Forsaken

Chapter 7: Picnic

           

Kynzie:          

I showed the three guys around our large house, pointing out everyone's bedrooms as we went. I found myself chattering more than normal to cover for their silence until we ended up at the creek. I sat down on the ground, waiting for them to do the same. Eli lay down nearby while Ace and Caleb hesitantly sank to the ground, obviously not understanding. I set my bag down in front of me, the one I'd grabbed on my way out the door. It was why I'd had them wait ten minutes before meeting me.

            "How old are you?" I asked curiously as I pulled some food out of my bag, making a show of not looking at them at all. It seemed to make them nervous when I looked in their general direction.

            Caleb and Ace shared a look before Caleb responded, "Nineteen."

            Did they really need to check with each other before they answered?  "All three of you are?" I asked as I pulled some sandwiches out first. I passed them out, giving each of the guys three of them. If I'd learned anything from living in my family it's that guys could eat a ton. I set one sandwich in my own lap and pulled out the potato salad.

            "Yes," Caleb replied. His eyes were huge as he watched me pull out more food. "What is this?" he asked suspiciously.

            "A sandwich?" I asked, thinking he was referring to the food I'd set in front of him.

            "No, what are we doing?" he clarified softly. I heard the hesitation in his voice like he was afraid to speak up.

            "Having a picnic," I replied as if it were obviously. At their confused looks, I frowned. "Have you never had a picnic before?" Ace shook his head. Was he serious? They still looked completely confused, so I hesitantly added, "you know what a picnic is, right?"

            Ace shrugged a shoulder and glanced at Eli and Caleb before replying, "Vaguely." I looked at all three of them curiously but refused to say anything that might make them feel worse about their circumstances.

            "Go ahead and eat." I gestured towards the sandwiches that none of them had even touched. I unwrapped Eli's sandwich and set it down close to him, careful not to touch him. After that, I passed out plates with macaroni salad on it. I took some lemonade out of my bag and filled some cups for everyone. There were chips and veggies with dip, along with a chocolate cake for dessert. I'd made sure that when I packed it all, it wasn't in danger of being squished. "Let's play a game." I looked at Ace and Caleb to see if they looked interested.

            Ace perked up a little, "what kind of game?"

            "Every time I ask you a question, you get to ask one in return."

Caleb and Ace shared a look before their eyes slid back to me. "Deal," Caleb replied.

I took a bite of my sandwich as I considered the both of them. I figured I'd ignore Eli for now. He didn't seem inclined to shift, so he couldn't answer any questions for me anyways. "Favorite color?" I figured I'd start with simple questions first.

            Caleb shrugged, "I don't really have a favorite."

            Ace took a bite of his macaroni salad. He chewed thoughtfully before finally answering, "Orange."

            I looked at Caleb, "You hafta choose a color!"

            Caleb swallowed a bite of his sandwich and looked around as if trying to find a color he liked. His gaze finally stopped on the creek. "Bright blue."

            "Your turn," I replied.

            Caleb spoke up first, "Why is your dad inviting us to join his pack when he knows nothing about us?"

            I hadn't expected that question. I blinked as I thought about how to answer that. "Do you want the full reason, or would you rather have the sugar coated version."

            Ace and Caleb didn't even look at each other as they both said, "Full," at the same time.

            I picked at my sandwich and stared at the ground. "My dad is a nice person. He doesn't like to see people suffering... That's the main reason." I glanced up to see that they were both still watching me. I could feel Eli's eye on me as well. "He knows you're my mates... That's another part." I could feel all of them still watching me, waiting for me to tell them something horrible. The truth was, there weren't any horrible reasons for him to do this. "Alphas gain power the more wolves they have in their pack, but my dad has learned that in order to keep those already in his pack, he has to be a good leader. He's not inviting you to join for the power, though. If he thought it would be better for you, he would have sent you to a neighboring pack instead. In fact, he's done that before." I hoped I was making sense.

            Ace seemed to relax a little, but Caleb's only response was to say, "Your turn."

            I bit my lip and set my sandwich aside. I wasn't really hungry anymore. "Siblings?"

            Eli made a sound between a sigh and a groan as he moved forward. I thought he was just moving closer so that he could see anyone, but he nudged my sandwich, moving it closer. Maybe I hadn't packed him enough food. "You can have it," I replied dismissively as I waited for the other two to answer the question.

            Ace glanced behind me to look at Eli as Caleb shook his head, "I don't have any. Ace had an older sister. She's no longer with the pack. Eli's also an only child."

            Before I could reply, Ace spoke up, "Eli's concerned that you didn't eat enough. He wants you to finish your sandwich." I glanced at Eli to see that his huge gray eyes were watching me.

            I shook my head, "I'm not really hungry."

            Ace looked uncertain about what he should do next, but it was Caleb who spoke for him, "Eat or the game is over."

            I growled an obscenity under my breath as I picked the sandwich up and started to eat it. Caleb watched me for a moment, making sure I was eating, and then asked, "What's your dad like?"

            What happened to the easy, lighthearted questions? "Which one?"

            "What do you mean?" his face was a mask of confusion. Ace looked just as confused as Caleb.

            "I have five dads," I replied, hoping that they wouldn't think that was too weird. After all, all three of them were my mates. I bit my lip and rubbed the palms of my hands against my pants. Their silence made me nervous and butterflies flittered in my stomach, making me regret the sandwich I'd just eaten.

            Eli whined softly and it seemed to prompt Ace to speak. "Are your parents happy? I mean, are your dads okay... sharing?"

            I thought about that for a moment and shrugged. "I think they're happy."

            Before I could continue that thought, Caleb broke in. "Was it weird growing up with five dads, though?"

            I considered the question and shook my head. "Not really. It's just how I grew up. I never thought there was anything weird about it. I think it helped to have so many siblings, though." I started to pack up the picnic and gently placed the last sandwich near Eli.

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