Capítulo 21: Chapter 21- Rika – Ironing out the Details (VOLUME 1)
*~*Rika's POV*~*
The dreaded time came. I needed to head over to Reagan's place, and there was no way of getting out of it. Not with me being the responsible person that I was. However, I did leave almost at the last minute, so that I got to his place with just moments to spare before the others were due to arrive.
Also, I was planning on leaving at the same time that the others were. If I had to, I would offer to drive them home so that I was able to leave right away. There was a lot that I could do to make this all a little easier on me. And with those plans in mind, I arrived at the other building and headed upstairs.
It seems that I had arrived a little later than I had planned on. I was getting out at the valet when the others were walking hesitantly toward the building.
"I..is this really the building?" Dale asked as he looked up.
"It's the right place." I said as I handed over my key and took my ticket from the valet driver. "Come on, I will walk up with you." Yes, this was all that much better. I was going to walk in with them and leave with them. There was no time during all of this that I would be able to be questioned.
"Prin-."
"Just call me Rika, please." I stopped Hector before he was able to say my name and title. "Come on, I will take you up to the condo that Reagan shares with Levi and Luka."
"Oh, so they are sharing a place." Sam looked a little more relieved.
"Yes, and Lyssa and Alexa have one here as well. And I do believe that Ilana and Ashle are moving into one, and Cypress and Beech are getting another. My cousin, Elias, is getting one in another building."
"Do you not live here, Prin-, uhm, Rika?"
"No, I live in another building." I told them as we walked into the lobby and onto the elevator.
"Oh, so you wanted privacy, I get it." Sam nodded. "I have a lot of siblings, and all that I want is a place of my own with no one else for a while. I want to have that peace and calmness that comes with that."
"I definitely get that." I smiled and laughed at the words. However, I didn't tell her that sometimes that quiet and alone feeling made me want to cry from the empty feeling it left inside of me. I was missing a big part of me without my wolf there to keep me company.
"I can't wait until I can get a dorm to myself, or an apartment. It's hectic having a roommate that I don't know all that well. She and I didn't click that much last year, and now we're just awkward with each other."
"That has to be hard. I am sorry." I consoled her as we stepped out into the hall and toward Reagan's door. "At least you have friends in all of us." I assured her as I knocked on the door.
"Rika." Reagan said as he opened the door. "You're running late. And I see you brought our friends with you."
"I ran into them downstairs and walked them up. I thought that it would help them out a lot." I smiled and stepped inside. It was clear that he wanted to talk to me, and he was annoyed by my late arrival. "Also, I have offered to drive them back to the campus when this is over, so that they won't be leaving and walking alone in the dark." The three of them didn't say anything to deny this, which was good, but Reagan looked like he was a little angry at my escape route. I had been right about it all. He wanted to question me, even though he had said that he wouldn't. Damn siblings, they never stick to what they say.
We all sat in the large living room of the condo. It was spacious and could fit at least three of my living rooms, and mine wasn't small. This was just too much for the three of them. Then again, if they had company like this a lot, then it was necessary. Not that I would admit that to them. Once we were all seated, we started to get some food.
Reagan and the others had gotten pizza, as it was a universal favorite, but they also ordered some other take out, and this was a good one. Chinese! I loved the dumplings, the rice, the chop suey, the meats and the vegetables. It was all so good. And that is what I filled my plate with. The others got a mix of the two, and that was good as well.
The talk started out pretty slow, as we were all eating as well. We initially talked about what our goals were and how we had similar ideas. I told Hector, Sam and Dale that we had gotten together not that long ago and discussed what it was that we wanted to do this year. We had already planned on joining clubs to help people trust us and accept us. If there was a group meant just for that, then it was all that much better. I didn't want to join a million groups, so one was better for us.
We talked about what the ideals of the group would be. We would want humans and nonhumans alike to feel safe, welcomed, and comfortable. We would make sure that no one ever felt threatened or scared. And we would let everyone have a voice. There was no way to foster understanding if people weren't given the chance to talk and say what they needed to.
The events that we wanted to hold would vary depending on the month, the season, and the amount of volunteers. We would do a sort of school beautification project that would allow us to improve things on the campus. We would host the Halloween dance and other parties and events that got us mingling with the humans. We would meet once or twice a month for people to talk about things that were still confusing to them or bothering them. It wasn't a lot, but it was a way for us to get a hand in what people needed to be taken care of.
We would also do community outreach. This would help us to branch out into the city itself. We would work as humans and nonhumans together to help as many people as we could. We would make sure that the community knew that there was no anger, fear, or unease in our group.
All in all, there was a lot of good that we were wanting to do in this group, and we were going to make sure that we managed to get it all done. I felt really good about all of these plans by the end of the night. And I was sure that the others were feeling the same, especially with all the smiles and the laughter that was going around at the end of the night.
Finally, it came time for the others to leave, and my convenient escape plan was underway. I didn't want to let the others know that I didn't want to talk to them, but I didn't want to tell them what was going on either. It was a hard situation with me, and I wasn't sure how I was going to get past it all.
"Come on guys, I will drive you back." I told them as I held the door open for them. They nodded and again said nothing. It wasn't until we were in the elevator that Sam said something.
"You don't need to drive us back, Rika. I don't know why you wanted to have an excuse to leave, but we weren't going to say anything about it."
"No, I am driving you back. I have a car here anyway. No need to walk when I can drop you off. And I appreciate you not saying anything. It's just that I..I am going through some things right now. And I don't really want to talk to my brother about it. However, he won't drop it. We had a fight last night, and we made up this morning, but I do not want to let things get bad again. So, I decided to leave early, and to arrive late."
"I have fights with my brothers too." She smiled at me and rubbed my arm gently. "I know how awkward it can be. Although, you and your brother seem to be a lot closer than I am with my brother. I would hate to see you fighting too much."
"Don't worry." I was handing my ticket to the valet, so I didn't need to look her in the eyes yet. "We will be fine. It's nothing really, just a personal problem of mine that he is trying to meddle in."
"He is probably just worried about you." Dale offered.
"He might be, but that can be annoying. I mean, my brother interferes a lot too, and I hate it. Don't worry, Rika, things will be fine." Sam smiled and her soft features crinkled.
"Thank you."
After driving them home, I intended to go to sleep. I thought that I was too tired for anything else, but Andre surprised me and decided to message me. We talked a lot that night, sending messages back and forth about our upcoming date and other things about ourselves. He was really wanting to get to know me, and that led to me asking more about him.
He was truly a nice guy, even if he was a lot older than I was. He didn't act like that, or even carry himself like he was that much older than me. I had met some vampires that you could tell instantly that they were from a different era, and then there were those like Andre and Uncle Dietrich, they were so easy to get along with and to listen to. It was nearly impossible to tell that they weren't born in this century.
:Andre:
Are you sure that you are OK?
He sent me that message at nearly one in the morning. I hadn't been paying attention, but I guess that looking back, my answers weren't happy and filled with life.
:Me:
Yeah, I am just tired. And I have a lot on my mind. We are starting a group at the university to help the humans accept and connect with us. It's a lot of work.
I used tonight's meeting as an excuse.
:Andre:
As long as you are sure. I need to get some sleep though. As you know, we vampires still need sleep, unlike in the movies. 🤣🧛♀️
His emojis made me laugh.
:Me:
Goodnight.
:Andre:
Goodnight.
I drifted off to sleep not long after that, still feeling uneasy about everything, yet also chuckling at his little emojis.
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