Page 11 of His Sunshine Baby

Iris is your typical bookworm, a shy but nice girl. However, I can never understand why she decided to dye her hair a lilac shade with such a quiet personality. Figures.

We chit-chat while everyone else gets ready. My cousin and I were never really close; our personalities and interests are just too different, I guess. Though I consider her a friend, we barely ever talk about personal stuff.

Meanwhile, the group slowly gathers. There are about thirty people, mostly teenagers and a few young wolves around my age. In the beginning, I felt a bit uncomfortable teaching people who were about my age or older, but no one ever challenged me. I used to think it was because of my uncle’s orders, but later I realized they were actually aware of my strength and Alpha Aura and had no problem acknowledging either of them. Moreover, a few of them did see me fight a couple of times with wolves twice my size and age and win. That’s exactly the kind of thing that werewolves respect most, regardless of anything else.

As I give the first exercises, everyone starts running or working out. I do the same with the group. I’ve always loved exercising and fighting. It might be my wolf side talking, but ever since I was a pup, I’ve been a fighter. I can’t go a day without working out somehow, whether I go running, hit the gym, or do some shadow boxing.

Among the pack, I’m one of the top fighters, though my uncle doesn’t let me compete with the others. I only get to fight rogues from time to time. I wish I could have proper matches with my peers, but my uncle just won’t let me. So frustrating.

After a few hours, the whole group is exhausted. I help everyone stretch before letting them go. Once again Iris walks up to me, a bit sweaty but smiling. My cousin has remarkable endurance too.

“That felt great! I still have to work on my form though.”

“You already look great, Iris.”

She sighs. “Not as great as you! Everyone knows Chris and I are way behind you. Especially Dad.”

I feel sorry about that, but I can’t change my strength, though I do try to keep it concealed. I just nod and grab my towel to wipe off. My cousin is not done talking.

“I heard you and Danny went out of the territory last night. Is it true you went to that new club? The Rain?”

I stop. How did she know? Oh, she probably talked with the other kids that we caught yesterday. I decide to tell her the truth.

“Yeah, Danny wanted to check it out. We didn’t stay long though.”

“I know. Too bad the others decided to act silly. How was it? I’ve heard about it, I’m curious!”

Really? Iris doesn’t seem like the type to go to nightclubs. I never see her around when Daniel and I go partying; not in the Latin District, at least.

“It was okay. A bit too classy for us, I would say.”

“Well, the Velvet Moon tends to be high-end after all. I heard all their establishments are like that.”

She’s probably right on that one, from what I saw yesterday. Though I like Iris, I don’t plan to stay around long enough to run into my uncle. I grab my bag and head to the showers, but Iris follows me.

“I wish I could go to one of those places one day. Do you plan on returning there again?”

I remember Danny’s words from last night. At least one person doesn’t want me to. But Iris seems interested. Be reasonable, Elena.

“Probably not, Iris. You know your dad wouldn’t want me there. I’m probably going to stick around and not cross our border for a while.”

Yes, I should do that. Forget about it, not get in trouble. Stick to my daily routine. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? Iris looks disappointed, but she doesn’t respond to that and we part ways to take our showers.

But my cousin’s words gave me food for thought. Would I see him again if I went to The Rain one more time? Danny is right, I have a thing for trouble. Seriously, why am I even thinking about this?

I finish changing and head to the library, trying to fill my mind with something else. I still have a paper to hand in for economics. I immerse myself in studies and caffeine, watching the hours pass. Just when I’m about to be done, my phone vibrates. Probably Danny saying he’s done. I take out my smartphone, but the text I received leaves me speechless. An invite for a private event at The Rain?

I stare at that text for a few seconds, a bit distraught. How did they even get my number? We only stayed a few hours and paid in cash. I read it again, but it’s short. Just mentioning something about an “invite-only” fancy event on the upper floor.

I can’t ignore the idea that this might have come from Nathaniel, but there wasn’t any chance for him to get my number. From what I recall, I just gave him my first name! Should I share this text with Daniel? He will probably freak out and tell me not to go. Though I do want to go, I just don’t care about the party.

Let’s just ignore it for now. I put my phone aside and try to focus on my paper for a couple more hours. It’s finally 1:00p.m. and I leave the library. I get into Danny’s car that he left at the university parking lot. Just as I’m about to start the car, Daniel sends me a couple of texts to complain about his morning at the lab and his experiments not going well. I give him a quick message of encouragement, with lots of hearts and the emojis he likes. I don’t mention the text I received earlier about the nightclub. I love my best friend, but sometimes, he is a bit too much.

I start the car and drive all the way to the hospital. When I enter, the nurse at the front desk recognizes me.

“Hello, sweetheart. Say hi to your dad for me, will you?”

“Hi, Annie. I will, thanks.”

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