Amber Silverblood: Silverpack

Chapter Thirty Nine

"This is good," Rebecca mumbled with her mouth full of cheeseburger and my mom's homemade french fries. "Like, really —effing— good."

"Thank you," Mom said. She sat on the other end of the table, and her words were as stiff as her posture. The way she looked down her nose at our guest told me everything I needed to know about what was going through her head.

Swallowing what should have been enough to choke a girl her size, Rebecca didn't waste a second before cramming five more fries into her mouth, followed by another enormous bite of her burger. Ketchup squirted out the other end, landing on her plate.

Is that what I look like when I go hunting? I wondered, idly tracing patterns with in my own ketchup with a fry. My burger sat in front of me, only one bite taken out of it. My stomach growled with hunger, but watching Rebecca, it seemed wrong somehow to eat right now. Like, my measly attempts at eating would be considered an insult compared to the absolute majesty of Rebecca's gluttony. If I tried, she might inhale me from across the table for my insolence. Judging by everyone else's plates, I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Seriously, my dad never cooks," she said, her voice muffled by all the food she'd crammed in there. "We have ramen, like, every freaking day."

It took her less than five minutes to make every scrap of food she'd been given disappear, and then she belched and sat back in her chair, looking sleepy. As if that was some unspoken signal, the rest of us finally picked up our burgers and began to eat. I noticed how slowly everyone else was chewing, like they were trying balance out the chaotic display Rebecca had just given us.

"Does your father know where you are?" Stark asked in between bites. His voice was stern, but not judgmental like Mom's had been. That made me feel a little better. I knew he wasn't happy that Rebecca was there, but at least he didn't blame her for it.

"No," she answered with her eyes still closed. "Y'all won't let me call him, remember?"

Stark nodded. "It's better that way, at least for now."

Rebecca snorted. "He probably hasn't even noticed. If anything, I bet he's happy I'm gone."

"Now, I'm sure that's not true," Mom piped up. "I bet your father loves you very much!"

"Mmhm," she mumbled. "He loves me so much he can't even remember when my friggin' birthday is. Why not? It's not like he has a job to think about. I saw him scratch his butt once. I think that's the only time I've ever seen him move."

"You shouldn't talk about your dad that way."

Everyone's heads swiveled around to look at Kimberly in surprise. Even Rebecca opened her eyes. Kimberly's face blushed bright pink, but she didn't back down.

"M- My dad thinks I'm dead," she mumbled, hiding behind her cheeseburger. "My mom does too. You should be happy you still have yours."

Dang, I thought, setting my burger down. So much for getting through a single meal without crying.

She'll get to see them again. I'm going to make sure of it.

"That's beautiful," Rebecca drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Like something out of a crappy teen book."

I sat up straighter in surprise. Suddenly, I didn't feel like I liked Rebecca quite as much as I did a minute ago. It didn't look like I was the only one, either.

"Young lady," Stark rumbled, "you should show a little more respect when you're sitting at someone else's table."

"Or what?" Rebecca grinned. "You'll throw me out? You already said you won't."