Chapter 4 - Cousins

At the same time in a quaint brick house just beyond the borders of that very same forest, home to all kinds of species including the supernatural kind, a girl and her cousin were bonding after a long separation.

“I have missed you so much Jay, I can’t tell you how much I wished to see you these past two years.” Alexa expressed.

“Me too, my dear cousin. I regret that I didn’t come to visit, I wish I had.” Jayden replied.

They had not seen each other since the day they had to say goodbye, due to Alexa and her family moving to a small town in South Dakota. They had lived together when Alexa’s family had taken Jayden in after an accident stole her family, this was the farthest and longest that they had been apart and still, they were closer than ever before.

“Look at you, you look great for someone your age,” Alexa teased her cousin halfheartedly as she walked back across the room, her feet brushing along her silver plush carpet, to where she had dropped her hairbrush.

“You make me sound like I am ancient, I am only twenty-one, besides you’re one to talk, I think I see a grey hair,” Jayden teased.

“Hey! I am eighteen today, show some respect.” Alexa defended.

“Of course, forgive me, Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to offend. However, it does not call for the wrong statement of my age,” Jayden replied, mock offense and dignity sounding in her smooth voice.

“No need to sulk,” Alexa continued her teasing. Said girl sat down at her dark wooden dressing table and brushed out the new knots in her damp hair.

“Now I sound like a child,” Jayden complained, picking up a hand towel to help dry the rest of her cousin’s auburn locks, which had started to curl uncontrollably from being wet.

“First you’re too old, now you’re too young, there’s just no pleasing you, is there?” azure eyes rolled playfully

“Nope,” the ‘p’ is pronounced with a pop. The two girls laughed at the other’s antics.

After that Jayden helped dry and straighten Alexa’s shoulder-length red hair, which was layered so that her bangs started from short to long, framing her face attractively. Once that was completed, Jayden sat down and Alexa opened her jewelry box, took out her silver hooped earrings, and placed them in her ear, with two blue stud earrings joining in her secondary holes in each ear.

A silver heart-shaped necklace with white gems hung from her neck, accompanied by her silver wristwatch and silver ring with a ruby in the center, a ruby believed to protect the wearer from evil.

The two then made to leave the room when a thought popped into Alexa’s mind.

“So exactly what are you doing here?” she questioned

“Are you complaining?” Jayden questioned in return

“No, of course not, I am just wondering.” They made their way out the door and toward the wooden stairs.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m your birthday present, or would it have been more obvious if I had been in a gift-wrapped box?” She grinned.

“I think maybe just a ribbon tied into a bow would have been obvious enough,” Alexa replied with a small smile on her own lips. Jayden giggled as they walked down the stairs and into the open area in the front of the house. There were three doorways, one which led to the kitchen, one led to the family room, and the other led to the study.

They turned and walked toward the doorway that led to the kitchen, where they could smell breakfast wafting through. The smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee evoked a loud growl which emitted from the redhead’s stomach. A light blush filtered across her cheeks at the sound.

“Oh, there you are, my dears, breakfast is ready.” Jean Winters greeted the girls with a warm smile, emerald eyes twinkling.

“Did you like your surprise, Alexa?”

“I did.”

“Good because it took a lot of bribery to keep your brother’s mouth shut.”

“Damn straight it did,” the deep baring tone of said male’s voice joined in the conversation from where he was sitting at the island counter.

The girls soon joined him, each sitting at an empty spot. Facing both brunette male and female. Alexa’s mother walked around the table dishing up breakfast for her three children and her niece.

Alexa took the opportunity to study her small family of five. She couldn’t believe how much her family looked like a family. All with rich mahogany curls and tanned skin with the only variation between them being the eyes, two had green, one blue, and the other honey-colored. The eighteen-year-old girl couldn’t help but feel as if she did not fit in with their picturesque likeness, being the only one with her coloring.

Even her father was more darkly colored than she was. She thought with a sad smile, ignoring the pain that followed.

“So, for how long are you visiting Jayden?” Alexa asked, picking at her toast.

“I am not exactly visiting per se.”

“What do you mean?” confusion showed on her face when dark eyebrows drew together on the redhead’s forehead.

“It means she’s staying dumbass.” Her brother butted in once again.

“Isaac, language! That is no way to talk to your sister,” his mother scolded him, her hands on her hips over her disturbingly pink floral apron.

“What? It’s the truth, why do you think Mom has been redecorating the guest bedroom?” Isaac said defensively

“I don’t know, it could’ve been because she wanted a change, you know how she is, always needing a project.” Alexa shrugged and continued eating.

“Isaac put that thing away and finish your breakfast.” The woman nodded toward the cell phone in her son’s hand. Isaac only huffed in response and continued typing away at the screen, unbothered by his mother’s request.

“Isaac,” Jean’s voice adopted a warning tone. “I said stop playing on your phone and eat your food, I did not cook for nothing. And we have guests who came a long way to spend time with you and your sister on your birthday.”

“He’s not playing Mom, he’s talking to his girlfriend,” Alexa unhelpfully added as she ate her breakfast.

Isaac’s face flushed, his greenish-brown eyes widened, and his dark brown eyebrows rose in either shock or embarrassment. Then he glared at his twin.

“She isn’t my girlfriend, how many times must I tell you, she is just a friend nothing more,” He ran his tanned hand through his short chocolate curls. His face was slowly losing the rosy hue that had settled in his cheeks not moments before.

“But you want her to be,” Alexa replied mischievously, a small grin gracing her features.

“I do not!” Isaac replied quickly, a defensive tone could clearly be heard, and the roses came back to life in his cheeks.

“Do too.”

“Do not!”

“Do too.”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Do n-”

“Enough!” Jean chastised; irritation clearly shone in her bright green irises.

“Put the phone away, this instant Isaac,” She pointed at him.

“Yes Mom.” he complied.

He looked up and glared at his redheaded sister as she laughed quietly behind her hand.

“And you, young lady, will stop aggravating your brother, am I understood?” She directed her irritation toward her daughter, who stopped laughing almost immediately.

“Yes, Mom,” Alexa replied obediently, sharing a look with her cousin, who only smiled back.

“At least I have an interest, I don’t see you parading around a boyfriend,” Isaac stated under his breath, but he wasn’t as quiet as he thought he was.

“Mommy, what’s a boyfriend?” Gabriella asked innocently, her little six-year-old mind curious over a new word she didn’t understand.

“Well, Gabby, uhm, a boyfriend is… well it’s someone who loves and protects you, someone who you might marry someday,” Jean stumbled over her words unsure of how to explain the idea to the child.

“Oh!” The little brunette’s crystal blue eyes grew as if she had just learned a big secret.

“Then how come Ally doesn’t have one?” Her cute face scrunched up in confusion as she whipped her head between her family members.

Alexa took a sharp breath, unfortunately not thinking about the fact that she was drinking coffee at that very moment, she started coughing roughly. Jayden reached back to slap her flat palm against her cousin’s back. Once she could breathe again, Alexa turned toward her baby sister, who still had her innocent confusion on her face.

“I don’t have one because boys are stupid!”

At this declaration Isaac, who had been silently chuckling at his sister’s situation, burst out laughing, a loud, deep, and joyous sound. His twin sat there dumbfounded, having not heard her other half laugh in such a long time.

“Oh, so why don’t I have one?”

“You’re too young,” everyone said together in unison.

Jean cleared her throat loudly to catch their attention, a smile on her face, and she ran a slightly tanned hand through her youngest daughter’s hair.

“Jayden, would you be a dear and help Alexa set up the Christmas tree later, we’ll decorate it together tonight.”

“Of course, Aunt Jean,” Jayden smiled warmly at her aunt and got up to help do the dishes once she was finished.

“Sometimes I am glad my birthday is three days before Christmas,” Alexa said happily, giving her sister a hug, the little brunette giggled loudly.

“You mean our birthday,” interrupted her twin. Setting the new headphones, he had received from his mother over his ears with his music ringing loudly for all to hear.

Jayden and Alexa soon made their way back up the stairs to unpack the few possessions she had with her, most of her belongings were still on their way to their small town in South Dakota.

“So, we’re going camping in two weeks,” Alexa piped up.

“I know, but why in winter?” Jayden asked, packing clothes into a draw.

“The forest is beautiful this time of year.”

“Won’t we freeze?” Taking more clothes out of her purple travel bag.

“No, we pack all the things we need, from tents to gas heaters and thick blankets, just make sure you pack a warm coat, gloves, and earmuffs.” Alexa handed her some shoes to put away as she explained.

“Okay.”

“I can’t guarantee there’ll be no frostbite,” Alexa teased.

“I suppose it would be on yourself if you did end up with frostbite.”

“Or a wicked cold,” Alexa added, with a nod her auburn locks bouncing with the movement.

“It’s going to be so fun,” Jayden smiled excitedly.

“Yes, yes it is.”