Eventually our parents joined. I jumped on Pepper, my dad’s wolf’s, back and squealed. I even switched to my mom before Jason linked, “No more riding wolves!” I asked, “Really? Because… ummm you can’t catch me… so this way makes it better and…” Several of the wolves laughed because I’d linked everyone playing our game.
Jason retorted, “I can catch you.” I frowned saying, “Uhh no you can’t… like… that’s literally never happened… I’m faster and…” He growled playfully. I shrugged, “Ok… but I feel like this will make you mad… so…” I jumped off Sugar’s back and started to run.
I had juked Ajax several times making most of the pack chuckle. Eventually my dad linked, “Alright, you two that’s enough. Melanie, you’re it. Give everyone a twenty seconds head start.” I grinned at Ajax who ran up and nuzzled me before he took off.
I counted slowly in my head before I took off running for them. Tristan linked, “Maybe get me first since Ajax will poutif you get him first.” I corrected, “Jase will pout. Ajax wouldn’t care.” Apollo barked out a laugh that let me know I was right.
I went after him and got him first, then Dalton, Cooper, and Dakota. I got Peter, Chelsea, mom, and dad before I got Ajax. Jason shifted back and grabbed shorts. He yelled, “She got all of us in under three minutes. Where did her flash genes come from AND WHERE ARE MINE?!” Everyone started laughing.
Tristan gave me a noogie and we went home. My dad hugged me, “I’m so proud of you, Melanie Jane. Congratulations on winning the competition. Not that there was doubt in my mind.” I agreed, “There shouldn’t be. Statistically speaking, I’ve never lost. The odds were high I was winning, plus Tiffany didn’t compete and…”
He cut me off, “Statistics don’t come into play. You’re my pup and I’ll never bet against you.” I pursued my lip, “But statistics…” My mom picked me up and swung me around and turned on the speakers with a remote. We all began dancing in the living room. Jason and Tristan moved everything out of the way.
I teased, “You’ll have to find the exact spots those came from because of the…” I trailed off realizing I’d been about to bring up the cookies. My dad swooped in saying, “Sometimes, Ladybug, you have to make the world your dance floor.”
He tapped my nose, “Especially you. You’ll change the world, and we all know it.” I blushed and he spun me before we all started dancing again. I quickly made up a dance they could copy as we made the living room our dance floor.
When we went upstairs Jason nudged me. I asked, “What?” He said, “You really can make the whole world your dance floor.” I said, “I mean… not really, because…” He cut me off, “Yes, really. You’re going to do big things in this world.”
I pointed out, “It’s not like anyone lets me help with anything now. I have all these ideas and…” He interrupted, “We wantyou to be a pup, but the day is coming when you’ll shake up the Supernatural world. I want you to know on that day I’ll be cheering you on.” I smiled at him replying, “I know.” They thought I was brilliant, and it was true. On paper, and the ideas I had said I was brilliant.
I went into my room and worked on the formula for the contacts I wanted to give the Hackura to protect Xander. I had it so it would stop them from turning gold done, but I wanted to give them colored eye color options.
I was frustrated because I couldn’t get the blue right, which was important. Xander had blue eyes, and the contacts turned green when the gold entered into the equation, which was no good. Even humans would notice someone’s eye color changing like that.
I fell asleep with my face on my notebook. I heard a throat clear and jumped up. Dakota grinned at me. Tristan asked, “What’s that?” I held my notebook to me, “Uhh what? This? Nothing?” Dalton snorted, “Ladybug, your voice jumped six octaves, and you asked a question.” I explained, “Just some stuff I’m working on for… reasons…” Jason snorted, “Well, we thought we’d go for a hike.”
I thought about it then nodded, “You’re trying to distract me because Elise is having a mating ceremony function today and I don’t get to go.” Cooper laughed from the hallway. He shouted, “I told you guys she’d know!”
Tristan snorted, “You guys get everything packed up for our picnic and we’ll join.” The Kyle’s all left.
Tristan sat down on my bed and so did Jason. Tristan apologized, “I’m sorry you can’t go.” I shrugged, “I never thought I’d be going. I really do have everything done because I didn’t want it to be a reason I can’t go to Elise’s mating ceremony. I’m literally going to glue myself to dad and mom’s side the day of so no one can lie… which might sound dramatic but I’m doing it.”
Jason said, “It’s certainly one way to stay out of trouble.” I told them, “I love that you’re doing this to distract me though. It’s really nice.” Tristan kissed the top of my head, “We love spending time with you, Mel. So do the Kyle’s.” Jason jumped in, “Because we love you.”
I asked, “Are MaryBeth and Melinda coming?” Jason answered, “Dane’s going so MaryBeth is, but Melinda has homework to finish.” I waited but he didn’t continue. I added, “Plus, she doesn’t really like going on hikes.” Jason frowned, “Of course she does.” I snorted, “No, she doesn’t… it’s super obvious… because… well… it is.” They both looked at each other.
I reminded them, “She got a tick the last time and it really freaked her out… she hasn’t gone hiking in five years… since… the whole tick thing… so it’s obviously about that… when you think about it.” They stared at me and Jason ruffled my hair.
He commented, “You just notice things.” I said, “I’m working on a Supernatural bug repellant… because she used the human one… and we get ticks and bug bites…. I’ve worked with another scientist on a study about how our blood is sweeter… which makes sense…”
Tristan interrupted asking, “What scientist?” I continued, “Under an alias… because…. Obviously, I didn’t use my name… but Earth Fairies don’t get bitten…. we’ve been trying to ask other Fairies… I have lines out to the ones who still live in Ireland…. even though they go back and forth… they really won’t answer though and…”
Jason cut me off, “Whoa, you’re like running a whole study with people we don’t know. That’s crazy, Ladybug. You can’t do that.” I asked, “Why? I’ve done it… a lot… like… for years…” Tristan yelled, “YEARS?!” He was mad?
Dalton came back in and looked around. He asked, “What’s going on?” Jason answered, “Ladybug is talking to randoms online.” I said, “I mean… scientists… that like… I researched andhave boards with… some college students… that might also think I am one… but we have research projects going… so…”
Tristan gaped at me. Dalton asked, “Are you serious?” I frowned. He waved his hands groaning, “Never mind, I already know you are.” Jason asked, “How the hell did you get an alias?” I answered, “Uhhh I made a bunch of social media pages for someone to look at with student profiles…” Jason asked, “Don’t you have to get into college to have one?”
I replied, “Technically…. maybe…” Tristan groaned, “Stop asking questions about how she did it. Just stop talking, Ladybug.” I asked, “Why?” Dalton said, “Because you don’t know who is out there on the internet.” I replied, “I didn’t work with anyone I didn’t research… and I’m better at it than they are… I looked up credentials… ok my alias has put out a lot of papers at this point…”
Jason groaned, “Please stop talking.” I pointed out, “That’s not really a forte of mine… which you know.” Dalton agreed, “Let’s just go hike and talk about other things.” I asked, “Like what?” He replied, “Anything.” I pointed out, “That’s kind of a broad topic.”
Dalton said, “We can talk about that fancy school they are saying you are going to in New York.” I replied, “It’s not fancy. It’s a performing arts school. Fancy would be a boarding school in Europe which I’m certain if mom had a cookie, she’d send me off to as well.”
Tristan argued, “No, she wouldn’t.” Cooper shot me a look that said I wasn’t exactly wrong, which I knew. The mom monster cookies had special abilities that everyone discounted, but I didn’t. I still knew there was something wrong with them and they’d refused to acknowledge that throughout the years.
I got lost in my thoughts while we walked. None of the Covens I’d sent them to ever got back to me. That was weird enough, because protocol said they should reply. Ryan Bishop should’vereplied because of protocol and his wife being my mom’s friend. Not that I’d ever gotten to meet her, but it was true.
