Beginnings • c.h

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

As I round the corner to the kitchen I stop dead, because there staring at me, is what looks like the rest of the Hood family. Oh shit.

Anni POV

I stood perfectly still, like a deer in the headlights. As I stood there awkwardly I took in the scene that I had first walked in on. There were three people in the room, one I had met before, Calum’s mother Joy, was standing by the stove cooking what smelt like eggs and bacon. The smell of that sent my stomach rumbling loudly, increasing my embarrassment by twofold.

The other two in the room I did not know, but from the fact that I was standing in the Hood house, I suspected that they were Calum’s father and sister. I was surprised by Calum’s father. He looked absolutely nothing like Calum, which would make sense since the resemblance between Calum and his mother was astounding.

The girl was beautiful, with long brown hair and a big smile, which seemed to be slowly changing to an expression of confusion. Calum’s mother is the first to speak.

“Anni, dear, did you stay the night? Come, we’re just about to have breakfast!”

I finally shift my position, shuffling my feet and rubbing my hand up and down my arm.

“Um, if it isn’t a bother I would love some food.” I say, ending the statement almost as a question in my nervousness.

“Come grab a plate then, Anni, you’ll want to get some before Cal eats it all!” I walk forward, trying to be as quiet and unassuming as possible. After grabbing a plate piled with eggs, bacon and toast I move forward to sit at a stool furthest away from Calum’s sister, who I was particularly intimidated by. The girl gives me a weird look as I sit down, and I hear myself gulp.

As we all eat it is silent, only the sounds of cutlery scraping and chewing could be heard. Just as I pick up my last bit of toast, Calum’s sister leans over and whispers in my ear.

“You don’t need to sit so far away from me, I don’t bite.”

I look quickly over at her as she sits back. Seeing that I was looking at her, she sends a toothy smile in my direction, her teeth coated in vegemite. I cover my mouth with my hand in an attempt to stop myself laughing, while Calum’s sister does the same.

Both of us look at each other, and as our gazes meet we cannot help but start laughing hysterically. Calum’s parents look at the pair of us in confusion, but Joy shrugs her shoulders and goes back to her cup of tea.

The both of us manage to sober up long enough for Calum’s sister to put out her hand,

“I’m Mali-Koa, but you can call me Mali.”

I grasp her hand and introduce myself too.

“Annika Evans, but everyone calls me Anni. I’m a friend of Calum’s from school.”

Mali frowns, her lips pulling into a slight pout. The resemblance between her and her brother astounded me, the way they both pouted could have been a mirror image of each other.

“Wait, only a friend?”

Now it was my turn to frown,

“Yeah we are just friends, why?”

A shuffling can be heard from the hallway leading off the kitchen, and seconds later the sound of a door-slamming echoed throughout the house. All four of us in the room turned to the sound, but quickly dismissed it.

Mali turns back to me, still frowning,

“You guys didn’t look just friends this morning, when I went in to wake up Cal, and instead I find a certain someone snuggling with him. Fast asleep. Spooning. Ensconced in his arms. Canoodling-”