Scarred

Chapter 5

"I'm ok Bernie, just some childhood memories catching up to me." She looked at me, as if she was trying to see if I was telling the truth about being ok. "Let's go in and get that lunch, you must be famished poor girl" we go inside and turn right, down the corridor to the kitchen. It is much quieter in here now, the kitchen staff must be serving lunch to, well who to? Alex I guess. He wanted to check I was ok because I was crying? That counts as a good thing. He has heard me crying in pain at the scarring and did nothing then, bad thing. "Would vegetable soup and bread be ok?" Mmm soup. "That sounds perfect Bernie, will I make the tea?" She smiled, "and to think, the last time we were in the kitchen I couldn't get a normal conversation out of you, what a difference a few hours make!" We smile at each other. I boil the water for tea and get the cups, sugar and milk ready on a tray, I fill the tea strainer with tea leaves and sit it over the open teapot. Bernie pours the soup into bowls and puts bread on a side plate. I pour the hot water over the tea strainer and fill the tea pot. I squeeze some extra juice out of the leaves then put the lid on the pot and carry it over, Bernie is already seated with both plates and bowls at the same seats we took this morning.

                        I take my seat "Bernie, what time will the alpha be home?" I know it is going to ruin the good mood, but I need to know so I can be long gone. I don’t want Bernie in trouble over me. "He said he wouldn't be home until late tonight, you will only be here for another two hours or so, I just need help setting up the fires for the night, there are quite a few fire places though." I was sad that this day would end, I would miss Bernie, I had to ask her something before I go though. "Bernie, this is going to sound odd, and I am really breaking the rules by asking this, did you know it was my birthday yesterday?" I had to ask, if she is my helper I would be over the moon, and I could finally thank her in person. "Oh happy birthday, I didn't know, and it was an odd question indeed, though I'm not sure how it breaks the rules child." Hmm it's not her, she showed genuine surprise when I asked her. Oh well, maybe that just means I have two people who care about me. "I thought you were going to ask me if I am only human" wow with all that has gone on, I totally forgot about that. "But I know you are half wolf, how could you communicate with Alex if you are not a wolf"  "Very good Lucy, you Figured me out. Kind of. You see although I was born with the ability to shift into a wolf, I am yet to do it!" Oh, oh Bernie, I had heard of this happening, but it is very rare. I want to comfort her, I don't know what to do. I put my hand on her arm "I'm sorry Bernie" she patted my hand "It's ok child, I have come to terms with it, come let’s eat"

                           I dip the bread into the soup and taste it, oh wow this is good. Maybe I wouldn't be so great in a kitchen after all. I pour tea for Bernie and myself, this is so nice, the last time we tried to have tea, I ruined it. There was nothing to ruin it now though.

                        "What was that?" We said in unison. That sounded like something falling down the stairs, I jump out of my seat just a fraction of a second behind Bernie, we both run to the stairs. There is soil and broken pottery all over the floor and stairs. Did someone trip over the plant pot at the top of the stairs? I look around to see who tripped but there is no one around. I look at Bernie, "can you fetch the sweeping brush and a dustpan from the utility closet?" I nod and turn around, and walk quickly to get the stuff. Maybe my thoughts of this house being so normal were a little off, strange things happen here. I open the closet and take the brush and pan and walk back to Bernie. She has already started pulling the pottery out of the all the soil. I start to sweep the soil from the staircase into the pan, there s a lot to sweep up. Did Alex do this? He seems quite agile, not the type to fall over a plant pot, more the type to throw the bloody thing down the stairs.

                              "Bernie, what happened is everyone ok?" Oh god that voice, that husky voice. Who is that? My body starts doing the hot and cold thing again. I turn to see who is there, but only Bernie is there, looking at me worried again. I don't even ask to sit, I just plonk myself down on the dirty step, she runs up the stairs to me. What is going on I ask myself again, I have been saying that a lot these last few days. Bernie put her hand on my forehead "You are burning up child, come you need to lay down." I totally agree I need to lay down, "Bernie, I can't, not here, the alpha, he will know." I stand up "I'm ok Bernie, just dizzy" whoa am I fainting?

                                    I wake up and the first thing I notice is Bernie looking down on me, "oh Lucy you gave us a fright, how are you feeling, we have called for a doctor." A doctor? Why who is hurt, where the hell am I? I'm pretty sure I was on the stairs, then the hot and cold happened, then I, huh so I did faint. "Where am I?" I looked around, I was in a big four poster bed, in a large room, and that smell, that amazing smell, oh I could smell that every day and be intoxicated every time. It smells like burning wood and vanilla. It is so strong here, this is the scent my wolf picked up back home, this is my secret helpers scent. This must be Bernie’s room, she must have lied about the birthday thing, she is a sneaky lady. "This is Master Alex's room child, he insisted on carrying you here himself. He is downstairs waiting for the doctor."

                                     Something clicked into place in my head, the scent, the hot and cold flushes, wanting to stroke the black wolf, needing to know he was ok when I thought he was injured. My wolfs reaction to him, and his voice. ALEX IS MY MATE. There is knocking at the door, "the doctor is here, has she woken yet?"