Chapter 15

After she said, "Greetings", I look at her, raising my eyebrow, “Seriously, how old are you, 50?” “In human years?” She tilts her head and my jaw drops, eyes widened.

We both start laughing.

"Umm, how exactly do you know her?" Justin asks, analysing her. I laugh awkwardly, "Well, I just met her." They raise their eyebrows, watching her suspiciously. "Now, now. Let me explain. She lured a man to walk in front of a moving bus and I was mad at her but then she told me why she did it- which is a very good reason by the way- not that I'm encouraging her or anything but it was a really good reason and we started talking about better ways to deal with people than killing them, which I hope she will listen to, because then she would have punished him without killing him- which is way better that letting him off easy with a simple death." My sentence eventual loses it point as I start rambling.

"So you found a shapeshifter." Bella says, circling the girl as if she's an outlandish object, her eyes scanning over her features in awe. "Uhh, not quite- but I guess you could say that..." I scratch the back of my neck, nervously, silently praying that they won't offend her.

"Shapeshifters are really manipulative and sly, Nate. I don't think it's a good idea to keep someone of her kind around, especially one of her ranking." Austin says, stepping towards me; whispering in my ear. She scoffs, rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.

"Typical celestials. Always looking down on others, constantly thinking you're better than people. Don't worry, I don't like you either, but at least I am civil and respectful as to not say it out loud. Maybe by doing so, I gave you the impression that I am intimidated by you. News flash: I. Am. Not." She snaps, glaring at him up and down.

Austin steps towards her, balling his hands into a fist. I pull him back a little, trying to stop the situation from escalating any further.

Why is there always some sort of issue? Why can't you meet each other like, "Hi, I'm Nate's friend. It's great to meet you! Oh, you're from a dangerous species? Well that doesn't matter because we don't judge people!" Why can't you meet like that?!

"Listen here, Siren. I don't care about you and I don't care about how you feel about me. What I do care about, is my friends. I just don't want you to hurt them, any of them. So even if they accept you, I know what you truly are. I will be watching you, waiting for you to slip up and stab us in the back, like the conniving Shapeshifter you are." He says with promise.

I want to step in front of a vehicle. Please, someone help me. Please?

"Awkward." Antares sings in Lilah's ear. "I know right." She whispers back. "Whatever you say. Nathaniel, here's my number." She gives me a glittery silver card with her name on it, a reflective silver tiara positioned over the 'S' on her name, with her number printed on the bottom.

Ooo, fancy shmancy.

"I'll text you when I've finished what I've started started." She smiles softly. I raise a brow at her, "Do not kill him." She flicks her hand dismissively. "Mhm." She hums. "Siren!" I playfully nudge her shoulder. "Fine. I'll try not to kill him." She shrugs. "Try?" Austin glares at her up and down. She narrows her eyes at him.

"Yes, try. You must be hard of hearing as well as idiotic. Poor thing." She says before walking towards the street, waving her hand at a taxi, rocking in her nude heels. He gasps, about to respond with something more than likely offensive. The vehicle stops in front of her and she gets in. "See you soon, Nathaniel." She gives me a nod before the car drives off.

I immediately turn to Austin.

"What is wrong with you? What the hell was that?"

"We know nothing about her. You said it yourself, she lured a man in front of a moving bus. What do you think she could do to us?" He says in frustration. "Based on the information I received from her, she won't- not unless you deserve it. Otherwise, I doubt she'd try to kill us." I argue. "But we don't know that. You put too much trust in her, you know nothing about her!" His voice raises slightly which only fuels my irritation.

"You put too little trust in her, you know nothing about her either." I ball my fist, folding my arms. He looks at my hands and steps away. "I'm just trying to look out for you, for us." He says in a calmer voice that makes me relax slightly, as if he's trying not to anger me. "I appreciate that, but you don't condemn her for a crime you think she's going to commit and you will NOT judge her based on her race, instead of her personality." He sighs, looking away.

For a few seconds we all say nothing. The noise around us is what reminds us that we are out in public, standing still on the sidewalk, getting criticising glances from the people walk past us.

"Uh. I don't think we are in the mood for a movie anymore." Bella says, trying to dissolve the tense atmosphere, moving aside when child sprints past her giggling, with a man making a growling face, repeating the words "I'm gonna getcha!", followed by a pregnant woman waddling behind; threatening to "remove his manhood if he doesn't slow down." This caused him to grab the squealing and giggling girl, tossing her in the air before catching her, pretending to eat her, a bright smile on his face as he apologises to the woman, who just chuckles shaking her head with love shimmering in her eyes at she gazed at them.

"Daddy's gonna eat me! Mommy help!" The blue eyed girl giggles, reaching for her mother who harshly smacks the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Mommy will cook him if he eats my baby." She coos, kissing her cheek, as if she held the world in her tiny little hands. "Oh, Mommy. We can't cook Daddy! Who's gonna buy us stuff when we pretend to be sad?" The little girl holds her mother's face in her miniature palms. "You're right, my little Firefly." She kisses all over the girl's face, sending the child into a fit of joyful laughter.

The father gasps dramatically.

"Is that all I am to you? A bank?" He puts his hand over his heart.

"And what about it?" The woman asks, raising a challenge eyebrow at him, silently daring him to argue with her.

"N-nothing darling. I'm happy to provide for my family." The man laughs nervously.

She hums.

"You should be. It's the least you can do for fu-" Her eyes look down at the innocent bundle of joy; flashing her white teeth, as the sun casts as halo over her head as a symbol of her purity. "...For putting your seeds in my garden. Not that I don't love the flowers it bares but my garden doesn't need more flowers, I'm ok with the ones I've already have." She strokes the child's cheek and the small human sighs blissfully, nuzzling into the palm of her guardian through life.

My heart melts at the wholesome scene of the family I wanted growing up. A lovingly father, a happy mother and a simple childhood.

I smile dreamily at the departing family.

"Can we go get food now?" Alex asks in a timid voice, as if I would snap at him for asking. Snapping out of my trance, I force myself to relax, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or in anyway frightened.

"Sure, where do you want to go?" I ask looking away from Austin.

A gasp comes from Lilah, followed by an excited squeal.

"There is an all you can eat buffet somewhere around here!" She make dreamy eyes at the sky, licking her lips hungrily.

I roll my eyes at her. She acts like we didn't just feed her. And when I say "we", I mean me.

"Do we need our cars or are we able to walk it there?" I asked, putting my hand in my pockets in case I should grab my keys. "It's literally 5 minutes from here!" She squeals, excitedly. In the eyes of a stranger, I have starved her of two week and only feed her candy corn to keep her alive. Candy corn is an insult to candies all over the world and whoever made it should be ashamed of themself.

It is a vile creation.

"Ok, let's get going then." I say, signalling for her to lead the way.

Suddenly, Bella grabs my left bicep and Delilah grabs my right. "What are your doing?" I ask looking between the brunette and the black haired girl. "Walking, duh." Lilah sasses. I hum sarcastically. "Well that was obvious but I mean this." I shake my arms.

"Is there an issue, good sir?" Bella asks in a prestigious accent. I raise my brows before smiling. Is this what we're doing? Ok, I'll play. "Not in the slightest, fine lady." I answer, coping the accent she spoke in. Lilah joins in.

"Wouldn't you hope that the restaurant have shrimp cocktails and such?" She asks in a sophisticated manner. "We shall see once we have arrived, my lady" I hold back a laugh.

"Weirdos." Antares mumbles looking up at the afternoon sky, as she follows beside Alexander.

The girls on my arms laugh followed by a low chuckle from the twins.

"Oh! This reminds me. There is a ball next Friday, to celebrate the 16 years of peace between the species." Lilah snaps her fingers in remembrance. "I hate that ball. It's just the male leaders showing off their power to remind each others that they could kill each other with ease and sleep like a baby at night. It usually is followed by the female leaders pretending to like each other but are pathetic at hiding the hatred and disgust in their eyes. Not to mention, it's boring on a while." Antares says in a monotone voice.

Wow.

She really doesn't like people.

"Anyways. Nate, are you coming with us?" Bella asks excitedly. "I don't know. Antares just gave a pretty bad review about it and it sounds horrible. Also, it will depend on what happens this week. Are you guys going to be there?" I ask the four behind us. "Maybe, maybe not" Justin answers and his brother nods in agreement. "The only reason I am going, is just in case you do anything stupid." Antares says to Lilah. She gasps, as though insulted. "I would never!" She puts her hand over her heart.

Antares blinks, bored of her antics.

"I literally watched you knock a child over, for the last slice of pizza at the last ball and then told his parents he fell."

My eyes bulge.

"Damn!" The twins laugh.

Lilah didn't bothered to defend herself, because it was all true.

Alex just stayed quiet. "I'm not sure if I'm ready or even capable of being in a room of vampires. I mean, I just got used to Bella." He sighs. "You won't be alone, you'll have us there to protect you." Antares put her hand on his shoulder. He beams at her before engulfing her in a hug.

She stiffens and awkwardly taps his back.

"Ok, still getting used to being around people and having contact with them." She says and he let's immediately. "Sorry." He says sheepishly.

"We're almost there." Lilah says, sniffing the air. "And they have shrimp!" She screeches, excitedly, tightening her grip on my arm. I nudge her. " If I was a human, you would have dislocated my arm." Slowly, I try pulling my arm away, carefully as not to alarm her.

She grips tighter. She could crush a middle age man's arm if she wanted to. I think she forgot that I do still feel pain.

"But you are not a human, so stop whining about it a move faster." She nuzzles into my arm for a brief second for walking with hast towards the mouth watering aroma dancing around our noses.

Whatever that is, it smells really, really good and it working up my appetite. Even though Lilah is probably way hungrier than I am.

As usual.

It's been a few years, that we've been friends and she hasn't changed in the slightest.

Siren's POV

I push my hair over my shoulder before pressing the doorbell.

"What!" A bearded man swings the door open, with a beer in his hand.

Batting my eyelashes innocently, I say, "S-sorry sir, I was just wondering if Mrs Lynn is here. She's a friend of mine." My voice is soft and timid. I cast my eyes down as a sign of lack of confidence, fidgeting with the ends of my hair before I clasp my hands together.

Disgusting really.

I am not timid.

I am not shy.

I am not weak.

His dead grey eyes violate my body, lingering at my cleavage longer than I am pleased with and I shuffle 'nervously' on my feet.

Nervous? No. Nauseous? Yes.

I'm a freaking minor- not that he knows or cares, and he's looking at me like a piece of meat.

He licks his chapped, pale lips.

Lick your lips again and I will rip them from your face, you pervert!

"Sorry, sweetheart, you just missed her. She won't be back for hours, you can stay if you like." He smiles at me with lust on his face.

I gag internally.

Let's see who is smiling when I'm finished with you, human filth!

"Oh...then I'll come back later, thanks for the offer though. Good day, sir." I wave at him before walking away.

I can feel his eyes on my ass, begging me to shove my nails into them.

Sadly, I can't. I just got them done recently and I can't ruin it with the blood of that man- if you can even call him that.

Good she won't be back for hours. So there will be no one to interrupt my punishing.

He is married to a lovey woman- one he most certainly does not deserve, yet he goes around makings eyes at any girl under 18.

Truly something to be disciplined for.

Luckily, he will have me today, all to himself to teach him the ways of being a gentleman and more importantly a good husband.

How lucky he is, to have my undivided attention. Men from all over, would trip over each other to have a moment of my time and would thank me if I left a hand print on their face. He should be grateful that I am so eager to put him in his place. Although, he doesn't know who I am or my status, therefore won't understand how lucky he is.

Mr Lynn, today is the day that you will change, by choice, or by force.

However if not...

Then you perish.