Marked (malexmale)

Chapter 12 Aura

I decide to wear an oversized gray sweater with a black heart on the front and some light blue jeans. As I finish lacing up my converse, the delicious smell of Nutella hits my senses. Summoning me out of the basement and into the kitchen.

"Took you long enough to notice," Amber giggles, bouncing in her seat impatiently.  

"So sorry for not having supernatural senses," I say, sticking my tongue out at her and taking my seat at the table.

"Be glad it took you so long, Tempest" Dad interjects, holding a warm pan full of Nutella sticky buns drizzled with icing and finely chopped nuts. "Amber's been hovering around me since I pulled them out of the oven."

"Are they cool enough to eat yet, Daddy?" she asks with a pout.

"Yes, they are," Dad says, setting the pan on the table. "But I think we should wait for Basil-"

"I'll get him," Amber shouts, bolting out of the room.

I hear Dad chuckle as he starts slicing into the sticky buns. My stomach growls as a new wave of the sweet scent hits me. "So wanna tell me what happened between you and Leon last night?" I ask, feigning innocence.

His grip on the knife slips for a moment. "What do you mean? Nothing happened."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "Then why did Leon run out of here? I could practically see his tail tucked between his legs when he left. So what happened?" I gasp, "Don't tell me you guys kissed?"

"N-nothing like that," he stammers, a blush staining his cheeks. "We just had an awkward moment. It was nothing, Tempest."

He's lying. I know he's lying. I haven't seen him this jumpy in months. Whatever happened with Leon spooked him good. "I'm not letting this issue go, Dad. I'm just putting it on hold for now," I promise, concerned, as I hear Basil and Amber's footsteps coming down the stairs.

He gives me a short nod as my adopted siblings enter the room. "I still don't understand you two's obsession with Nutella," Basil sighs as Amber drags him into the kitchen.

"Bite your tongue. Nutella is love. Nutella is life," she declares, returning to her seat. I think I've created a monster.

"That's enough, you two," Dad intervenes, placing a sticky bun on each of our plates and silencing all conversation. I can hear Amber kick her feet with each bite to express her extreme satisfaction. "Sweetie, you're getting all messy," he says, wiping off some of the icing that coats her chin.

Amber whines in protest, "Daddy, you could have just told me. I would have licked it off." She pushes his hands away.

He chuckles. "All right, I'll leave you to your breakfast. I need to check up on the greenhouse. Come and get me when you're finished," Dad says, leaving us to our meal.

I wait until I hear the sliding patio door close before turning to my brother. "So we're interrogating Leon at school, right?"

"Of course," Basil says with a smirk, taking other bite.

"Interrogate? Like what cops do?" Amber asks, tilting her head at us. "Why? Did Leon do something bad?"

"That's why we're interrogating him. To figure out what he did," he explains.

"And we need you to keep this from Dad. Okay? He's got enough to worry about as it is," I add on.

"Like a secret?" Amber says softly. A smile spreads across her lips before she turns to Basil. "Does that mean this works like the other secret?"