THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL

23 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, CONTINUED

Mum and Mrs Beta watched as Lizzy led the puffy eyed little girl away. I think they were still deciding what to do. And then we heard Lizzy say, "I know what you need. Let's go upstairs and put some glitter on your nails."

Because we all know glitter made everything better. Hahaha.

After a moment, Mum relaxed with a little sigh, "Your Lizzy is so good with Sabre."

Mrs Beta's shoulders relaxed and she smiled, "Yes, Lizzy's an angel, for most times anyway."

"Yeah, yeah. Lizzy's the angel. Ben's the devil. Harvey's the good beta, Ben's the bad one." Ben stabbed his lasagna.

"I don't mean it that way. You don't necessarily have to be the polar opposite, Ben." Mrs Beta tried to explain.

Although it was true. He was pretty much on the other end of the spectrum here.

"Whatever. I don't care." Ben decided. He stuck the forkful of lasagna into his mouth.

Mrs Beta sighed, "Ben, it's only your first year of shift, and you even shifted a year early. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

"I said I don't care." Ben insisted, "Nevermind. Just forget I said anything okay?"

He wasn't lying, at least I didn't sense it. I decided to go back to my lasagna too, but Mum wasn't someone who could just let Ben's momentary outburst go without saying anything.

"Sam, do you think Ben's a bad beta?" Mum asked.

Eh? I froze in mid chew and swallowed.

Suddenly the table - or at least whoever was left at the table took pause to hear my response.

"Go on, Sam." Mum said encouragingly, "You know it's good for the alpha to give regular feedback."

"Yes, Sam." Mrs Beta nodded, "I am also curious about how Ben is doing as your beta. Please feel free to let him know how to improve."

Seriously? Like did it have to be right now? I poked the last piece of my lasagna around my plate.

"Urm... He's okay." I managed.

"Just okay?" Ben challenged.

I flared, "No, you're amazing. You're the most wonderful beta that could be born to an alpha. You're the ultimate beta. After the goddess made you, she realized she made a mistake because your were PERFECT. You're amazingly, fantastically, supercallafragelistically, absolutely mind blowing."

There! Let's see how you like that, Beta!

But Ben only smirked, "Yeah, that's what all the girls say too."

And then he laughed. I blinked.

"Ben!" His mother scolded primly.

I blinked again. I think Ben was just joking but why would any girl even say that to Ben?

But now I laughed too. Because Ben was easy to be with like this. He didn't get hung up over stuff like what people thought about him or feelings of inadequacy - which was like what I would do should my performance be brought to the table for discussion - which Mum and Mrs Beta literally did to Ben.

I think if I were in Ben's shoes now, I'd probably need to soak in my bath until my failure/lack of success seeped out of my pruney wrinkled skin.

Ben didn't care. He did his job. He was too logical to need to soak in bubblebaths. And I could always count on him to get my back, to get my joke, to pretty much get me overall. Which was pretty cool now that I really stopped to think about it.

"Okay, seriously, Ben's bad. But only in the way that best for me." I said, "Mum, you saw how it was at the Lorent's today right? Ben trashed their place, yes... but did you see the look on their faces when he threatened to stay with Bell?"

I laughed at the memory, "If he wasn't bad, I wouldn't have Bell safe at home with me now."

"Ben trashed the Lorent's place?" Now this was news to Mrs Beta, and for some reason, she caught on to the side point.

"Oh, yes. Ben was brilliant." Mum told her, "Even the lady Amber praised his strength!"

That was not how I remembered it.

Ben was looking down at the lasagna tray in front of him, but he wasn't eating. Why was his ears red? Omo was he feeling shy at being praised? Heh, heh, heh.

"And did you know, even though he's young, he's scary fierce?" I continued, "Even the fight dogs are afraid of him. They all call him the scary beta."

"Ki tells me that Ben has an impressive skill set for one so young." Mum chipped in. If she heard that much from Ki, why did she have to ask me?

Ben tried to take a drink of water and pretend he didn't care.

"An impressive skill set huh?" I repeated because how often would I get this chance to tease my beta? "Is that what all the girls say too?"

Ben choked and the water came back out through his nose. Hahahahaha.

{So fun!}

"Sam!" Mum scolded. But I was laughing too hard to care.

"Whatever." Ben said, because he recovered quickly enough.

But he decided to add, just so everyone was clear about it, "Ki was refering to my computer skills."

I finished my lasagna, suddenly enjoying my meal again.

Yeah, I think Ben was one thing the goddess didn't mess up in my life. Okay, fine, I did use to complain about him and Jonah because they were stooopid boys. They were still stooopid boys, but I've come to realize that I liked them this way just the way they were.

"Harvey's my good beta, yes. But I need a bad beta too." I concluded.

"That doesn't even make sense, Sam." Now that Ben had recovered from his temporary laspe into embaressment, he was back at telling me I was wrong again, "Wouldn't it be better to have two good betas?"

"What would be the fun in that?" I grinned.

"Oh Sam!" Mum shook her head, but she was smiling.

But if Harvey was my good beta, and Ben was my bad beta? What did that make Ki?

"He's your dog." Ben answered.

"Ben! That's not very nice." Mrs Beta informed him.

"I know." Ben smirked, "I'm the bad beta, remember. I don't have to be nice."

From this day on, Ben would wear his bad beta badge with pride.

"What about the good the bad and the ugly?" Mum asked with a laugh.

"What's that?" I asked blankly, why was Mum calling Ki ugly? That was not only uncharacteristic of her, it was also inconceivable of Ki.

I mean, have you seen my beta?

"Oh." Mum realized I didn't get her reference. Mrs Beta did though, because she was nodding and laughing.

"It's the title of an old movie, Sam." Mum said, and then as an afterthought she said, "Maybe it should be more like the good, the bad, and the beautiful."

And then Mum and Mrs Beta laughed like it was a very clever and witty twist.

"Do you remember, Luna?" Mrs Beta asked, "That was our first double date."

Mum laughed, "I remember someone spilling the popcorn."

"That was Lucas." Mrs Willow was laughing all over again, "He said he was too nervous because it was our first date."

"Really?" Mum mused aloud, "I've always wondered though... If he were only covering up for his alpha."

Mrs Beta covered her mouth with a hand, "You think?"

Mum nodded and then the two ladies giggled because they forgot their first date was like eons ago, and their present was dinner with only their two teenagers - specifically the two who didn't giggle or gasp over first date stories.

Ben rolled his eyes from across the table at me. I laughed and shrugged it off, "If we ever go on a double date and I spilled the popcorn, you'd have to cover for me too."

"I won't just cover for you." Ben promised, or threatened, I'm not sure which, "I'll toss all the popcorn at the rest of the audience and get us kicked out of the cinema."

"Yup, that's my beta!" I nodded my approval.

"Oh, Sam!" Mum sighed, "The both of you aren't puppies anymore."

"Ben, family rule 5: we always do our utmost to be considerate and not cause trouble for others." Mrs Beta reminded Ben.

The beta family had a lot of rules. It was like their ten commandments, but longer.

"Yeah, yeah, Mum. From now on, I'd only joke about doing considerate things." Ben promised (but in his sacarstic deadpan).

I laughed, "That would be a joke. No one would believe it."

Ben's laugh was immediately. He even made a pfffttt sound before it, so it sounded like he hadn't meant to laugh, but it just came out. Which was very satisfying since I was the one who told the joke. And then mum and Mrs Beta laughed too.

Later on, Lizzy came downstairs on her own. She had helped put Sabre in bed, although not in her pyjamas and she forgot that Sabre needed to brush her teeth. BUT Sabre's nails were glittering like the milky way now.

And she also found out why Sabre was upset. For some reason, the little human thought that Savy had left because she kept bugging her to play.

And when Savy didn't come back, the little human thought that Mum would blame her for it if she found out and not want her anymore.

So while she missed Savy very much, she was also terrified that Savy would return and complain about her to Mum. And then she had to feel guilty - not just for causing Savy to leave and not come back, but for hoping just a little that Savy might not come back.

I was honestly surprised that a 5 year old (or was she 6?) could overthink something like that.

Mum and Mrs Beta tsked and shook their heads and told each other what a poor dear Sabre was."

Lizzy shrugged, "Anyway, I told her it wasn't anything to do with her. Savy left to help someone and got into trouble. We prayed to the moon goddess for Savy to come home and she fell asleep."

"Thank you Lizzy." Mum was truly grateful, "No wonder she wouldn't tell me."

"Poor child." Mrs Beta said, "This incident must have shaken her new found sense of security."

"What should I do, Willow?" Mum asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I have some books on human child development. Let me go back and check." Mrs Beta said.

"Thank you. I would appreciate any advice you can give me." Mum said as if Mrs Willow was the human whisperer.

"Don't worry, Luna." Mrs Beta said, "I think you're doing a wonderful job. Look at how well she has integrated with our pack."

Which was true. At times, I'd forget that Sabre was human.

"That's why I worry." Mum said, "Sometimes I get the feeling that she's pushing herself to please everyone - especially me, just so she can be accepted."

That's called adaption, Mum. It's what living things did to survive.

Mum sighed, "I just hope that one day she'll realize that we love her just the way she is."

Then just tell her. It's not like Sabre didn't understand English.

"Just keep telling her Luna, and one day she'll wake up and realize how loved she is." Mrs Beta smiled.

Mum nodded, "Thanks Willow. You've been such a big support for me with Sabre..."

The two women walked away from us towards the front door.

Lizzy shrugged, "Well, I guess it's time to go home. Where are you staying at tonight?"

"Ben, go home." I decided almost immediately, "Beta Lucas isn't home so you'd be the only man around."

"As opposed to you?" Ben asked.

"Don't worry about me. I've got a tower full of men." I pointed out.

Ben frowned, "That really doesn't sound safer, Sam. But whatever. I'm just next door anyway. Just mindlink if you need anything."

And that was that. The beta family went home. Mum went up to check on Sabre. Me too. I mean, I just wanted a quick peek. Not that I was worried or anything.

Sabre was sleeping in her princess bed. Lizzy had already tucked her in, so Mum just adjusted the quilt and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"You know Mum, the first time I got lost, I was really scared. I thought I'd never see any of you ever again. But dad found me." I said. (Of course Dad was also the one who left me there in the first place.)

"And then I got lost again, and again, and again... You know, but Dad or Beta Lucas or someone would always find me. And after a while, I stopped being afriad of getting lost, because I knew someone would definitely find me. Sabre's a smart kid. She'll figure it out too."

When I was done speaking, Mum was smiling but her eyes were teary, "Thanks, Sam. But in your case," she reached out and tucked a stray lock of blue hair behind my ear, "I think being a little afriad would do probably keep you safer."