Vixy opens the front door to her house, stuffing one hand into her faded blue hoodie, a matching beanie upon her head. Turning back, the dark haired teenager waves goodbye to her ride, friend, and band mate, Rocky. Tired after a long day at school and equally exhausting band practice, Vixy, known as Victoria at home, trudges up to her bedroom. The checkered bookbag with random white spaces colored in with various shades of blues, greens, and purple, slides off her left shoulder, dragging down the hallway.
Letting the strap of the bag fall from her hand as a ding sounds, alerting that Vixy has recieved a text message, the dark haired teenager pulls out her phone. Reading a text from Rocky, a reminder about the history assignment due the next morning, Vixy opens her poster and sign covered door. Taking a few steps into the room, she responds to her brunette friend. Looking up, Vixy's mouth drops, finding her younger sister, Abigail, propped upon an extra bed, a new addition to the room.
"What the flying fuck?" Vixy crosses her arms. "What are you doing in my room?" Her right leg extends out as she shifts her weight onto her left, her mouth forming a scowl. "I don't know how or where you got this bed, but take it out and go back to your own room."
Abigail kicks her feet back and forth against the pink covered bed. "Mom moved me in here."
"MOM!" Vixy yells, storming out of her room and down the hall. "Mother, this is not cool. I am a teenager. I need my privacy. I really don't need a ten year old bugging me!"
Dr. Morrison raises her hand gently for silence, a tired, but patient, look on her face. "Victoria, how many times do I have to tell you not to curse in front of your sister? And, please, darling. Lower your voice."
"How do you expect me to have my voice lowered? I come home from a long day to find my sister kicking her feet on some pink blanket. A blanket that is on an extra bed that has appeared in my room!" Vixy's hands tug at the bottom of her hoodie, a habit she has that comes about when she is either angry or nervous. "How am I suppose to be a teenager with a ten year old taking bed in MY room?"
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" her mother counters, crossing her arms calmly. "Abigail's old room is currently occupied."
"Put her in the basement!" Vixy's hands fly up in the air, "I don't know. Just anywhere but my room." The teenager falls onto the couch, the leather making noises against her black skinny jeans. Putting her head in her hands, tugging at her bangs, she sighs loudly. "What do you mean her room is occupied?"
Dr. Morrison comes to sit next to her daughter, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Remember the girl from work I mentioned? The one who was found in the woods, living with a pack of wolves?"
"What does that bag of fleas have to do with anything?"
"Well... I have been given the honour of rehabilitating her into human society... Which means she will be staying with us. As family."
Vixy takes a stand, her hands tugging at the end of her hair as she rants. "You brought a flea bag into the house? Great, mother, just great! Now my kittens are going to get fleas, then my room. Oh, and let's not forget my bed!" Vixy storming back and forth in the room, she continues, "And then I'm going to get fleas and no one will want to be around me. Just great, mom, just fan-fucking-tastic."
"With that attitude? I don't doubt it, Victoria." Her mother stands. "I suggest you tone it down. And I expect you to be nice to your sister."
"Ugh!" Vixy storms out of the room, throwing her hands into the air. "Why do you guys hate me so much!"
Abigail, walking out of Vixy's room, holding Caramel, Vixy's orange-striped kitten, comments in a low tone, "Because you make our eyes burn."
Scowling at her younger sister, Vixy takes her kitten away. "I could say the same about you." Pushing past Abigail, she slams her bedroom closed, locking from the inside. Setting the kitten upon her bed next to her sleeping sister, Ellie, Vixy heads to her personal bathroom.
Pulling out her phone, she texts Kenneth, the singer of the band and her history classmate. Sure you don't want me to just come over to your house this time?
Kenneth replies with, Naw, parents are out for the night and I would rather have a home-cooked dinner than a hotpocket. See you in an hour.
Groaning, Vixy strips out of her clothes, intending to take a bath. Pulling open the curtain, Vixy begins to scream, finding her bathtub covered in glitter. "I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Tala walks carefully from the kitchen to the dining room, a large bowl of salad in her - now clean - hands. Abigail sets the cutlery, having already put out the plates.
"Where?" Tala asks, not wanting to mess anything up. Abigail points to the middle of the table. The dark-haired teenager places the bowl in the center with care, then returns to the kitchen to help Dr. Morrison with the rest of the food.
Soon, the table is set, with Dr. Morrison, Mr. Morrison, Abigail, and Tala all waiting for Victoria and her friend.
Vixy sits outside the house, swinging on the porch swing. A leg crossed over the other, Vixy tugs at the end of her button up shirt, the blue complementing her eyes. With her hair partially pulled back, the bangs surrounding her face, she hides in the darkness. When two lights flash across the porch, she lifts her head. Heart fluttering, her palms become slightly sweaty. This is the first time that Kenneth would be coming over without the rest of the crew.
Rising, she greets Kenneth with a hug. His piercings brush her cheek and a shiver runs down her spine. He takes the shiver as something to do with the temperature, "I'm sorry if you've been waiting on me. I got held up for a bit."
"Oh, it's okay," Vixy says, a small smile on her face as she leads him up the stairs and into the house. "So.. mom took some patient in. I haven't met her yet, but I'm just letting you know, she's a mental case."
Kenneth chuckles lightly, "Aren't we all?"
Vixy, nervous, doesn't answer; instead, she ushers Kenneth into the dining room. "Mom, dad, you rememeber Kenneth, right?"
Her mother welcomes him with a warm hello, while her father gives him a look over, as if warning him, man to man, not to mess with his daughter. Though, he does so politely. Abigail bats her eyes, fanning her hand in front of her face, unknowingly mocking how Vixy feels.
Tala, who had been staring off at something across the room, breaks from her daydream and looks up. Her grey eyes lift timidly, and she tugs self-conciously at an end of her short black hair. As she takes in the two newcomers, she fights the urge to stand up and sniff them, remembering what Dr. Morrison had said about doing that. Apparently, humans don't sniff each other upon greeting.
Besides, Tala feels like she needs to make a good impression. Especially with the pretty one. She looks a lot like her parents, but she has strikingly dark hair, like Tala's own.
"Come, sit, both of you," says Dr. Morrison. "Victoria, Kenneth, this is Tala. She'll be staying with us for.. She'll be staying with us. Tala, this is my daughter, Victoria. Kenneth is her friend."
Tala tugs her shirt slightly to the left, uncomfortable in it, and gives a cautious smile.
"Wild hair," Kenneth nods his head, "It's cool."
Beside him, Vixy looks at the stranger, taking her in. The dishevled hair shouts just how uncivilized Tala is. Putting a hand on Kenneth's shoulder, Vixy lets her eyes flit over the girl and to the empty seat in front of Abigail. "Would you like to take the seat besides my mother?" She asks.
Kenneth pulls out the chair beside her mother, "After you," He says politely. "A mother and daughter should never be severed because of a man."
"Especially a boy," Mr. Morrison adds pointedly, yet subtly. Tala glances between the two males and Victoria, coming to the conclusion that the alpha male disapproves of Kenneth, who is of another pack. Family.
The wolf girl observes the others, still unfamiliar with their ways. Her eyes settle on the boy's two lip piercings, finding them different. None of the others have them. Vixy notices Tala staring at Kenneth and becomes nervous, wondering if he'll leave because of how awkward the girl appears to be.
"Erm, yes, that is right, sir." Kenneth says, slightly phased.
"Kenneth, would you like to say grace?"
"Er.." He looks around the table, closing his eyes, he bows his head feeling awkward. "Lord..Thank you for this food we are about to eat..And thank you for Vixy, who puts up with all my shit. Amen."
Dr. Morrison, unlike her husband, holds a snort of laughter, merely letting her lips twerk up into a smile. "Amen."
"Amen."
Tala says nothing, prefering to remain quiet than to do something wrong. She raises her head when the others do. The wolf girl waits for her elders to take their share of the food, watching how they do so. To her relief, Dr. Morrison helps Tala put food onto her plate.
Vixy, anxious for dinner to be over, grabs a fried chicken thigh, prefering dark meat over white. She passes the tray to Kenneth, glancing over at her dad as he intensely stares at Kenneth. It's not the first time Kenneth has been over, though usually, he is with all the girls, and not just Vixy. The dark haired girl wonders if her dad sees chemistry or something like that; maybe that is why he is getting all worked up.
Dr. Morrison passes the salad to Vixy. Helping herself to a large portion of salad, Vixy passes on the mashed potatoes and macaroni. Kenneth, on the other hand, loads his plate with a bounty-full of food. Abigail, with a plate mostly filled with macaroni and mash potatoes with two pieces of lettuce, asks, "Are there biscuits?"
"Yes, darling. Tala, would you pass these to Abigail, please?" Tala takes the tray from Dr. Morrison, careful as not to drop any biscuits as she places it near the smallest girl.
Vixy watches as Abigail takes the tray, thanking Tala nicely. Her jaw clenches and her eyes slightly narrow. Abigail never thanks Vixy for anything, and yet, she thanks this pet her mother has brought home. Stabbing her fork into the lettuce, Vixy's eyes flit over the wild girl.
Tala, in the midst of picking up her eating utensils, her brow furrowed, glances up at the noise from the girl across from her. She feels slightly threatened by the look in Vixy's eye. Pausing with her fork in hand, she meets the girl's gaze, standing her ground.
Clenching her jaw further, Vixy raises an eyebrow at the girl across from her. Her top lip twitches in anger. Who is this girl to be taking everyone's attention and approval? Vixy could even sense Kenneth's interest in the wild girl.
"Victoria, stop staring and eat your food."
Vixy looks down at her plate, unhappiness filling her face. Tala glances up here and there, in between careful, though mildly uncoordinated bites of salad. The potatoes remain untouched on her plate, as well as the biscuit and macaroni. The wolf girl is wary of the three, having never tasted any of them, before.
Kenneth cuts open the biscuit, putting butter on it before closing it again. "Why aren't you eating?" He asks Vixy.
"I am," She states, leafing through the salad.
"'Cause she is trying to make herself skinny since she's fat." Abigail takes a bite of macaroni, nodding her head.
Vixy shoots her sister a deathly glare.
Tala, not really paying much attention to the conversation, watches how Kenneth prepares his biscuit, then does the same. Curiously, she sniffs the food item.
"How was school, kiddo?" Mr. Morrison asks Vixy. Tala takes a tentative bite out of her roughly buttered biscuit, tasting the new thing.
"The usual, " Vixy shrugs, not wanting to seem too smart around Kenneth. "Watched people throw balls at each other in gym. Nearly lost my head because of it."
"You had a test, didn't you? In math. Did you get your marks back?"
Contemplating whether to lie or not, Vixy pushes around an olive. "I passed."
Vixy's father pushes further. "What was your score?"
"100." Vixy replies defeatedly.
Mr. Morrison nods proudly, returning to his food. "That's my girl." He glances over at the boy next to him, as if to point out that his daughter deserves the best man out there.
"Tala, you have not touched your potatoes," Dr. Morrison comments quietly. "You need to eat them, too. And the macaroni." She points out the foods with her own fork as she names them. Tala eyes the white cloud-like food, and tries to pick it up with her fork by poking it through like salad. When her fork comes out with mere crumbs, she frowns, and tries again.
Once dinner is finished, Mr. Morrison lifts Abigail over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, sending the girl into giggles as she hangs her arms down his back. "Boy, you're getting big. Pretty soon I won't be able to lift you, either." Holding onto one of the kid's legs, Mr. Morrison ruffles his eldest daughter's hair fondly as he passes, heading into the kitchen. "Hurry up and bring your dishes in; I have a game to watch."
The whole family and Kenneth bring their dishes into the kitchen. Mr. Morrison washes the dishes while Abigail dries them, and Dr. Morrison puts the leftover food away in the fridge after excusing Tala and her daughter.
Tala retreats to her new bedroom. Her door remains open as she stands before the window, resting her forearms upon the sill. She looks out longingly at the outside world, wanting to go back home, to go back to her pack. She yearns for her pack to cuddle up to for warmth and comfort. The humans are all so... cold, and solitary. She misses pack life; she misses hunting with her brothers, and watching after the pups.
The wild girl whimpers softly as her eyes water, pressing her hand to the cold glass. Sad, she curls up on the carpet and cries silently, homesick.
Meanwhile, Vixy is sprawled upon her bed, Kenneth lying next to her. Taking notes, Vixy listens as Kenneth reads the chapter aloud. Finding his voice soothing, Vixy twirls a strand of her hair, getting lost in his voice.
Kenneth closes the book, bringing Vixy back to the world. "So, what exactly are we suppose to be doing?" His shoulder bumps into her.
Smiling softly, Vixy scratches her head. "We have to make a skit of the Boston Tea Party. Like, what we think was happening plus actual facts."
His lips twerk up, "Acting..isn't that more of a you and Rocky thing."
Laughing, Vixy shakes her head, "Probably, but she is on a date tonight. And it's due Friday, so we need to start coming up with ideas."
Kenneth leans in close, "Is this a date?"
Just then, Mr. Morrison opens the door, carrying two bowls of ice cream. "Ice cream. Leave your door open, kiddo. Kenneth, what time are your parents picking you up?"
Vixy drops her head, her hair falling in front of her face as it reddens. Kenneth gracefully scoots away, as if her fathers' presence wasn't why he was moving away. With a grin, Kenneth answers, "I have my own ride. So whenever Vixy doesn't want me in her bed anymore, I guess I'll go home."
Mr. Morrison stares intently at the boy on his daughter's bed. "Watch it, kid, or you won't have a bed. Downstairs, both of you. You can study at the table while you eat your ice cream, and then your friend can take a ride back to his house."
"I'm actually tired," Vixy pipes in, fiddling at the blanket. "I think I'm going to call it a night."
Mr. Morrison looks almost crestfallen. "You don't want ice cream?"
"No, daddy," She answers softly as Kenneth packs up. Vixy slips off her bed, her cheeks flushed, "I'm really tired."
"Oh. Okay," he says, sounding a little sad as he looks down at the ice cream. "I guess I'll take some to Tala, then."
"Okay, you do that." Vixy says, picking up her school supplies. Directing her attention to Kenneth, she asks, "Do you want me to help you take your stuff to the car?"
Mr. Morrison merely shakes his head, leaving the room. Kenneth answers, "Yeah. How about tomorrow you come over to my house and we work on the assignment."
"Sure, I'll just have to check in with my parents." Vixy closes the last book, handing it to Kenneth. As they walk down the stairs, Abigail goes upstairs. "Don't you dare touch anything," Vixy warns. At Kenneth's car, the dark haired girl stands awkwardly outside, watching her friend and bandmate get ready to leave. "Sorry about dinner and everything."
"It's cool." Kenneth's phone goes off. Looking down at the device, he starts his car. "Hey, um, something has come up and I need to leave like right now, so..see you tomorrow, yeah?"
Scratching her arm, Vixy looks down at the ground, "Yeah," She barely gets out before he pulls out of the driveway. Walking back up to the house, the teenager sighs, her hot breath making fog in front of her mouth. "This has been the worst night ever.."