Chapter 46 - Cody

Friday 25 December

~*Cody’s POV*~

“Cody, can you please pass the gravy?”

“Sure thing, Mum,” I answered, picking up the gravy boat and passing it to her. She was sitting diagonally opposite me at the dining table. Dad was directly opposite me, and Nat was seated to my left.

It was Christmas, and the camp had taken the day off to allow all the attendees to spend the day with their families. Much to Dad’s annoyance, Mum had invited Nat to join us for lunch: a lamb roast with all the usual trimmings.

We had been sitting at the dining table for about half an hour now and Dad had barely said two words the entire time. His reluctance to have Nat eat with us was quickly verging on pettiness, but Mum and I were trying our best to keep the mood upbeat.

I had my doubts that we were fooling anyone.

Nat was still getting used to talking to her wolf. Just like Dad, she had barely said two words since we had sat down to eat, but she was constantly tipping her head to the side or staring off into the middle distance, which let us know she was listening to or talking with her wolf. I remembered how much of an adjustment period it had been for me when I first started hearing Roux, so I thought Nat was doing remarkably well. Dad, however, scowled every time he saw Nat lose focus.

“Mum, have you heard from Takeshi today?” I asked, noticing Dad’s knuckles whiten as he clenched his cutlery. “He wasn’t in my meeting with the camp leaders yesterday. Apparently, he took ill at lunch or something?”

Mum chewed and swallowed her mouthful before she answered. “I haven’t seen him today, because I was getting lunch ready, but I saw him last night. He’ll be out of action for the next few days. Spence is taking over the reins until he’s feeling better.” She popped another forkful of food into her mouth.

“Good thing too, if you ask me,” Dad muttered under his breath. “Maybe now we can get some things done around here.”

Mum placed her hand over his in what looked like a calming gesture, but I knew from experience it was a warning. “That’s why it’s a good thing no-one asked you, darling.”

I swallowed when I saw Dad’s hand tremble from rage underneath Mum’s. She glared at him, but it didn’t do any good. I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

“Ha! Good quote, Mum,” I said nervously, trying to break the tension that had suddenly filled the room. “The Dish, right? I haven’t watched that movie in ages.” I stared at Mum, silently begging for her to pick up the lifeline I was throwing her.

She smiled a thanks at me. “Right! One of my favourites.” She lifted her hand from Dad’s when he settled down, and his skin colour started returning to normal. “Maybe we could watch it later?”

“Absolutely.” I shoved a mouthful of food into my mouth to hide my sigh of relief. Crisis averted. For now, at least.

I glanced over at the head of the table where we had left an empty plate. Every Christmas lunch we honoured Daddy with an empty plate at the dining table before we went to visit him at the local cemetery. We weren’t the only family that made the trek out on Christmas afternoon. Many families that lost loved ones on Black Saturday visited to remember them. Takeshi normally made the visit, both as a grieving husband and father, but also as the Alpha of the pack. With him out of action because of illness, it would be Spence to take on that role today.

Staring at the empty plate, I wondered if having a physical reminder of Daddy’s death while we ate was healthy for Mum and Dad after all this time. It had been over ten years, and their grief was still raw. Was this prolonging their grief? I didn’t know, but I wasn’t willing to ask to find out.

Once we had finished eating, Dad decided he would clear the table. I think he just wanted to get away from us, if only for a couple of minutes. Nat excused herself to go to the bathroom, which left me and Mum.

“Cody?”

“Mm?” I picked up the glass of water to take a sip, only half paying attention to what she was saying, as Roux had decided now was the perfect time to sing Christmas Carol’s. It was proving to be rather distracting.

“Bells told me something alarming about Tatum.”

I froze with the glass at my lips.

“Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!” Roux projected rotating alarm lights into my mind.

“You spend a lot of time with Tatum. Have you noticed anything different about him recently?” Mum watched me intently.

“Abort! Abort!” I didn’t know if it was Roux or my own mind that started playing the sound of the Death Star alarm in my head, but suddenly it was all I could hear.

I swallowed and slowly returned my glass to the table. “Um… Not recently…” I wasn’t technically lying. He’d been an arse for two years now, and an absolute turd for months now. Surely, I could make the argument that ‘recent’ meant mere days, or at worst, a couple of weeks.

“Cody…” Mum narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t lie to me.”

I sat back in my chair and tried to feign a nonchalant position. I didn’t have a care in the world. Look at me, not caring. Totally at ease over here.

“I’m not lying.” Yeah, even I didn’t believe that.

“Sell it better.”

“Yes, thank you, Roux.” I imagined rolling my eyes at Roux. She huffed at me in response.

“You know you can tell us anything, right?” Mum started the tried-and-true method of guilt shaming. Great.

I flicked my eyes quickly towards Dad, who was still at the kitchen sink, then back at Mum. Even though he looked busy, I knew he could hear everything we were saying. “Of course, Mum. I haven’t noticed anything. Sorry.”

Mum got the hint and gave the slightest of nods. “Okay. If you notice anything, you’ll come and tell us, yeah?”

I recognised the out she was giving me, and I wholeheartedly took it with both hands. “Totally.” I may have nodded a little too enthusiastically, judging by the look on Mum’s face. Oh, well. She knows what I’m like.

Thankfully, Nat came back to save me from any more embarrassment. I knew Mum would interrogate me later when she got me alone, but that gave me time to prepare myself better.

“Lunch has been fantastic, Auden.” Nat looked at Mum, then Dad. “Jackie.” Mum smiled at her; Dad grunted noncommittally. “Cody told me earlier that you’re all going to the cemetery this afternoon.” She paused when Mum nodded. “I don’t want to intrude, so I’ll take my leave now, if that’s okay?”

No! Don’t leave me alone with these two! I mentally pleaded with Nat to stay with me. This was the first Christmas where I could have support from someone my age! Couldn’t she see my eyes? How much more saucer-like do they need to be for her to get the message?

“Of course, Nat.” Mum grasped her hand warmly. “Thank you for considering us that way.”

Nat nodded, grabbed her phone from the table, and turned to me. “I’ll see you back at the apartment later, yeah, Cody?”

I huffed. She was leaving me. Fine. “Yeah, Nat. I’ll see you in time for dinner.” Getting up, I hugged her, but refrained from whisper-begging her to stay. I was eighteen. An adult. I could totally do this.

“Cody, you can do anything you set your mind to. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you anything different.”

I still had my arms around Nat when Roux said that. I blinked, my eyes suddenly brimming with tears at Roux’s kindness. “Roux? You’re being nice to me? It’s a Christmas miracle!”

“Oh, fuck off, Cody. If this is what I get for being nice, I’ll never do it again.”

Nat let out a quiet giggle. “Roux’s right, Cody. The world is your oyster. Let no-one tell you differently,” she whispered into my ear, before letting me go.

I froze in place. What? I frowned at Nat. She had heard Roux?

Wait…

What?

“I’ll tell you later,” Nat said quietly to me, before turning back to Mum. “I’ll catch you tomorrow for our meeting, Auden, yeah?”

“Indeed you will, Nat.” Mum rose from her chair. “Let me walk you out.”

I collapsed back into my chair while Mum walked Nat to the front door.

“Roux?”

“I’m just as shocked as you are, Cody. She shouldn’t be able to do that.”

I suddenly felt like everything they had taught me about werewolves was a lie. “Huh.”

“Precisely my thoughts on the matter.”

I was broken out of my shell-shock when Mum came back. “Cody? I feel like some hazelnut coffee from downstairs. Care to join me before we head to the cemetery?”

“Sure, Mum.” I grabbed my phone and within minutes we were standing in front of the fancy coffee machine in the cafeteria that cost money, rather than the regular percolator everyone used for free, waiting for it to dispense our coffees.

“Talk to me, Cody.” Mum said, as she faced the machine. “What’s Tatum been up to?”

I looked at the machine and sighed. I could play the ‘let’s not look at each other while we talk’ game just as well as she could. “He’s been goading Bells into beating him.”

Mum stiffened next to me. “Bells said that, but I didn’t want to believe it.”

“It’s been going on ever since they turned eighteen.” I leaned forward to grab my coffee from the machine. “Tatum started getting unpleasant after he turned sixteen, but he became brutal when they started shifting.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mum crossed her arms in annoyance, presumably at the machine for taking so long.

“Honestly?” I turned around and leaned my back against the wall next to the machine to face Mum. “I didn’t know until we were halfway through our exam period.”

“But that was weeks ago, Cody. Why did you stay quiet?” She turned her annoyed eyes on me. Okay, maybe she was pissed at me and not at the coffee machine.

“Bells said he had everything under control.” I watched as Mum ground her teeth. “But it’s gotten much worse since Nat’s been here.”

“How so?”

“The happier Bells is, the angrier Tatum is. The happier Tatum is, the more upset Bells is.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Nat makes Bells extraordinarily happy. You do the math.”

“Ah.” Mum leaned down to finally snag her coffee from the machine. “Tatum wants to keep Bells miserable, so he makes Bells beat him, knowing that it would upset him.”

“Right.”

“But he never fights back?” Mum frowned as she took a sip from her cup and led me to a corner table in the empty cafeteria.

“That’s what Bells has told me.”

“I wonder why?”

I took another sip before I responded. “I think it’s because Tatum gets off on the control he has over Bells. It’s the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to his brother. Like, see what I can make you do? See how you can’t stop yourself even when I don’t fight back? It’s all a game to him. And to do it to his twin brother? It’s the ultimate control.”

Mum sat there, sipping her coffee as she took it all in. “I guess the one saving grace in all of this is he’s only exerting control over his brother.”

The colour drained from my face, and I looked away. “Mm…” It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Cody…?” Mum put her hand over mine. “What are you not telling me?”

“It’s not only Bells anymore,” I whispered, still looking at everything except Mum.

“What do you mean, Cody?” Her hold on my hand tightened.

Slowly, I brought my eyes back to Mum’s. “He’s been playing ‘drinking games’ with me.”

Mum narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

“For every full glass of alcohol I drink, Bells gets one free day from Tatum’s taunting. I won Bells a free week last Saturday, but I told Bells I couldn’t keep doing it.” I tried to lighten the mood. “The hangover on Sunday was a bitch.” I grinned at her.

“Oh, Cody…” Mum closed her eyes, sounding bereft.

“It’s okay, Mum.” I placed my hand over hers to placate her. “I won’t do it again. It’s not like I can afford to do it every weekend, you know?”

“It won’t matter. He knows he can do it to you now. He’ll find another way.” She raised her fingers to her temple and started massaging. “If it’s not you or Bells, Tatum will find someone else to torment.”

I drained my cup. “What do we do? There must be something, right?”

“I don’t know, Cody.” She leaned back in her seat. “I really don’t know.”