"How's the research coming along?" I ask curiously when we make our way downstairs, they had waited for me to shower while they continued their argument on whose idea was better.
"Really good." Shana says happily. "Making a cure is next to impossible but the vaccine is almost ready and there's apparently a lead on the person that made the mutated virus."
"That's good news." I say, it meant I wouldn't have to stay at the Pack House much longer, that was relieving but I would definitely miss Dale and Virgil sneaking into my room.
"It's about time for lunch, it's the weekend so there might be more people than usual but we'll just take the second dining room." Shana says.
It's unsurprising that it's already that late, I did plan to sleep in after all.
"Sure." I murmur, I wasn't worried, it was much like lunch break at school and I went to school every other day.
"Oh I almost forgot, my older brother is back." Shana says grudgingly like she would rather not but I'm elated by the news.
"Jaxie is back?!" I ask for confirmation, my eyes lighting up.
Shana and her older brother were always at loggerheads, unexplainably too but unlike Virgil whose older brothers' kept their distance, Jaxon hung around with us sometimes, until he had to go off to college.
"I just said so didn't I?" She replies sourly.
"Don't mind Shana." Mae cuts in. "He seemed like a really nice person to me"
"That's because you haven't gotten to know him yet." Shana cuts in grumpily. "He's just as bad as Leon."
Again, I find myself wondering what Leon did.
"He just does it with a smile." She adds darkly.
Mae just glares blankly at her and continues with what she was saying. "...and he was happy to hear that you were staying at the Pack House, we might even bump into him at the dining room."
We've gotten to the second floor now and I can hear the quiet humming from the kitchens area, we follow a different entrance that leads directly to what has to be the second dining room.
There's actually more people than I'd expected, although they're sitting at one end, converging in on the people sitting at the head.
Shana and Mae just deposit me at the other end which is deserted, saying that I should wait while they go get the food.
I wasn't complaining because that would save me from the horde of people definitely moving around.
I pull out my phone so I would look busy, it's actually to save me from making eye contact with anyone and it works well enough.
I can almost swear that I hear Elise's high and cold voice but I convince myself otherwise.
"Hayden, what's up?" Luke greets happily, sliding in the seat beside me.
I raise my head up from my phone with a smile, relieved to see someone that I knew. "I'm good, Shana and Mae just went to get lunch." I wave my hand in the general direction of his tray.
"Oh that sounds" he pauses sharply, his eyes dropping from my face.
"What's wrong?" I ask, studying his narrow eyes.
"Sorry." He apologizes in a mumble, biting into his sandwich. "It's none of my business."
My curiousity spikes with his reply and I lean forward. "Well it's mine."
"It's just" He trails off, dropping his sandwich with more force than I had been expecting. "I thought you were with Dale but I guess not." He shrugs, color splashing across his face.
I blink, thoroughly confused. He thought I was in a relationship with Dale? Oh wow, I had no idea people took note of things like that.
"And you're sitting there with a hickey on your neck that's from Virgil." He says in a voice dripping with disappointment and I reel back in shock.
There's a lot of things that I want to say but I go quiet to arrange my response. "Oh, I see" I mumble, lifting a hand to the tender skin high on my neck. "First, I'm not with Dale and how did you know it wasn't from him? Or that it's from Virgil for that matter?" I ask, keeping my tone neutral.
Luke is friends with Dale and I could understand his reaction if he thought that Dale and I were together but there was still something I couldn't get my head around and that was how he knew, come to think about it, Shana had guessed pretty accurately too.
"Oh! You're not?" Luke asks with wide eyes. "I feel stupid now." He mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry for jumping into conclusions."
"No, it's fine, it was a honest mistake."
"And, Virgil's scent is all over you, that's how I knew." He resumes his sandwich like he had just said the most natural thing, while I'm here blinking myopically in his direction and trying to make sense of his words.
"Excuse me, what?" I ask bluntly.
"You don't know" He starts intensely then breaks off, facepalmimg. "Shit, I forget you're not a Werewolf most times."
I just smile a little at this, I would have to question Shana more about the scent thing.
"We're back, Hay!" Shana's voice flows in and I turn around to see her coming in with two trays balanced effortlessly on both hands. "I hope we didn't make you wait long, plus we ran into stowaways."
I get up to help her but she side steps me. "Don't worry, I've got this, hi Luke."
He nods to her.
"Don't call them stowaways, Shana." Mae rolls her eyes coming in after her and I can see Dale behind her with a wide grin on his face, Virgil coming in behind him with his usual solemn expression.
My eyes light up at this, not expecting them. Shana takes the seat beside me, arranging the tray piled with sandwiches, chicken salad, soup and milk?
"Why would you think I'd want milk with this combo?" I ask incredulously, waving my hand in the general direction of the tray. "I knew I should have come along." I groan.