Appleberry(Completed)

Ch. 9: One Month Later

It had been a month. I had tried my best to stay away from everyone. I drove Frankie and I to school and back home like clockwork. Study hall, I would leave a bit early to go wait on Franks after track.
She would go on and on about how she was loving school and track. She said it was all going so well. She had made friends easily in school. Iggy who was a younger Barlow sibling. Zif who was a Hardy sibling. Then Pixie who was an Alderman.
She had been so excited the whole month. While I was going through misery. I was trying to keep to myself and not pay attention to any of the Zeke's crew. I was also trying to figure out if I should believe them about the whole coven and wolf thing.
It was so much to wrap my head around. I didn't know if I should go to dad about what they had told me. Or keep it to myself. I had been contemplating for a month if I should tell him. I didn't know if I wanted to hear his answer. I didn't want him to get mad.
It was a weekend at the Ashby's. Frankie and I were still working on the house to get it just right. Dad was still working like always. I don't think he slept anymore either. He was looking rough. He hardly ever got out of the house.
As much as I wanted to keep away from Bodhi, I needed her help. My dad needed a companion and friend. I knew her mom was single and it was just her and Bodhi. I decided to swallow my pride and call Bodhi.
It rung a couple of times before I heard a sweet voice on the phone. "Hello, Wolf residence."
"Hey, Ms. Wolf. Is Bodhi in?" I was nervous.
"Yes, dear, one moment." There was silence on the phone for a minute.
Then I heard someone pick it back up. "Hello."
"Bodhi. It's Sloane." I bite my lip. Hoping she wasn't mad at me.
"Sloane, hey, are you okay? Is something wrong?" She sounded worrisome.
Why wouldn't I be ok? "I'm fine. I just need some reinforcements. If you want, do you want to come over?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in just a few minutes." She hung up.
I went outside sitting on the porch swing to wait on her. Frankie came out. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm waiting on Bodhi." I was swinging the porch swing.
Franks came and sat by me. "I thought you were trying to stay away from her or them, whatever."
"I was but I need to get dad someone to hang out with." I frowned.
Franks had a muddled look. "You want him to hang with Bodhi? Isn't she too young?"
I chuckled. "No, Franks. I want to sit him up with her mom. I mean if you think it would be a good idea. He is just so lonely."
Frankie looked down at her feet dangling off the swing. Then she looked back to me. "I think it's a good idea. He needs someone. He needs to get out of this house before he drives himself mad."
I hugged her. "Thank you, Franks."
"No problem. I'm going to go make dinner, since tonight is my night." She got up to go in.
"Hey, are we getting pizza?" She turned around a smiled.
"Duh, you know my nights are always pizza nights." I snickered.
Franks hated cooking. She would always order take out when we lived in the city. She also couldn't cook to save her life. The first time she done it, we told her never again. She was happy about that.
"Hey." Bodhi had come up on the porch.
I put my focus on her. "Hey. Are you mad at me?"
She smiled coming to sit by me. "No, I get it. You freaked out. It is natural. We all did."
I looked straight ahead. "It's true. Isn't it?"
She sighed, rubbing her hands together putting them between her knees. "Sadly, and honestly, yes."
"I didn't want it to be." I looked over at her.
She looked at me. "I know."
I rubbed my hands over my face and slid down in the swing. "If Zeke is the Guardian, the Barlow siblings are the fleet aka wolf pack; what is everyone else?"
"I am a witch; my whole family is. So are the Appleberry's. The Hardy siblings are part of the fleet. Your family are witches and fleets." She put a hand on my thigh.
I grabbed her hand. "I am not ready for any of this. How am I both? I don't understand any of it."
She squeezed my hand. "Let's go to Zeke's tomorrow. He will tell you everything. Or you can talk to his grandfather."
I shook my head. "Okay. But you and Jett must be there, and Frankie will know nothing about it until I'm ready to tell her."
Bodhi smiled. "All right, I've got your back."
She looked around. "Nice place by the way."
I jumped up. "Thanks, that reminds me. My dad."
"Ugh, your dad. What about him?" She got up.
I grabbed her hand. "Just come with me."
I led her through the house to dad's study. I cracked the door open. "Look."
She peeped in. Dad's hair was everywhere, he had dark circles around his eyes, and he wasn't bathing. "Shiiit."
"Yeah, I need him to get out of the house. I need him to have a friend or a companion, something." I threw my hands up in the air.
Bodhi closed the study door and laughed. "Let me guess, you want to set him up with my mom."
I think I looked guilty as much as I felt it. "Yes."
"I'm sure I can make that happen. Bring your dad over to my place tomorrow for dinner. It'll be a neighborly dinner." She put air quotes around neighborly.
"I think I can do that." We walked back out on to the porch.
I walked down the steps and sat down. "Do they hate me?"
Bodhi sat by me. "The gang? Nah, they get it. Though Bowie was pissed that Zeke told you."
A cold freeze blew making me shiver. I wrapped my arms around me. "Why did Bowie get so mad? Does he not like me?"
Bodhi laughed. "Bowie knew you'd freak out. He has some kind of mind trick thing he does. We all have something we can do."
"What do you mean? Like powers?" I dug my beanie out putting it on.
"The Barlow siblings, they can hear people or sense how they will react or how they feel. It comes in handy. The Hardy siblings, they have amazing hearing. It's good because they all are in the fleet. So, it all comes handy when we get into mischief or anything else." She swallowed hard.
"So, they are wolves with good senses. Your family along with the Appleberry family are witches who can do what?" I looked over at her.
She looked at me. "My family specialize in medicine and spells. We can also do a lot with nature. Kind of like hippies."
I laughed. "The Appleberry's?"
Bodhi's face got serious. "They have dark magic. I guess you can call it that."
She got up and turn towards me. "If you want to know more, just come to my house in the morning around nine. We will go to Zeke's and then we will come back and have dinner with my mom and your dad."
Bodhi started walking off. "Oh, and be aware. You'll have a lot of questions for your dad. Later, Sloane."
I got up walking back inside. "Sloane."
Dad's study door was open. I walked over leaning up against the frame. "What's up?"
"Who was that?" He looked up from his computer.
"Bodhi. She is a friend from school. Her mom invited us over for dinner tomorrow." I walked in and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"You haven't meet anyone else, have you?" He put a hand under his chin rubbing his stubble.
I laid my hands in my lap. "I have meet a couple of people. But they all seem okay. Why?"
He had a serious look on his face then it turned to a genuine smile. "I'm glad you are making friends."
I got up walking out. "Frankie ordered pizza."
I went upstairs to my room. I opened my window and laid on the floor where I could see the moon and stars. I wanted to get lost in them. I wanted something to make me feel like they did. I felt so out of control, like I could explode at any moment.
Come to think about it. I had always felt that way. Frankie had those feelings too. But I was worse. Frankie loved focusing on her breathing and meditating. All I wanted to do was scream. I wasn't the peaceful type. I tried but it never seemed to work. I didn't have an anchor like Franks had.