5 HOME IS WHERE THE WI-FI AUTOCONNECTS

Once back, Marco and Fred were working from home so they were busy, busy, busy! Particularly because I wasn't helping. I helped them set up but that was that. I was on leave. The company owed me a lot of make up leave anyway.

"Ah! Home is where the WiFi autoconnects!" Fred sighed when he realised his phone still remembered the password to Marco's family router. I looked at my phone too. Full signal. We were really home again.

Mona gave up waiting for me and went shopping by herself since there was very little work a front desk receptionist could do from home anyway.

I didnt feel like shopping anyway.

Instead I helped Dad clean and categorize his new collection of ancient lycan books. They had come in a large wooden crate. Dad bought it off an online auction. Library books from a "Winderhill High School" that was shut down last year.

Some of them were torn, but there was one that caught my heart like magic. I opened it and stared at the words. Of course I couldn't read it. So I looked at the pictures of the moon and the girl in a red hood and a large brown wolf... Oh. It looked like Christa's story. We used to call Christa Little Red Riding Hood. We even bought her a red hooded jacket for her birthday. And she really did find her happily ever after with her Alpha mate.

I flipped more pages. The paintings in the book were pretty. A lot of flowers. Some of the words were even in English. I think I would buy this book for Christa.

Just as I was turning the page to close it I saw a picture of a girl in white. She had blond curls, just like mine. It was just one picture. The rest were words.

I took a photo of the words and texted it to Harvey. "Can you translate this?"

I got a reply after midnight. I guess Harvey was working all day. I kind of regretted troubling him. But he had already translated it for me.

It was the story of the first werewolf. The girl had a bond with a white wolf named Shiiro. The wolf loved her very much and prayed everyday that he could be by her side forever. The girl prayed every night to find a man who would love and protect her and cook and clean for her. After a year of listening to their prayers, the moon goddess turned Shiiro into a man. He was the first werewolf and all his descendants were werewolves. He was also good at cleaning and cooking.

"Oh. Haha. Thanks. I owe you drinks." I texted Harvey.

"Np. I'll collect next week." Harvey replied.

Oh right. Next week, when he comes by to sign the portfolio.

And then Harvey texted again, "Btw, who is Marco? I was told he will be our accounts manager."

"Ah, yeah, I'll be the assitant manager to your account." I said, "Marco is my direct manager and he's really good."

"Right. Understood." And that was it.

I reread the translation and sighed. If only the moon goddess could hear my heartfelt prayers too. It's too bad I didn't have any heart to make them anymore.

But you know what? It would sure be nice if I could have a bit of Lycan magic in my life too.

F*** it. The tears I didn't know I had started falling again. I cried silently into my pillow.

Fine, I'll cry it out and tomorrow, I'll be back to my usual self again.

The next day, I helped Fred's mum at the flower shop in the morning. She was getting old and I think cleaning under the flower racks was hard. So was setting up the shop and changing the water pails.

I did it all for her. I knew how since I used to work my summers here.

"Why hasn't my Freddy asked you to marry him yet?" Aunt Rosa complained.

I just laughed it off.

Then I went over to Marco and Mona's family cafe to help their dad serve lunch. Which was my second summer job.

"What are you doing?" Uncle Max asked when the lunch crowd had cleared, "Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"

"I'm doing my vacation jobs." I grinned as I finished wiping the last table. I put the cleaning cloth and spray away at the front counter.

Uncle Max put a plate of pasta in front of me. "This job will only pay you in pasta though."

"That's good enough for me, thanks." I grinned.

"Why hasn't Marco asked you to marry him? My boy is a fool." Uncle Max said.

I laughed again. Only Uncle Max would ever think Marco as a fool.

The real question was, why hadn't anyone felt I was someone they wanted to marry? Well, Shilem did... Once upon a time...

I wondered if I had been wrong to return the ring. Maybe I should had let him explain, or given him a second chance when he had asked for it. But I had completely shut him out and left town.

I was too hurt. Back then, I thought it was my heart that hurt, but after Harvey, I realised the biggest hurt was my pride. If you really liked someone, even if it were just a long time crush, pride didn't matter all that much.

So I guess it was not a mistake to have returned the ring. My dad was right. I was too young.

I'm not too young now though. Just too broken.

"Why are you sighing like that Serene? Beautiful and smart girl like you should be going out there and enjoying your life. Don't wait for Marco. You can do much better." Uncle Max told me.

I really laughed then. Did Uncle Max think I was waiting for Marco. Hahahaha.

I shrugged, "Thanks, Uncle Max. But I better get going."

"Come again!" Uncle Max waved me off, "Especially during lunch hour."

So I did, and the next few days went by peacefully. Morning at Aunt Rosa's flower shop. Lunchtime at Uncle Max's cafe. The rest of the afternoon at home helping mum spring clean the basement. We'll have a spring clearance sale outside this weekend. I could help before getting back to Gate City on Sunday night.

I didn't really want to go back. Most people ran away from home... I ran away to home.

Maybe I should just quit my job.

On Wednesday the four of us got together at Fred's as usual. We watched the broadcast live from Central Covens.

The guys complained how the standard of fightdogs had dropped since the days of Keys and Rebel. And there was that fightdog, the one named after a number.... Seven! And there was... so many good fightdogs back then. And then they complained that our local channel didn't show Lycan arenas. The best fightdog shows were arguably there now. They started comparing. Central Coven had more gore. The Golden Arena had more action... the Silver Arena... the Blood Arena...

Okay...These two can go a long time discussing a lot of information that I didn't need to know.

And then Mona said that she met Shelly while shopping in the morning.

"She was like such a show off!" Mona went on to list the things Shelly showed off. She showed off the watch Shilem bought her, the bag Shilem bought her, the job at the mayor's office Shilem got her, and then how she could just skip work whenever she wanted because Shilem was her boss and never scolded her...

"Our highschool class is having a reunion tomorrow night. I told her we'd be there. We are going to show off our fancy jobs and designer bling! Serene, make sure you dress up!" Mona ordered.

I laughed, "I look a million dollars no matter what I wear."

And to my surprise, Mona shrieked at me, "Arugh! I hate you! Can't you tell I already had a bad day with Shelly showing off her fat ass?"

What? And then I laughed, "I was just joking, Mona. You're the million dollar girl."

"You'd certainly spent that much." Marco muttered. The guys high fived and laughed.

Mona huffed prettily, "Beauty always has a price."

After that Fred said that he needed to walk me home. Mona gave me one look and i immediately said, "No, thanks. I'll be safer without you."

But Fred insisted, even though it was only next door.

"Why don't you walk me home?" Mona whined.

"Because you can walk home with me, stupid." Marco scolded, "Come on, they are just going to walk five minutes. If you go home now, you can watch them from your bedroom window and make sure they don't kiss."

"What?" Mona pointed at me, "Dont you dare kiss my man." And then she ran home, "Ill be watching!"

I laughed and shook my head. We all regress a bit into our high school days when we were home.

As Fred walked me to my door he started saying, "Serene, I like you. I've liked you for a long time..."

"But Mona..." I interuppted. I didn't want to hear anymore.

"I know. I wanted to wait till Mona got tired of me, but its been years, and we're adults now. Just think about it, alright?" Fred sounded pleading. But I knew Mona was watching, and I knew how much she loved him.

"I can't. I can't even consider it. She's my best friend, Fred. She had loved you forever!" I said.

"Then why can't you consider my feelings? I had loved you forever too!" And with that, Fred turned away and left.

Later that night, Fred texted, "Don't answer, just think about it."

Stupid. I couldn't betray my best friend like that. But what should I do?