Chapter 31

“Shall we pray? Do you pray before dinner?” Mrs. Steel asked Jovita.
“Not really, but never too late to start,” Jovita said, taking Mr. Steel’s hand on the one side and Mrs. Steel’s hand on the other side, watching as Jessica does the same.
‘I thought it will be a great way to get to know you. We will be like best friends, no; sisters!’ Jovita mind linked Jessica back.
Jessica snorted while her father was praying, making her parents open their eyes, looking at Jovita, thinking it was her as they know Jessica took prayer seriously. Jessica’s parents close their eyes again and her father continued his prayer.
‘I have a best friend and I enjoy being an only child,’ Jessica mind linked Jovita.
‘Why are you so stubborn?’ Jovita asked, about to search Jessica’s mind for the answer.
Jessica saw her actions and shut Jovita out, not wanting her to know that she blamed her parents for Wynn’s death.
“Amen,” Mr. Steel said, ending his prayer.
After dinner, Mrs. Steel informed Jessica that she won't be going to school tomorrow, “we will go do some shopping; revamp your bedroom.”
“I want to go to school,” Jessica objected.
“I think you need some time to pull yourself together and what better way than to go shopping?” her mother asked.
“You have my permission,” Mr. Steel said.
“Thank you,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes and standing up from the table, about to gather the plates.
“I will clean up. You two can go and get to know each other,” Mrs. Steel said, stopping Jessica from taking her plate by putting her hand on Jessica’s.
“I am tired. Good night,” Jessica said, walking off.
“She is not always this rude. She is just going through something,” Mrs. Steel said, slightly embarrassed.
“I understand. We teenagers have our good and bad days,” Jovita said, standing up. “I will help clean up, and then we can get to know each other.”
“Can’t have you clean up on your first night with us,” Mrs. Steel chuckled, standing up with a smile. “You can sit at the breakfast nook and have some hot chocolate while I clean up,” Mrs. Steel said, picking up the plates and walking to the kitchen, Jovita following her.
“Thank you for a lovely dinner,” Mr. Steel said before walking to the lounge.
“Thank you for taking me in,” Jovita said, smiling, sitting at the breakfast nook while Mrs. Steel made hot chocolate.
“Of course. To tell you the truth, I always wanted two children, but it was not in the cards,” Mrs. Steel said, handing Jovita a cup of hot chocolate, “marshmallows?” she offered a jar with small marshmallows.
“I always wanted a twin sister,” Jovita said, hiding her sadness, thinking about her own twin sister that died instead of her. ‘That reminded me to have her spirit wolf put back over Jessica as soon as possible, especially with the spell wall no longer in place.
After chatting with Mrs. Steel, watching her clean up, Jovita went to her room and had to use the guest bathroom as her room did not have an on-suit bathroom. While bathing, she mind linked Juno. ‘What are you up to?’
‘Just thinking about my Luna and not being able to sleep in the same bed as her tonight,’ Juno mind linked her back, lying in his own bed in a dull guest bedroom, in Mr. Ondrink’s house.
‘I didn’t think about that, but don’t worry, honey; we will sort out the details soon enough,’ Jovita mind linked him back, showing him her body through her eyes.
‘Oh, don’t tease me or I might just run over,’ Juno warned.
After bathing and a bit of pleasuring herself while her husband, her claimed fated mate watch, she got into bed thinking, ‘I cannot wait to go do shopping with my daughter.’
‘So, you are not starting school tomorrow?’ Juno asked, mind linking her.
‘No, but I will let you know where we are shopping so that we can run into each other,’ Jovita mind linked him.
‘So, are we going to know each other or how is this going to work?’ Juno wondered.
‘I don’t know. What do you think?’ Jovita asked.
‘Let me sleep on it,’ Juno said.
‘Good night my darling, I love you,’ Jovita mind linked him.
‘Good night babe, I love you,’ Juno mind linked back.
The next morning Jovita got woken up by a knock on her door. “Breakfast is ready.” Mrs. Steel said from the other side.
“Will be down in a moment,” Jovita said, stretching, thinking, ‘I need to get a better bed than this.’
Mrs. Steel knocked on Jessica’s bedroom door, “honey breakfast is ready.”
“Ok,” Jessica said, tying her hair up, already dressed and ready for the day.
Mr. Steel had a call-out during the night, so it was only Mrs. Steel at the breakfast nook when Jessica entered the kitchen.
“Why are you dressed in your school uniform?” her mother asked.
“Because it is the first day of school and I am going to school,” Jessica said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a container to put a few slices of buttered toast in.
“But I already told Jovita that we will go shopping today,” her mother protested.
“Have fun,” Jessica said, grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket before leaving the house to catch the school bus.
“Good morning,” Jovita said, sitting at the breakfast nook.
“Good morning,” Mrs. Steel responded.
“I am looking forward to today,” Jovita said, putting some cereal in a bowl with milk.
“Me too, but unfortunately Jessica won’t be joining us,” Mrs. Steel said, clearly down about it.
“Why not? Is she still recovering from her trip?” Jovita’s disappointment matching Mrs. Steel’s.
“She decided to go to school. But no matter, the two of us will have fun. We can stop at the uniform shop first,” Mrs. Steel said.
“I don’t mind going shopping by myself,” Jovita offered.
“Nonsense, we will go together,” Mrs. Steel said.

Willow residence.
“Are you looking forward to school?” Ann’s mother asked.
“Not really. It is going to be strange without Jessica,” Ann admitted, eating oatmeal.
“What about your boyfriend? What is his name again? Wynn, right?” her mother asked
“Mom, we broke up a week and a half ago before the trip and I don’t think he is in town anymore,” Ann said.
“You and Wynn?” Ami giggled.
“You know Wynn?” Mrs. Willow asked.
“Yeah, a little,” Ami said, swallowing her words with Ann making funny eyes at her.
“We leave in twenty minutes. I will drop Ann off first and then I will drop you off at the university, Ami,” Mrs. Willow said, excusing herself from the table.
Once Mrs. Willow left the table, Ami could not wait to ask Ann about her dating Wynn, “how was it dating Wynn? I heard he was Jessica’s fated mate. Must have been awkward.”
“Shysie compelled me to be in love with him, it was nothing more,” Ann said, trying to put it to rest.
“How hot is her boyfriend, Paris?” Ami asked.
“So, have you decided what you want to study?” Ann asked, changing the subject.
“No, I will see when I am at the university,” Ami said, catching on that Ann doesn’t want to talk about boys.
***
“Enjoy your day,” Mrs. Willow said, after Ann plucked a kiss on her cheek.
“You too. See you later, Ami,” Ann said, getting out of the car and coming to a halt when she noticed a few familiar faces.
“What’s wrong?” her mother asked, looking at Ann that was not closing the car door.
“Nothing. Bye,” Ann said, shutting the door, keeping her eye on the familiar faces of Wynn, Shysie, Paris and Michael. ‘What is Michael doing here? Dressed in a school uniform? What are any of them doing here?’ Ann wondered, as she was under the impression that there was a spell wall around the city to keep the Vampires out.
“Good thing I can eat normal food and are not dependent on blood alone or I would have been dead by now,” Michael said, catching up with Ann.
“I was going to come by after school,” Ann said, her eyes going from Wynn to Paris standing a few metres away. “I thought you were going to meet me at the higher council?”
“Well, um,” Micheal wondered how angry she was going to be when she finds out the truth.
***
“Do you think they are like an item?” Wynn asked.
“What is it to you?” Paris snorted.
“I can ask you the same,” Shysie asked Paris.
“Let us get one thing clear, Shysie; you and I are over and if you dare harm Ann because of it I will,” Paris said, but Shysie interrupted him.
“You will do what? I don’t think the two of you stand a chance with Ann, not if the new Vampire King has his eye on her,” Shysie pointed out, all three of them looking at Michael, putting his arm around Ann’s waist.
***
“What are you doing?” Ann asked Michael when he puts his arm around her.
“I am walking you to class,” Michael said with a smile, looking at Ann.
‘Why does he have to be so damn hot!’ Ann thought as Michael opened the school main door for her to walk in.
“You are free to drink from whomever you want, just don’t kill or harm a human or be the cause of a human harming themselves,” Ann said, pushing his arm of her and walking to her locker.
“You know that you have control over the Vampire King?” Michael asked her, walking next to.
“King Torvald? How did that happen?” Ann asked.
Michael was about to explain when Ann saw Jessica leaning against her locker. “Jessica?!” Ann ran over to Jessica, embracing her, “what are you doing here?” Ann grabbed Jessica’s hand to check for the wedding band.
“Prince, I mean King Deacon, let me go and my parents,” Jessica explained.
“So, you didn’t get married?” Ann asked.
“Not a chance in hell. It is a long story, will tell you during lunch,” Jessica said, as they walked over to first period.
“Michael, Jessica,” Ann introduced them.
“We have met,” Jessica said, giving Michael a confused look, wondering how a vampire was at school.
“I take it you don’t know anything about the spell wall being down, either?” Ann asked, looking at Jessica’s confused look on Michael’s smug face.
“As I was saying, I am the new Vampire King and since Barrow is currently my home, I asked the Werewolf King; Deacon, to make the necessary arrangements,” Michael explained.
“How did that happen?” Ann asked in disbelief.
“This one destroyed the former council just after I ran away from my wedding,” Jessica said in an undertone as they continued their walk to class.
“What?! My brothers! Eero?!” Ann exclaimed, drawing attention to them.
“They are all in good health. I can share everything with you later?” Michael asked.
Ann knew exactly what he meant, but Jessica interrupted her thoughts. “Will tell you about my half during lunch.”
Walking into first period, Ms Wangberg was standing at her desk.
“Look, your favorite teacher is back,” Ann teased.
“I didn’t know you knew,” Jessica said, blushing while holding Ms. Wangberg’s gaze.
“I figured it out. I wonder if Mr. Dario is still around and what he will be teaching,” Ann said, taking her seat.
“Dario is dead. They used him as a sacrifice for the Vampire turning ceremony; or so I heard,” Jessica whispered.
“What?! Why?” Ann whispered loudly in shock.
William walked into the class and took his former seat behind the two girls. “Hi.”
“Hi,” they both greeted him back with a little wave of their hand.
“Did you see them?” William asked in a hush tone.
“See who?” Jessica asked, facing the front.
“Them,” William said as Paris and Shysie walked into the class, followed by Wynn, making Jessica’s mouth fall open.
“He is alive?!” Jessica immediately tried to mind link him, but nothing happened. ‘How is it possible?’ she asked herself, barely able to take her eyes off him.
“Hi,” Wynn greeted, walking past her as if there was never anything between them.
Jessica was unable to respond.
“Are you ok? Now I really want to know what happened,” Ann whispered, interested.