Chapter 758: JUST A PUP WHO WANTS TO GROW UP
29 FEBRUARY, MONDAY, 4AM
"I SLEPT THROUGH SUNDAY???"
If I sounded upset, it was because I was! What a waste of a Sunday! Aruggghhhh.... I can't believe I slept through the whole of Sunday! T.T
"I believe your Luna Mother will be inclined to allow you a day off school." Ki tried to console me, "She was saying last night how it is already the last week of the term."
Wait, what? Today's the last week of school?
"After all," Ki reasoned, "the main events this week are only the after exam activities..."
I flared, "There's NO WAY I'm missing that!"
I mean, this was my last week at Winderhill right? It was my last chance to hang out with my friends at school. My last hurrah.
And...and... I don't know any good reason, I just wanted to be there for as much as possible until the end.
I looked at the little pancake crumbs on my otherwise clean plate. I had been too hungry to ask earlier and Ki had kindly waited for me to finish eating before he had dropped the bombshell.
I had slept all through Sunday!!!
Of course this was all Bell's fault! Getting in fights with a lighting shooting Tyger and repeatedly ressurecting like it was a computer game with the infinite life cheat on.
Stooopid dumbbell cost me a whole Sunday!
But yes, this was how I pretty much slept through my entire weekend. I'm not sure exactly when I got over my upset, but a lot of things happened after I woke up and then I pretty much forgot - until I started writing my diary.
Now that I've remembered my lost Sunday, I'm upset all over again. I'm going to take a bath!
Which was also what I did after breakfast. It was at Ki's suggestion really. At my nod, he smiled and finished putting away the freshly sliced bread for my family later. I followed him back up to my room. It occurred to me while following Ki up the stairs that I used to follow Mum up the stairs for my baths like this too, just lagging a couple of steps behind, looking up and down, "There are new plants."
Ki smiled, "Yes goddess, we've been recently gifted with a batch of pottery from Micheal Ark's studios, and spring is hastening."
I nodded, feeling very much like a pup again. Who said "spring is hastening" in normal conversations? And who gifted the pots? And how was that related to the new plants? Well, this really brought back memories. It's been a while since I've felt like a dumb pup.
I spent the rest of our short journey up the stairs noting all the differences around our home. They weren't very obvious like the new plants (more like the new pots they sat in, which I didn't notice right away.) The swimming pool smelled different. The throw cushions on the ratten armchairs have been changed to inky black covers which sat quite starkly against the white upholstery.
The second floor smelled like traces of pizza but I didn't see any signs of empty pizza boxes or anything. Ki's mouth pressed downwards at the smell, just a tad, but he said nothing, and I pretended I hadn't notice the slip (or the smell).
Plush carpets under my feet, smoothly waxed banisters, it was very quiet. Upstairs I noticed we had black as our new accent color too. New plants by the window in matching glazed pots, one black, one navy, and one a shelly pink.
One of the plants didn't have leaves like a normal plant because it was a fat cactus. I thought it was a good idea to put it there. This way, if we had intruders come through the window, it would stop them. Which I recognized as one of my puppy ideas too. Just like using water balloons to defeat the rogue army. Wow, I was a dumb pup.
Ki opened my bedroom door and waited patiently for me to walk through. Well this part was different. Mum would be like, "Oh, do hurry Sam!" Ki NEVER hurried me. Ki also never got mad or scolded me. In fact, I don't remember Ki ever saying no to me, which was Mum's favorite word after "Oh, Sam!"
But Ki was my beta, not my Mum. I thought of Pete, Henry's beta. I highly doubt Pete would ever say no to Henry either.
I followed Ki into the bathroom and watched him set up my bath for me. My bathtub had a faint trace of blue stain. Opps. Hahaha. I guess Ki magic couldn't scrub this one out. Ki pulled out fresh towels and folded them on the counter, set out my sakura scented shampoo and conditioner, and then laid out my toothpaste and toothbrush. So this was how things magically appeared where they were in the mornings!
Watching Ki work, I felt a little like I was getting a peek behind the magician's curtain. It looked a lot like little everyday chores performed exactly the same way every.single.day. Not what I had expected magic to look like.
Ki returned his attention to me with his usual Killion dollar smile, "Is there anything else I can do for you, goddess?"
I shook my head, "Thanks Ki, but I'm good."
Ki bowed again, still smiling, but this smile looked like one of his very rare and natural ones, "Welcome back goddess."
He left the bathroom, fully expecting me to take my bath now, but I followed him out.
"Is there anything the matter, goddess?" Ki asked, somewhat surprised.
I shook my head again, "Nope, I just want to see you do Ki magic."
"Ki..what?" If possible, Ki looked even more surprised, and then I was rewarded with another one of those rare and real smiles, "As you please, goddess, but it is not very exciting."
"Just do what you always do." I gave him my wide smile, "Pretend I'm not here."
Ki's smile grew into a small chuckle, "It's good to have you back goddess."
"It's good to be back!" I was so happy I grinned. It's been a long ride, but I was home!
I watched Ki go about my room in quiet efficient movements. First he made my bed, and then he rolled the golden birdcage clothes rack into my walk in wardrobe. I followed Ki in and watch him refit the rack with my school uniform, a choice of coats, and a new school bag!
"That's new too!" I said.
Ki smiled, "Forgive me goddess, I hadn't been able to clean out the blue stains in the previous bag."
Right, because I used it to carry my water bombs filled with blue dye.
"I've checked the stores, but I'm afraid they no longer produce bags in this design." Ki continued.
Well, if I remembered right, Mum and Savy got it at a clearance when they were bringing Sabre to buy her wardrobe.
Ki really didn't have to go through so much trouble.
"I like this new bag better anyway." I decided. This new backpack was more like a leather satchel, "It's more grown up."
I guess it was time I took the cool girls' advice and stop dressing like a preschooler.
"Oh, well in that case," Ki pulled out new matching ankle boots, "The weather is becoming warmer, perhaps these leather shoes might be more appropriate for the season."
The season being spring, or whatever came after puppyhood. The ankle boots were a dark navy blue like the satchel, nothing fancy or loud, and very appropriate for school, but a little narrowed in the front so that it had a grown up vibe. I was so going to wear those!
"Yes!" I enthused, "I'm going to dress up all grown up from now on."
Ki smiled and while I was happy that he looked happy, I was also suddenly aware that I sounded just like a pup excited to dress up like a grown up. Hahaha, but better late than never.
I followed Ki as he pushed out my grown up school outfit and then watch him set out the accessories and all the nitty gritty things on my dresser. The comb I had played with had been returned from the center of the table to where it belonged. Ki looked about for a moment before I realized, "Ah! My phone! It's with me."
I fished the phone from my pocket and handed it to him. Ki received it with a smile, "Thank you, goddess."
He checked the batteries. It was more than half charged! Good!
But more than half charged didn't cut it for Ki. He took my phone and my wallet, "Please excuse me for a moment, goddess."
I nodded, and then quickly followed him out of my room. It wasn't that I thought Ki would run away with them, more that I wanted to know what he would do to them. I was determined to uncover the secrets to Ki's magic!
Outside, Ki had flipped a switch on the wall, but instead of any of the lights coming on or off, the entire wall on one side parted. O.O!
Voila! Behind the wall revealed a counter and built in cabinet. Ki approached the nearest drawers - they all had finger print locks. he unlocked it and retrieved a wad a $20 bills! I watch him put another one in my wallet. I hadn't spent the first one, so now I clearly had $40.
"Since the exams are over, your friends might invite you out after school." Ki explained.
I shook my head. Mum would never allow it! Not in a foreign packland all by myself!
"Although, it's probably unnecessary." Ki admitted, "If you'd like to buy anything, Fluffy and EJ would have a credit card for your expenses."
Oh, right. It's not like I was all by myself at all.
"And if you travel with Alpha Henry, I'm sure he would take your tab." Ki smiled, "Considering his relationship with your luna, he would make sure you are taken care of."
What relationship with my Luna? It took me a while to figure it out because Ki was referring to some really old fashion Lycan practice. And I mean really, really, old. Okay, not quite land before the dinosaurs old, but more like the early history of Black Mountain old - like that's the very first Mountain, y'all. So like this practice was outdated even before all the Colored Mountains came to be.
Basically, it was the concept of inner circles. When Mrs Henderson first talked about cliches, I thought she was talking about the human version of inner circles.
Anyway, it's hard to explain to the modern wolf because it's so old and has a lot of historical social rules involves. We took an entire 10 weeks to study it in Lycan Study Group.
"Because many of our modern Lycan interactions and social customs were evolved from the concept of inner circles, it's important to really dig into our roots and understand them." Mrs Beta had explained when we had groaned about 10 weeks of etiquette lessons which we would never ever use - unless of course we went back in time. Or wanted to make friends with very ancient wolves.
Which brought to mind the tygers saying they would take care of me because Bell was now one of them now. I had assumed it was some tyger thing, but now I think they had meant a wolf type kind of inner circle. It made sense, they were all originally wolves too... The really ancient ones who probably still practiced outdated customs.
Basically, wolves run in multiple circles naturally. Like your family, or hunting party, or training group, or in our modern world, our workplaces and schools. Most of our circles were assigned to us, like at birth, or by our parents, or alpha, or circumstances. But an inner circle was a chosen group of wolves who may or may not be related to you.
Dad described them as "friends who stick closer than a brother".
I was pretty excited at first, and decided to start my own inner circle until I heard about all the original rules that came with it.
You know the saying, "Treat younger ladies as sisters, and older ladies as your own mothers?" Teacher SO had quoted it when we were warned about boy girl relationships before mating age.
He was actually quoting from inner circle rules, because in land of ancient wolves, male wolves pretty much ignored female wolves. Like they won't even look at them - especially if they found them attractive.
Which I thought was the most ridiculous thing but today, this practice continues in its modern form - you know, like how my betas pretend they don't notice the girls staring at them. Or how Henry and Marcus had been "disinterested" in Janice?
For every confusing moment of Lycan courtship, you could probably blame it on some social custom originating from Black Mountain.
Anyway, the only exception to the ignore the existence of female rule was towards females belonging to their inner circles.
Till today, male wolves (at least the really old fashioned ones from my Dad's generation) would always pay if their companion was a female - but this was because traditionally they wouldn't be out with a female unless she was their mate, their relative, or the mate or relative of another wolf in his inner circle - although this potentially scandalous situation was largely avoided under normal circumstances, and never alone.
There were a lot of rules.
Mum said the men would pay back in the day because the men were the ones who could conduct business, work jobs, and own land. Women usually stayed home with their pups. Way back in the day was a stooopid time.
Besides paying, they'd also open doors, pull out chairs, and help put on coats, and in general take care of their brother's mate and family. Because... I don't know why women can't do any of those things themselves way back in the day. Mum didn't explain.
But today, male wolves often do some or all of these things too, depending on how traditional their family and pack was.
For one thing, women in the Lorent are still unable to own land or businesses under their name. Night Forest too - even though Grandma Luna was an alpha wolf. It was Grandpa Silas and now Uncle Louis who had the deeds.
So Mrs Beta was right, for better or for worse, our roots from way back in Black Mountain had implications on the way things were now.
But my point was that I figured out what Ki was talking about all by myself. He said Henry would take my tab because of his relationship with Bell. And I knew Henry was from the Alpha Family of Silver Mountain Pack - which wasn't as old as Night Forest, but very few packs were, BUT liked to be fancy and follow complicated customs.
Therefore, Bell was now in Henry's inner circle. BOOM! I connected all the stupid dots and found all the implied meanings that wasn't said aloud. Who's the dumb puppy now?
Wait a minute there! So while I was mucking around in the warlock lands, playing ghost, and sleeping in (ON A SUNDAY T.T), Bell had gotten his revenge on his uncle, absorbed the power of a thousand year old warlock, and got himself recruited into the inner circle of ancient powerful Tygers?
Ignoring the fact that he became their King, I was still like a hundred steps behind him!
Dang. I have to step up my game here or he'll leave me behind.
"Goddess?" Ki turned to check on me, "Is everything alright?"
He touched my forehead with a glowing hand.
"I'm fine." I waved his hand away, "I was just thinking... Bell has been working really hard."
"He has something he wants to protect now." Ki smiled.
I wanted to ask what, but I got distracted by the sight of my phone suddenly fully charged, "How did you charge my phone so quick?"
I looked at the healer wolf smiling in front of me, "Did you HEAL it?"
Ki laughed then. Like more than a chuckle laughed. Then he showed me the charging station where my phone now sat.
I looked to the phone in the charging station, and then to the identical one in Ki's hand.
"I just switched to your second phone." Ki explained.
But, but, but... second phone? Please excuse me while my mind blows up.
"It used to be that we could simply switch out the batteries, but most phones can't do that anymore." Ki smiled at me, "However, we noticed the goddess was not fond of using a powerbank, and since we upgraded to a central back up server and all our devices are automatically synced, the simplest solution was to have duplicate phones. I supposed you can call this one Ben magic."
My jaw dropped again. It wasn't just my Luna. Even Ben seemed to have been working really hard.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
katisnow
katisnow Welcome to VOLUME 9 of Sam's Diary.
SNEAK PEEK:
Its the last week of school and the exams are over. Its like for better or worse, all the big bad things are over now.
At home, Sam's Pack goes to great lengths to clean up the aftermath of the rogue war, the warlock's defeat, and Jude's betrayal while keeping things around Sam "normal" in a bid to protect her from pushing herself too far.
In school, Sam finds her new status bewildering, her school play in dire straights, and as the Last Hurrah's debut draws near, Sam tries her best to leave Windershill on a good note.
Meanwhile, Bell attempts to fabricate a mild mannered and elegant luna image while secretly setting up his new tyger abode.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone