Human Breed Mate (Complete)

Ashley Lane POV "Ashley, come down! Breakfast ready!" My mum called me from downstairs. "Just a second!" I answered her as I put on my ankle boots. And then I checked my 'have to bring stuff' list in my bag. Math assignment. Checked. Debbie shirt. Checked. Sport suit. Checkef They're all there. Great, I have everything that I need! Then I walked fast to a standing mirror in my room. Checking my appearance. My ash-blue, long, and curly hair looked awesome. My black sleeveless shirt was paired with a tan mini skirt above the knee and maroon cardigans. I fixed my skirt a little bit, and it was perfect! "Ashley, another 5 minutes; you have to take a bus!" My mum said, for the second time, to call me down. "Coming!" I ran, grabbed my bag, walked out of my room, and ran downstairs. I can smell the delicious pancakes my mum cooked for us. I was so starving that I could hear my stomach grumble along the way down. I reached the end of the stairs and turned left to find her in the kitchen waiting for me. "Get a seat and eat," she said as she put piles of pancakes on the island table and took a seat for herself. "Hmmm, that looks delicious, mum!" I sniffed the pancake smell and took a seat on the stool. I took some piles of pancakes right away and put them on my plate. And then added some maple syrup, banana, and red berries on top of them. Wasn't it delicious? Oh yeah, I almost forgot a glass of orange juice! I stepped down from my stool and walked to the fridge to get a glass of my favourite juice. "You want orange juice, mum?" I offered it to her while opening the fridge. "No, honey, I have my coffee. Thanks!" she replied as she ate her pancake while reading something on her phone. "Get me one See-See!" my brother Sean exclaimed, suddenly showing up in the kitchen. "Buster!" I called him, excited. Buster was my nickname for him. I called him Buster, and he called me See-See. Sean has been protective of me since I was little because our dad is not with us anymore. Mum said that my dad died when I was still in her womb; therefore, I never met him. It has always been Sean who has protected me. And he sure was the overprotective one. We were hugging as soon as we met. It had been a while since I had met him. "See-see, I miss you!" He said this as he messed with my hair. "Stop it, Sean!" I protested. I missed him too, but I hated it when he did that! I just finished doing my hair, and he just messed it out! "Sorry, see-see," he grinned, satisfied with what he did to mess with me. I gave him a hard pout in return while trying to fix my hair. Sean didn't leave with us anymore. That's why I didn't get to meet him that much. He was 23 and had just graduated from business school. And now he worked in the city and lived in a rented apartment. He went back home once every week or two. I noticed he had come home last night, but I was too tired and sleepy to get out of bed. Nonetheless, I knew it was him. I could sense his scent. He always smelled like ginger and wood. My smelling sense was the best, despite my athletic skill. I can sense any kind of scent, and I can identify anyone who's around even without seeing the person. I didn't know where it came from, but I considered it a gift. And my athletic skills were awesome. I have to admit that being fit is another gift. I was the basketball team captain at school and also one of the participants in cross-country running. As a matter of fact, I won first place in the previous cross-country race last year. I should be proud of myself, and hopefully, these achievements will help me prepare for college next year. "How is your studies?" Sean asked me as he took a seat on the stool next to my mother. "So far, everything's good. I have a training session for cross country after school." I answered as I put his orange juice next to his plate. At that moment, Mum's phone was ringing, and we turned our heads instantly to her phone on the table. She looked at it and then picked it up while walking aside from us. "Another one?" Sean asked me to keep up our conversation. "Yup!" I replied as I started to eat my pancake, enjoying the flavour in my mouth. My mum's pancakes were the best! "The race will be in the next 3 days, so I should practise every day," I added. "I hope you win this one," he said, giving me his support. "But I'm sorry, I think I can't watch you this time. I have some work to do. I'm sorry... " "It's okay, buster. I'll be with my friends and teacher. Don't worry." I knew he had work to do, so I wouldn't force him. Besides, the run took place in California, quite far from our home. "Sean, can you drive Ash to school? I have to go now. I have an urgent meeting this morning." My mum asked Sean. And Sean nodded without another thought. "I can drive myself if you give me a car." I muttered, not particularly looking at my mum. "Ashley, we already talked about this," she replied, looking at me. I had no idea why she didn't want to buy me a car. All my friends had their own. Both my mum and Sean won't allow it, even though I'm already eighteen. "Mum..." I wanted to ask her again; hopefully she changed her mind. "Not now, Ashley." She refused as she grabbed her bag and then kissed my brother's head before she came to me and kissed mine. She still kissed our heads, even though she knew we had all grown up. "Don't forget to drink your medicine, sweatheart," she reminded me, pointing to the purple liquid on the bottle by the kitchen shelf. "Okay, mum," I answered, shrugging my shoulders. I gave up my attempt to ask for her permission to have my own car. "Hey, don't be like that. It's for your own good." She said this as she poked at my nose. "Okay," I replied, giving her a smile. After saying good-bye to Sean and me, Mum left for work. I was a weak kid when I was little. I often got sick and had a high fever. At least once every month. The doctor didn't know why. The fever just came and disappeared like that after a few days. But I'm okay now. It rarely comes after I take my medication. The purple liquid that Mum said earlier wasn't medical, to be honest. I got my medication from Jena, an old woman who knew a lot of herbs. She gave me this purple liquid that I should take once a day. I wasn't sure what it really was, but it did help me concentrate and lose the fever. Besides that, she also gave me a necklace with a resin pendant that smelled like jasmine and rosemary. I didn't believe in supranatural things, but mum and Jena insisted I wear the pendant wherever I went. "Can you skip your medication? You are pretty good right now," my twin said. It was not actually my twin. I called it Twin because it was in my mind. I had this sound of another girl talking inside me. As if I had someone else's mind inside my head. That's weird, I know. I didn't remember when I noticed it for the first time, but Uncle John told me it was when I was 5. I remember being scared, panicked, and hysterical in the first place. But Uncle John convinced me that it was okay. He said sometimes it happens, and I should consider it a talking buddy. Now I'm used to it and even enjoy it. I never felt alone because there was always someone to talk to. She was a good talking buddy, and she seemed to understand me. Even though she acted bitchy sometimes, she was okay. Uncle John was not my real uncle. My mum told me that he was my dad's friend. After my dad died, he was very concerned about us, and he came to check on us every month. He was also the one who introduced me to Joan, the herb woman. I didn't know why he did that, but my suspicion was that he liked Mum. Who knows, right? "And why would I do that?" I asked Twinny, my nickname for her. This conversation was only between me and my twin. No one heard or saw me speak. Not even Sean, who sat on the stool in front of me. It was like me talking to my other me. "Because you have cross-country training today. Skipping your medication will make you stronger and faster," Twinny exclaimed. "Bulshit! How do you know that?" I asked her out of curiosity. I never skip my medication, not even once, because my mum always reminds me not to. "Try and see for yourself," she said shortly, but somehow it sounded like teasing. As if she was challenging me. "Skipping a day won't harm us," she added. "Have you done with your breakfast?" Sean asked me suddenly. His question broke the conversation between me and Twinny. "Yeah, I'm just going to drink my liquid." I answered as I took a side glance at the bottle on the shelf. He nodded as he took a glance at his wristwatch. "Okay, I'll wait in the car," he replied as he stood up from the stool and then walked to the front door. After he left, I walked to the kitchen shelf and took the small purple bottle. I looked at it closely while thinking of what Twinny said. "At least you can try to find out what the difference is," Twinny said after she was silent for awhile. "Are you sure about this? "I asked. "You never knew if you hadn't tried it, didn't you?" she asked me back. No, she's probably right.Maybe a day without my medicine would be okay. I shall know the difference after all. Finally, I put the bottle back on the shelf. "You better be right, Twinny." I said this as I walked to the front door. I got in the car and took the front seat besides Sean. "Have you taken your medication?" Sean asked as soon as I sat down. "Yep," I answered without looking at him. Hearing my answer, he drove his car deliberately, leaving our house behind. Sean drove me to school, and we got there right in time before the bell rang. "Thanks, Buster," I said as I jumped out of his car. "Have fun, See-see. Good luck, and I'll see you after the race!" He gave me a thumbs-up and a broad smile. "Okay, thanks, Buster. Drive save!" I replied and waved at him.