Chapter 2: A Smart Girl
1229 Words
-Helena-
After tidying up the living room, I hurried into the kitchen, where Beth was already taking care of everything. She was the mastermind in the kitchen, concocting dishes more delectable than any I had ever tasted. While we might have to feed all the wolves in the pack first, we could savor it afterward.
“Oh, there you are, Helena!” she exclaimed. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming!”
She gestured with her large spoon toward me as I donned an apron, almost seeming a bit accusatory, but I laughed and shook my head.
“No, I just had to take care of something the twins broke,” I replied.
“Again?”
“You know how they are.”
“Yes, I know they come out here to steal cookies. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to swat their little hands.”
“At least you can get away with that. If I tried just scolding them, they would just cry loudly, and their mother would come and probably reprimand me, if not terminate my employment for yelling at her precious pups,” I mocked.
Beth sighed and shook her head. She understood how those little troublemakers enjoyed tormenting me.
“They’ll grow up to be dreadful individuals,” she groaned.
“Shh! Beth!” I exclaimed, rushing over to her and covering her mouth with my hand. “You can’t say such things!”
Beth removed my hand and chuckled.
“I’ve been with this household for… thirty years. Don’t come here and tell me what I can’t do!” she retorted, winking.
Beth was the epitome of kindness, even though she could be firm when necessary. She had served this pack for a considerable time, preparing meals for them every day, and she was renowned for her culinary prowess.
“Oops! Sorry! I’m here!” Suddenly, Mona burst into the kitchen, her hair disheveled, and her shirt askew. I turned to Beth, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. We knew precisely where she had been.
Mona was stunning with her glossy auburn hair and her figure, which she knew how to flaunt elegantly. Carter and the other male wolves from the pack often cast admiring glances her way, and she didn’t mind reciprocating some extra attention.
“With Carter?” Beth queried, a hint of accusation in her tone.
“So what?” Mona countered.
“And this won’t earn you a ticket into the pack. Just his bed,” Beth remarked, without even looking at Mona.
I glanced between them. I understood Beth was just watching out for us. Mona, however, was truly tired of being the lone wolf servant. She desired more.
“You’ve worked here for thirty years,” Mona remarked. “Maybe if you had offered a little more, they might have wanted you to join.”
I looked at Mona, taken aback. With Beth and her, it was always a mix of hot and cold. Sometimes they seemed like the worst of enemies, other times almost like mother and daughter. Yet Beth took nothing to heart, simply continuing to crack eggs without acknowledging Mona. I walked over to Mona, who sighed, shaking her head, realizing she had overstepped.
“That was unkind,” I whispered.
She rolled her eyes a bit and crossed her arms.
“Fine! I’m sorry,” she said.
Beth still didn’t acknowledge her, and Mona turned to me.
“See?”
I sighed, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t magically fix things. They always worked it out in the end, anyway.
“Maybe just button your shirt properly,” I suggested.
“What?” she asked, glancing down. “Oh…”
“Yeah…”
She quickly grew embarrassed, despite not being the shy type. She promptly fixed her shirt, and we finished making the rest of the food. Other lone wolves also worked here, but they were cleaning the main house, so we were responsible for preparing the meals.
Once finished, we brought the food into the large dining room, where many pack members were already waiting. Carter was there too, laughing and joking with his friends. My heart began to race, but I quickly focused on my task and served the food before rejoining Beth and Mona in the kitchen.
“Why do you look flushed?” Beth asked as I entered.
“What?” I inquired.
“You look flushed.”
She knew I had a big crush on Carter, but I just shook my head, and she narrowed her eyes.
“Stay away from him,” she advised. “You know it could never be.”
“I know…”
“Be wiser than certain people.”
Mona was now seated by the kitchen island, waiting for us to go eat.
“It will work,” she affirmed.
“Being with half of the pack doesn’t grant you a ticket to the inside,” Beth countered.
Mona wouldn’t listen and simply headed to the smaller table where other lone wolves were gathering so we could eat. I approached Beth, who was busy preparing the remaining food for us.
“You know she dreams of more,” I mentioned to her. “Why crush those dreams?”
Beth turned to me. She was even smaller than me, but very round.
“Because that’s what they are, Helena. Dreams… Nothing more.”
Beth looked almost a little dejected at having to emphasize this, and I sighed, nodding.
“I understand,” I replied.
“Dream of something you can actually achieve,” she suggested.
“Like?”
“Like a ticket out of here.”
I stared at her, taken aback, and Beth moved closer to me.
“You’re a smart girl,” she said. “Don’t waste your life here.”
“How is it wasting? I’m helping my mother.”
“I know,” Beth acknowledged. “But you have so much potential. I see it. How about school?”
“I can barely afford it as it is,” I explained. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to college.”
I was finishing high school this year. I had been homeschooled since I was so busy helping my mother earn enough so we could stay where we were. However, I doubted I would have the money to continue. Not with the way things were.
“I’ve been saving a little extra on the side. Let me know when you decide where you want to go, and then come to me,” Beth informed me.
I looked at Beth, shocked, and then shook my head. “No! Beth… I couldn’t.”
“You can, because if there’s anyone in this kitchen who can make it out, it’s you,” she insisted.
I couldn’t believe she was speaking of this place as if it were… almost hell. I didn’t see it that way.
“Beth…” I began.
“I won’t listen to more,” she declared. “You come to me.”
She began placing the food on different plates, then handed them to me.
“Off you go.”
I smiled at her, unsure how I could ever repay her, but I was so grateful. Maybe she was right. Perhaps I should take the chance and focus on school.
- Writer
