice me. I was getting better. I was winning fights. I'd had a crush on him ever since. He was two years older but I'd still seen him at school. And then we started growing together. I guess you can see how we ended up."
I shake my head. I can't imagine Vincent ever even laying a single finger on Cathy. But then, he probably changed a lot if he fell in love with her in the end. I hope Jeremiah won't hate me in the beginning. I won't make it without him. He's my only hope right now.
"Don't worry about Jere" Catherine says as if she has read my mind. "He's not like his father was. And if you ever need advice, you can always ask me."
We eat dinner on the veranda of the dining room. The evening is warm and the stars shine in the sky. Talking to the Damers is easy. We stick to general chit-chat most of the time. They ask me a few things about my family and I tell them. Vincent and Jeremiah give me a little overview of fighting techniques.
As I lye down on my bed and pull the blanket up to my shoulders, I wonder what tomorrow will bring.