FATED: 2ND BOOK OF GRAVITY

3. Baby's Breath

Sana

For a whole week, everyone was buzzing about the preparation for the Midsummer festival. Nothing happened the whole week of school, not that I was expecting anything other than the usual. At this age, I really should have friends, but I tried during middle school but as a human with werewolf friends, you tend to get left out no matter what.

You can’t shift to go to the deepest part of the woods without getting lost or ending up being a burden. You can’t talk through the mind link quickly and easily. You can’t be hugged or touched by juveniles or they’d break a bone. There were so many rules set in place when it came to Yume and me, that we felt more like a bother. It’s one of the drawbacks that Papa admitted to having placed for our protection.

He locked his pack for decades from humans by posing as a small town that didn’t offer much and made them feel unwelcome. Now that he accepted humans, it was a hard adjustment for everyone, unlike the other packs. It doesn’t help that Papa is too protective either

“So, sauna and alcohol?” I kick the pebble and see it tumble down to a small natural pond that formed near the shop.

“Ugh, I hate the sauna” Yume says, and I could hear something rustling through the phone. “I don’t get it!”

I chuckle. “I don’t get it either, but you know it’s nice to have the sun for 24 hours.”

“That’s annoying” he groans again, and I could imagine him just throwing his head back on his seat. He’s in his free period and he’s just sitting in an empty classroom. “I miss the winters where it’s all dark and no sun but for only a few hours in a day.”

“We are complete opposites” I look up and gaze at the clear sky. “You’re the moon cool and bright”

“And you’re the gaudy annoying sun”

“Hey! I’m being nice here”

“I don’t feel like being nice as I’m the one who is going to be dragged in with all the men in that sauna. I don’t like being the scrawny son that couldn’t build any muscle at all because of my metabolism”

“Well, just think of it as a good thing that you have the body a woman dreams of”

He hangs up.

I laugh at my phone. “Stupid hormonal teenager”

I brushed off some specks of dust off my jeans and sunbathed for a few more minutes. I really do love the sun, but I need to come back to the shop, as this is the only flower shop in town. In a really small town. Midsummer also means an increase in customers.

Jorgen is spraying the petals of an orchid. He’s a quiet man and often reminds me of my brothers although he’s a huge man with a full beard. No one would think of him as someone who owns a flower shop. He smiles at me all jolly

“A lot of people are going to come by soon” He smiles.

“Any orders?”

“A lot, we’d half it so there’s yours” he points to a stack of cards on the counter.

“Thanks”

I shift through the stack of cards and most of them are your usual bouquets, the most unique one is a pot of baby’s breath with a lavender bow tied around a clay pot. All for the Midsummer’s festivities but I’ve heard Midsummer of the Swedish is more fun. I don’t say that though or my Finnish family would freak out and see it as a betrayal.

“Any plans for midsummer?” I ask Jorgen.

He nods. “Same old. Sauna and shooting down beers with the old man. Food, lots of it”

I chuckle as I spread the flowers uniformly. “Sounds like every Finnish family”

“Why? Are you and the Alpha going to do it differently?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so”

The bell of the entrance chimes. A customer came in and I hurried over to the counter to man the till and prepare the bouquets I made into plastic and paper bags. I set them neatly beside me with the card attached to each set.

“I’m here to tak—”

The air is sucked out of the room in just a second as I stare openly at his face. He truly looks different now, no boyish charm anymore but replaced with just a handsome face. No baby fat on the cheeks and definitely a well-built lean body. He’s not scrawny by any means, which is perhaps just a human trait rather than a werewolf one.

His eyes were bluer than I remembered. It’s popping out of the dark grey shirt he’s wearing, and his blonde hair is gelled neatly back. Deep-set eyes, a nose with a slight bump, and full puckering lips. I listed them all in my head because he's…grown.

“Ah, Sana that’s the Baby’s breath.” Jorgen reminds me. “The one you made”

Blinking my thoughts away, I nodded. “Yes, right. The Virtanen”

“Don’t tell me you forgot my last name” His deep voice sent a thrill through my skin that I can’t quite understand why. His voice reminds me of just rolling in bed on a lazy weekend. When did he grow this much?

I shake my head. “I remembered it differently”

“So, you have forgotten it” There’s a slight edge to his voice. I think I’ve offended him now.

He looks so dangerous like those old James Dean movies of a bad boy with his grey tight shirt and ripped jeans. His large leather black combat boots were no help either. He oozes danger, which is different from the sweet boy that I knew before. Looking at him now reminds me of body dysmorphia as how I see him is still different from what he is now.

“I’m sorry” I hear myself whispering. I wasn’t scared of him, but I was scared of offending him. I give him a small smile before taking the pot from my side. “Would you need a bag?”

His lip twitches. “No, I’ll just carry it.”

I softly put the pot in front of him. “That would be thirty-five euros.”

Without looking away, he pulls out some bills from his back pocket and slaps them on the counter. All of it was playing in my mind in slow motion. I suddenly have the urge to ask him about the letters that I’ve been sending every month for the past ten years. I wanted to know if he read any of them or if it ever reached him.

“This is a good place as any to tell you that you shouldn’t come to my father’s retirement party.” He coolly says.

I feel my face drop. We were invited weeks ago to that party by his parents. Our parents are close allies, so it makes sense to invite us, but he doesn’t want me there. It’s also the day when he’ll inherit the title. The initial shock is hard to get over, but I pull myself together. I really don’t have the right to feel hurt or insulted. I wouldn’t want the person who was the reason I ended up in juvie to come to that event either.

“I understand,” I say. Taking the money from the counter. I see my fingers shaking, but I ignore it and concentrate on the cash register.

“Good that you do.” He takes the pot and holds it gently as if it’ll break. I didn’t know that he could be this gentle either.

I didn’t want to end it this way, so I smiled at him again and said, “Do you want a card with the flower's meaning?”

He furrows his brows. “What?”

“It’s free” I supply. “Just thought the person receiving that would appreciate it”

He looks at the pot and sighs. “Yeah, sure, why not?”

I took out the shop’s pretty card and slowly and carefully wrote down the meaning of Baby’s Breath in beautiful cursive writing. I didn’t have to look in Jorgen’s book since I’ve worked here long enough to know the common ones.

“Here,” I hand him the card.

“Everlasting love, innocence, and reconnecting with lost loves” He reads aloud. “And in really pretty handwriting”

“Ah, and your change” I open the register.

“No, keep it”

He whirls around and leaves. The way he did reminds me of Papa when he’s in a pissy mood because of his pack members. He’s out the door the second I look up from the cash register. I stand there just feeling validated that he hated me all along.

I should be glad that I was right, but why did it feel like my world was ending?

Jorgen let me off early today since it’s Midsummer and all the orders were done. He put in a sign that he’ll be closed for the remainder and orders are out until the end of Midsummer. I ride the bus home, and without knowing how to contain the heavy feeling in my body. I text Yume.

I was right.

A few seconds later, my phone vibrates. About what?

He hates me. he doesn’t want me on his title day.

I lean back and sigh. The bus seems slower than before, and the joy of Midsummer just faded like that, but I’m used to this. I can fake it till the end of the day when I’m finally alone in my room. He probably hasn’t read my letters at all.

Come home and I’ll be here is Yume’s reply.

I sigh. When did Yume become this boy who could both comfort me and make me melt? I’m on my way.

By the time I got home, I pushed my hands deep into my jeans pockets and walked up to the driveway of my house. I kick the pebbles in a way that reminds me of when I was a kid walking this same path with my Mom’s hand in mine.

“Ate?” the sound of his voice made me look up and see him sitting on the grass with his knees up and arms leaning on it. He’s so small, you’d never notice him but at the same time, I heard from the doctor that he’s bigger than most kids his age. He’s a ten-year-old that’s closing in on my height.

I stop in my tracks. “What are you doing there?”

He beams at me. “Waiting for you”

I could feel my face mimicking his beaming smile. “Really?”

He stands from the ground and walks toward me, and due to habit, I offer my hand and he takes it immediately.

“So, who told you to wait for me?” I smile at him. “Kuya Yume?”

He shakes his head. “No,”

I hum. “Okay”

“I just heard from him that you’re not feeling that great,” he says.

“When did he say that?”

“He didn’t say it to me, but I was just passing by and heard him sigh about it” he gives me a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry”

I laugh. “It’s okay.”

“People say a lot of things when you’re quiet and I like it.” He admits.

“Ah, so that’s why” I made a mental note to tell Mama about that. I’d think she’d appreciate knowing why Alek likes being so quiet for his age. He’s definitely mute compared to the other werewolf kids who are loud and boisterous. “So, what are the adults planning right now?”

He shrugs. Going quiet all over again as we both kick pebbles out of the way of the driveway. It was a fun game when I was a kid, a gravel pathway doesn’t run out of pebbles and I find that comforting then. The same way I thought of Mama being there for us, always.

We reached the house, and it was utter chaos. My grandparents were with us and my Uncles were too. Papa’s Beta Anna and her mate, Lance, were with us too. Aune is sitting on Grandpa’s lap just cuddling him on the couch, while Grandma is hitting Uncle Tapio in the head for something.

My cool Uncle Sven is just standing by the doorway and notices the two of us with a lazy smile on his face. His blonde hair swept to the side and it looked as if he hadn't cut it in a long time.

“Hey, sweetie” He kisses my cheek and ruffles Alek’s hair

“What’s happening?” I ask Uncle Sven. Papa is loudly arguing in Finnish with Lance, and Beta Anna is having a lovely talk with Mom on the corner. I smell the heavy scent of food that I’m familiar with.

“Ice hockey” Uncle Sven says.

“Huh,” I say. Not sure if that justifies having a screaming match in the house. “Uncle Lance supporting the Swedish team?”

He nods. “And the Canucks”

“Anything against Papa?”

He grins. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Yume comes out of the hall and sees me; he smiles and walks toward me with a hug. it’s tight and warm and welcomed all the same. He kisses my cheeks. “Welcome home”

Mama notices this, it’s incredibly hard to hide things from her. She touches Anna’s arm before going in our direction. She gives me a worried look. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head and broke Yume and I’s hug. “I’m fine, just a bit under the weather”

This piques Papa’s attention and I know that it had because I don’t hear him screaming anymore. I hear his stomping before I see him standing with a worried look on his face. I have to crane my neck at an awkward angle just to look at him.

“Are you sick?” he puts his hand on my forehead before I could say no.

“Who would’ve thought we’d see a domestic Filtiarn almost every day” Anna says as she stands beside Lance. Staring at us.

“Where’s Jan?” Alek suddenly asks her.

“He’s coming late from hockey practice” she answers.

“Papa, I’m fine” I pull his hand down through his wrist, but his hold is firm. I frown “Stop it”

He frowns too. “No, I won’t stop”

I scowl. “Ma, tell him to stop”

“Honey, I think you should rest”

I let go of Alek’s hand and duck away from the hovering parents. “It’s midsummer! Come on! Yume wants to go to the sauna!”

Yume gasped so audibly and dramatically; I imagine him clutching his pearls if he had one. He scowls at me with a look of betrayal on his face. He even pointed at his scrawny wrists as if to prove a point.

Uncle Sven chuckles. He hooks his arm on Yume’s shoulders “If you’re so excited, let’s go, eh?”

Yume frowns and looks a bit like he’s going to cry or vomit. “You owe me” he mouths