Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Six

I sat at the end of the table, slouching and picking at my food. I was mad. Ticked off. The food that was presented on a plate was disgusting. I do not know what the food was supposed to be, and I am not about to describe it for you fans. I do not want any of you to lose your lunch. All that I have to say is that "dinner" - that is what my parents are calling it - left a poor taste in my mouth.

"Yuck!" I stated as I dropped my fork on the plate and scooted away from the table.

Dad, who was sitting by me and eating the foul food, noticed my negative actions and pointed at the spot where my chair was before I scooted. His brown hair was a mess, and he wore his brown, short-sleeved shirt and faded jeans.

"Gretel, please," he said. He chewed, and then swallowed. "Come close to the table and eat. Your mother prepared it with all her heart."

I glared at him. Dinner was not the only reason that I was angry.

I got on my own two feet and went behind the chair. I scooted the chair back to where it was.

My dad nodded. "Thank you." He pointed at the chair. "Now sit."

I did not sit down. I placed a hand on the chair and leaned against it. "May I be excused?" I asked.

"What on earth for?" Mom questioned. She came into the dining room, which was a pretty small area, and was carrying a large bowl of the nasty food. "Are you not hungry?"

I glared at both of my parents. "No. I lost my appetite earlier."

"Oh?" Mom set the bowl in the center of the long table. "When did you lose your appetite?"

"This morning. Especially when I found out that you two were fired."

"Honey, there is a reason that we were fired from work," Dad piped in.

"Absolutely," my mom agreed. "You will find out when your aunt arrives."

"Aunt?" Hansel repeated. His fork slipped from his grip and fell to the filthy floor. "Aunt Katrina is coming?"

My mom smiled and patted the top of his head. "Yes, Hansel."

"Yay!" Hansel pumped his fists in the air.

I slightly smiled and picked up his fork. I was excited to meet Katrina again. My brother and I have not seen her in ages! Actually, the last time that we saw her was when she broke up with Benny.

Yeah. I bet that you did not see that coming.

Benny and Katrina used to date. They dated for almost a year, and in my opinion, were a sweet couple. However, their relationship changed when Katrina broke up with him.

And her reasoning behind it is not that surprising.

Six months ago, she had gotten herself a new job. Before that, she had worked at a coffee shop and was in college to get a degree. But as soon as she had the new job, she dropped out of college and left Benny.

Nobody knows what her job is. Nobody in the family. None of Katrina's friends.

It was a secret, and I was curious to know what it was.

Even though that I had no clue what her job was, I still loved my aunt. She was honest with Benny and remained friends with him. Unlike Mom and Dad, Aunt Katrina had our best interests at heart. She cared and loved me and Hansel to pieces.

She is definitely the aunt - or any relative or friend - whom you would want in your life.

"So what time should we be expecting her?" I questioned.

Just as I said that, we all heard a knock at the door.

"I will answer it!" Hansel volunteered. He leaped out of his seat and hurried to the door.

A smile spread across my face as I followed.

We reached the door, and Hansel grabbed ahold of the doorknob. He twisted the knob and pulled back the door. Our faces lit up.

There was Aunt Katrina. Standing in the hallway. Waiting for us.

"Aunt Katrina!" Hansel and I exclaimed in unison as we hugged Katrina.

Aunt Katrina giggled and hugged us back. "Hansel. Gretel," she said soothingly. "My favorite children in the world." She pulled away from the hug. "How are you?"

"Eh." I shrugged. "You know. Hanging in there."

I examined Katrina. She had long, red hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a red dress that reached to her knees and a bright red coat. She had red glasses and red, triangular earrings that dangled from her ears.

She loves the color red.

The only thing that was not red or any shade of red were her white heels. In the living room's light, they glittered.

I looked closely - and saw another pair of shoes. Black sneakers.

I looked up and came face to face with Benny. He stood next to Katrina.

"Benny?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought him," Aunt Katrina answered for him. "I wanted him to come to dinner."

"And...you are comfortable with that?"

"Of course." She wrapped an arm around Benny's shoulders. "After all, we are friends."

I could see Benny's cheeks turning red. He was blushing.

Somehow, I had a sneaky suspicion that he still had a crush on her.

"Besides, he needs to know," Aunt Katrina continued. "He needs to know about the baby that your parents are having."