Starlet - Book 2 - Mate Games

6. Sam

I wake up at 8 and nope that s**t. I drink a bottle of blood and water and pass back out. I get up at 10 and feel much better. I get ready and go to the village. I want to check the boys. I get myself a coffee. Then I get a 4 pack to go. I make it to the pizza shop a little after 11.

Mario looks like death. Collin's terrible.

Mario barely lifts his head off the table. "How are you not puking right now?"

"I woke up at 8, drank a bottle of blood and another of water. Then went back to sleep until 10. Now I'm fine. It'll work unless you drink way too much."

"Do you deliver blood and water?"

"I'll bring you some. You want some coffee?" All 3 of them take a cup. I make myself a door to the castle cafeteria and get their stuff. Then I go back and give it to them. "You have to drink it all. I know it's a lot, but do it."

They complain the whole time.

Then I go to my porch.

Mikey comes up and sits with me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine."

"Try again."

"I don't want another soulmate. I want to call off the games."

"Why?"

"He won't like me. I could be with Collin for a couple of years. I could be loved for that long. Maybe it's not that long, but it could be enough."

"Enough?"

"Enough for my life. If I end things with Collin and take a soulmate, he won't like me either. He'll hurt me too. I don't want a soulmate. Collin loves me. I could be loved for a couple of years."

"It's not enough, Whisp. You deserve to be loved forever too."

"I want to live my life. A little house with a garden. I could be in so many plays."

"You can do that with someone too."

"I'll never be enough."

"Yes you will. I want you to go into these games with an open mind. If you don't like the men, then so be it. We'll call the games off and restart in a couple of years. But try to get to know them. Someone may surprise you. And we are all going to be watching them. We're not going to let someone who will hurt you, get through. Just talk to them. Try to get to know them. That's all I ask."

"I'll try."

"Thank you. I can't watch you be alone forever."

We eat lunch, then Dipak sits with us.

"You check on the boys?"

"Yea, I took them some coffee and stuff at 11. What time is it?"

"1:30."

"I'll see if they need anything else. They were rough."

"Yea Mario fell down the stairs trying to leave."

I laugh and we go to the pizza shop. Mario and Collin are at the table. The other guy is gone.

"So how you 2 feeling?" Dipak smiles.

Collin looks up. "I'm alright. Planning on going to bed early tonight."

Mario nods. "I'm going to bed when I leave here."

"Do either of you work tonight?"

They shake their heads.

"Well, at least that's good."

Collin looks at Mario. "You can probably go now. Max and I can finish up lunch."

"Can you make me a door?"

I laugh. "No. I don't even know where you live."

"I will." Dipak makes a door for him.

"How much did he drink?"

"Way too much."

"What do you want to do when I get out of here, baby?"

"How about we take a nap?"

"You have amazing ideas."

His dad runs in. "Have you seen Sam?"

"No."

"I have no idea where he is. I haven't seen him since 12:15. He said he was coming to get a pizza."

"Who is Sam?"

"My brother."

"Go. I'll finish out the pizza stuff." I push Collin towards the door.

"You sure?"

"Yea, let's go. She's fine." Dipak pulls him and Mikey out the door.

The brain sits 2 pizzas down on the counter. I sigh. At least it's only for a half hour, and maybe they'll tip me enough to get another coffee.

I come back 5 minutes later with my coffee and that other guy is sitting there.

"I'm Whisp."

"Max. Where did they go?"

"Collin let Mario leave since the rush was over. Then Collin left for a family emergency. I told him I'd stay, so he could go."

"That was nice."

"I try to be nice sometimes."

He laughs and walks out with a pizza.

I deliver a few, then the place closes.

I'm not sure who Sam is. But I'll help search too. I'll see if he's still missing. I give the pizza money to the brain. "Did they find him yet?"

"No."

"What should I do?"

"Alert for anything suspicious."

"I can do that. Come with me. I'll check the park." I take off and the brain follows me. I would go to the park if I was a kid.

Then I laugh at myself. I'm going to search for a kid in the park and I don't remember what he looks like. This should be interesting.

I walk in and it's empty. "Well, maybe not that interesting."

I go through anyway. Never know, I guess. I get all the way to the back and something catches my eye. It's a bright color on the ground in the trees. I get a little closer and see a little hand. "s**t. ALERT DIPAK AND MEDICAL NOW. GET THEM HERE."

I run to him and can tell his neck is broke.

A door appears right beside the brain and Dipak comes through it. I have tears all over my face and all I can do is point.

Cruor hits me with the gurney coming through the door. They get him on the gurney and Dipak pulls me back through the door.

We're in a trauma room and Cruor is already working on him. Other people are here. It's all so fast.

"It's absorbing. We need to fix that neck first."

"Dipak help me roll him and someone get Tre in here."

Tre runs in, and I run out. I sit in the hallway. This is fine.

"You alright?"

Dorseti looks at me. "Do you know him?"

"He's Collins' little brother."

"Oh you can't be in there then."

"I didn't mean to be. His neck was broke?"

"Yea, they summoned Tre in already. He's the neck doctor."

"WHERE IS MY BABY?"

The other girl looks at Dorseti. "You're up."

She nods and takes off down the hall. "I'm going to have you wait right in here. I'll tell you what we know so far."

Collin is there with his parents and another younger brother. He looks right at me.

Marcus, Dracul, and Kane come from the other way. "Let's take a walk."

Dracul asks, "You have to start at the beginning. Where were you?"

"Pizza place."

We go through a door into the pizza place. "Take us on your exact route."

Marcus holds the door open for me. "Talk through it, Whisp."

I take them on my path. "Right about here I was talking to myself. I was going to look for a kid in the park and I didn't know what he looks like. And then I got to here." There is still nobody in it. "Exactly. There is nobody here. But I figured I would check anyway."

"This is your exact path?"

"Yes."

"I stayed on the path. But I was checking the gazebo and stuff from here. I saw nobody. Then I got about here and something caught my eye in the trees. It was a light tan. It was a light color. It didn't fight with the dark green. I stepped off the path and saw his hand. I screamed to alert Dipak and medical. I got over to him and noticed his neck wasn't right. I didn't try to move him. Then a door frame showed up beside the brain. Dipak came."

"He was lying right beside that door?"

"About 6 feet to the left, maybe." I go to take a step and Kane blocks me.

"Crime scene. You can't go back in."

"You don't think?"

Marcus smiles. "He's a child with a lot of injuries. We don't know anything. We can't rule it out yet."

"I got hit with the gurney as they brought it in. Then Dipak pulled me into trauma with him. I ran out as soon as I could."

He nods. "We have to do this part. You did good. Go relax, and we'll let you know what happens soon. But he's going to be alright. Tre fixed his neck."

I go home and try to relax on the couch. That was a hell of a day. Then someone knocks on the door.

I smile at Collin. "Everything ok?"

"He fell out of a tree and my parents are at the hospital with him... He broke his neck."

Sawyer nods. "He'll be ok though."

"Well, that's what matters."

"I don't know what to do."

I smile. "What about some games? There's some set up by the market."

"YES." Sawyer jumps up and down.

"I'll get some money."

"I got my tip money. We'll be alright."

"But I'm expensive, sir." I get a few hundred g, and we walk over to the games. Marcus is there with Luke. Luke sees Collin and runs over. "LOOK, YOU CAN WIN A SWORD THERE."

It's a toy. "Great."

Collin and Marcus laugh. Sawyer runs over. "I WANT 1."

Collin nods. "Great."

Marcus loses it.

"A CAPE." They run to another game.

"At least it's mostly empty. We can stand still and watch them run all over."

Marcus nods. "I'm going to go get some corn. You want anything?"

"No. I'm good." I watch the boys run to another game. "YOU WANT SOME MONEY TO PLAY WITH?"

They haul ass back with their hands out. I give them each 20g.

Marcus nods. "You have 1 hour."

They run off again.

Collin and I watch them run back and forth. They play about everything in what seems like 3 seconds. I give them more money after about 20 minutes. Then Collin goes and plays some games with them. He wins them each a sword, cape, and flashy rings. Then he wins me a bear. I hug it so tight.

After an hour, I collect the boys in 1 spot. I don't know where the hell Marcus is. "It's almost time for dinner. What do we want?"

"PIZZA."

"PIZZA."

"A nap."

"How about we eat at the pizza place? Then go to the castle for a movie at the theater?"

Luke and Sawyer jump around cheering.

We make it to the pizza place just before 6. We get a couple of pizzas and eat. I smile at Collin. "Just where you wanted to be on your night off."

"Yep. Great times."

Marcus comes in when we're about done. "I wondered what the hell happened to you. What are you doing now?"

"Castle for a movie. Collin's about to sleep sitting there."

Marcus nods. "So, are you 2 getting along?"

Sawyer looks at Marcus. "He's my best friend."

My eyes get teary. "Aww."

"They're wearing each other out. That's for sure. And they're wearing me out watching them."

I laugh at Collin.

Luke smiles. "Can he sleep over?"

"IN THE CASTLE?"

"Yea, I live there."

Sawyer jumps on Collin. "I WANT TO STAY AT THE CASTLE."

I smile at the boys. "Bring it back up after the movie. Collin needs a nap, and I'm sure Marcus has to think."

They laugh. Then we go over to the castle. The boys watch the mouse movie and Collin takes a nap in his room.

I watch the pirate movie in the theater across the hall. I prop my door open have the brains watch their door. That should work.

After a couple of hours, I sneak up to Collins' room. I lay beside him and rub his back. He doesn't even open his eyes. "Hi baby."

"It's been a couple of hours. I didn't know if you wanted to get up yet. The boys started the movie over, so there's not much to do. Do you want to sleep some more?"

"No. I need to figure out if my parents are going home or what they want me to do. Can you watch him a little longer, so I can run over there?"

"Of course. But you should probably talk to Marcus first."

He nods and rolls over. He pulls me onto him at the same time. I giggle and he gives me a kiss. "Thank you for helping me."

"I'll always help you with anything. I think that's what girlfriends do."

He hugs me. "I don't know. But I know you're amazing at it baby."

"Thank you." I help him up. He puts his clothes back on, and we go to the theater.

Marcus is already standing there. "Mouse movie is a big hit today."

"Yea, they started it over."

"Me and Collin are going to talk to his parents. We have to come up with something."

"I'll keep an eye on them."

I peek in at the boys, and they're sleeping. I cover them up and turn the volume down. "Notify me if that door opens."

"Of course."

Then I turn my volume down and start the pirate movie.

"The door opened." I pop up, and my movie is at the end. Guess I had a nap too.

I stagger out rubbing my eyes. Walk right into the door frame with my elbow and punch myself in the eye. I shake my head. "What are you boys doing?" Then I open my eyes. I'm looking at Dipak, Marcus, and Collin.

"Making a plan."

I rub my eyes again.

Dipak opens the door and the brain comes up to me. "The door opened again."

"Thank you. You can stop watching it now."

"Of course."

"Well, that was smart."

"I have my moments. So what's happening?"

"Sawyer is going to stay with Luke for a couple of days. That way, his parents can stay at the hospital. All grandmas already ok'd it. They don't mind watching them both. Collin is going to stay at his house. So it's not sitting empty. But we're putting a guard at the door as well. So that's the plan."

"That's a good plan."

Collin is watching me but he seems sad.

Marcus nods. "I already had an extra bed put in Luke's room. They're too young to be on their own. Or even with Collin with them. So we have to get them up there without waking them up."

Dipak scratches his head. "We got this."

I laugh. "You boys are acting like you're going into some big life-altering mission."

Dipak nods. "Obviously, you've never woken up two kids when it's nearly bedtime. That's exactly what we're doing."

I laugh again. "I'm going back to my movie."

Collin follows me in and shuts the door. "Thank you for helping baby."

"Any time. I know that was crazy scary. I'm just happy he's ok."

"Me too." He gives me a kiss. "I have to head home. I love you."

"I love you too. Have a good night."