Ferdinand's Point Of View
"Uncle Ferdi! Where's everyone else?" Joobehlee asked as I entered their kitchen.
"Dealing with Arell. He drove his four-wheeler down the stairs..." I sighed, as I took a seat at the breakfast bar.
"Wha! Did he get hurt? Is he okay?!" Arrisa asked in a panic.
"Yeah, Sylvester grabbed him just in time, before he slammed into the wall... It was a close call. I confiscated his car until the spring time, at the very least."
"That boy is a frikkin handful! Seriously, I think he ages me 10 years everytime I play with him." Delcain sighed, his head in his hands.
"I know what you mean. I can't take my eyes off of him, or else he'll dissappear and be elbow deep into troublesome shenanigans. " I agreed.
"Just the other day, he almost flooded my bathroom trying to surf in the tub!" Tahlia said, peeved.
"Well I for one think he's absolutely adorable. He's insanely smart, and seems to be the type of kid to learn through experience." Sable chuckled.
"You only say that because you refuse to watch him. You just feed him sugar, and send him on his chaotic way!" Delcain said with a glare.
"I could never say no to that precious face! I'm not a monster!" She said, an exaggerated look of shock on her face.
Sable had grown up beautifully in the last few years, her art work had surpassed God-tier, and her attitude towards life in general was pretty much permanently set to, 'Devil-May-Care'. She indulged Arellany's every whim, and she was always doting on Arrisa and Joobehlee even more than she had before.
I couldn't help but worry about what the future held for the kids. They were growing up so fast, and they'd gotten extremely complacent in the last 3 years.
The twins on the other hand, were constantly a nervous wreck. At first we had agreed to let the girls stay in their own house together with minimum security. Unfortunately, that plan fell through on the second night. The twins hadn't been able to sleep at all due to their anxiety.
So we ultimately let the twins camp out in the living room of the house. Delcain then proposed that Rohan and Jasper also stay in the house, and the four of them could use the room that was originally supposed to be his.
Delcain had said that he'd stay in the main house so that the girls could have the attached house all to themselves. It seemed that Kaleb's absence weighed heavily on his mind. Because now, Delcain was outnumbered by girls, and his only allies were Tristan– who was busy being a mated parent– and Synnahmen, who rarely left Santiago's room in the guest house without his mate.
"Sable! It smells so good in here! Are the cookies done?" Arellany asked, as he charged into the kitchen.
"Yes they are, my little psycho. Arrisa, Tahlia, and I made 3 different kinds. Do you want chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or peanut butter?" She asked, picking him up.
"I wanna try them all! Can I?" He asked, eyes gleaming.
"But of course!" She cackled.
"You can only have two of each. Don't overdo it. You still need to eat dinner." Tristan said, a stern look on his face.
"The kid is basically like a black hole. He'd still eat dinner, even if he ate every cookie here." Sable tutted.
"And you spoil him too much. Cut it out, Sable. You're practically assisting him in taking years off my life." Tristan grumbled.
"Et tu, Brutus?" Sable replied, feigning shock.
I burst out laughing at her expression, and the irony of Tristan saying the same thing as Delcain. Arrisa, Tahlia, and Joobehlee also began to laugh, the pleasant sound filling the quaint kitchen.
"What's so funny?" Tristan asked, bemused.
"Delcain said the same thing, a moment ago." Joobehlee said, desperately trying to hold back her laughter.
"Well it's true! Seriously Arellany, I need you to calm down. You're way too careless for your own good." Delcain pleaded, already looking exhausted.
"You guys are such worry warts. I don't understand what the problem is. What exactly am I doing wrong?" Arellany asked, looking confused.
Everyone looked at him, exasperated. Meanwhile, Sable cackled evilly.
"You're doing nothing wrong, precious. You just live life on the extreme. But since Tristan was never that kind of kid, I can only surmise that you get it from Bellamy." She replied, placing three of each cookie on a plate for him.
Tristan sighed, no doubt annoyed at the fact that Sable had completely ignored his orders. Arrisa and Joobehlee rolled their eyes at Sable's audacious behavior, and began placing the trays of cookies on the dining room table.
The table was only big enough to seat 12 people. So Raihne, Payhne, Rohan, and Jasper stood behind us around the table.
"You guys can have some too. We made a lot so that everyone could eat as much as they want." Sable said to the standing Alphas, then sat Arellany down in his chair.
"Yeah, and we have milk, juice, hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. So let me know what you want, so I can grab the necessary cups." Tahlia added.
"That's not necessary. I'll grab the cups. You just enjoy the fruits of your hard labor." Rohan said, quickly heading to the cupboards for the cups.
"Sorry we're late." Cole said, entering the kitchen with Bellamy in tow.
"It's fine. We just got seated." Arrisa replied.
The conversations that began to circulate around the table were light and cheerful. Most of the time spent at the table was filled with complaints about Arellany, and Bellamy's ridiculous genes.
Every Friday and Saturday we agreed to have family quality time, dinner, and movie nights at the attached house. We basically used this time to bond, and discuss the week we had all had. The girls only talked about possible renovations, their weekly schedules, and possible problems they could face in the near future.
This time, Arrisa wanted to talk about possible ideas for Sable's 16th Birthday party. Sable would cut her off everytime Ari tried to make suggestions.
Sable didn't want a big party this year. We had thrown large-scale birthday bashes for the kids every year. This year however, Sable seemed to only want to have a small get-together with the family.
I had no complaints about her proposal. Truth be told, all the other Alphas were beginning to get anxious and worried about how peaceful things had been for us these last few years. It was only a matter of time before the curtains would rise on our new trip through hell, and all the Alphas knew it.
"Alright, it's time for the adult drinks." I said, wanting desperately to end my turbulent thoughts.
"Okay, that's not a problem. Rohan and Jasper put beers in the fridge for you guys." Sable said, pointing toward the fridge.
I nodded and stood up, heading for the fridge. I grabbed a large silver bucket, and opened the freezer.
"I'll help you." I heard Jasper say from behind me.
I handed him the bag of ice, and he began to open it. I then placed 15 bottles of beer into the bucket, and Jasper began to pour the ice over them.
He picked up the bucket, preparing to carry it over to the table. I stopped him, and grabbed a bottle before he could take the whole thing away.
Suddenly, there was a loud warning buzz coming from the television on the kitchen counter.
The beer bottle slipped from my hand, as I watched the banner scroll across the screen.
New Edicts from the Legislator Branch:
Privately owned Omega facilities will be outlawed effective immediately. Anyone who owns a facility will submit to the law, and turn over any Omegas to the Federal Omega Refugee Center, immediately.
Omegas registered as Government Property are to turn themselves in to the proper authorities, so that proper care and housing can be administered.
Anyone harboring Government property without prior government approval, will be subjected to the harshest judgment of the Judicials Branch.
Failure to comply with these laws will result in penalties, fines, imprisonment, and in the most severe cases, death.
If you are unsure of whether or not you harbor government property, please call this number 1-800-XX6-6342, and a government agent will assist you.
If you are the proprietor of a privately owned facility, you have 30 days to comply. Transportation for any and all Omegas can be provided.
"Ferdinand?" Tristan said, coming to my side after hearing the bottle shatter.
"What's wrong–"
His question died in his throat, as he also looked at the TV.
"What the hell does this mean? We need to contact Zachariah immediately." Tristan said, his voice trembling.
"What's all the commotion?" Sylvester asked, strolling into the kitchen as well.
Before long, we were all huddled around the TV gawking at the obscene message it was currently flashing.
"Well, fuck. Looks like our life of peace is coming to an end." Bellamy said, solemnly.
"The Kings are going to lose their minds." Sylvester added, annoyed.
'Here we go again...'