Cardinal Caged (2 of Cardinal Series)

Chapter 3

A/N: Here's the update for this week!  Also, some more pics of the characters so far at the end since I realized I hadn't shown all of them yet.  Like, comment, follow!  

I was back at the Cardinals' house, laying on the bed I'd been using for the past month. I had no longer been interested in the juice bar after my run-in with Corey, and the Cardinals had been perceptive enough to just bring me back to the house without any questions.

I was staring at the ceiling trying to understand how Corey and I could've had such different opinions on the whole matter. I was trying to protect their lives. Why couldn't he see that? I hated that he was mad and disappointed with me. It made all of the guilt of the bad decisions I'd made as a hacker feel lemon-fresh in my mind.

There was a knock at the door, interrupting me from my thoughts.

"Sang? We made your favorite. Chocolate chip pancakes. Why don't you come down to eat with us so that we can talk?"

I turned my gaze to see who'd been sent to fetch me. It was Beatrisia--Triz for short, emphasis on the Portuguese pronunciation. Triz was very close in my mind to Natasia or Tasia, the Russian girl on the team. It was difficult for me at first to not call them the others' name by accident even though they were like night and day.

Triz was from Brazil and looked like Moana. There was no other way to put it. She had large brown eyes, mocha skin, full lips, long wavy hair, and an endearing smile. She had a short, voluptuous figure with curves in all the right places. She was the friendliest, most open person I'd ever met.

On the other hand, Natasia was tall and slender with sharp cheekbones, platinum blond with sculpted eyebrows, and ice blue eyes. Her thin lips were always in a serious expression, rarely cracking a smile, and her personality matched that. Her frosty demeanor at first impression along with her pale complexion had earned her the Elsa nickname from fellow Academy members.

It was sad how long it'd taken me to stop mixing their names up. In the end, I had to call Natasia by her full name instead of Tasia just so I could keep it separate from Triz.

I got up from the bed and made my way towards the door. I carefully avoided looking at the large mirror above the vanity. It was the only furniture in here other than the bed, and it was something I'd inherited from Triz when she'd moved out to give me my own room.

When I got to the doorway, Triz threw her arms around me in a hug. We were just about the same height with her being just an inch shorter than me, so I was able to briefly wrap my arms back around her with ease and smell the acai fruit and coconut in her long, wavy hair.

Thankfully, I'd gotten used to Triz's hugs. Apparently, she came from a "huggy" family. It was nice to get a taste of what that was like.

Without a word, she took my hand and led us both down to the kitchen.

The Cardinals' house was a homey place that made up for in acreage what it lacked in square footage. It had been purchased specifically because it was secluded and would be easy to defend or escape if Natasia's Russian-mob father ever came knocking. Likewise, it was great for me, also on the run from Russian criminals. So, though there was a lot of land, the house was small. It had four bedrooms, one and a half baths, a living room, and a kitchen.

Triz led me to the kitchen. Since there wasn't a dining room, we had an island that we'd put our stools around and eat. When we were done, they'd be pushed back to the pantry closet to free the space up again.

The rest of the Cardinals were down there, including Natasia.

Next to Natasia, was the leader of the Jaheem team, Sabra Jaheem. She said it was okay to call her Sarah, but I liked the uniqueness of her name and had made the decision to call her that. She was nicknamed Princess Tiana at the Academy. She was imposing, built like an Amazonian warrior, dark-skinned, muscular, and had full features--large, open eyes, broad cheeks, and incredibly gorgeous filled-out lips. She gave me a stern look and an encouraging smile, leaving me uncertain about if I should feel scolded or praised. Probably both. She was a woman of few words, but she had single looks that could speak entire stories.