Mundahlia (The Mundahlian Era, #1) (14 page)

I opened the fridge in the kitchen, and scoured for the drink section. Mark had the kitchen organized. Everything had its place, and when things weren’t in their order, we usually heard about it at dinner in a sarcastic way—I’m thinking OCD? He is the chef in the family, cooking meals everyday for the past
something
years.

He was standing behind the counter, cutting vegetables for tonight’s dinner on a wooden cutting board. I knew he was probably watching me from the corner of his eye, making sure I didn’t move things around.

Chop, chop,
there was a brief pause as I reached for a pitcher of watermelon water.
Chop.

Del, however, sat at the table—baby Kaylee at her side in the playpen, as she typed away on the keyboard. Work. Most of the income to keep the fridge and cabinets stocked comes from Martin—he substitutes here and there when needed, but groans about it each morning. Del helps with the income by doing some online web designs—it’s funny really, because from her looks, you wouldn’t get the impression that she was actually smart rather than just violent and foul-mouthed.

“This is really good,” Rini said, wiping away a few drops of the red drink I had poured her from her lips. “What is it?”

Mark looked up from his cutting board long enough to catch her attention to flash a smile, “Watermelon water.”

She tasted it again and grinned as she set the cup back down, flashing me those eyes that looked as green and golden as ever. “Very tasty.”

“Thank you.” Mark said, then continued chopping. “Freshly made too.”

A low growl rumbled in my stomach. “Is dinner almost ready?” I asked him.

“In about three hours.” He scooped the cut veggies up with the flat side of the knife and threw them in a pot. “Tonight, we are having beef stew. It has to simmer for a few hours.”
Damn!
I thought. Swimming made me ravenous.

“Can’t you just turn up the burner to make it cook faster?”

He pointed the knife at me, “You can’t
rush
succulence. Don’t tell me how to cook. I don’t go pointing out things for you to collect, do I?”

“
Okay
. Calm down there.” I raised my hands as though I were being held up.

Rini shifted in her stool, looking around. The now empty glass stood on the counter, leaving a wet ring around the base. It didn’t take long for Mark to reach over to take the glass and wipe the ring away with a dishtowel. “I’d better go check on Sarah and Max, it’s getting late and we should probably get home,” she said, hopping off the seat and heading to the door. Giving me no time to protest the idea and have her stay a little while longer.
Damn
.

Just as she closed the door behind her, Martin’s door swung open and he paced himself toward me—Ray at his side. A small black envelope with a vivid blood-red interior was tucked in his shaking hands. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he said, his voice husky and low. “
Very
bad news.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. He appeared as though Death were beckoning to him just a few feet away—something was deeply bothering him. Mark and Del surrounded me, equally interested.

“Guess who has come for us this time.” He emptied the contents of the envelope on the table. A small red letter with black ink writing, and a matching scarlet handkerchief—the letter “B” monogrammed on it, spilled onto the surface. I knew what it meant. Something hadn’t felt right at the lake. Now I knew why. I unfolded the note, holding the satin handkerchief in my hand, and read it aloud for the others to hear.

The crown is mine.

This game of Hide and Seek is getting old.

Ready or not, here I come.

-B

Rini

10

I waited a few minutes by the dock, staring at the water that grew increasingly darker as the sun set. I had scooped up a rock on my way up, and flung it into the lake. Watching as it sunk a few inches before disappearing into the cloudy dark-green mossy water. Sarah and Max had left to my cabin—I, on the other hand, had stayed behind—waiting for Jett. I guess Sarah’s attitude toward Max did a complete turn around. A few hours ago, she’d called him a loner because he was too focused into his computer, and now, she was walking with him to my cabin.

The weather was slowly changing. Large shady clouds, that blended in to the barely lit sky, made their way over the trees across the lake. An unannounced storm was rolling in. I listened to the wind, moving the many leaves of the trees into singing a faint and soothing song. Almost the exact sound of the crashing waves of an ocean. Even so, something wasn’t right. I could feel it. From one section of the forest, the sound seemed to be muffled—like when someone steps in front of a speaker and the sound goes around them. I felt an eerie chill and shuddered. I was being watched, but by what—by whom? I could have sworn I saw some leaves in a bush across the lake rise. A vivid orange shadow hiding within it. I tilted my head to get a better look.

“Where’d they go?” Jett’s voice broke in. It made me jump, nearly making me stumble off the rocking dock. “
Whoa!
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he apologized, pulling me into him.

After I brushed the last bit of fright I had left in my body away, I replied, “They left to my cabin a few minutes ago. I stayed behind to invite you to come watch movies and eat cold pizza with us.” I sighed, “
And
to help me find my way home—
again
.”

“Sure. It sounds—
cool?
But, do you mind if I take a quick shower first?” He used his thumb to point over his shoulder to the cabin.

“No, go right ahead,” I said. “I’ll just wait out here for you.”

There was a rustle in the now normal looking bush across the lake. Maybe I’d hallucinated the whole thing. He sniffed the air and stared at it too. “No.” He said blankly, looking at the bush then back to me. “You’d better come inside, we just heard that there’s a
nasty
storm coming in.” He grabbed my hand and took it into his, waiting for me to follow. What the hell is the matter with this weather? Hot one hour then bat-shit crazy the next? I squinted my eyes at the sky again. The darkness grew closer, and in the distance there was a small rumble of thunder—a warning of its approach. “Okay.”

While he was in the shower, I sat at the table and shifted my eyes to the members of the family. Mark was still standing over the pot with a triumphant smile. Del was still typing rapidly on her laptop—the bluish light changing her skin color to a pale, unsaturated nature. I spotted Martin in the living room tapping his foot and biting his nails when we entered. He looked worried as he read a large leather bound novel to which I couldn’t quite grasp the roughed up name of. As though he’d just been given a grave diagnosis.

Ray was beside him, watching a TV show on “extreme motorcycles” and scratching himself yet again. They were all quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Until finally—breaking the silence, the tiny little ten-month-old girl in a small playpen at the corner of the room, let out a cry.

Del shifted her attention from her daughter to me, raising an eyebrow in interest. “Do me a favor,” she said. “Can you feed her? I’m having a chat fight with one of my co-workers.”

I’d only taken care of a baby once before. The fact that I’ve only taken care of a child once and never again should have made me say no, but instead, “Sure,” managed to escape as I got up to fetch her from the playpen. She took a while to adjust in my arms, and when she finally did, stared at me—unsure whether or not to cry at my unfamiliar face. She probably smelled the mossiness of the lake on my air-dried stale clothes, because she gave me a confused look. Her tiny little eyebrows furrowing as she stared directly at me. Her small eyes to mine. I turned back to Del. “Where’s her bottle?” I asked.

“Here you go.” Mark stood behind me, a freshly made bottle in hand. “One step ahead of you.”

“Oh, thank you.” I held it in front of her mouth.
This is what you do right?
I asked myself. Her now wide eyes stared at the nipple, feeling it with her hand to make sure of what it was. Everything must be a big deal at her age. Like discovering something new every minute or second of the day.

“You have to rub it against her lips so she’ll take to it.” Mark was back behind the counter opening the pot lid to smell a gush of smoke. There was that triumphant smile again. As though he knew everyone was going to love his dish already.

I pulled the bottle away from her tiny hand and rubbed the nipple softly against her cooing lips. It took a few seconds, but she finally cracked her mouth open and began nursing. I watched as the line from the cloudy, white liquid slowly sank to the bottom ring with each small
gulp
I heard.

“Hey,” Del laughed. “I think I just found a babysitter.”

“
Ahem!
” I heard Martin clear his throat from behind the couch. “Need I remind you of who
single-handedly
raised three of the young men in this house? One of which, who is the father of
that
child.”

“Sorry,” Del blushed away. “You’re right. I found
another
babysitter. But no one will ever replace Kaylee’s
grandpa
.”

From the living room, I could feel Martin freeze. He set the ribbon stitched onto the book to mark his place, and shut it, removing his reading glasses from his eyes. “She will
never
call me
that
word.” He said into the air. Looking over to us peripherally.

“What word?
Grandpa?
Of course she will!”

“Not in
this
house! The moment that
word
is uttered in reference to me,
it
is out of here!”

After Kaylee finished, she looked uncomfortable as she squirmed about. “Uh…” I said, trying to get Del’s attention. She and Martin were bouncing remarks, rich in sarcasm, to one another. I turned to Mark, who was already standing behind me. A cloth thrown over his shoulder. He extended both hands for me to give her to him, and when I did, put her over his shoulder and patted her back. I heard a small burp, then a small slosh of sound. He brought her to his arms and wiped away the streak of spit up she had left on her cheek.
Someone’s taking the doting dad bit to new extremes.
He handed her back to me and went to the sink to wash his hands. Little strawberry-blonde haired Kaylee—the perfect blend of her mothers red hair, and her father’s golden hair—stayed in my arms, watching me with eyes full of curiosity. She brought her arm to her mouth to cover a yawn with a closed fist. Funny how even infants can mimic adults. She was adorable. So cute, so innocent, and so new to the world. I did what felt natural to soothe her as she began to sniffle and sob. I sang.

You are the right to every wrong.

You are the sunshine in the sky.

You are the rhyme to this small song/

I sing for you, so you won’t cry.

It sounded
much
better when my grandma or mom would sing it to me in Spanish, and I’m pretty sure the words were different, but at least I tried. To my surprise, it worked. The little baby girl—sound asleep, nestled herself deeper into my chest, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Jett

11

I couldn’t leave
her alone tonight.

Bane or his henchman—that was him, always letting other people do his deeds, then taking credit for it after—had probably seen her with me. Knowing him, he’s probably cooking up something foul, and I didn’t want her to be caught in the middle of his little games. Looks as though I’m going to have to spend all night watching over her.

I shut the water off and patted myself dry with a towel. I threw on fresh clothes I had gotten before and rushed into the hallway—my hair still damp. I spotted her standing with Kaylee in her arms, humming an unfamiliar tune. Over her shoulder, I saw Mark stirring the wooden spoon in the pot, nodding toward her and giving me a thumbs up with his free hand.

You picked a nice one!
I could imagine him saying. I agreed. And I’m not going to let Bane and one of his royally fucked up plans get in the way of that—Rini is
mine
.

Rini

12

“Ready to go?” Jett asked. He had changed into a burgundy V-neck and some khaki shorts—the same ones he’d worn just days before.

“Yeah.” I waited for Mark to come around the counter to get Kaylee from my arms. She made a sound of discomfort during the exchange as she settled into Mark’s broad chest. A familiar body.

I followed Jett out after saying my farewells to the rest inside. The sun had already left to greet the people on the other side of the world. We walked side by side, ducking into the brush to go to my cabin, with thunder rolling in the background. The final warnings before the rain would begin to pour from the sky above. I could already smell the wet dirt from miles away. I
love
that smell.

I peered over to Jett, whom seemed to be lost in his mind yet again, like the brief moment he’d been at the lake a few hours before.
“
Jett?” I asked, shifting my gaze to the twig and leaf littered ground.