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Me too. The Council might not know that, though,Kaden replied.
“Anything else?” My grandfather waited for barely a second before moving on. “We’ve come to go over our expectations.”
Their what?Sai blurted.
“Every person who lives in the compounds over the age of ten is required to be an active member of the community. They each have a job, training, and our younger members have school. Since we normally send our teens to one of the academies, I’ve arranged for tutors to continue your studies while you’re here. We have witches and a few vampires who live here and have agreed to work with you.”
“Thank you,” I offered when he paused. I didn’t know what else he would want me to say.
“I have your job assignments.” Tom eyed us as if he expected some sort of protest, but we stayed silent. “Kaden, you will work construction with our brother Steven. Theo, you will work in the main clinic with Carol. Niall, you will work downstairs in the main office with Nancy. Sai, you will work maintenance with our brother Rodney. Saige, you’ll work in the service department with Gloria.”
The guys spoke over each other too fast for me to understand any of them. I leaned away, breaking free of the connection to clear my head.
“What does the service department do?” It seemed a fair question, but Tom pressed his lips together with a brief flare of his nostrils like he wanted to ignore me.
“Each of you will receive a detailed explanation when you arrive for your first shifts on Monday.”
“The service department is pretty much a catchall for the needs of the community outside any of the others,” Rainer explained.
At least one of my uncles had some patience.
He continued. “People might need help cooking, cleaning, or watching their children. Or you might tend to a family’s garden or pets if they are out of town. You might help with community events hosted in the Alpha’s house.”
I nodded. That sounded good to me. At least I wouldn’t be stuck working with Tom every day, and the pack could get to know me as a helpful part of the community.
“Do you guys have a farm?” Theo asked.
His question seemed random until I remembered the Academy’s farm had been his, and Niall’s, source of blood.
“Some communities do,” The Alpha answered. “We are not completely off the grid. We have bi-weekly food deliveries. Some families have personal gardens, but those are supplementary to what we provide.”
Theo nodded slowly. “But you have vampires here?”
The Alpha tilted his head back. “We will supply you with blood.”
“I can work out the details with you,” Rainer offered, and Theo thanked him.
“I’m a bit confused,” I admitted. “Do all the members of the community eat their meals here or––”
“No,” Tom cut me off. “They get the food they need from the community store, and each house has a kitchen. Most families eat together for every meal unless their job location is too far to make it back for lunch.”
“The only meals we have here are for pack celebrations or holidays,” Rainer added, and I smiled.
“Okay.” I was beginning to understand how their society functioned, but I knew there would be a million more questions popping up as I saw more.
“You need to report to your supervisors for an onboarding meeting at one.” Tom lifted his wrist and checked his watch. “Which is in forty-three minutes.”
We had less than an hour for all five of us to get ready? I was ready to jump up and run to the bathroom, but the Alpha spoke.
“Nancy will have each of your work, study, and training schedules downstairs when you leave, so make sure you take yours. You will be responsible for attending. No one will be around to remind you. If I hear that any of you are slacking or not taking things seriously, there will be consequences.”
On that happy note, the three of them stood and let themselves out.
“Shit.” Theo grumbled the second the door shut.
“They can probably still hear you,” Sai warned. “I can hear their footsteps.”
Kaden nodded, and I listened. “I don’t hear them.”
