The Unbroken

XV

There's someone moving around beside me. They're distracting me from my sweet deserved slumber. I didn't get to sleep for hours, I'm exhausted. In response to the disruption, I yank the covers out from underneath something heavy and hide beneath them. Whatever it was, it slams into the floor causing the room to shake.

Rolling onto my side, I start slipping back into my dream about chow mein pizza. I wish that dish existed, two of my favourite things in one.

"Get your arse up!" That's Oliver. Why is he in my bed? Was he at mine last night? I don't remember anything but the pizza.

Delving deeper into the thick duvet, I hum at the comfortable mounds of lavender. We need more of this detergent, the smell is luscious. I sound like such an old woman. Adverts about fabric softeners clinging to the sheets to keep long lasting fresh smells are clearly not lying, this is heavenly.

"If you want food, you better get moving." He can shut up, I'll just make something when I get up. I haven't had brunch in a long time, I'll make waffles. "Damnit, Zoe! Get moving or we'll miss breakfast!"

"Wait," I peek my head out from the cream linen, "Miss breakfast?"

"It started an hour ago, and you wanted to be on the road by ten." Oh fuck, I'm not at home. I sit up, rubbing clenched hands against my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nine -"

"- How did we sleep in?" I fall over myself while climbing out of the tasselled clouds. Scurrying into the bathroom, I crash into a wall. Hissing as my elbow throbs, I move around in a rush to get my teeth and hair brushed. "I thought you set an alarm!" I yell to him with a slight lisp from the toothbrush poking out the side of my gob.

We pass each other, hopping about to get into our clothes. "I did, but my phone died." He chunters, shoving his own brush into his mouth. "Bring everything out with you and shove it into the bag." I fold up our dirty clothes and throw them into the bag with the chargers and my wallet.

With a record of ten minutes, we're taking the stairs three at a time to get down the stairs while I struggle to pull my hair up into a ponytail. "Heard anything from the gang this morning?" We calm down once in the reception. "Only Chris."

"What did he say?" I hand the reservation card to the host who guides us over to the same seat as yesterday. "He's holding training tonight." I dump my stuff while he sits. "I thought he was only holding pack stuff on the weekends?"

"He was but apparently everyone did crap on the drills yesterday and has decided to hold Boot Camp sessions every night for the next few weeks, everyone has to attend." My eyes roll with a distinct growling groan. "Brilliant. It's not like I was already struggling to check all of my assignments, and tutoring Carter. Not to mention that I now have crap tons of paperwork to complete daily, phone calls as well as college classes to attend, I have to spend even more of my time running laps and flipping people onto their arses. Great!"

"You'll figure it out, you always do." He pats my back, leading me to the food. "Thanks. Though I also have to sort the company out, arrange Mum and Dads funeral as well as sort shit with their lawyer who still hasn't checked his goddamn emails yet." My stomach complains almost as loud as I am, "Let's just get you fed and deal with everything else when you're less moody."

"Hey! I am not moody."

"Whatever you say. I slap the back of his head, earning a glare from a passing old couple who I raise my eyebrow at, daring them to say something or hang around any longer. They soon scuttle away. "Yeah, not moody at all." My look moves to him. His mouth clamps shut, handing me a stack of pancakes to earn forgiveness.

We barely savour the exquisite food in our hurry. Forkful after forkful is shovelled into our awaiting pie holes after skipping dinner last night to get some extra sleep after the tour of Turndon, which I thoroughly enjoyed and took several pictures of. The lesson we've learnt today is: don't get in the way of two famished teenage Werewolves. Several odd looks are flashed our way, whether it's due to the lack of table manners or the mountains we've swallowed down but each one is replied to with a scowl by one of us.