The Betrayed won't Lie Low (discontinued)

Chapter 21

"I think you've improved."

Aurelia raised her head from folding her bedsheets. "I have?"

Xander shrugged. "You're better than before, at least."

"Thanks... has anyone requested a job yet?" Aurelia asked. It had been around a month since they got to her old house, and they'd made a website (after watching a hundred videos to learn how), as an ad for odd jobs. "Anything from mowing a lawn to acting as your dead lover", Laurelyn had typed.

"I don't think so - "

"XANDER!" screeched Laurelyn's voice from outside somewhere.

Xander groaned, rubbing his ears. "You don't need to scream, we can hear you just fine - "

"LOOK!" Laurelyn ran into the room.

Xander sighed. "What?"

She was holding the old computer that Aurelia's foster parents had had in their room; Aurelia didn't know why David hadn't taken it with him.

"Stop waving it around, I can't see a thing."

Laurelyn stopped, fidgeting impatiently.

Xander's brown eyes shot wide. "We have a job?"

"Do we take it?"

"Of course!"

Aurelia peered at the screen. Hello, we would like to hire you. The job is to babysit a child of nine years for one night, starting from 7pm to around 11pm on the 30th of December. We will pay you 200 dollars for good care. If you agree to this job, we will arrange a meeting with you before that day.

"Are you sure you know how to take care of a child though?" Nyx cut in Xander and Laurelyn's excited planning on how to spend the money.

They froze.

"When did you get here..." Aurelia's brow wrinkled.

"Well, no," Laurelyn said nervously. "I'm sure we can do it though, yeah?"

No one answered.

"No?"

Xander sighed. "I'm sure nothing can go wrong if we all go... The Hunter can't get in since we changed all the locks. Plus, we changed the doors, locks and windows to anti-wolf ones."

Nyx looked thoughtful. "Still, we should be careful."

"Yes, of course," Laurelyn said, waving her hand dismissively. "I always am. Not too sure about this idiot, though." She was looking at Xander pointedly.

"We can put on more of the scent-masking thing." They'd gotten it from a friend of Laurelyn's, another rogue. Xander frowned at her. "I am not an idiot."

"You have to admit you sometimes are." Nyx cracked a grin.

"Hey, um," Aurelia cut in, "can we eat dinner yet? I'm really hungry - "

"Sure!" Xander rushed out. "The rice should be ready by now, I'll go finish the dishes."

His cooking skills had improved a lot since the first day, and they were all glad for it. Because otherwise, they would have gone bankrupt buying take-out.

"Laurelyn," Aurelia said suddenly, thinking about this. "How come you aren't good at cooking? I mean, after the... alpha exiled you, wouldn't you have had to learn?"

Laurelyn shrugged, impish grin on her lips. "I met a friend, she did all the cooking. I'm only really good at fighting, to be honest." She looked slightly sheepish. "Oh, you know, the friend that gave us the potion."

"Oh," Aurelia said because she didn't know what to say.

Nyx couldn't help but smile, just a little. Aurelia was a very welcome addition to this remainder of their family. She even made the awkwardness from not seeing each other for years diminish.

"DINNER'S READY!" Xander's voice yelled from outside the room.

"What was it you said," Laurelyn said with a mocking smile as she went out, followed by Aurelia and Nyx, "'you don't need to scream, we can hear you just fine'? Hm? Who's screaming now... Certainly not my dear brother?"

Xander rolled his eyes.

Laurelyn sat, crossing her legs. "I think we should go hunting soon."

Aurelia, who had been in the middle of pushing her chair back, froze. "What?"

Laurelyn shrugged. "You might not be that good yet, but you have us. Right now, you need experience."

"But..." Aurelia gulped.

"Alright, let's discuss this after dinner," Nyx cut in all of a sudden. "No need to make Aurelia uncomfortable."

"Alright, alright." Laurelyn sighed and picked up her chopsticks.

Aurelia shot Nyx a grateful look.

"Oh hey Aurelia, do you wanna learn how to use chopsticks?" Laurelyn said.

"Um... I think I'm fine," Aurelia answered. "It... looks hard."

"Very useful though," Laurelyn said. "You can pick chips out of the packet without getting your hands dirty when you're working."

"Wait what?" Aurelia's eyes widened.

Laurelyn grinned at her. "I said you can - "

"State secrets," Xander cut her off with a chuckle.

Laurelyn rolled her eyes at him. "Which state?"

Xander paused. "That's - uh - "

Laurelyn laughed.

"That's not fair - "

"But it is a valid question, no?"

"Aurelia." Nyx leaned over. "You want to learn?"

Aurelia grinned. "Yes," she answered, "for the chips."

"I'll get you a pair." Nyx laughed and got up and went into the kitchen.

Aurelia did not succeed in her first attempt to use chopsticks. Nor her second. Or her third.

“Actually Nyx is the only person who holds them right,” Laurelyn revealed as Aurelia dropped the chopsticks for the ninth time.

“Huh?” Aurelia looked at Laurelyn's hand, where a pair of white chopsticks lay clasped.

Laurelyn grinned. “I mean as long it works, it doesn't really matter...”

Nyx rolled her eyes with a smile. “I really don't see why you find it so hard, Laura.”

“Oh come on. I can hold it properly but how do you not - ” Laurelyn gestured with her hand. “How do you even pick things up? No, I think I'll stick to this.”

“Well, most of dinner is on the floor now,” Xander said, “so why don't we call it a night? Tomorrow we have to figure out how we're going to take care of a child.”

“What do you mean?” Laurelyn asked, widening her eyes at him. “We already know how. We've got one right here!!”

Xander frowned. “If you mean Aurelia - wait - ” His frown deepened and he hit her on the shoulder.

Laurelyn burst into laughter.

“I think I'm going to sleep first,” Aurelia sighed as she stood up, “I'm full anyway.”

Laurelyn turned her head away from Xander. “Okay,” she answered, “we'll see you tomorrow. If you can't sleep you know where to find me...”