Dawn barely broke through the day when Darius had returned to the house of the lawyer. When he walked up to the porch, he saw Rica waiting for him with a blanket on her back. She smiled at him and let him inside.
"The doorbell is loud. They will be awakened if I leave you to ring it," she spoke in a hushed voice, eyes darting at the sleeping children that held onto each other. "Adrian woke up a few times. He was aware that you're not around."
"Sorry for imposing on you. I just… don't know where to go." Darius sat down at a dining chair, receiving a glass of water from the lawyer. "You and your cousin are kind people, more than most humans that I know."
"When you work with those who had nothing, it brings out all drops of compassion within you." Rica only sat down on the opposite chair, which she moved to get a view of the kids. However, she turned to him. "What happened to their mom, Mr. Sprint?"
Darius only looked up at her, sensing something in her words. She then smiled at him, and that smile was the kindest he had ever seen. "I can tell you're not their biological dad, Mr. Sprint. Your facial features don't resemble any of theirs. I also looked into you and turned up empty. You have no government records under the name Daryl Sprint. Can you tell me the truth?"
The father held onto the glass quite a little tighter. Then, he chuckled, defeated. "If I tell you the truth, you'll kick me out of this house. But that's okay if you let the kids sleep until morning."
At this, Rica only smiled deeper. "I deal with a lot of custody issues. As long as you're not a felon in the eyes of the law and the divine, I don't think I won't help you. Even if you are, I can still help out with getting you to see them or placing them in a good home."
"I actually don't know anything about their parents." Darius laughed a little. "Their mom looked abandoned. She gave birth at an old warehouse where I was planning to spend my homeless days, so I helped her out. She just happened to die after giving birth to them. I just… I just can't leave them at an orphanage for some reason. They're… they're not safe to be around normal people."
"You mean… they're special children?" Rica asked again. "You know, I once had a client whose child was what they called a firestarter. It was a terrifying experience, seeing your own child burn everything she touches. It was more terrifying for the child, to be honest. She didn't know when she would accidentally set her own father on fire."
"Oh, that witch surely was strong if her spawn could invoke fire without a chant…" Darius murmured, not realizing that Rica heard him. He then turned to the lawyer. "Sorry, Rica. This is really a complicated case, but I just need a place for them. You're really kind to not turn away the special type of people."
Even if Rica did not push them away at the confession, it didn't mean that she was not shell-shocked at her discovery. She then blinked thrice before asking, "Hypothetically, what type are they? Granted that they are not like my little firestarter…"
Darius got up from his seat and went to sit on the rug next to the couch where the two children were. He leaned against the edge and crossed his arms to get a shut-eye for a couple of hours.
With a smile, he answered: "Werewolves…"
…
The soft sound of clinking utensils against plates came to Darius's earshot. He was awakened by the sound of breakfast getting ready, as well as the scent of bacon being unwrapped in the kitchen. When he opened his eyes, he saw a small hand right on his face. He turned to find Megan cuddling his head as if seeking his warmth.
Darius smiled at her and moved to kiss her face as a morning greeting. When his face was denting on her soft cheek, they both heard the sizzle of the bacon against the hot oil. Megan tore her eyes open and got up, not minding if she headbutted her daddy along the way.
"Daddy! I smell something good! Daddy, Daddy, are we eating?!"
"Y-Yeah, we're eating…" Darius consoled his nose. How could Adrian endure this treasure that was both a precious beauty and a brat?
Darius carried Megan in his arm before they made their way to the kitchen and dining area. Adrian was gently setting the table, his determined face trying to hide his apprehension about holding heavy yet breakable ceramic plates. Darius placed Megan down on a simple yet elegant white chair before greeting Adrian with a head pat. This boy was too diligent for his own good.
When he knocked his hand against the counter steps away from her, Rica glanced to take a look at him. She then smiled. "Good morning. You still haven't told me your name. Also, I prepared bacon and hotdogs. I don't know what werewolves eat, but they sure didn't like my chocolate cupcakes."
"You're taking this lightly." Darius laughed before helping her with other things.
"Is it safe for Dylan to be in a human hospital, though?" Rica suddenly asked. "He got into an accident, and they probably transfused blood into him. Wouldn't that hurt him?"
The father froze for a moment and didn't know what to say. He then brought down the tray of glasses that he was holding. "He looked all right when I saw him. I should probably ask the doctor if he had some kind of allergic reaction to blood. Maybe I can lie about it…"
He then turned to her with a confused smile. "I still feel strange that you're not freaking out about this."
"The firestarter is not the only special kid I handled." Rica flipped the bacon, making the mouthwatering aroma waft into the air. "There was this boy that howled a lot and destroyed everything he touched. The adoptive parents thought it was some kind of mental disorder, and that was the ruling we got.
"To think about it, he didn't like chocolate and only played ball when I was watching him." Rica hummed as she moved them around the pan. "I thought… maybe that kid was also a werewolf…
"But Adrian, hehe, he's the complete opposite. He's physically strong for a five or six years old—but look at him. He's nothing like that playful brat." Rica chuckled, soon seeing how Adrian and Megan peeked from the corner of the pillar. "Speak of the devil. Don't worry, it's almost done."
Darius only laughed as he served the rest of the breakfast. The phone nearby the main door then rang, only for Rica to ask Darius to answer it for her. He then came up to the phone and spoke with a slight smile: "Hey, if you have a message for—"
["Aren't you getting a little cozy with the human, Darius?"]
At the sound of this voice, Darius froze. Another bastard found him—Nicholai found him.