Chapter 7

The morning after the sleepover.

The night had passed as Adelaide slowly opened her eyes from a dreamless sleep. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she laid there like a rock. She carefully lifted the thick blanket, releasing the sweet warmth. As she went to stand up from the soft, plush mattress, the woman realized a thick, heavy object draped over her waist. Adelaide attempted to gently wiggle out without waking the man sleeping beside her. The arm tightened the grip around her waist, bringing her closet to his chest. Her body carefully rolled over to face him instead of away from him. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and shoved him over. The man did not budge an inch. The woman rolled back into the previous position she was laying in. His head nuzzled into the crook of her neck and shoulder. The sand paper stubble rubbed against the soft, smooth skin. Adelaide repressed the reaction to giggle as she thought of a way to escape the imprisoning arm. She tried to push the heavy object once more.

"Are you having a little trouble, princess?"

"Goddamn you! Do you have to scare the living s**t out of me?" she growled out after momentarily shrieking. "I could have woken up the entire household."

"It wouldn't be so much fun if it did not terrify you. Also, do not worry about waking everyone up. They all are already awake."

Adelaide turned her curvy body to face the man beside her. "What time is it then?"

Samuel glanced behind him. "Seven thirty in the morning."

She furrowed her brow which looked like a small, fuzzy caterpillar. "Are they insane or something?"

"Why would they be insane?"

"Because it's kinda early in the morning."

"So?"

"Nevermind," she said with a sigh. "Anyway, how'd you sleep?"

"Honestly, the best I have in a long time. You?"

She smiled. "About the same as always."

Adelaide's smile was contagious, causing Samuel to smile too. "That's good. Want to eat some breakfast?"

The woman's stomach grumbled in response. "Oops."

He chuckled. "I'm going to take that as a yes." Samuel tossed the blankets away from his body, accidentally piling them on top of Adelaide.

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed as he yanked them off of her and piled them at the foot of the mattress.

"It's fine," she commented as she sat up, rubbing the warmth back into her legs. "It's kinda cold in here."

"I can turn on the heat if you want."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

Samuel opened the bedroom door, allowing light to invade the dark room. "Do you want to put the sweatpants back on or..." he trailed off.

"Would it be weird if I didn't?"

Samuel shrugged. "None of us do, except Arielle who wears a tank top and shorts most of the time." The rest of us just wear t-shirts and boxers at the minimum."

Adelaide swung her legs off the side of the bed and strolled over to the sasquatch of a man. "Then I'm going down like this."

Samuel led the way down the steps and into the kitchen. His siblings were scattered throughout the room. The ginger, Arielle, was sitting on one of the bar stools at the granite counter, and Andy, the guy with chocolate-colored hair, was sitting on top of the other counter by the metal sink and oak cabinets. Lastly, the twins, Michael and Ray, were sitting at the kitchen table like normal human beings.

Adelaide felt like she was invading in on this close knit family. She glanced up at Samuel who was smirking at each and every one of his family members. She nudged Samuel's side with her elbows.

He leaned down a little to hear her better. "What is it?" he asked.

"I think that I'm just going to go to the mansion and get ready for the funeral."

"You don't have to go. You're more than welcome to say and eat." He placed his large hand on her shoulder.

"No, I shouldn't. I have intruded more than long enough," she replied. "You did want me here in the first place," she mumbled.

"Hey, I know it seemed like that in the beginning, but that's because I did not have a chance to be able to get to know you," he whispered.

She minutely gestured towards Samuel's family. "I know for a fact Ray does not truly want me here."

Samuel sighed. "In his defense, he acts like that towards everybody except Michael sometimes."

Adelaide shook her head. "It does not matter. My welcome is long overdue. I should have left as soon as the rain stopped."

"Please, just stay for at least an hour. I won't stop you if you want to leave afterwards. I'll let you go with no arguments," he convincingly argued.

The woman sighed but finally agreed. "Only for an hour." She walked passed him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Good morning everyone," she greeted cheerfully.

Arielle hopped down from the stool and wrapped her arms round the blonde woman's body. "Oh! Good morning! I hope you slept well."

Adelaide hugged her back. "I did, and hopefully you did likewise."

The red-head nodded. "Yes, I did. You must be hungry. There's bowls of eggs and hash browns at the end, bacon and sausage on the plates towards the middle, and thee also plates of either waffles or pancakes at the other end," she explained before giving the house guest a clean, white platter. "Eat whatever you want. There's plenty here. Oh! I almost forgot about the drinks! There's French vanilla coffee in the pot and fresh tea in the kettle on the stove. Apple juice is in the red rimmed pitcher, and orange is in the blue."

Adelaide stared with wide eyes at the counter covered with breakfast food. "Did you make all of this?"

She shrugged. "Yes, it's not difficult."

Adelaide laughed. "I guess it isn't since you can actually cook."

Arielle giggled. "I also forgot about the bowl of mixed fruit in the refrigerator."

Adelaide smiled and thanked her before placing a small scoop of eyes onto the plate which was then followed by a couple slices of bacon, and two pancakes.

Samuel creeped up behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I see you have already made friends with my sister."

The woman leaped out of her skin. "Geez! Do you enjoy scaring the s**t out of me?"

Samuel chuckled. "It's so easy, so I can't help but like it a little."

Adelaide glared at him but continued to hold onto a hint of a smile. "Just for that, you lost the opportunity to sit next to me during the meal."

"Come on. There's no need to be harsh, Princess."

She stuck her tongue out at him before walking towards the other counter where another one of the siblings were sitting. "Do you mind if I eat with you?"

The man scooted closer to the stainless-steel refrigerator. "Of course you can. "I've been dying to have a one-on-one conversation with you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely!"

She smiled as she set the plate to the side in order to hop backwards onto the counter so she could sit on it like he was. She bent at the knees before quickly straightening them, hopping onto the granite counter.

The male reflexively grabbed her hips to steady her. "You good?"

"Yes, thanks," she replied as she set her plate onto her pale legs.

He shrugged. "Not a problem."

They both chewed in thoughtful silence, observing the other dwellers of the kitchen. Arielle continued to sit at the island in the center of the kitchen while eating and watching the twins and Smauel playfully bicker between each other. She would practically make comments like, "Ew! Chew with your mouth closed!"

Adelaide smiled at her half-empty plate as she listened in on their silly arguments like it was a radio station.

"So you're an observer too?" the man sitting beside her questioned.

The woman shrugged in response. "I'm not much of a talker in the morning," she answered, "especially if it's not my family."

"You are more than welcome to say what you feel like in this household. We're just a bunch of strange people who happen to be siblings that all live in a house together."

"Thanks, Andy."

"Not a problem."

Adelaide set her empty plate in the metal sink and did the same with Andy's bowl that was previously filled with an assortment of fruit. "Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about since you said that you wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with me?"

"Yeah, so what was all the noise coming from Sam's room about? When he and I finally decided to go to bed last night, you were long gone into dreamland."

"Trust me, there was absolutely nothing sexual. We simply stayed awake and talked for a good portion of the night. By the way, I woke up as he was carrying me up the steps."

"Makes sense. I was not insinuating you two doing the no pants dance. I would have already known if you did."

"No way! How could you?"

He shrugged his slim shoulders. "A magician never reveals his secret."

Adelaide playfully growled at him. "How rude of you."

"I know," he replied with a chuckle.

She laid her round head against his shoulder and sighed.

"You know I'm not into females, right?"

She laughed. "I definitely do now, and I wasn't flirting with you. You're just comfy, and I also can feel that I have long, difficult twenty-four hours ahead of me."

"Oh, sorry about your great aunt."

"Don't be," Adelaide commented. "I barely knew her."

"She was still a part of your family though."

The woman shrugged. "I know but I just don't include her when I think of family. I feel like I was randomly tossed into this new lifestyle when I have no idea what I'm doing. I know that there comes a certain life style with this inheritance, but I haven't got a clue as to how I'm supposed to act with them." The inhalation and exhalation of air practically had no moment in between.

Andy instantaneously jumped off of the counter and opened a drawer that was previously directly under him. He grabbed a typical brown paper bag and forced her to heavily breath into it before telling her to exhale.

Adelaide grasped the top of it and pressed it to her mouth, repeatedly doing what her new friend was commanding of her.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" Arielle exclaimed.

The rest of the family turned their attention to the distressed woman and the person attempting to calm her.

Samuel immediately stood to his feet and crossed the large kitchen. As soon as he was close enough, the enormous man aggressively shoved the helper out of the way and began to yell, "What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing Sam, I was just talking to her, and she began to freak out about the inheritance," he calmly replied.

"Samuel!" Arielle shouted. "You know damn well that we agreed that there is no violence in this household whatsoever. I don't give a s**t if someone is dying; you do not shove your brother and yell at him."

The worrying man ignored his older sister as he gently took Adelaide's face in between his calloused hands. He pressed his cool forehead against perspiring one. His ocean blue eyes stared deep into her cloud-colored pupils. "It's okay. There's nothing to worry about. I'm positive you'll do absolutely perfect in composing into the new height of society."

Her pace of breathing slowly returned to normal. She pulled away the crinkled paper bag away from her flushed face. "Thank you," she breathlessly said, tightly hugging Samuel before shoving him away, almost causing him to fall.

"Hey!" he yelled as he caught himself.

"That is for rudely shoving Andy for only trying to help me." Adelaide stuck her tongue out at him before walking towards Andy. She kissed his cheek and hugged him. "A special thank you to you."

Andy could not conceal the reddening of his cheeks as he wrapped his thin arms around her squishy body. "No need. It wasn't a big deal."

Samuel crossed his arms and slightly glared.

Meanwhile, Michael gently nudged his way toward the blonde adult. He held out his arms, ready for when Adelaide would turn around.

Finally, after a couple minutes of waiting, the woman twisted in Michael's body which was practically composed of bricks. She giggled while he chuckled. He wrapped his arms around her as she did the same to him. His fingertips brushed lightly against her bare skin just below the white shirt sleeve.

Adelaide felt warmth creep into every cell in her body. Her skin felt clearer along with her lungs. Even her slight headache had completely disappeared. It was an exuberant feeling.

As the pair pulled away, Michael smiled down at the woman. "Feeling better?"

Adelaide could not stop herself from returning the grin. "Actually, quite a lot better than I was before. It's like your hugs are magical or something," she said with a giggle.

The blond man rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Ha ha, thanks."

She turned around, catching a glimpse of Ray glaring at the man behind her. Her curiosity spiked but she suppressed it.

Samuel walked to Adelaide, stopping a couple of feet away from her. His crystalline eyes peered down in her eyes which were the color of storm clouds. One side of his lips were quirked up, making a smirk. "How you doing, princess?"

The woman playfully punched him in the air. "Worse now that my Prince Charming is here." She scooted past him in order to sit on top of the counter that still was holding all the food.

Ray was already leaning against it approximately a foot away. He was wearing a black t-shirt and matching boxers along with gloves, making his pale skin appear more translucent.

"How are you?" she politely asked him.

He simply grunted in response, slouching even further downwards. "I'm fine I guess," he answered aloud after receiving a glare from Arielle.

Samuel opened the steel refrigerator door; his muscles bulged slightly. He had grabbed a white jug full of milk and began to take a drink out of the opening after taking the blue lid off.

The lady with hair made of copper practically leaped across the tiled kitchen and over a few people in order to reach Samuel. "What in the heck do you think you are doing?"

Samuel took the jug away from his lips. "I'm getting a drink, Arielle. What else does it look like?"

The woman's face matched the color of her locks. "Well, don't you think a glass would be helpful?" she snapped.

The man who towered over them all shrugged. "Nope, it'd just create more dishes."

Arielle attempted to snatch the plastic bottle from her brother's large hands. She leaped at him with her mouth set in a hard line with a tan arm waving up into the air.

Samuel held his long arm up into the air, his knuckles nearly grazing the rough, white ceiling that served as the floor of the second story. His pink tongue peeked out of his even pinker lips before his pearls of teeth made an appearance of their own. The decorations of the mouth stood brilliantly against his tan skin and soft lips. The faint lines around the outer corners of his eyes deepened, becoming like tiny branches across his face. A dimple appeared on his right cheek without a match on the other.

"Give it to me, Sam!" the oldest sister shouted with her eyebrows furrowed close together, slightly resembling a fuzzy, copper caterpillar. Her rosy lips were set in a straight line above her clenched jaw.

The male laughed so jovially that the surrounding people could not stop themselves from at least a small smile. His entire mouth, from the black figure of his throat to the pearl teeth, could be seen.

As Arielle stumbled over her tan foot, Samuel stepped further away from his only female siblings and somehow caught his toe on the underside of the counter. This caught his enormous body's momentum to fling forward, instinctively releasing the jug filled with calcium and protein.

As the streak of white flew through the air, every single pair of eyes in the room were glued to it, except Ray who simply stared at his blurred reflection in the refrigerator. Adelaide's silver eyes became little moons upon her pale face as her hands flew up in order to cover her widened mouth. Andy mimicked these movements along with almost everyone else minus the hands.

As the gallon of liquid came crashing down, Ray stepped in front of Adelaide and lifted his pale arms, revealing even more of the endless black circles revolutionizing around thick arms. The plastic bottle smashed into the leather gloves with an awful thud. The white milk splashed onto the dark fabric of his loose-fitting t-shirt, leaving a slightly darker spot on the right side, along with a thin liquid line down the same side of his face. The man robotically turned to set the fairly large container onto the granite counter before exiting the silent kitchen without a word.

Every pupil simply watched him leave, before bursting into balls of excitement.

Adelaide held her hand over the incessant drum of her heart. "Oh my goodness!" she shouted breathlessly. "Those reflexes!"

Samuel sauntered over to the panting female. He chuckled at the woman's dramatics, sounding throughout the cooking area. "It's because he has practice," he said, staring at the tiled floor.

"It must be a lot of practice," she giggled. Adelaide turned around with Samuel almost immediately mimicking her. She began to stack the dirty and empty dishware in piles while the man passed him to his brother Michael, who then placed them on the counter area beside the sink where Arielle began to wash them. Meanwhile, Andy was putting food into containers.

As she finished her self-appointed chore, Adelaide's uneasy thoughts began to flood back into her mind as her hands were left to their own devices. She once again leaned her back against the island, watching the family work together in perfect harmony: Arielle was washing the white plates and bowls along with the stainless-steel pans, Andy rinsed the soapy dish- and cookware, Michael dried them with a fluffy but faded green rag, and Samuel put them in their rightful place. She stared at the siblings' familiar pattern as she unconsciously brought her hand up to her mouth, chewing on her slightly long fingernails with her eyes widened a little bit, giving her a crazed look. Her train of thought ran wild throughout the tracks within her brain, chugging from one problem to the next.

A gentle but large hand placed itself onto her slim shoulder, jolting her out of the malicious onslaught of endless thought. "Hey princess, you alright?" a deep voice softly inquired.

Adelaide's silver eyes collided with ocean blue. She immediately brought her hands down to her side before shaking her head in order to clear it. "Uh, yeah. Just spaced out for a moment."

Samuel up-righted himself, resuming to his full towering height over the blonde woman. "More like five moments but no one is counting," he joked.

The short teenager simply managed a miniature smile. The corners of her thick lips barely turned up. She turned around and set her elbows onto the hard surface before dragging her hands down her face. Her back had a distinct hunch as her rear jutted outwards slightly. She sighed heavily as she stared through the windows across from her while her face rested in the cradle of her palms.

A heavy hand began to softly rub between her shoulder blades in small circles. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I was only kidding."

Adelaide shook her head. "No, it's okay. You did not do anything wrong." She softly but sincerely smiled as he mimicked her position, face-to-face with her. "I'm just feeling like I somehow made the wrong choice by coming here."

Samuel's comforting expression completely disappeared, replaced with a stony stare. "Okay, sorry," he stoically muttered before straightening himself and stomping directly out of the cooking area, and Andy quickly followed.

Adelaide whipped around in order to face the two-remaining people. She stared helplessly at them with glossy pupils. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Oh honey, no. I think he just simply misunderstood," the other female replied. "I'm guessing he thought you were talking about the house, coming in here specifically."

"No!" she shouted. "I meant 'here' in general. I swear that if there was any other way I could have known I would meet you all, especially under different circumstances, I would take it in a heartbeat. This inheritance along with its requirements are driving me mad."

"We know." Michael smiled sympathetically. He stepped closet to her, placing a hand on her upper arm. "I think that's why Andy left, in order to do damage control, make him see clearly."

Adelaide turned up the corners of her mouth a little before wrapping her arms around the slim but hard body.

Michael returned the facial expression as they pulled away. "I hate to inform you but I think that it is time for you to leave in order to make it for the funeral at a decent time," he informed.

Arielle nodded with a sad smile. "Unfortunately, but I can gather your things for you if you would like."

Adelaide smiled. "I don't mind, so you can if you want to."

"It's not a problem," the tall-ginger haired woman commented before she pattered out of the kitchen.

"Can I ask you something?" The woman nodded.

"Why did you accept this inheritance?"

Adelaide sighed. "I thought that I was ready for an adventure that wasn't just on paper or through words. I also hoped that I would be able to discover more about my mother since I do not know a lot about her background."

Michael nodded softly. "That is very acknowledgeable. There is not a majorly selfish reason. How did your family feel?"

"They were actually extremely supportive of me. My brother was a little upset because I hid it from them along with my dad, but they encouraged me to accept it. I only did decide to come here due to my family being very open-minded about it."

Before the tall, tan man could ask another question, the woman with fiery locks and emeralds for eyes strolled into the cooking area, carrying a dark piece of a pile of cloth and a black backpack on her back. "Is this all?"

Adelaide nodded as she grabbed the cloth out of her pale arms. She shook it out, revealing the pair of sweatpants that she had been wearing previously. Her hands held the elastic waistband slightly away from her body in order to put a leg into the hole, pulling it halfway upwards the lightly tanned limb. She then carefully kept herself from swaying too far to one side, like a falling tree, as her other leg slid through the other hole. She pulled the soft, stretching cotton over her thighs and up to her waist, her fingers tying the strings into a sloppy bow. "Can I ask you guys a favor?

"Sure," Arielle immediately answered.

"Wait," Michael interrupted. "What is it first?"

"I was curious if you, either just one of you or hopefully all of you, would come to the funeral. You don't have to if you do not want to."

Arielle's corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "None of us were planning on going, but I will now. Andy probably will too since I think he was planning on it, but Samuel is a wild card at the moment. Michael?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I know Ray will not."

"Why?" Adelaide asked.

"He's just not an outgoer."

The shortest person in the room nodded in understanding. "Okay." She walked over and hugged Arielle and then her brother. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here for the night, and for everything." She walked out of the kitchen with the siblings in tow.

The trio entered the dimly lit living room where Ray was watching people act on the television. The ghost of a man waved at her, which she reciprocated. "Bye," she added.

Her fingers wrapped around the circular golden doorknob, turning it slowly. She pulled the wooden door open, revealing the sunny sky and icy air. Her bare feet touched the stained porch as she began to pull the door closed, ignoring the yelling that was occurring with the place she was leaving.