Induction by T.K. Eldridge (howl and other poems TXT) 📕

Sid

Sin and I slept in after our eventful evening. Instead of cooking, we decided to start Operation Whinygits at the diner in town. Moe’s Diner had the best corned beef hash in the state, so we were sure to have a decent audience. I chose a table in the center of the room and dropped into the chair with a heavy sigh. Sin kicked his chair out a bit and slouched into the seat. People were already starting to look and there were a few whispers. Shifter hearing being what it is, we could hear everything they were muttering to each other.

The joys of living in a somewhat tight-knit community of paranormals is that news travels fast. By the time Sin and I had driven out of the Academy the other day, news of our status and situation had spread to town. Now that a day or more had passed, everyone knew what had happened. Those who heard one version of the story were sharing it with those who had heard another version, making the whole thing grow beyond its reality.

A waitress came over and smiled at my brother. “What can I get you two?” I checked her name tag. Missy.

“I’d like the corned beef hash, fried potatoes, three eggs over easy and rye toast. Also, bring us a pot of coffee? Thanks,” I said.

Missy never looked at me, kept staring at Sin, but she did write my order down.

Sin gave her one of his panty-melter smiles but it never reached his eyes. “Missy, I’d like exactly what my sister ordered, but a double order of the potatoes and I’d prefer sourdough toast.”

Missy nearly tripped over her own feet as she hurried off to place the order and I arched a brow at Sin. “Flirting with the waitress? Isn’t it a bit early for that?” I said.

“What else have I got to do? Director Asshat, or should I say Grandfather has deemed us ineligible for his precious posse. I can’t go to med school this year, that’s all fucked up because Lord James decided we should go through his perfect Academy. We ace it and because we won’t dance to the tune he likes, we get screwed? Yeah, fine. We got his money, I’m gonna play,” Sin said.

Missy returned with the coffee, poured two mugs, set the carafe down on the table and smiled at Sin. “I get off at three. I’d be happy to play.”

Sin gave Missy a slow up-and-down perusal, then smirked. “Sure, if I don’t find a better toy by then, I’ll come back and play with you.”

I kicked him under the table and gave him a look that said he’d gone too far, but Missy didn’t even notice. She giggled and slipped Sin a scrap of a receipt that obviously had her number on it.

A table two spots away had two women seated there, whispering. Looked like a mother and daughter, out for breakfast. Mom and I used to like to go out together. I missed that. We would be doing that again when she got stronger, or so I promised myself.

“He’s handsome, Mom, and he’s always been nice to me,” the daughter whispered.

“Pretty face, ugly insides, Penny. Boys like that only want one thing from pretty girls like you,” her mother replied.

“Well, I’d let him have it,” the daughter teased.

“Not funny, Penny. After what he and his sister did, they should be in jail, not out having breakfast among normal people.”

“What they did? Mom, they got fired. By their grandfather. They weren’t even cops long enough to do anything. Also, I seriously doubt they cheated. They’re both brilliant. I’m not buying it.”

“Well, if they cheated, and their grandfather fired them, then he must know the truth. I don’t want you associating with them, Penny. Hear me?”

I sipped my coffee and looked up at Sin. He rolled his eyes, then smiled at Missy as she brought our plates. “Thank you,” I said to her. She didn’t even look at me, just leaned over enough to give Sin a look down her shirt as she put his plate down.

“Hope you don’t get boob lint in your eggs,” I said to Sin and Missy jerked back upright, glared at me, and stormed away. “Well, at least she can hear me. I was beginning to think I was invisible.”

Sin smirked and shook his head before he sat up and started to eat. We were both quiet for a few minutes, just eating and listening to the various bits of gossip around us.

“Wow, did you know I’ve slept with all of the male and half of the female graduating class at the university?” I said, eyes wide. “I wonder when I was supposed to be able to do that. Was it before or after I got valedictorian?”

“And I’m supposed to be a drug dealer. I’ve created a brand-new drug and it makes anyone who takes it, want me,” Sin said. In the back corner, two guys we knew from Benny’s crew, burst out laughing at Sin’s comment and gave him a thumbs up. It would appear that they were the only shifters in the restaurant.

“Gee, Sinclair, I didn’t know you had to drug your dates,” I teased. The food was good, but the bullshit we were listening to was ruining my appetite. “You almost done enough to get this show rolling?” That last bit was barely breathed in my brother’s direction.

He gave me the faintest of nods.

“You know this is all your fault, right?” I said, my voice pitched slightly louder than normal.

“How is this my fault? You’re the one who wouldn’t kiss the old bastard’s ring,” Sin said.

“It wasn’t his ring he wanted me to kiss. But you can kiss his ass all you want,” I said.

“We’ve already got the money, I’m not kissing anything. In fact, after he decided to lie about us and take our badges, he can kiss my ass,” Sin said and finished his coffee.

“I think we should just celebrate our freedom. Shop, party, whatever we want,” I said.

I could hear the indignant whispers of how we were clearly spoiled brats with no sense of civic duty. If they only knew.

“Sounds like a plan to me, sis,” Sin said. “Let’s go.” He dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table and we got up and left.

Whether he ever called Missy, it wouldn’t matter. She just made eighty bucks.