"I still find it weird that you're both carrying a sleeping Hayden." Shana's sassy voice is the first thing I hear as I start to wake. "There's something called a bed."
I slowly process her words, 'both carrying? Two people are carrying me?' I blink open my eyes only to look up and see Virgil looking down at me, I raise my upper body and see that my legs are over Dale's own.
I groan and fall back on Virgil's leg. "Why do I keep waking up like this?" I mumble, covering my face.
My mom bustles over from the kitchen to place a loud, smacking kiss on my exposed cheek. "They said that they didn't want to bother you so they left you to sleep on the couch."
Shana scoffs. "I call bullshit, Hayden sleeps like the dead."
"How would you know?" Virgil drawls, pushing a hand through my hair. "You're worse."
"I still don't understand why I'm over your bodies, why couldn't I just sleep on the couch?" I ask through my hands so it comes out a bit muffled.
"It was either that or we'd give each other black eyes." Dale shrugs like there's nothing strange about his words. "Besides it's way better to watch you sleep."
Shana shivered. "You guys are creepy."
I sit up, very grateful that my butt was resting on the couch in the space between them. I'm pretty sure I would have passed out again if I was sitting on Dale.
"I need to go wash my face and no, no one is allowed to follow me." I mumble, still covering my red and puffy face. Scratching my shoulder, I make my way to my room to pee and splash some water on my face.
I study my expression and sigh at the familiar face that stared back at me, I dry my face and contemplate if I should run a brush through my hair or not, if I don't they will tangle up real bad.
That makes up my mind for me and I take a pastel brush and start on my hair, slowly running the brush through bit by bit. Soon my hair is back to it's curly and shiny self but I start to hear my mom's voice all the way from the sitting room so I hurry back without even having a chance to properly appreciate my handwork.
"What's happening?" I ask as I enter back into the living room.
"You haven't eaten anything all day!" My mom exclaims with wide eyes, looking like she might start hyperventilating.
I rush over to her and hold her hand. "I slept through most of the day and I didn't really have an appetite but I'll eat now okay. You need to calm down." I tell her softly, she rarely gets worked up like this but I know that ever since I got seriously hurt, she's been so worried.
"I'll feed him!" Shana quickly raises her hand up and I groan internally, Shana feeds everyone like they have stomachs the size of a Bear's.
"Fine." I agree, not even batting an eye when my mom piles a huge bowl full with chicken soup. "But go easy on me if you don't want me throwing up all over your hair, again." I remind her.
She hums and we all move to the dining room, my mom serves the chicken soup to everyone and ambidextrous Shana manages to effortlessly feed me and herself at the same time. I wasn't surprised, she's had lots of practice at it.
I'm sitting beside Dale and opposite Virgil and I know the peaceful atmosphere wasn't going too last long, my hands are resting on my lap and I nearly choke on a spoonful of food when another hand slips into mine.
Almost immediately, like Virgil had been scrutinizing him, waiting for him to make a move, a thump resounds under the table and Dale frowns but he doesn't let go of my hand, instead he returns the favor back to Virgil.
Virgil winces and puts even more force into the next kick.
Shana slaps the table at this. "If you two morons flip the table over I. will. stab. you." She bit out at them, pointing a finger in their directions.
I look at my mom who's just watching the entire scene with a twinkle in her eyes, she was obviously enjoying what was unfolding before her.
They both ignore her threat but they stop trying to break the table, settling instead for staring daggers at each other.
"Tch, Alphas." I hear Shana mutter under her breath or at least that's what I think she says.
"Um, do you guys know Dale before now?" I find myself asking, trying my best to dissolve the tension that I created because they act too familiar for people who had just met each other a day before.
Virgil looks away first from their stare down, "Family friends." He mumbled vaguely.
"Like you and Shana?" I perk up at this information.
"No," he frowns. "Shana and I are distant relatives." He explains.
Oh! That explains their mutual get together every month then.
"Don't be formal V, Virgil and I grew up together." Dale says, a smirk lighting up his handsome face.
I gape at this piece of information. "Y-You did?"
"For like four, five years when I was little then we moved to Pine Creek. We were kids Dal, it doesn't count." Virgil returns without emotion.
I just stare speechless at their exchange, if I hadn't asked I would have had no idea that they grew up together as little kids, they acted like total strangers that turned into enemies.
"That's how they've always been." Shana explains, slipping a spoon inside my open mouth. "I told you two dingbats, if you bother Hayden, I'll hurt you."
"You already did." Dale half whines, pointing at a red spot on his neck.
Virgil absently rubs a similar spot on his neck as well. "You have a monster's grip." He mumbles.
"That's what you two morons get for arguing when Hay was hurt and nearly putting him in danger." She tells them seriously. "And I'll give you a matching one on the other side of your necks as soon as I'm done eating, you think I don't know that you two idiots made Hayden pass out?" She threatens them, her pink hair waving."
"It's been over 13 years and you can't even be nice to me Ana." Dale says and I'm fishmouthing again. "Is that anyway to treat your cousin?"
"Don't call me that and you're both idiots." Shana repeats huffily, "For that, Hayden and I will share his room and you two morons can take the airbeds."
"You know she used to call me by my name before you came." Virgil says, a hard look on his face, he obviously still hasn't forgotten about the fact that Dale is still holding onto my hand.
"It's good to know you haven't changed." He grins like a child, white teeth flashing.
I'm suddenly very confused so I tell them. "I'm confused, you are all related somehow and you didn't say anything?"
"They told me but we didn't want to overwhelm you." My mom speaks up.
"Of course." I eye roll. "And the best way to let me know is to have a familial conversation over my head."
My mom just shrugs, getting up to clear the plates. "It's not like it changes anything, they're more friends than relatives anyway. Who wants dessert?" She asks excitedly.
Everyone answers enthusiastically and even though my stomach is about to pop, another big bowl of sliced up fruits is in front of me. I look up and see them sharing an ice-cream cake.
"Hey! How come I'm not getting any cake?" I exclaim, feeling affronted.
"Because the doctor said so, now eat up, Maggie wants to see you tomorrow so you need to get enough rest."
My eyes light up at this information. "Grammy wants to see me?" I ask even though it's unnecessary.
"Yes." My mom sighs like she'd rather do anything than take me to see her mother. "It's either that or she makes you come live with them so that she can put you in some stuck up private school, which she says 'they have no bullies there Renee'." My mom mimics her own mother savagely.
I smile at this, my mother's love for the tiny Town of Pine Creek was unexplainable but I wasn't complaining, I loved it almost as much as she did.