Monday
On Mondays, Eamon and Caoimhe spent their lunch break together, and the two siblings sat as always at the back of the cafeteria and ate the chicken salad that their dad made them that morning.
The siblings weren't aware of it, but they were the centre of attention. Every student in the room looked at them in secret and whispered about them. And it was no wonder they did because the two McCallister siblings were well known in school. Eamon wasn't just a top student, from a good family and very kind. He was also handsome. Eamon didn't talk much, but that only made him appear mysterious. Thanks to his personality and appearance, many students were interested in Eamon but never thought they had a chance to become his partner. So when Eamon suddenly got together with Chhaya, everyone was shocked. No one had thought that there was any possibility that Eamon would give them any attention.
Caoimhe was very different from her brother, and the girl was honest, tough and got along with everyone. From the most popular kids to those who were considered nerds. Caoimhe didn't care about stuff like that.
The majority of her closest friends were interested in sports, which Caoimhe wasn't. She only played tennis to be able to say that she at least mastered one sport. Caoimhe was more interested in dancing and singing, and every time the school arranged a school play, the girl was involved. That Caoimhe was just as good-looking as her brother was only one of the many things that made Caoimhe popular in school.
While the two siblings sat and ate their lunch in silence, Eamon behaved just as usual. It was as if nothing special had happened that weekend at all. But Caoimhe was unusually quiet.
"What's up with you, Sis? You seem down."
Eamon sounded worried and put down the cutlery while he looked at his sister.
"Are you and Tem together now?"
Eamon froze and stared at Caoimhe. He shook his head in a frenzy.
"No, no! No! I know we are faited, mated and all. But I don't see him in that way. He is my friend."
Eamon was surprised when his sister looked sad.
"What is it?"
"I'm just sorry for Tem. He will never be able to be with anyone but you."
Eamon looked down at his hands. Caoimhe could see that they were trembling. Her brother bit his lower lip, frowned and looked miserable. Caoimhe immediately regretted what she had said, but her brother began to speak before she could say anything.
"I know. And I feel terrible about it."
"But who knows what might happen? You might fall in love with Tem eventually."
Eamon looked sceptically at his sister but didn't want to talk about it anymore. It was too hard. He knew he was different from the rest of his family. Almost everyone else was interested in people of the same sex or at least didn't care about their partner's first or second gender at all. He knew that even his grandmother had met another woman and had been in a beta relationship for several months. Even though everybody thought she was straight and she had been married to his grandfather. She had never once said anything about being interested in women before. But Eamons grandmother had told him just a few days earlier about her new partner and asked the boy not to tell anyone. She wanted to surprise Finian that she had finally met the love of her life after all these lonely years.
Eamon wanted nothing more than to like Tem that way, but he was sure it would never happen.
Caoimhe, who could read people much better than Eamon, understood that it was best to drop the subject, and the girl leaned back in her chair. There was nothing left of the salad, and the break was soon over.
"By the way, Shiro's pregnant."
"What?" Eamon almost screamed and stared in shock at his sister, who nodded seriously.
Both ignored everyone who stared at them in surprise. It was the first time anyone had heard Eamon raise his voice.
"Are you serious?"
"Yep."
"But how do you know that?"
"I happened to hear him talking on the phone this morning. He was probably talking to Deion. They're going to a perinatal clinic tomorrow."
"Bloody hell!"
"I know, but don't talk to anyone about it. Not even with Ikumi. I don't think Shiro has said anything to Dad yet. "
Eamon was proud of how mature his sister had become and amazed at how she managed to hear every little secret. There was almost no secret that Caoimhe didn't know about. She probably knew about their grandmother's new love too.
"I'm not going to say anything," was all Eamon said and stood up with the tray in his hand. Eamon was also good at keeping secrets.
It was time to go back to the classrooms, and the two siblings went together.
"Are you going to talk to Chhaya today?"
"Yes, we are going to her house after school. Her parents aren't home, "Eamon said with a gloomy expression on his face.
"I don't want her to break up with me, Caoimhe. I really like her, you know."
"So tell her that."
They stood by a large marble staircase and looked at each other. The compassionate look on Caoimhe's face made Eamon feel calmer. It was weird. She was younger than him, but still, she could so easily make him feel safe.
"Thank you for listening, Sis."
"No problem. We'll talk when you get home."
Eamon just nodded in response and went upstairs. He knew that Caoimhe was still standing down there and that she was following him with her gaze, but he didn't turn around. And all Caoimhe could think of was that she really didn't want to be an alpha.
"What did you say?"
Chhaya was sitting on the bed, and Eamon was sitting in a chair by the desk. The expression on the black-haired girl's face made Eamon feel like something was squeezing his heart. Hard, as if it were about to turn into mush. And he immediately realized that this wouldn't go well. He had told the girl the truth, and Chhaya listened without saying a word. Her face was now filled with shock.
"Are you serious, Eamon?"
Chhaya's voice trembled, and Eamon saw tears fill her eyes. Eamon panicked. He didn't know what to do. And when Chhaya began to cry, Eamon had to fight back his own tears. Eamon went to bed and hugged her. Chhaya didn't hug him back.
"Nothing will change. I like you so much, and I want to be with you."
But Chhaya shook her head.
"I can't, Eamon. I'm sorry, but I just can't."
Eamon stared at the girl. He felt weak and like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. Chhaya looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I've never told you this, but my sister was an omega, and she was marked by a woman who was married with children. My sister was raped several times until the alpha just threw her away. As if she were nothing. My sister took her life. She couldn't live with herself because she wanted the alpha so much, even though she hated her. So, I can't be with you. I can't do that to your mate."
Eamon couldn't move. He was frozen in bed. Even when Chhaya moved away from him, he didn't move. He couldn't believe what was happening. The horrible things that Chhaya's sister had been through shook him, but it was nothing compared to the overwhelming sadness he felt when he realized that their relationship was over. Eamon was a fourteen-year-old, introverted boy. He had never liked anyone else before, never even thought about having a girlfriend. But when Chhaya told Eamon that she liked him, it didn't take long before he fell head over heels in love with her. It was his first relationship, his first love, and now, he experienced his first heartbreak. And the painful feeling tore deep inside of him.
Eamon wanted to say something, to tell Chhaya that he could never be with Tem that way. But when he saw the determination in Chhaya's eyes, he knew it was useless. She had made up her mind, and there was nothing Eamon could say or do.
Eamon got up from the bed, turned to the door, opened it and walked out. He ran through the apartment and out the door. And when Eamon was on the other side, tears fell down his cheeks. It wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault that he had met his fated pair. He had never wanted a mate from the beginning. He didn't even want to be an alpha, and he didn't care if he was born with a superior intellect and physical strength. Eamon absolutely didn't want to control omegas and other alphas with his pheromones. He hated the thought of it. And for the first time in his life, Eamon hated that his fathers were alpha.
Inside the apartment, a young girl was crying. She was only fourteen years old and had lost her first love. She had lost the boy she had liked for over three years—the boy she wanted to share all her first with. And the girl cried because it was unfair that she was born as a beta instead of an omega.
Caoimhe and Duke were on their way home from a walk around the neighbourhood when the red-haired girl saw Eamon walking towards them from the opposite direction. The boy walked with his head down, and Caoimhe knew immediately that her brother was devastated. Caoimhe ran towards him, and when Duke recognized the boy, the little black dog barked, and his little tail wagged back and forth. Caoimhe told him to be quiet, and the dog obeyed immediately. He was a good dog who listened to his human.
Eamon flinched, startled when Caoimhe suddenly stood in front of him, and he looked at her. His eyes were red, and Caoimhe put her arms around the tall boy's waist. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted her big brother to feel better. Eamon hugged her back, and he bit his lower lip to stop the tears that threatened to flow again.
"I'm so tired," said the boy.
He rested his chin on his sister's shoulder, and his words made Caoimhe hug him even harder.
"It's just too much."
Caoimhe understood. Eamon had been through a lot the last few days. She knew he had forced himself to act as if everything was okay, but Eamon was only a fourteen-year-old boy after all. Although he was bigger and more mature than most of his age, he was still a child. Of course, it was difficult for him. It would have been strange if it weren't.
"Do you want to eat some ice cream with me? Dad has refilled his stash," Caoimhe asked, referring to a large amount of ice cream in the fridge that Dorian always said was his, but everyone else in the family was quick to eat. Which made Dorian seriously consider getting his own fridge. One that he could lock.
Eamon nodded, and Caoimhe grabbed his hand. Holding both Eamon's hand and Duke's leash, Caoimhe walked with his brother and her dog towards the house.
"I can't talk to them right now," Eamon whispered, and Caoimhe nodded to show that she understood.
Eamon was just like Dorian. He didn't want to be a bother.
"I distract them while you go to your room."
Eamon and Caoimhe separated. Caoimhe went to the kitchen while Eamon to his room.
"I'm back," she shouted.
"It's dinner in two hours. Do you know where Eamon is? I've tried to call him," Finian called back from the living room.
"I think he's still with Chhaya. I can try to call him as well."
"Thank you, darling."
Caoimhe looked into the empty kitchen and quickly went to the fridge. She opened the door, and it was like finding a great treasure. There were so many ice cream packages of all kinds and flavours. She immediately saw Eamon and her favourite, cookie dough, grabbed it and silently closed the door. She knew that Dorian had a super hearing, especially when it came to his ice cream, so the girl moved fast. With two spoons in her hand, she ran silently from the kitchen to Eamon's room with Duke by her side, who thought it was very exciting to run indoors with his human.
Caoimhe knocked on the door but opened it without waiting for a response. Eamon sat in bed and looked completely devastated. His sister approached him and turned to the closet where the TV was hiding.
"I want to watch the Exorcist."
His sister's unexpected words made Eamon jerk, and he stared at her in surprise.
"For real?"
"Yep."
Caoimhe didn't share her brother's passion for horror movies, and Eamon understood that she only suggested it to make him think of something else, and it worked. Eamon quickly put on the film, and side by side, the two siblings sat and ate ice cream and watched as the priests on the screen tried to cast out the demon from the girl. Eamon and Caoimhe said nothing, but it wasn't needed. Eamon felt calmer just by being with his sister. The delicious ice cream and the great movie also helped. Soon this miserable Monday would be over, and for that, Eamon was grateful.