"You want to come to the house of your humble servant? I am more than delighted, " the general exclaimed.
Anna's eyes opened wide in exclamation, "what? What do you mean?"
General Hades ended the call and put the phone back in its place. "It's the alpha, and he had just promised to come around for a visit tomorrow."
She instinctively looked at Georgia to measure her reaction and it was a total wreck. She knew Georgia wouldn't flow the plan and knew at once that they needed to find a way to get her out of the house by tomorrow.
"The alpha is coming with this mate, Queen Serefina," Hades added, giggling.
"Serefina Brooke?"
"Yeah, your sister married the alpha, lucky girl she is."
Georgia's mind drifted once again to how her sister had always wanted she wants and how desperate she could be just to get them. She readjusted her cloth, regaining composure and waving back the hair clouding her face. She let out a deep breath and settled back at the table, assuring herself that she would get over this.
Anna reached out and cupped her hand with her own, reassuring that all was going to be okay with a gentle smile. She appreciated and reciprocated the gesture while General Hades watched on, unsure of what was happening.
After looking at the two of them for what seemed like an intermittent interval, he cleared his throat, gaining both their attention, "How's your sister doing, Anna?"
"She would be more better if you had gone to visit her at the hospital," she replied, looking at him dead in the eye.
"Well, you know someone has to do the hard duties of the country."
"Yeah, and leave their family hanging in the process."
"C'mon, I have guards positioned at her door twenty four hours a day and the doctor gives me minute feedback on any latest development," he answered, pushing the almost finished meal aside.
"I understand, and that is a good job, but that is nothing like going to see her physically. You needed to see the light in her eyes when she saw me, her little sister. How do you think she'll feel when she sees her father and commander come pay a visit? It will even be good PR for you," Anna contributed.
Seeing that a family feud was being sparked and it was obviously none of her concern, Georgia grabbed her remaining food and made to stand up to her room while the general ordered her to sit down.
"Don't you dare take another step there," he said authoritatively, "sit down, you are one of us now," he ordered in a tone that didn't give room for argument.
Georgia sat down at stared at Anna who gave her the I – told – you – so look before shifting her gaze back to her father.
"I am so busy, and she understands I am."
"That is the point, she understanding that you're too busy to come see her at the hospital. You could have done better, General," she complained, shaking her head.
"I understand but do not speak to me in that manner."
"Which manner is that?" she asked, piping down.
"That manner that feels like I have to just listen to whatever you say," he said, even though he knew quite well that he would just listen and act on it without further arguments.
"I am not acting like that, I am just watching out for you pops. Making sure everything is fine in the house and in the family," she answered, lifting her hands to touch his tired face.
"Yeah, and you left the home five years ago. Five good years, Anna. You only came home two years ago because you needed permission to for your study on paranormal species and then off you go again."
"That was partially your fault," she accused.
"How is it my fault?" he asked, lowering his head on his hands as if to get a clearer view.
"When we were young before mother passed away, you always told us to chase our dreams and ambitions, told us not to let the physics and constraints of the human or wolverine world stop us, told us that life can be just as we imagine it, and I took your word to heart. I decided to explore, and I have seen that there are many of our kinds scattered in different parts of the world."
"Tell me more, I'm getting interested." Her father asked, the curiosity and interests clearly written on his face.
"I have read, learnt and mastered a lot about paranormal species. I learnt about their arts and their sciences, their policies and their cultures, their secrets and the hidden things about them, I learnt about how each and everyone of them is connected to the environment in their own little way. How the moon affects the werewolves strength and how the sun burns the vampires' skin, how the waves, tides and currents of the water affect the mermaid and sirens and how the darkness of the night affects the bat. I've studied how the dryads remain hidden and protect the forests, intentionally bringing our prey to us in a way that had been preset by the universe.
"I have also learnt about different ways and cultures, rules and regulations that pertain to different packs, clans and tribes of different species. I have learnt about their transformation procedures and shape shifting routines, I have learnt and studied their biology beyond allowed boundaries. Despite that fact, I am not done learning, I still want to go further, to the farthest extremes of the world, where I can learn all I want and I can be all that I want to be, even beyond my wildest imaginations."
Georgia couldn't help but be amazed by the delivery rate of her friend, she was indeed learned and had no spared no slack for her father as she dished it out at a rate that shocked him equally.
When he couldn't bottle in his surprise and amazement, he started clapping his hands loudly, tears streaming down his face. He kept on clapping his hands more than the expected time, creating an embarrassing scene for the two females. As he kept on clapping, the workers looked on in wonderment as they did their chores and Anna had to implore him to stop.
Finally bringing him to stop, he stood up and gave his daughter a military standard salute, something he had never done before.
"You don't have to do it, you know?" Anna told him, her whole face red with blush and an awkward smile dancing on her lips. The general looked at her daughter's fried, seated adjacent to him.
"Thank you"
"For what?" Georgia looked up, confusion in her darting eyes.
"For just being with her, for everything," the man said.
"You're…welcome," she stammered, still unsure of what was happening.
Not knowing what had happened but hearing the ruckus from her room upstairs, Riya rushed downstairs to the direction of the dining table and went straight to her father.
"What happened here?"
"I was just having a little talk with your father."
"Then, why are his eyes teary?" she turned to look at Anna, "what have you done?"
Moving to the other side of the table where her father's uniform was hung, Riya picked it up and ushered her father to stand up. "You guys have had enough fun for today, dad needs some rest."
"I'm still strong enough, I had some sleep last night."
"Dad?" Riya gave him a strong look, "You're giving me none of that. Now get up, let's go into your room. I personally supervised the cleaning and the arrangement. You'll take your bath and slide in bed and wake up only when you've had enough rest, by then breakfast will be ready and I'll order the maids to bring it to you.
"And then, Anna, I saw you reading some books till the hours of two in the morning, you should go get some sleep too and you, Georgia, I know how much the triplets must have stressed you, get yourself some sleep, we're taking a trip to the museum," she dished out the instructions and tugged at her father dress, urging him to stand up.
"Yes mummy," he answered, standing up from the table, "you all heard the instructions, make sure to get some sleep."
"You already sound like mum," Anna quickly added.
"That's why I was last to come from her, she instructed me when I was still in her womb, to take care of you guys, the way she would," Riya replied, giving Anna a fake smile.
Truth be told, Riya was less of a sister and more of a mother to be. Even though she was the last to be born, it was as if she was born to mother the whole house and she did her job excellently well. No one dared argue with her, and they did as she instructed, exactly just like they did with their mother.