The Divinity of Anila

Chapter Fifteen

Anila

Bailey tried to strike up conversation a few times as we drove through the countryside of Iowa. Each attempt I ignored, keeping my gaze out the window. He started to pop his gum again after that. Pretty sure he was doing it to piss me off so I'd snap at him. As irritating as it was, I refused to cave and speak to him – even if all I was doing was biting off his head. I was just as stubborn as him and a lot more persistent. There was certainly nothing for me to miss with the lack of conversation.

We crossed the border of Iowa and Minnesota. Home officially felt a million miles away. I was surprised to not see any snow on the ground. Didn't Minnesota have snow and ice until June or something as equally ridiculous? The grass was brown and dead, and the trees were just starting to bud again with leaves. No snow, though. It counted, and it made things a little bit less miserable.

More trees started to fill the landscape, more businesses, and then after an hour or so I could see the skyline of the city. It was into the heart of that city we drove. I got to gaze up at the skyscrapers as we made our way through. Not long after, we were in a suburb with all sorts of cute homes filled with character. We didn't stop there. We went a little farther north until Bailey turned and brought us to a housing development full of mansions. Three right turns later, he pulled the car into a driveway.

"Here we are. Home sweet home." There was a slight hint of sarcasm in his tone.

I unbuckled and got out, looking up at the three story house. The front had a cone shaped window that reminded me of a castle. Brick and stucco decorated the exterior, adding to the effect. There was space set out in front for a massive garden along with a number of good sized trees placed throughout the front yard, covering the house from view.

Bailey opened the trunk, silently unloading my things and carried them inside. He didn't need to do that. In fact, I would have preferred if he left all of my stuff alone. By the time I realized what he was doing, he was already inside the house. I heard him holler something from the doorway before disappearing from view.

A few moments later, he was back, and he wasn't alone. Two more guys were with him, followed by three women – all of them were my age or a little older. And all of them stared at me.

"This is Anila," Bailey said, picking up my last bag. "You can call her Nila." Then he left me and didn't bother to come back out again.

The first person to approach me was one of the guys. His skin was a dark tan. Actually, he was more or less the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, having at least a whole foot of height on me. His black hair was combed back, and brown soulful eyes seemed to smile as he extended his hand for a shake.

Hesitantly, I took it and gave it a firm, quick shake, being mindful of what Bailey said about touching other people "like us".

The young man smiled at me, showing beautiful white teeth. "Nice to meet you, Nila. I'm Kiel. It's a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you too," I said, breathing a little easier.

Next to approach me was one of the young women. She had blonde curls and was also taller than me. Girl could have been a super model. "I'm Cayenne."

"And I'm her sister, Piper," another girl said. She was a slightly shorter version of Cayenne. Not to mention younger and lacking the curls.

The last girl approached me with a gentle, warm, smile. She had dark skin, and short dark hair streaked with red. "My name is Olivia. It's great to have you with us."

My gaze went over to the last person there who had yet to introduce himself. He lingered toward the house, his arms folded in front of him. He was skinny, around average height, and had a number of tattoos on his arms. I'm sure he had them all over his body. His hair was dark and his eyes an icy blue.