I slept for a long while. A dreamless sleep which I attributed to my recovery, but when I woke; I woke with an instant thought. The sun had barely touched the horizon and the sky was bright and purple, I didn't care for the time, or for the warm blankets. I wanted to see my father.
Strange how little sleep meant to me when I knew my father was under observation, when just a day before, I'd have done anything for an extra moment of sleep. Was it only a day? Maybe it had been two.
I sat up and glanced at the door. It was early, I'm sure it was too early for most of the people here. I wouldn't want to be awake at this hour. I wondered if Lowell was awake and if he'd take me to see my father if I asked him too. Considering how 'warm' he has been so far... I'm going to assume he's a tight ass and probably won't let me leave my room, even though I'm here as a 'guest'.
I laid back down. How much trouble would I really be in if I tried to see my father? I didn't want to spend any time in a cell. Would they really imprison me for seeking him out? Did I really want to push that limit? I laid back down, waiting for the sun to rise higher in the sky so I could reasonably wake up and see him. I lasted ten, maybe fifteen seconds.
Slowly I got out of bed and crawled to the door, placing my head to it so I could listen. I heard Lowell sleeping, soft doggy snores brushed against the hard wood in the halls. I heard him move... Maybe he wasn't asleep. Did he know I was there?
With nothing left to do, other than attempt to make it to a hospital I didn't even know where it was, I decided that a shower would be the best use of my time.
I set the clothes given to me on the counter to make sure they didn't get wet, this was, after all, the only set of clothes I'd been given, and I might need to make them last. I tried to pull a brush through my hair but with little use. Instead, I climbed into the shower, noting that I needed a haircut soon anyways. And maybe I could convince someone here to shave it all off- well, most of it. I hopped in, enjoying the warmth for a moment, taking my time to really wash my hair and my body, trying to make sure that the sun would be 'up' by the time I got out.
While in the shower, I also noted that once I left this room, I may be subjected to social activities, of which I am not found of, and have never been very good at. Like I said, I'm most comfortable in bitch mode, most people find that off putting; so usually I'm just quiet. Suddenly, staying in the shower was tempting, and had it not been for the fact that my father had been found in a bear trap. I might have stayed in my room all day.
In the end, hunger won over my social awkwardness. I toweled my hair good, not wanting to deal with wet hair on my clothes, and ran a brush through it, it was a little easier to do when it was wet.
As I dressed, I caught my reflection in the mirror, and my heart skipped a beat when the fog obscured it, making me think, perhaps, that my brush with hypothermia had damaged my eyesight completely. But, after I wiped my hand through the fog on the mirror, I saw I was still whole and still able to see. My face was thin. Thinner than it had been in a while, part of my growth spurt, becoming less of a child, and more of a woman. I noticed angles along my jaw and chin and cheek bone that hadn't been there even a year before. Even though I was small, my stature often reminded me of some foreign Spanish Princess from the 16-hundreds. All I needed was a ball gown and some jewels.
There was a knock on the bathroom door, and I jumped. Immediately covering myself. Even though I was dressed.
"Yes?"
"Mira, It's Cole. I heard you get up. Thought I would come check on you."
Cole, I smiled a bit. Glad he was the one to wake me and not Ulric, who was too big to not be intimidating. Or Lowell, he creeped me out.
I went to open the door, cracking it just a bit to see if there was anyone behind him.
"Any chance I can get breakfast?" I ask hopefully.
"Yeah, no problem."
I open the bathroom door all the way and skip out. My toes were instantly cold on the hard-wood floor, but I didn't care. Food and father, that's what mattered to me.
"Think I can see my dad first?"
"Well, Hon- Mira, that's not up to me. But I can definitely get you breakfast."
"Who is it up to?"
"I don't know. The doctors? My alpha? I don't just want to assume. Let's get you some food first, we'll figure it out soon. K?"
"Yes, Sir."
Cole opens the door to the hall way and ushers me out. The hall way is cold, and devoid of any sleeping mutts.
"Where is Lowell?"
He shrugs, "When I woke up, I told him I'd watch you. He's probably sleeping in a real bed for a little before he has to get up."
"Ah. He's not too good with the hardwood?"
"Is anybody?"
I shrug, "I'd been sleeping on the floor of my truck for a while now. We just recently got cots, they were a nice addition."
"How was the bed last night?"
"Umm- heavenly! I almost didn't make it out of bed."
He smiles as we head down the stairs and into the kitchen. As we rounded the corner I froze for a moment when there were already two people awake and cooking. I recognized them, it was Nails, and that teenager that found me on the river.
"Hi." Nails says.
I swallow and start to walk, resisting the urge to turn around and go back to bed.
The teenager just stares at me. I think the last time I saw her, I growled at her. I wouldn't be too warm with me either.
"Morning." I say quietly. I make a point to smile at the teen. I guess I'm a teen too. But she looks younger than me.
"Mira, this is Julie," He points at Nails. "And this is Austin." The teen looks away from me and back down to the book she is reading.
It took all my might to not comment on her boy's name. She didn't look like an Austin. Austin is that stuck up blonde on the football team who swears he should be the next quarter back; not some skinny shy wolf girl who reads.
"Hello." I say as pleasantly as I can manage.
"We were just gonna grab something and we will be out of your way." Cole moves to a cupboard and starts rummaging through. Julie smacks the cupboard shut.
"You can wait, just like everyone else. I don't wake up this early for my health. I'm making you breakfast."
I was instantly annoyed. I wanted food now.
"Sorry, mom," Cole jokes.
"She's your mom? You're his mom?" They looked the same age to me.
Cole laughs.
"No. I'm not his mom." She tries to smile. I think she is uncomfortable with me being here. I'm uncomfortable being here.
"Oh." I wanted to ask for clarification, how did she fit into all this? My first thought was that since she is cooking in the alpha's kitchen, she might be the alpha's wife, I didn't ask. I wanted to.
"When's breakfast gonna be done?" Cole asks. He sits down at the counter next to Austin. Suddenly, I felt awkward hovering in the door way to the kitchen, but I didn't want to move.
"You keep bothering me and you won't get any, even when it's finished."
Cole smirks.
"Would you like some help?" I offer, because I don't know what else to do, and as uncomfortable as I was around here, I knew I'd make good use in the kitchen.
It was as if she was waiting for someone to ask. She sits a bowl on the counter across from Austin and a small bag of potatoes. She hands me a peeler. "Can you just peel them for me? They are already washed."
"Okay." I walk up to the counter and begin peeling. I don't sit.
For a moment there is silence and I am thankful for it.
"So, Mira, what made you want to go swimming yesterday?" asks Nails... I mean, Julie.
"Swimming? Oh. I- uh, fell in."
Briefly I remember running through the woods and stumbling, falling down a rocky hill and being tossed into the river, immediately hitting my side on a large rock as the river dips into a pool before swiftly taking off again. I move my elbow absently so that it slightly rubs my wound. I kind of like the pain, makes me thankful to be here. I'm sure it's just a bruise now.
"You fell in? Any particular reason why?"
I knew she was fishing for answers, she wanted to know what I was doing here. I'm sure this won't be the last time I hear this.
"I was running, I slipped, I swam, I nearly drown." I stop, remembering that I should be nicer, keeping my bitch mode in check. "Thank you, for finding me, for helping me." I add quietly.
She doesn't acknowledge my thank you.
"What were you running from dear?"
"There were men chasing me and my father. It was dark, and I wasn't in- wolf form, so I couldn't see much. I tripped on a stone or something and fell."
"Wolf form..." she says quietly, "So you are a werewolf." She sets the spoon in her hands down and turns to me for a moment. "I'd heard talk, lots of people are asking about you. The women especially, how is it that you became a werewolf?"
"I was born this way, as far as I can tell."
"Hmm," she smirks. "Well, I'm not convinced, you can growl, but any woman can growl. I won't be convinced till I see you shift," she says as she is turning away.
I quietly peel my potatoes. Her potatoes.... Whatever.
"So, can you do it?" She pries. "Can you shift?"
"I can," I mumble "I don't like too."
"And why is that?"
"Because I've been taught not to. It's one thing for people to suspect that I am a werewolf, it's another to confirm that I am. It puts someone like me in jeopardy."
"Jeopardy of what?"
I always hated talking about this. With my father, it was always the threat that I'd be captured and sold as a wife from the moment I would be able to bare children. Though, that's not necessarily the worst-case scenario. He'd tell me tales of my mother being discovered, and how he'd help save her from a similar fate. But in the end, she died because of what she was, and to me, that seemed the worst fate. I didn't like talking about it, because to other people, it is a theory, a game. To me, it's a possibility, it could eventually be my reality.
"Being discovered," I say. I peel the potatoes diligently, I don't look up from what I'm doing. I try not to think about what being discovered could really mean for me. There is a nagging voice at the back of my head that is telling me I've already been discovered. I can only hope that these people don't want to breed me or kill me.
"I don't see how you're any different from me. I'm not in jeopardy."
"Can you shift?" I ask. She didn't smell like a wolf. I knew what the answer would be.
"No, but I don't think you can either. So, you're like me. You have nothing to run from, you're just scared."
I bit my bottom lip and stop peeling. I'm just scared... Who wouldn't be? I glance up at Cole who is slack mouthed and starring at Julie. I'm guessing this is a bit out of her normal character, he seems surprised.
"I think it's cool." Austin breaks the silence. "It's cool that you're different. I like different."
I smile at her. "Thanks Austin."
I start peeling my potatoes again when Cole catches my eye and shrugs at me. "What are you reading?" I ask.
"Umm, I like to read werewolf books. One's with girls who are werewolves. I'm reading 'Blood and Chocolate', I've read it a thousand times..." She pushes her hair behind her ear for a moment, and then lets it fall back into her face. Shy, quiet Austin.
"Girls can't be werewolves." Julie chimes.
I can't help the growl that escapes from my throat, but I didn't look away from the potatoes I am peeling. Cole reaches over and steadies my hand.
"I think that is enough potatoes." He says, "How about a tour?"
I'm thankful for his interruption, I set the peeler down and slide the bowl away, letting Cole take my hand and lead me elsewhere.
"Austin, will you finish those for me?" Julie doesn't look up as we walk away.
Cole shrugs, and pulls me along. I liked this comfortable acquaintanceship we had, but I wasn't comfortable holding his hand, as soon as we were out of sight I pulled my hand away.
"Thanks for getting me out of there," I whisper. "What was her problem?"
He shrugs, I note mentally that he shrugs a lot. "You're new, people don't like new. They won't know how to react around you."
"You're fine around me. Ulric doesn't- seem to hate me. I'm a person, and I'm a wolf. Why is that hard for people to understand?"
"Well, I'm a positive kind of guy. Ulric is a- gentleman-ish, sorta kind of guy. He doesn't like being rude, it's against his 'courtly' nature. Everyone else... they will need to adjust I suppose. You aren't supposed to exist. It's like a talking horse coming into your house claiming to be a unicorn... Would you believe him?"
I sigh. I wasn't a talking horse, or a unicorn, but whatever.
"Anyways." He walks down the hall and points to the left. This is the dining room, it's where we have our meals, on any given day, we will usually have about half the pack here eating for every meal, so it's kind of a big thing."
"How many people do you have in your pack?"
"About 50, give or take, not including the kids."
I stifle a shiver. 50 pack members? If the fear wasn't real, it is now.
Cole doesn't notice my shift in attitude, or at least, he pretends not to. He keeps walking. The next three doors on the right are all offices. One is for storage, mainly, the other in the Alpha's.
"This one is mine," he points to the one in the middle, "It's for the Beta."
Great, I'm friends with the pack's beta. I've never really met a full-fledged pack, so I wasn't sure what that really meant in terms of job functions, but I knew he would be next in line if the Alpha died. That was enough perspective for me. From what I know about packs is the 'join or die' mentality, which was a common thing for packs in European territories. It's why my mother left. American packs seem less violent? At least, the one pack I have met hasn't killed me yet, so there's that.
At the end of the hall there was a drop and down a small set of stairs was a larger lounge area with double glass doors and full walls covered in windows that looked over acres of snow covered pine. From the windows I could see the porch, which was mostly cement, but covered in tables. It reminded me of a ski lodge pamphlet.
"Upstairs there isn't much, you've seen one room, they are all basically the same. Only the back half of them have bathrooms though."
"And Ulric's room is the entire third floor?"
He chuckles. "You probably didn't see the house form the outside when I brought you in, but it's more like a glorified attic, he likes his privacy. It's probably about the size of the living room, with a bathroom attached. That's all."
I just nod and look down at my feet. I almost forgot I wasn't wearing any shoes, I was about to ask if we could see my father. Even though Cole said it wasn't up to him. It was clear I wasn't wanted in the kitchen, and I wasn't sure what else to do. Another shower sounded nice... Maybe a nap. My stomach growled.
"I'm hungry too." Cole smiled. He walked off towards his office and opened the door, motioning for me to follow him. The room is about the same size as the bed room I stayed in, one wall was made of book shelves, but they were empty of books, and mostly contained file boxes with all sorts of different labels. 'Profit analysis 2010'. 'Spring Summary 2011'. 'Land Claim Suit'. 'Rentals in Community.'
"What are all those for?"
"Hmm? Oh. It's for the small gold mine we own, and other businesses. It helps keep this little community alive. A healthy little business venture, as the Beta I help oversee some of the formal data stuff and things."
"There are still gold mines in Idaho?"
He shrugs, "It's been here for a while, but we still get some gold from it. It's worth a pretty penny. We used to have a lot of businesses trying to buy it from us, but that's died down a bit. I think everyone realized that we aren't interested in selling. Plus, it keeps people off our land. There are other things too, many of the people here are hunters and we often trade our goods in town. Meat is an easy thing to come by and jerky is a huge seller. We also do some logging between here and Washington. Everyone in town has a job and they pay taxes through rent. Anything to keep us afloat."
"Oh." I nod. "Do you do business outside of our territory then, in Washington?"
"No. We are the biggest pack in Northern America. But we have smaller packs within our territory and sometimes we cross over those borders, but they still work with us, we are all a big family. Like a king and his lords, but not as medieval-ly."
"How big is your territory?"
He stops to think about it for a while. "Big. You've probably been inside our territory for a long while, we just don't patrol all of the boarders because there is so much land. Our boarders start at Arizona, the top part of New Mexico. We have all of Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Idaho, small Corner of California. East Side of Washington and Oregon. Wyoming... North Dakota, South Dakota- We even go into Canada a little bit. We don't have much on the Coast line but, we have the biggest strip that is basically the Western United states. We are the biggest pack with the biggest united territory. In this pack we have about fifty people, but in our territory, we have approximately 20 packs, all with varying numbers. We often have guests from other territories, like other Alphas to discuss territory disputes. I like to think we are kind of like the UN, a central place for all leaders to meet. Most of the time it is civil, but recently, we've had issues with the Coastal Packs who have been creeping in on our less patrolled boarders."
"That's... a lot of land?"
Cole chuckles and he is rummaging through one of his bottom drawers, "Let's see, I have a bag of cookies.... Some sunflower seeds. Ah, jerky?" He holds it up.
In all honesty, I was about done with beef jerky, that's what I've lived off of for the last few months, but right now, I'd take anything.
"Thank you."
I wait for him to open the bag before I take a small handful. He does the same, and we both sit in silence for a moment, enjoying the food.
"It tastes different than the jerky I usually eat."
"This is venison. It's deer meat. I made it myself, caught it and everything."
"You hunt? In wolf form- or?"
"Yeah, it's funner that way. I don't know. I don't like guns."
"Ah," I nod again. Taking another bite. It was better than the teriyaki flavored wood chips my father always bought. My father....
"Do you hunt?" He asks me.
"No," I swallow. "I stay in human form. I'm not afraid of guns though. My dad taught me to shoot when I was eight."
"Why stay in human form?"
"It's just what I've been taught to do. It keeps me safe." I place my hand over my amulet.
"Can I see?" he asks noticing my necklace, he's holding out his hand. I didn't take my necklace off, I never do. I just step closer, keeping my hand on my chain.
"It looks so cool. So different." He pulls his out of his shirt to show me. His was just silver, there was no moon stone or runes carved into it. "How'd you get one?" He asks. "Ours are hard to come by, no one knows how to make them anymore. Sometimes our elders give theirs's up for new-borns so that they can control their changes better."
"I've had it since I was a baby." I didn't tell him that it was my mothers.
"Yeah but- why does it look so different?" He says half to himself. "I wonder what the runes say."
"I've been told it stands for 'the greatness within' or something like that. My father would know more about it."
"Hmm." He pauses for a moment. "You know how I said people will need to warm up to you, because of what you are?"
"Yeah?"
"I'd keep your necklace hidden." He flips it over. "The back side makes it look more normal. Maybe flip it? I could see how a wondering eye in the pack might make them jealous if they saw what you had. This necklace is different, and different isn't good." He gives me a half smile but his eyes are weary.
I look at him for a moment, why would someone want my necklace? Then I remembered that he said, no one knew how to make these anymore. I just nodded and set my jerky down on his desk. I pulled my necklace over my head and flipped it. I decided to turn it so that the amulet hung down my back and you could only see a gold chain from the front.
"Better?" I ask. Suddenly I'm not hungry.
"Better," he agrees.
"Ah, there you are." I expected the voice to be Ulric, but by the smell, and the look on Cole's face, it most likely wasn't.
I turn, and it's the older gentleman from last night. Today, instead of a red button down shirt, we wore dark slacks and a dark blue button shirt.
I thought we was speaking to me, but instead, as I turned, his eyes were on Cole. I took a step backwards and stood near the book case.
"Good morning, Lord Joshua."
"Cole."
They both dip their heads.
"I was perplexed by your packs sudden need to suspend our negotiations, especially in such stressful times. I had wanted to speak with your alpha further but he is nowhere to be found. I thought, perhaps, you had a moment for me to air my concerns?"
"I know for a fact that he'd invited you to attend breakfast to further discuss what you can while you're still here-"
"Actually-" Joshua cuts in. "He's asked us all to leave immediately, I was told by some of your footmen that I would be escorted out within the hour."
"Lord Ulric has his reasons to cut our negotiations short. He never intends to be dismissive, but things have come up for the pack that we need to deal with."
"So they have." Joshua is looking at me now and I can feel the weight of his stare, his bushy eyebrows furrowing with age caused him to peak out from under his forehead with this large look of concern. "I should say that these items are of the utmost priority. These exact items are one's I'd like to discuss."
"Oh?"
"Yes, and I feel as if my offer would be very intriguing for your alpha, which take into account both the territory dispute and your current 'issues'."
"As intrigued as he maybe, I will have to ask you to pack your things so that you may leave in a timely manner. However, we have ensured that you will receive an invitation for the holiday festivities two weeks from now. Perhaps I can leave a memo for him so that you can discuss it at a different time?"
"Perhaps not. I will see him before I leave. Please let him know I wish to speak with him if you see him."
"Morning." Ulric is behind Joshua in the door way. He towers over this older man with his height and his mass, but Joshua has a posture which hints slightly at power and it is just enough to give him an edge.
"Lord Ulric."
"Lord Joshua, I'd heard the tail end of your conversation. Perhaps we can speak in my office." He steps away from the door and motions for him to step into the hall way and follow. "After you."
Joshua glances back at me with a smile that shows all of his teeth before turning and heading out towards Ulric's office.
When they leave, I walk over and shut the door quietly.
"That guy gives me the creeps."
"He is a harmless old man. A perv, but harmless, and he will be gone in an hour or so."
I just nod, wanting to reach for my amulet but instead clenching at my shirt.
Cole seems to fidget like he's suddenly uncomfortable being alone with me in the room.
"So uh, where are you from?"
"Texas," I say clutching my shirt where my amulet should be hanging.
"Texas. Small world. That's a part of Joshua's territory. You never met him?"
"We stayed away from packs. This pack is the first pack I've ever met."
"Ever?"
I just nod.
"Oh- I mean- well that explains a few things."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, the doe-eye-deer look for one." He stops talking when there is a loud bang.
After a moment of pause, Cole bursts into the hallway and down to Ulric's office where we see Ulric pushing Joshua out the office door way and into the hall. Joshua hits the wall with a thud but stays standing.
"Disgrace!" Joshua shouts, "I've seen your stigmas. Mishandling another alpha! How dare you! Another one like the ones you have on your neck and you're dead."
"Threatening me, in my own territory?" Ulric speaks low, and calm, he stays in the doorway of his office.
Cole has stepped up to Joshua and placed his hand on Joshua's shoulder.
He shakes it off and points at Ulric, "You-"
"Threatening me," Ulric continues, "and refusing to leave after I have requested you to do so. It's grounds for your own stigma, if not imprisonment, or worse. You will not say another word. Leave, now. There will be no deal. You will not come back. Do not let me catch you or your members inside my boarders again."
Joshua's face is red. He slowly lowers his fists and straightens his button shirt before turning to leave. He walks quietly, deliberately out the front door. There were two men at the door, I don't know if they were Ulric's or Joshua's, but they followed after him matching his pace.
"What was that?" Cole asks after the front door closes. "Do I need to escort him out?"
"It was nothing. We will speak later." Ulric stops leaning in the door way. "He will find his own way off, I can assure you."
Ulric walks over to me and speaks very lightly, his entire demeanor changing from badass villain to caring friend in seconds. "Breakfast won't be done for an hour or so. But I hear that your father is awake and screaming for you now that he knows you're here. Would you like to go see him?"
I'm still startled by the commotion that I'd witnessed, so I just nod, clasping my hands behind me in a respectful manner. "Yes, sir." I wanted to know what had happened, and what a stigma was, but it wasn't the time to ask.
"Come on then."
I start to follow him but stop. "I don't have any shoes." I say quietly.
He looks me up and down for a second. "I forgot." He rubs his forehead, "Would you like some regular clothes?"
"Are my old clothes not clean?"
"They were cleaned. There were large holes in the shirt, but your bottoms will be sent back up to you. Regardless, I'm sure a new pair of clothes won't hurt you. Would you like something else to wear?"
I nod.
"I have a few things." He motions for us to follow and we do.
We climb the stairs to the third story and he opens his room with a key. I hesitate to walk in and I stand in the doorway.
"Come on." He says from the other side of his room. He is by a closet and he steps inside.
I tiptoe across his floor, feeling evermore with every step that I am invading some sort of secret place of his. I walk into the closet with him. It is a large walk in closet, and to the side there are two large wardrobes. On a shelf above them are several storage boxes, he pulls one down and hands it to Cole, then pulls down another box. They walk out, and Ulric sets a box on his bed.
"Try a few of these. I'm nearly positive they will fit you."
I look towards Cole, seeing if he cared to explain why Ulric had several boxes of women's clothes in his closet. Was he a cross dresser? Ulric noticed my look. Cole kept quiet.
"They were my wife's," he said. "I didn't want to say anything, I thought it may be awkward."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, she passed a while back. I've been meaning to donate these, but I hardly get the chance to go into town, our little community here doesn't need them."
I pause for a moment, and Ulric senses my awkwardness. He opens a lid.
"Go on," He opens the other. "You need clothes."
The first thing I see is a summer top, which wouldn't work well for the winter, so I am forced to dig through a little bit to find something that will keep me warm. I settle for something that seems to blend in with the community here. A long sleeved, blue plaid shirt with a lacey top built in underneath it. And a pair of long dark blue jeans. I look through a little more for a coat but couldn't find one.
Ulric sees me pause again.
"Something wrong?"
"I'm very thankful, Sir, for you letting me barrow your- wife's clothing." I say quietly, I start to blush. "But, I need a bra, you know, some underwear. Maybe a coat? And shoes..."
He seemed taken aback for a moment, "I kind of forgot, those are things. Bra. Hmm. He searches through the second box I didn't even look in. After a second, he pulls out a few. It was a mixed blessing. One, I hated not having a bra, but two. I didn't want to wear a dead woman's clothes, let alone her underwear.
"Will either of these fit?" he asks, handing me two.
28 B. Nope.
"Nope." I shake my head.
"Okay. Well I have a few of her coats hanging up. I will just send someone into town to buy you what you need."
"I don't have any money to give you." I said. Thinking that if I could just go to town in would just steal it.
"You don't need it. We can spare some change for a bra. You are okay."
I don't argue, but I want to.
"What size do you need?"
"28 D" I don't look at him. I just work on folding the rest of the clothes back into the boxes.
"Okay. I'll get one of the girls to find you something." He walks over to the closet and grabs three jackets. A blue one, a green one and a brown one. I choose the blue, because it matched the rest of the clothes and it's the thinner of the three. Not as fluffy.
"You can change in my rest room. I'll find shoes."
I nod and turn to walk into his bathroom and close the door behind me. Wow. Not a smirk, not one comment. He didn't say anything about my bra size. Usually, there is some sort of comment. 28 D isn't small, most men would have said something. I couldn't believe that neither of them said a word.
I blushed. Ulric definitely wasn't unattractive. I kind of wanted him to acknowledge that I was impressive in some way, but I was thankful it wasn't my boob size that caught his attention.
I thought about it for a moment as I dressed. Ulric was attractive, but I felt myself gravitating more toward Cole. Not that I had a mind for either of them. I could very well be a prisoner here. They could turn on me at any moment. But Cole was by far the nicest person I'd met. I had a small thing for him.
I finished dressing, noting that the clothes were slightly baggy, but not ill fitting. The top was the most uncomfortable as it stretched tightly across my top half. Not that it was too tight, just that it seemed to really show off some of my assets. It wasn't really the best thing for me to do here, and I was never comfortable with it in general.
When I was dressed I walked out to find Ulric in the back of his closet weaving through another box. Cole leaned in on the door frame. I kept my arms crossed over my chest.
"Boots or sneakers?" Ulric asks from his knees. He pulls out a pair of heels and shines them with his wrist for a moment before setting them down.
"Sneakers if you've got them."
"What color," He turns. "Blue, black, white, gray, pink?"
"Blue's fine. What size are they?"
"8 ½ "
"Perfect." I try them on when he hands them to me, and they aren't even big. I normally wear an 8. I thought perhaps they'd be too big for me, like the clothes but they weren't.
"Alright. That was fun." He tosses all the shoes back into the box. "Let's go meet your father."