Chapter 11: Clothes

Shelly's PoV

I woke up to my little brother rolling around. He kept adjusting the blankets and grumbling. I figured something like this might happen because he was in a new environment, so I stayed up with him until he fell asleep again. When he did, I was about to go to sleep myself, but I decided to go out onto the balcony and get some fresh air instead.

The cool night air blew across my face, and I felt the stress and tension of the day melt away. I stared up at the moon and stars. In the morning, I will be meeting the rest of the family. I-I wished I had some more time to prepare. It was a daunting task to meet so many new people at once.

I sighed, my thoughts turning to my mother and father. I wonder what they would say if they were here. Knowing Dad, he probably would tell me to relax and be myself. But would they like that? I lacked tact and grace, and I could be rude sometimes. I was the opposite of the typical noble woman.

Meanwhile, Mom would probably tell me to treat others with the love and care I treated Toren with. That was the best way to make friends. If I could make friends, then maybe I could make this family work.

I heard a rustle from below and saw Cassian. The guy was looking around as if sneaking out or back in. He wore an even tackier shirt than the one before, and his pants were a pair of leather trousers that were probably uncomfortable. He was heading for his room. I was a bit curious about why he was sneaking around, but I shook my head. It was none of my business. I had enough problems of my own. I just wanted to enjoy the fresh air and the view of the stars.

I watched as he ducked behind a bush as a guard passed. I chuckled and shook my head. Why did he even bother? His outfit was so loud and colorful that he could be spotted a mile away.

I sat on the balcony for a while, thinking about everything that had happened. My parents were gone, and I was now part of a huge, powerful family that I didn't know. I didn't even know what kind of people they were. But Zara and Damien's description of them wasn't good. If they were all like Cassian or worse then I was in trouble. I needed allies, but I didn't know how to get them.

I decided I would just have to try my best and hope for the best. I sighed, and finally went back to bed. Tomorrow promised to be another busy day. I snuggled next to Toren, letting his soft breathing soothe me to sleep.

In the morning, I was woken up by Toren. He was jumping on the bed and shouting. "Sis! Sis! Wake up! Time for breakfast!"

I groaned and sat up. "Okay, okay. I'm awake. Now get off the bed."

Toren giggled and hopped off. "We gonna eat now?"

I yawned. "Yeah. We can go get breakfast. What do want, little bro?"

"Uh... Ice cream!" Toren said, grinning. "With chocolate!"

I chuckled. "No, no, no. That's a treat. You can have ice cream after we have a proper breakfast."

Toren pouted. "Aw, but I want ice cream!"

I sighed. "I already said later. Pick something else."

He hummed. "Mac and cheese! Dino shaped!"

I frowned. They probably didn't have any dino-shaped boxed mac and cheese in the pantry. But, maybe the chefs could whip something up. "Okay, I'll see what we have."

"Yay!"

I got up, took a shower, and changed my clothes. I put on a simple blue shirt, a white layered skirt, and a pair of white sandals. It wasn't fancy, but it was comfortable and easy to move in.

I peaked into the closet and looked for clothes for Toren to change into. I was surprised that there was a wide selection of clothes for him. I guess Damien had planned ahead for Toren.

Toren hummed as he looked around, none of them made his eyes shine. He pointed at his dino shirt. "I want that."

I smiled. "Sure, sweetie. But we should probably wash it first. You got some food stains on it yesterday."

Toren pouted. "But I like this one."

"I know, but we need to clean it. We can put it in the laundry and it will be ready for you by tomorrow."

He let out a wail of disappointment. "Noooo!"

I bit my lip. I didn't want to have to deal with a temper tantrum. "Okay, okay. You can wear the shirt today, but it's going in the laundry after that."

He kept wailing for a while longer as if his mind took a while to process my words, before smiling. "Okay!"

I let out a breath of relief. I had managed to avert a crisis. Toren was a good kid, but sometimes he was a little too much for me to handle.

I grabbed the phone Zara left us and dialed the number of the kitchen. A man with a thick accent picked up. "Yes?"

"Uh, hello, chef. Do you have any boxed mac and cheese?"

He huffed. "I'm a five-star chef, ma'am. We do not have boxed mac and cheese here. I can, however, prepare a gourmet dish of macaroni and cheese for you."

I winced. "Uh, okay. Can you shape the mac and cheese into a dinosaur shape?"

There was a long silence on the other end. "Ma'am, what do you mean by 'dinosaur shape'?"

"Uh, you know, like a dinosaur. A dinosaur is a big reptile-like creature that lived a long time ago."

Another long silence. "Yes, ma'am, I am aware of what a dinosaur is. But, do you have a particular type in mind? A stegosaurus, perhaps?"

I bit my lip. "Uh, whatever you can do. My brother likes the t-rex. Could you also keep it simple?"

He sighed. "Normally, I would say no, but Damien said you're an important guest and we have to accommodate your every wish. Very well. I will have it prepared as soon as possible."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Of course, ma'am."

I hung up the phone and turned to Toren. "See, I told you they could make you some mac and cheese."

"Dino!" Toren shouted, giggling. "Rawr!"

"Rawr!" It was Damien's voice. I turned toward the door and chuckled.

Toren giggled and ran over to open the door. He hugged Damien and roared at him. "Rawr!"

Damien roared back. "Rawr! Good morning, little buddy! And to you too, Shelly!"

Toren giggled and ran back to me. Damien was wearing a fancy suit. It was a three piece and probably worth more than all of my old belongings combined.

Damien looked at Toren and reached for something from his suit. "Hey, buddy, I have a present for you."

I raised an eyebrow, and Toren gasped. "Present?!"

Damien nodded and took out a purple dino t-shirt. "Here, it's a new shirt for you."

Toren squealed, then ran over and hugged Damien. "Thank you!"

Damien smiled and patted Toren on the head. "No problem, little buddy."

I sighed, then looked at him. "You bought that just for him? That was nice of you."

Damien grinned. "Yeah, I thought he might like it. I heard him wailing earlier. If only I had known he was into dino stuff, I would've ditched those fancy kid clothes I had prepared."

I smiled. Damien was really good with Toren. "Well, thank you. It's very thoughtful of you."

Damien grinned. "No problem. Thankfully, I asked Zara yesterday to go shopping for dino stuff early this morning. I will bring the rest of his new clothes later. Oh, and that includes some of yours too, Shelly."

My cheeks flushed, and I stammered, "W-wait, you got me clothes too?"