Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Giggling to myself, I finally droop into the bed, making sure to adjust the pillows for liss. Suddenly my phone chimes, and I check the new message that Carl just sent me.

"I forgot to ask you that hope you don't mind that I collected your number from the school's record book?"

"How were you even able to check..." I pause typing and wait briefly, thinking if I should reply him or not. I wasn't sure so I erased what I written and drop my phone. It must be a hard work for him to check my contact from the record book. The school makes sure to secure it well, and with the way I am able to decipher what Carl meant; was he trying to impress me or something, I wouldn't know.

I don't know if I want Carl to be more than friend. He is scorching hot, so...so handsome with good...good looks. He's undoubtedly going to have lots of girls praising him, and falling for him, whose legs will be Jell-O when he passes by them even without talking to them. But for me, he is like my first crush, first love, first to drool on. Carl will always be precious to me, but dating is not something I'm planning to do with him. I know I didn't mind before, but now...with Nicklaus Originals out there, I do mind.

Oh, you are in love with a guy you seem to hate at the same time and whom you took as inhuman. My subconscious beats me to the very truth. And all her animated voice had said is true. I can not deny the fact that even though I haven't seen Nicklaus in a while, I still drool over the memories of him that I have. He's managed to sweep me off my feet.

And with him being gone only makes me want to know him more. Perhaps that is the main reason why I do those researches. I grab a fistful of my hair, feeling the sleepiness tapers off. I dip my head into the pillow, facedown on the bed, letting my hair sprawl.

"You brought another car?"

"One of my many." Carl boast as he gets down from the red Bugatti, whose window is tinted in black. He strides towards me, who's standing on the lane, in front of the wooden gate.

"You haven't finished dressing?" He access me from arm's length. We begin to approach the house, while I shrug.

"Yeah. You did not call. Thank goodness the thought of just dressing beforehand comes to me." I say as I look down to the red gown dress, reaching up to my thighs, and with short sleeves. My hair is packed to drawl down the front of my left shoulder, while my face is plastered with light makeup. I am bare foot as we walk into the house.

"You haven't even finished dressing." Carl is still accessing me when I look up at him. I flush and drop my gaze.

"Only if you had called me, so technically there's nothing to blame me for." I state simply.

"Fair point made." He says, nodding his head. The glint of sarcasm laces his cheeks.

I open the door for us both, but Carl enters before me. I head for the couch without delay, where my heels lies and start to wear them. Carl is standing in the middle of the living area, checking the room, his hands in his pocket, his lips twitched up.

He takes few steps closer to the family frame hung onto the wall, sideward to the TV. His narrows at the picture that I have to stand to go and meet him when I'm done. He notices me beside him and ask.

"Is that your dad?"

"Yeah." I am unsure as to why he's asking. He has those rare confused looks on his handsome face.

"I know him." When Carl tells me this, I calm. He must have met Dad during when he helped his father in some construction stuff, which he told me just yesterday.

"Yeah. Dad knows you too. He helped in constructing some estate building of yours." I shrug. "Come on, let's go. I'm done."

I pull Carl by the arm and he chuckles. Getting out the door, I root the key from my purse and lock the door.

"Isn't there someone at home?"

"Dad and Mom has gone to a date."

"Hmm. That sounds lovely. And—you look beautiful by the way." Carl makes me flush for the hundredth time again. I drop my gaze to avoid him from seeing the effects, but I was too late.

"We should find something to do about this attitude of yours." He pauses and smile. "Although, not to lie, it is adorable. Makes you a cutie." I swat him by his arm and he release painful sound, more like do it deliberately to tease me. I huff.

Carl doesn't just have those good looks that attracts me nevertheless, but fitted physiques. I can remember how those muscles of his contrast when he compresses him forearm before I was able to smack him. And how they pop out of his shirt.

He opens the door for my entry and I enter. Carl closes the door, passes by the front to the driver seat and occupies it.

"You ready?"

"You are asking me now?" He tilts his head and ignites the car, ignoring to comment on my question. Pulling out of the lot, Carl turns on his iPod.

"What music should I play? I'm sure you don't want to hear Opera again?" He question instead. Sure not. Opera isn't really the best music I love to listen to. Not that I would mind if he plays it, but I am not a fan of it. Suppose that is why I don't have a band or whatever they have if it isn't called "band".

"Thankfully I have my Android with me. Does the radio have Bluetooth?"

"The car's radio?" He sounds surprised. "You will choose that over an iPod."

"I want to do this my way."

"Yes. It has."

Glancing ahead the windscreen, the view of the main street blurrily transit by me. He is driving reasonably fast.

I turn on the radio, and soon is creating connecting the devices. Once the radio pairs with my phone, I raise the volume and click on one of my favourite music; The Chainsmokers- closer, featuring Halsey.

To my luck, Carl doesn't argue with me throughout the drive as all the music I played was sang by The Chainsmokers. Before we get to the just-opened house, where the main celebration is taking place, I am already seeing the pre-celebration decor that's fashioned all through the road that leads the way.

Enticing wildflowers, daises, and flowerbeds roams in between each houses as list of eclectics tall bushes stands behind the pavements. Behind the houses, at the near distance are tall trees that form some kind of clear forest. The area smells nature, forestry, rain, and many more that speaks of a natural environment, but then remembering that the owner's name is Wildlings, I couldn't agree more. The estate sure seems like them.

"Welcome to our estate."

"How many estate do your family have?" I ask. Carl glances at me and I raise my hands. "Just asking."

He chuckles huskily. "Truth be told, I don't know. There was a time in Canada where I learnt that we have more than five estate there, and in Florida, and many more countries. That is why I told you earlier that my family and I travel a lot. Ridiculous, uh?"

"Actually no. We all have our differences. I can't call yours ridiculous." I say. Carl doesn't comment, but nods his head in agreement.

The sound of low music seeps into my ear as Carl packs in the parking space, next to the fountain with a wolf head from which its mouth, water pours. Its eyes glitters the colour of orange. Noticing that I have watched the fountain for far too long, I attempt to grasp the handle, but Carl's clasp is faster than mine.

"My lady." He mirrors the way Larry talked to me at the gym, and I blush, shaking my head in jocularity. I alight down the car, letting the strong, crispy air of freshness ooze into my nose. I inhale harder and deeper, taking in the sweet aroma and lesser dense air. To my nostril, the air passes in just fine that my brain translate it as a pure air that hasn't been polluted at all.

Carl notices my action. He snicker. "People do the same too."

"What?"

"The same look, same action. They feel each differences you do too." We stand on the footway, the house just ahead of us.

It is beautiful and the colour selected beautifies it ten folds the more. It is close to being a mansion or rather it is as the exterior part is painted in cerulean and white. The sidewall of the mansion are decorated with exquisite cactus, flowerbed and likes of yellow flowers. Eastward to the area is the outside dining area, the yellow canopy, creating a brilliant luminant light of transitioning the sun's rays into a rather translucent yellow rays. The floor is made with field grasses.

"Come on. Larry is inside and he's been dying to meet you. Seems like you have an additional fan now."

"He is cute." I say and Carl looks hurt.

He crosses his forearm with mine and leads me inside. I continue to deeply breath in the soft oxygen. So pure. Says my subconscious. Hmm! I was beginning to think that she's gone on a vacation.

"How are you guys able to contain the air from being contaminated?" I ask out of curiosity. Just remember it killed the cat. Yeah! And she's back to taunt me with her small, still voice.

"The trees are one, and the animals likewise." He replies.

"Animals? Wait—you guys have animals in here? Like some kind of zoo?"

"Sure. We are Wildlings after all."

True. That explains much about the nature thing as if I'm in a wildlife environment. I think to myself. I wouldn't dare say that loud though.

"And the fountain? The wolf head?" There is a particular reason why I asked and it is because of that flipping diagram that Larry showed me. The wolf—the way it looks, and sculpted. Its eyes, furs, and sharp, elongated canines relates to the description of the wolfs in the book, and how they were drawn.

"It is a symbol of ours. It represents our dignity. I know that can sound absurd, but it is true." We are almost about getting inside the mansion. Even though Carl isn't telling me all of the truth, I am able to get some information from what he's told me.

Carl opens the grand wooden door to a large room, containing crowds of unfamiliar people. I am able to control myself from agaping, but couldn't tame my flaring eyes that's taking in descriptions of the interior.

It is like a palace. The floor is

"Wow." I state in awe. Thank goodness, I wear my best attire here. Despite knowing that, I still look down at my dress, and smooth down abstracted folds with my free hand that is not entwined with Carl's. The way we're together makes me think of myself to be one of those characters in a ballroom party.

"Are these people family members?"

"Yeah." Carl's tone has changed into an exasperated kind.

"What's wrong?" I manage to tuck him by his side with my arm that's crossed with his.

"I will soon leave you."

"Why?"

"Guests I should greet. Plus, I'm my father's son which means the main focus will be on me." Carl pauses and leans closer to my ear. I feel a strange kind of shiver run down my nerve, but it doesn't cause for any alarm or much notice. I brush it away.

"Like now." He adds. And that's when I realize that the lot of crowds, whom were busy with their doings earlier are now watching Carl... or rather me, which causes alarm.

"You're new." Carl whispers, still close my ear. "None of them has seen me with a girl before."

"Thought you were gay?" I blurt out. Carl's face grimace with shock at the same time. That was suppose to be a thought.

"Perhaps. Thanks for the enlightenment. I never think that way before." Carl teases and I scoff.

"Next-in-line Alpha." A masculine voice says from a deep, vibrating throat. Carl turns, making me shift my attention to the man as well. Elegantly, the man dressed in a simple, yet finely-made obsidian suit with a matching woolen trouser that manages to also mar his polished leather shoes. A crimson scarf is rolled round the man's neck, half-hindering his chiseled jaw.

"Father." Carl respond, leaving a bit shock. Sharply, I look around me again. Maybe after all this is some kind of ballroom party and with the way Carl's explained his family's life to me, perhaps they're some royalty. And so, I courtesy lightly, only bowing my head and lowering myself.

Should I say Mr. Wildlings afterwards? Followed by; it's great to meet you, sire. I have heard a lot of your influence from your son. Nope! That sounds sore stupid.

"Why did you do that?" Carl ask me, astound.

"He's your father. I thought—"

"You are over-thinking this, okay?"

"Don't torture the young lady any further, Carl." Carl's just-known father defends me. I beam a hearty smile at him. He smiles back. "You are beautiful, Rayne."

"Father." Carl takes over the conversation. I am momentarily shock. How did he know my name? Carl...

Carl must have told him.

"I need to see father and other members of the family, valuable guests also. Please don't let anybody make you now or something. Just stay here. I'll call Larry to come and meet you, yeah?" Carl rush to tell me. He uncross his arm from mine in the process. I nod.

He gives me an apologetic look, but it isn't necessary though. It is a party after all. I wouldn't have expected him to be with me all the time. Finally, Carl goes with his father and I watch as they disappear, crossing into a corner.

Few minutes pass, which I use to stand awkwardly amidst the lots of unknown faces. To my advantage, a waiter passes by me and passes me a glassy cup of white wine. Knowing that it's a hard liquor, I reject it, and he gives me another which is Champagne.

"Thanks." I say as he walks away with a duteous smile.

"Wow." Larry's familiar voice calls my undivided attention as I turn to him. He grabs my other hand that's not holding the champagne and spin me round, in sync with the sound of the music.

"I knew you will even be more dashing in a red gown. Gown sore fit you." He compliment. I flush.

"Thanks."

"No need to mention."

"Carl called you here?"

"Yeah. Even if he did not, I will find you still."

"Sounds like you."