141 Chapter 140: Nothing but trouble

Now that she thought about it, she had never seen Heidi with anyone else than Mikhail. She even remembered how sensitive Heidi was when it came to matters about him. But from the looks of it, the two of them were not related by blood. She suddenly felt guilty, not knowing something that concerned the wellbeing of someone from her pack. How could she be a good Luna when she was not sensitive to the plight of her pack members? She thought sadly. 

Elize looked around the area, where people huddled together n groups, talking to each other. Now and then, someone from Sam's pack sneaked a glance at her, quickly looking away as she met their gaze head-on. It hadn't taken much time for Sam to apologize to Zack, but his half-heartedness was visible. Nevertheless, Zack accepted the apology, drawing him to the side to discuss something. It's been at least twenty minutes since then, and their discussion was still going on with Lang Jin and Mikhail joining the two. 

"What do you think of all this?" Elize asked, turning to her friends. 

Agatha and Legolas sat next to her, with the witch leaning on the elf. She had a soft smile on her face as she lounged on his chest. The witch shrugged at the question, her brows scrunching together in confusion. Elize looked at Legolas and raised her brows, hoping that at least he'd have an answer. 

"I don't know," Legolas said with a sigh. "I'm as confused as you are." 

Elize sighed, mimicking her friend's movements. She leaned back on the chair and picked up a cold piece of pizza from the dinner table. Chewing on it, she said, "At least your issue got solved."

"What issue?" Legolas asked with a wink. 

"HA-HA," She said, faking a laugh. "Don't forget that it was I who helped you two to get together." She replied with a full mouth. 

Agatha smiled tiredly, blowing a kiss at her. 

"You look tired." Elize said, looking at the witch, "Why don't you guys go to the hotel? I'll see you in a while."

"Are you sure?" The witch asked with a frown, "You want to stay here alone?"

"It's fine." She said, nodding her head. "Zack is here, and so is Mikhail. I'll be fine."

"Hmm, okay," Agatha replied, suppressing a yawn. 

Legolas slowly stood up, looking at her gratefully. Taking Agatha in his arms, he asked, "We'll see you in the morning then?"

"Yeah," Elize said, shooing them away playfully. "Take care."

"You too," Agatha said, waving at her before the two disappeared from the room. 

Elize sighed, turning back to the cold food on the table. She picked up a piece of fried chicken and dipped it in mayo before pushing it into her mouth. All the drama had made her hungry. As she slowly chewed on the crunchy meat, a slow satisfied smile formed on her face. Somehow food always had the power to make her feel at ease, she thought, relishing the taste of the juicy chicken. As she closed her eyes in contentment, ready to take her next bite, she sensed someone beside her. Elize opened her eyes, only to see an embarrassed Skye standing in front of her. 

"Hey, Elize." She said nervously. 

"Yes, Skye?" Elize asked, putting down the chicken on her plate reluctantly. 

"I'm sorry about earlier," Skye said, sitting down on the chair next to hers. Her cheeks were red as she looked down in embarrassment. 

"It's okay," Elize replied with a smile. 

Hoping that the conversation was over, she turned back to her plate, her mouth watering at the sight of the half-eaten chicken. Just as she was about to reach out to it, Skye spoke up again. 

"No, I mean, I'm sorry because I overstepped the boundaries. I just-" The girl paused, looking sad. "If mom were here, she'd know what to tell you. But I don't. I swear I'm not a bad person." She said, looking at her with big innocent eyes.                                                                         

"I know you're not," Elize said with a sigh. Peeling her eyes away from the food, she smiled at the little girl sitting in front of her. Reaching out to pat the girl's shoulder with her left hand, she said, "I'm just not someone who meekly says yes to what others decide for me. My mother always used to tell me that when people beat you down with excuses and traditions, push back with all your strength. You're not an object to be pushed around."

As she finished talking, Elize suddenly felt sad. She missed her mother terribly all of a sudden. Taking a deep breath, she forced her tears back inside. 

"Your mom sounds strong," Skye said unsurely. 

"She was," Elize replied with a tight smile. 

"Was?" The girl asked with wide eyes. With a sad look on her face, she apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. Mom's been gone for seven years now." Elize said, picking up the chicken piece and dipping it in mayonnaise.

"My parents passed away when I was only two. I don't really remember them." Skye said with a shrug. 

"I heard from Sean." Elize said with a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry that you had to grow up without knowing them."

"It's okay," Skye said, shaking her head. "I've always had Sam with me. And the pack has always been good to me. And now that I got Heidi back, I couldn't be happier."

Her face lit up as she mentioned her cousin. Elize smiled, feeling warm at the bond that the sisters shared. She didn't have many relatives on whom she could rely. But at least she had her brother, Elize thought longingly, missing her brother. She wondered what Alex was doing as she bit into the chicken. She was brought back to reality when Sky cleared her throat, looking at her expectantly. 

"I'm glad you have her," Elize said, remembering that they were in the middle of a conversation. Pushing the platter of fried chicken towards the girl, she offered, "Chicken?"

"Sure!" Skye said enthusiastically, as she wasted no time to pick up a piece of chicken and plunged it into mayo. "Elize?" She asked, biting into the chicken. 

"Hmm?" Elize asked, chewing on the soft flesh of the chicken with much pleasure.

Skye paused to take a nervous glance at Elize before she started talking. "I know Heidi can be a bit much sometimes," She said, looking down at her oily hands with a frown. "but it's because she had gone through so much all her life. Please be nice to her."

Elize nodded with a smile, "Don't worry about that. Heidi is one of us." She said, looking at the girl sitting in front of her fondly. 

Skye nodded happily. The two sat there, enjoying their food in peace with nothing to disturb them. They laughed in between, pointing at each other's mayo smeared faces. Anyone who saw them would think that the two knew each other for a long time. Heads turned as the two chatted away over food and soft drinks. Elize felt warm, looking at the laughing teenager sitting in front of her. She sure would have loved to have the girl for a little sister, she thought fondly.

"What are you telling her?" Suddenly Heidi's voice rang, interrupting their little moment. 

"Nothing," Skye said with a shrug. "I was just saying sorry to Elize."

"Tch," Heidi said in irritation. Glaring at Elize, she said, "She's nothing but trouble. Stay away from her."

Elize raised her brows. Why was the girl so animous towards her? She never understood it. At first, she thought it was because Heidi cared about Mikhail, and she felt that Elize had brought trouble to him. But she could see now that the hatred had not lessened even a bit. She frowned, getting up from her seat. 

"Wait, Elize," Skye said, standing up with her. Turning to her cousin, she shook her head disappointedly. 

"Why are you looking at me like that? Has she bewitched you already?" Heidi asked, narrowing her eyes at Skye.