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Bryson, on the other hand, is not in awe. “Man!” He throws his glove to the floor. “That was our only ball.”
And it’s not coming down. “You don’t have any other balls to play with?”
“We did, but he hit one on the roof last time we were playing outside.”
I would suggest another form of entertainment, but the boys look so brokenhearted. “On the roof, you said?” I ask, weighing the pros and cons.
“We’re not supposed to go outside,” I’m reminded by Talia, one of the younger girls.
“I know, but it’ll only take me a minute.” I think so, anyway. Olivia, the oldest of the girls, sits next to me on the bleachers. “Will you keep an eye on things while I go out and see if I can get the ball?” The fact is the kids need some way to stay physical, or else they’re going to go truly stir crazy. Already, the players covering the pretend bases spaced around the auditorium are starting to get antsy.
“Come with me,” I tell Kyle, and he follows me outside. The day is bright, sunny, with a gentle warmth in the air that makes me seriously hate having to keep everyone inside. “Now, where is it?”
He leads me around to the rear of the building and points up. “You’re not going to climb all that way, are you?”
“Sure. Piece of cake. See the downspout running down the side of the building? I can climb up that.” I think. I’m starting to wonder if this is such a good idea at all, but I went and said I would do it, didn’t I?
“But what if you fall?”
“Then I’ll heal up. Remember, I have my wolf.” I would never tell him what I went through with the arrow to my chest, of course, but I have it in mind as I start to climb. It reminds me of when I was young and the mischief I would sometimes get into with Emma. Back before I was labeled the pack freak. Granted, I was always different, and the kids could somehow sense that, but they didn’t go out of their way to hurt me back then. And, like most kids who are treated like outsiders, I was always up for a challenge if it meant being the hero of the day.
In other words, I’ve done this a lot.
And just like when I was a kid, the moment I reach the roof and I’m about to shout out my victory, there’s a disapproving voice from down on the ground. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I look over my shoulder while reaching for the ball, which is stuck beneath the ledge running along the roof’s edge. Clarissa, one of the older members of the pack, maintains the orphanage and clearly doesn’t like seeing me up here. She’s glaring up with her hands on her hips while Kyle winces.
“They needed a ball.” The excuse rings out pretty weak, and I can tell even from a distance, it doesn’t help much.
“We can’t teach them that this sort of behavior is acceptable!”
“Sorry!” I call out, even though I have to try hard to keep from laughing. When I reach the ground again and toss Kyle the ball, we exchange a smile. I’m not lame enough to care whether a child likes me, but it can’t hurt to get them to listen to me. I can see this becoming a long-time arrangement so long as Clarissa doesn’t decide to complain about me to the alpha.
I hope she doesn’t. These kids… They need somebody to show them they aren’t alone. Like the twins, Opal and Iris, who lost both their parents during the first attack from the necromancers. They’re so young, sort of lost, even though they’re both trying to be brave for each other. It’s enough to make my heart break a little. I already feel protective of them.
No sooner do I return the ball than she claps her hands. “All right, everybody, it’s time for supper. You know the drill.”
“I’ll see you all tomorrow—and we’ll get this game going again,” I promise with a wink to Kyle, who grins before tossing the ball to Bryson. Clarissa gives them a sour look. She’s a pretty sour person, come to think of it.
I don’t have anything to do until Wilde’s family gathers for dinner later. I didn’t realize until now how I need to have something to do. I hate being unoccupied. And I want to feel useful. I don’t want anybody to regret bringing me here and keeping me here, even if I’m supposedly Wilde’s mate.
“Hey! You’re Lili, aren’t you?”
I turn at the sound of a young girl’s voice and find not one but two girls, who look like they’re in their mid-teens, coming my way. “I am,” I tell them. “Nice to meet you.”
