Loss

Chapter 4

The week passed by quickly, quicker than Asher anticipated and soon the weekend had arrived, and it was time for the picnic.

As the days passed it also got surprisingly chilly, faster than Asher was used to. He tugged on a thin black jacket, with high collars as usual, but wore a white t-shirt underneath, and slipped on a comfortable pair of sneakers. I should go shopping soon... seems like it's going to be colder out here.

The school had gotten Raven's files, and her new bed had just arrived the day before. It did need assembling, which would be a pain to work with.

Asher opened the front door, then closed and locked it behind him.

"So, school starts in a few days huh?" he asked, addressing his daughter as he unlocked the door to the car. The car was much cleaner now, and Raven placed the bag of chips and the homemade salsa they had brought for the picnic in the back seat.

"Yup," she said. "Have you found a job yet?" she asked, being blunt. Asher winced as he started up the car.

"Not yet. I've seen a few job listings around and applied, but haven't gotten any responses yet," he admitted. He propped his phone up on the dashboard, and set the map to GO.

Asher, like most pack members, went to college near his pack. It was a decent college, he got a degree in the culinary arts and became a pretty high tier chef at a restaurant in town.

"Don't worry, we'll be able to pay off taxes and take care of the house with the money from grandmam and grandad, but it won't last forever," he said, mostly for himself.

Once Asher had found out he was pregnant, he had decided to flee the pack. The night he planned on leaving his parents caught him. They understood his choice, gave him a shit ton of cash they had stowed away, and let him leave. Honestly, he was a bit more upset they didn't try to hold him back, but perhaps that was the way it always would and had been.

"Talking about grandmam and grandad we haven't talked to them since we moved here," said Raven, looking out the window. Asher hummed in response.

They couldn't talk a lot, Asher was still cautious (not paranoid) about the pack tracking them, but he probably should talk to them soon, just to let them know that he hadn't died off yet. Even though they were very... pretentious sometimes, they still loved him and he was their son, but it wasn't enough to get them to leave with him. Whatever.

They drove up a steeper hill, as the road got a bit rougher until from the forest of trees broke a massive mansion.

Mansion wasn't even the word to describe it. It was more like a small village, with multiple buildings. Even from out here he could hear loud music, and he could see bright lights strung up. Life and energy seemed to thrum through the air.

"Hello? HELLO?!" rapped a hand on the window. He jolted and turned, rolling down the window.

"Hi, yes," he said nervously, greeting a girl with sandy brown skin. She was wearing a rust-red bardot top with long, flowy sleeves, as well as a dark green pair of flowy pants. At first he had said Raven was "too dressed up" but for the students it seemed more like a party than a picnic.

"Hi, are you lost? I don't think you're in the right place," she said. Asher stuttered, and behind him he heard Raven roll down her window.

"Hey, I'm Raven and that's my dad Asher. Jeremiah invited us?" she said. The girl blinked.

"Ohhh you're the newcomers Minty wouldn't stop talking about!" she hollered over the music, "yeah yeah, you're in the right place. Go park your car on the grass over there," she pointed her hand to a sectioned off area, "and head to the backyard! If you have any food you can put it inside or out, snacks are on the inside and main dishes are outside. My name's Jessica by the way, it's nice to meet you!"