I put down the paper not wanting to read the rest. Logan came up behind me.
“It’s a shame that the man you love was almost was your father. We were almost sisters. Father told me a story once about you and your mother. He said that she was in love with him but he didn’t love her. He wanted to be your guardian though so on the legal papers he said that he was a recent fiancé. He said that she was so in love that she hired him to kill her husband. It was put on his criminal record for murder and it stopped him from keeping you. He still doesn’t know if she really wanted her husband dead so she could marry him or if she did it so that he couldn’t have you.”
“Is that why he treats me like a child? To make up for my childhood that he lost?”
Hunter looked at me.
“Probably. I mean you’re younger than him and he loves you as a daughter.”
Hunter tugged on my sleeve and pointed to the door.
“What are they saying downstairs?”
Logan smiled.
“Lets find out. We’ll know all about are past, and theirs, and why he wanted you.”
“You don’t know that.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the steps. We looked down from the railing above. They were sitting beside each other on the couch. Mom drinking coffee and Kai drinking wine. There were papers on the table and a pile of money. I leaned in closer but Logan grabbed my legs before I could fall.
“Listen!”
She closed her eyes and opened them again. I focused on them and I could hear better.
“I’m not selling you my daughter, Kai.”
“Her birthday is July. She’s almost legally an adult. Just one year.”
“I don’t think she trust you anymore.”
“I don’t think you trust me.”
“I’m not selling her.”
“I’m not asking you to. Just sign the legal papers and she’s mine.”
“Look at these,” She pushed a pile of papers to him. “It says when she is of age she can choose who she wants to live with.”
“So she has to pick?”
“Yes I’m afraid so.”
“Lets just hold this off and act like nothing happened.”
“How about we talk to her about it.”
He nodded. “Claire come down here.”
Pause, walk down, breath, jump in his lap or pause then run? I’ll take the first. I waited a little to gather the effect of me walking down the hall and walked down the steps. Kai looked at me then the steps and I breathed. I walked to them and sat in his lap. I grabbed the glass of wine and dipped my finger into it. I laid my head on the arm of the couch putting my body in his lap and laid my feet on my mom. I kept dipping my finger in the drink swirling it occasionally to break the odd silence between us all. I took a deep breath.
“What did you need?”
I used my sweet innocent voice and Kai smiled down at me.
“If you could either live with me and my family or here- which would you choose?”
I sat the drink down on the table.
“Depends. Here I’m with my mother. But Hunter lives here now and it will take me a while to get used to him talking in my mind. And the giant wolf thing. You on the other hand are different. I get to live with Logan and I get to see Tabby. But the constant parties and wine will get annoying. I’d be paranoid of getting cut and bleeding and I don’t want to end up like Paige.”
“So who are you going to pick?” Kai looked down at me serious now.
“Um……I’ll stay here with my mother but I get to go to your house whenever I want.”
“Well it’s settled then. I’m her legal guardian and will be until July fifth. Sign the papers Kai.”
Debbie pushed the papers to him and he signed his name.
“Congrats to you again, Debra. Thought you would at least let me have her for a year.”
“She’s been running around town all day with you I don’t think you too don’t spend enough time together! She stays then night at your house all the time! You took her to Brazil!”
“Good point,” He looked down at me. “What do you want to do?”
“Can we go to the mall?”
“Go get dressed and wake Logan up.”
He pushed me off his lap and I ran up the steps. I told Logan to get dressed and I rushed to the bathroom. I didn’t notice how cold I was until the hot water burned my skin and slowly thawed it. I quickly got out though-still numb-and brushed my teeth. I tried to comb out my hair but just delivered more pain to my head. I put on my blue and white cloud robe and grabbed all my hair products. I ran downstairs and plopped myself down in front of Kai.
“Please do my hair! I can’t get the tangles out and I would probably burn myself if I flat iron it.”
“Get some clothes on first.” He lifted my robe sleeve.
“I’m still wet. Just do my hair and I’ll get dressed later.”
“Fine.”
He grabbed a towel and dried off my hair. He combed and brushed it without hurting me once. He curled my hair and put it in a high ponytail. He waved me off and I ran to my room. I put on jean shorts, pink Converse boots, and a pink Aeropostale shirt. I looked at Logan who was wearing a jean skirt, yellow Converse boots, and a yellow Aeropostale shirt. We grabbed our purses and ran downstairs to Kai.
“Ready Daddy!” Logan jumped in front of him and he pushed her aside.
“Can Claire spend the night at my house, Debra?”
Debbie closed her eyes and Logan bit her lip. “Sure, she can stay with you.”
Kai nodded and Logan and I ran out the door. We got in the backseat of the black Mustang and Kai got in the front. Logan turned to me.
“Hunter likes me!”
“You didn’t know that?” That was a surprise.
“No! Did you?”
“Yes! You couldn’t tell when he was attacking Cynthia.”
“I don’t pay attention to the details.”
“You didn’t have too it was right there!”
“Well back to the point! He likes me and I like him and that’s all that matters!”
I leaned in closer to Logan and whispered in her ear.
“Is Kai acting different to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well at first he hates me and doesn’t want anything to do with me. Then he’s abusive and crazy. Then he’s nice to me and has a perfect conversation with my mom. What’s next!?”
“Idk but we’ll probably find out here if there is another one. With mother he went through five little phases so maybe you get five too.”
“What am I at now?”
“Four. One more to go- let’s pray it’s good.”
The car stopped and we got out of the car. I hadn’t been to the Pacifica Mall yet and it was a lot larger than the one in Kentucky.
“Four stories! Hope ya don’t get lost!” Logan giggled in my face.
“In Kentucky it was only one story.”
“Poor little country girl. Welcome to the beach city of Pacifica.”
She grabbed my arm and ran me through the parking lot. Almost every guy stopped when we ran past. I hid my face though and ran faster. Kai was at the door waiting for us. Logan and I looked back at the parking lot then him. We shrugged and laughed.
“Hey,” She laughed. “If any one touches you don’t shock them. To a human it will be ten times worst then getting struck by lightning.”
“Ok.”
She grabbed my hand in hers and we walked into the mall. Kai walked off and Logan pulled out her phone.
“Here,” She handed me something wrapped in foil. “Daddy told me to give it to you.”
I unwrapped the foil and a wad of cash was in my hand.
“How much is this?!”
“Hmm? Oh! Just nine thousand dollars If you need any more then I’ll lend you some money.”
“I’m not used to having this much money to spend. I’m used to having thirty at the most!”
“Well your hanging out with mega rich people. Like richer than Bill Gates and Oprah combined.”
I looked at her and we both laughed. Mine was rough and hers was musical but I didn’t care that much.
“Lets go to Aeropostale then Holister then Journey then Claires. We’ll meet up with Daddy at Foot Locker.”
“Fine with me.”
“And we can go to Wet Seal, Rue 21, and Bath and Body Works.”
“Then lets go we don’t have all day.”
“Oh yah!” She blushed with embarrasement.
We ran to all the stores we said and bought up almost everything. A lot of guys came up to Logan but she turned all of them away but one. She got him to carry our bags all around the store. By the time we got back to Kai we had six men carrying our stuff. Logan handed them all a hundred dollars and they left. We sat on the bench next to Kai.
“Where all did you two go!?” He sounded more shocked at all the bags then I thought angry at us.
“Are you mad Daddy?”
“No. Just surprised that it took you two only twenty five minutes to shop. I thought it would take you at least two hours.”
“We only cleared out half of the first floor. Our feet got tired and the longer I had those guys the more I had to pay them.”
We both laughed and Kai looked at the bags.
“Where all did you go?”
“Um…Aeropostale, Holister, Journeys, Claires, Wet Seal, Rue 21, and Bath and Body Works. I was going to go to Victoria's Secret and get some lotion but I remembered that you said that if I went into that store or any where near it you would kill me.”
“No candy stores?”
“That is on the other half of the store, Kai! Duh!”
“Well finish shopping we have to leave soon.”
“Another party?”
“Yes.”
We left our bags with Kai and ran off to another store. We passed Victoria's Secret and Logan stood in front of the store looking at the sign.
“I want that lotion! I had it once and now I’m in love with it!”
“Remembered what Kai said.”
“I don’t care.”
“I will buy it for you.”
“Oh thank you Claire! I owe you!”
I went into the store and came back with the scented lotion Logan wanted. We went upstairs and almost cleared out the whole mall. We had to get twenty four men to carry our bags. We came back to Kai who took one look at the bag.
“It’s mine not hers.”
He nodded and grabbed all the bags. With the bags covering us they were able to run at an unnatural speed without being noticed. We were hauling the bags into Logans room bfore I knew it. We unpacked everything and got dressed in some fancier clothes. When we got down stairs a lot of people were there already. Logan grabbed my hand and sat on the couch.
“Just act like there is no place else you’d wather be and stay with me.”
“Ok.”
Something was on my shoulder and I turned around. It was Kai’s pale cold hand.
“How did you two get down here?”
“We walked down the steps.” I looked at him. He didn’t seem drunk.
“Well I know that much Claire. Paige was supposed to keep you two upstairs.”
“Paige wasn’t up there. No one was.”
“Hmm.”
He kissed my cheek and walked away. I turned to Logan.
“Did you see that!? He just kissed my cheek!”
“That was impessive. Especially that close to your neck!”
“Logan!”
“Well it’s true.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to say it.”
“Sorry.”
“C’mon lets go investigate.”
“I like your way of thinking, Claire!”
We both got up and walked to Kai. Logan left and I frowned at her. If this went wrong I’m blaming her.
“Um…hi Kai.”
I shyly waved and I could see Logan behind the door frame.
“Hello Claire.”
He dropped a glass of wine in my hand and I swiftly caught it before it could spill.
“Hi.”
“Did you need something?”
“Um…not really.”
“Why are you so nervous?”
He flipped back a piece of my hair and I rubbed my heels together.
“Um…is Thanos here?”
I could see Logan put her hand over her face and frown. She tapped her forehead with her fingers then put both her hands up.
“Why do you want to know if Thanos is here?”
Oops. Wrong question to ask him.
“I was um… paranoid with him being here and everything.”
I nervously took a drink of the wine. Kai took it out of my hand.
“What are you really here for?”
“I wanted someone to talk to.” I was the worst liar ever.
“Claire.”
“Fine! I came in here to ask you why you kissed me!”
“So I can’t kiss you.”
“You can it was just that I really wasn’t expecting that!”
“And that was the fun of it.”
I glanced back to the door where Logan was making circles in front of her mouth. She started doing it faster. My phone rang and I looked down at it. Logan.
Get on with it Claire!
I’m workin on it!
I put my phone back in my purse and turned to Kai.