New: An Ancestral Curse Novel

Chapter 3: Perparations

Chapter 3

Preparations

Angel

            I was starting to get back into the rhythm of the house again. Unlike at James’ place my house was always bursting with people. When I fist got it I thought the place was so large that it would feel empty all the time, but I never anticipated how it would grow. Starting from when I was young I had brought home strays. After I turned fifteen I had changed the type of strays I brought home. From Rose on I had taken in those who needed an escape or those who had nowhere to go. At first it didn’t pose a great problem since the house was more of a mansion, but these days I was pushing about twenty people. Even with Lil and Lucas moving out I would have to clear out more rooms for when some of the wedding guest came. I had been shocked to discover that so many people lived in the house, and I probably wouldn’t have realized it if Nate hadn’t brought it to my attention after I brought home yet another guest.

            This time I had been supposed to have a meeting with Rajak about our wedding, but instead I came home hours later cover in mud with a toddler. I can’t remember the last time I saw Nate that angry. Well if I thought about it the only other time he had been this angry was when he found out I had pawned one of the necklaces I had gotten at my coming of age party when I turned fifteen. It had been the only party in society I attended before the Solstice a few weeks ago. When Nate realized what I had done he was livid. I hadn’t realized the necklace was an heirloom until he gave it back to my a few days later. After that we agreed that I wouldn’t pawn any ore piece as long as if he would seriously review and financial request I put to him.

A cry filled the air and I let out another sigh. Eva came into the room carrying the toddler. I wasn’t even married and I was already a mom. Heck I didn’t even get to go through the fun parts, but I couldn’t leave an abandoned child on the side of the road. Especially not when the child called out so fervently. This cub had the strength and the desire to live. So what if his ears and tail showed from birth he was still a living being. If his parents hadn’t liked it then they should have glamored him not abandoned him.

            “What happened this time?” I wondered

            “Kevin and Kelly were running around the nursery and accidently knocked him over.” She explained exasperated. I let out a warily sigh again at this rate I was going to have grey hair by the time I turned twenty. I rocked the toddler trying to calm his tears. “Look Angel I know you’ve never turned away anyone, but do you really think this is the place for those children? They’re not like us! I know that you’re soft hearted and everything but this isn’t going to work.”

            “I know but I need to find them a good home first.” I sighed

            “There humans why don’t you just give them back!” Eva stormed. I knew she didn’t like the kids. She held a bitterness towards humans and as a djinn I couldn’t blame her. Her people were known for the tricks they played on humans, but it was easy to understand why they wouldn’t be on the friendliest terms. Lock me up in a piece of pottery for a few centuries and I bit I would be a bit testy too.

            “Eva, they’re only children. They can’t hurt you.” I tried to console her, but it was falling on deaf ears. “Here take him to Lil.” I watched Eva go with a frown. I was going to have to make some hard decisions soon. I had acted as a guardian for a lot of people in this house. Mostly the younger girls who like me had needed an escape from there social standings. Eva had reached me right before her own coming of age ritual; one where she would have been sealed into vase for who knows how long. I had taken her in after she ran away. It had hurt my standing among the djinn, but I couldn’t care less at the time. We were both teenage girls who wanted to escape what fate and tradition had in store for us. During the past year we had seen eye to eye on almost everything, but then the children came. Eva couldn’t forgive them for the most basic thing that they didn’t have any control over being human. Then she couldn’t forgive the fact I took them in.