Chapter 1
The clock on the night stand gave out siren like racket piercing her inner earlobe. A long slender white arm reached out to tap the offensive machine. Only when her hand reached it she found the cord and ripped it out of the wall turning over in bed to resume her sleep. A figure emerged from her door reminding her that sleeping in was not an option.
"Mom! Where are my jeans?" The young male voice slapped her out of her dream land like a hammer.
"William they could possibly be in your bottom drawer." The simplicity of organization confused her son so much that it reminded her of his father. Sitting up in bed her scraggily brown hair was tangled into something that resembled an eighties rock poster.
"Oh, how about breakfast?" He gave a crooked smile that broke past her grumpy morning behavior.
Without showing her weakness she cocked an eyebrow at the slender young man with dirty blonde hair and lanky features. "How about we rephrase that?"
"What I meant was could you please make breakfast?" The over emphasizing of please made her quirk her full lips into a smile.
Another figure emerged from her closet with a bagel firmly pinned in her mouth and full concentration on the material in her delicate fingers. The morning routine of the house hold was taking effect and left Chloe without any option of rolling back into bed. "Please don't tell me that is my brand new top."
A muffled answer came from behind the bagel which translated into a confirmation that her new top was fair game in this house. "Well go find your pants William and I will be down in a second."
Chloe McHedley threw the covers off of her bare legs and faced a long slender antique mirror in the corner. Her feet cold on the hard wood floors of her colonial home gave her shivers looking back at the bed. Its vast emptiness disturbing to her, she gave a rather loud sigh heading for the connected bathroom to her bedroom. Her mind preoccupied by the annoying thoughts that revolved around her sad empty life kept her from noticing the rather large creature staring at her from the opposite wall. All her focus was on the lines that lightly traced her face reminding herself of her impending thirties just around the corner.
Her eyes slightly feline in shape was elegantly met with full luscious lips. But her nose distorted their beauty as it was slightly large in her opinion. She had been told her whole life how beautiful she was but her scrutiny kept her from that same opinion. Piercing green eyes peered into the mirror examining the freckles that had shown up when her skin took on a slight tan. They dotted her shoulders like the spots on a leopard. Adjusting her black tank top she began to pull back the mess known as her hair which allowed her to focus on the slightly moving object behind her. Slowly focusing in, she picked out the features of a rather large spider. The familiar form of her room mates daughters tarantula sent her into panic as high shrills came from her throat.
A dark headed child poked into the room with a confused expression mixed with urgency. "Did you find fluffy?"
"Lilliana please get your damn arachnid!" Chloe's voice was cracked with pure horror.
The girl took much glee in her reaction which reminded Chloe of the child's mother's behavior with annoyance. "Want to pet her Aunt Chloe?"
"For the love of God no!" Practically sitting on the bathroom counter Chloe looked around wildly. "Where is your mother?"
"Oh yeah," Quickly giving Chloe a sinister smile she left the bathroom with "fluffy".
Letting out a whoosh of air she turned back to her tooth brush trying to calm her racing heart. Thrusting the tooth brush into her mouth she turned towards her walk in closet for something respectable. William was starting school soon at a very high end private school thanks to her sister. Chloe was always a clothes horse and could never pass up a cute fashionable number. Flipping on the light she focused on her choices.
Walking down the stairs with her hair down to her mid back thanks to a flat iron and the strongest hair gel known to man she smoothed out her pink knitted, off the shoulders, long sleeve shirt. Her boot cut jeans accented with soft leather leopard print heels.
"Are we going to drop your fifteen year old off at his first day of school or are you planning to pick up a man as well?"
Throwing a glare towards the culprit who stole her newest purchase. "Juliet I am just merely showing my celebration of my slender waist by showing it off with my cute top. It took a lot of hard dedication."
"By dedication you mean severe depression, refusal to eat, and when you did eat throwing up?" She countered.
"Exactly," Grabbing the coffee pot she began pouring herself her lifeline. "Besides I am so nervous."
"Well your fifteen year old IS moving out and into a boarding school."
"I wish they would have let me drive him to school. But they swear they are the best school out there for mutants." A frown washed over her usually well controlled features.
"Regrets?" Her eyes penetrating Chloe's mind.
"Juliet, I am not regretting it. I am more scared and sad. After his dad… well he has been the only man in my life for the last six years. We have become best buds and I don't know what to do without him."
"How about go on dates and start reintroducing yourself to reality?" A lazy feline like voice entered the kitchen. "Besides we don't know how to train a mutant."
Nodding Chloe stared into the blackness of her coffee. "I know Caitlyn and thanks for the blunt honest truth." She meant it and knew her friend only meant well. Moving towards the double door fridge she pulled out the eggs.
"How in the world did Adriana manage to get him in to such a great school?" Juliet flipped back her blonde hair with annoyance at the long locks.
"She works there as an art teacher and she discussed it with the head whatever he is of the school." Cracking the eggs into the pan she took in a deep breath of the cool September air flowing in from the open window beside her.
"Hey how is that new book coming?" Caitlyn smirked with pure interest.
"It is coming, why?" Taking her eyes off of the pan she eyed her friend.
"No reason, but I really want to read chapter ten." Rolling her eyes she knew that Caitlyn with the help of Juliet must have snuck into her office.
Juliet smirked and nodded as if hearing her thoughts. "We think it is really good!"
Sighing Chloe knew they were just trying to lighten the mood so she could keep her mind off of today. The problem was that Chloe didn't know what to expect out of this school. She herself was not a mutant and didn't know how to help her son through this. Her mind trying to focus on diapers and broken toddler English forced a traitor tear to fall into the eggs.
Both girls froze in place and watched her with soft understanding. But not one moved to comfort her. They knew better to try to lighten her out of this. It was best it just flowed out now than at the school.
The rather large SUV rolled up to the security gate that was open for students coming back for the school year. Its elegant curves catching her eye giving her mind something else to focus on. But the drive way seemed to take forever to get to the school. A low gruff came from beside her and she turned to look at her son. His curly hair hung to his ears giving him that "skater" look. Pale skin shining like a gleaming gem, tall and lanky he looked awkward being that he hadn't grown into his body yet. His gaze turned to her with soft green cat like eyes. The only thing she contributed to her son's genes. His almost thin lips pursed together with nervousness.
"Mom, are you going to be ok without me?"
Shaking her head she gave a little whimper. "No, but I know I can be strong."
Smiling he reached out for her hand. "I am really excited about this. And besides Aunt Adriana will be watching out for me so you don't have to worry."
Giving a slight laugh she gave his hand a tiny squeeze. "It isn't you I fear for, I worry more about your Aunt."
The humor lifting her spirits she slowed the car at the first sight of the school. Tall and elegant she peered at the mansion with awe. The Ivy climbed up one side of the brick building. "Wow," Finally slowing the car to a halt she put it in park and unbuckled.
William had rushed out the SUV as fast as he could to open the back and grab boxes. Chloe rounded the back end pushing her sunglasses on top of her head. "Ok, what do you want me to grab?" before he could answer she had her hand on a duffel bag. Her mind was on the task at hand that she hadn't noticed the person who crept up behind her. Turning to follow her son her face planted right into a firm chest. Her pixie like short body flew back almost hitting her head on the bumper of the car. But something caught her in midair. Blinking she looked up through long dark lashes at her savior and met piercing blue eyes returning her gaze. His strong arms around her waist felt like a gentle boa constrictor. He had power to squeeze her to death yet didn't.
"Sorry bout that, ma'am." Righting her she was able to get a better look at him. A very strong muscular man, he was a few inches taller than she was. Which wasn't much considering she was five foot three inches. He wore clothing that seem to cling to those gorgeous body parts. Soft jeans, a white short sleeve shirt, and work boots. She trailed up to his gruff appearance of an unshaven face that appeared in stubble. His hair tousled in an odd shape but overall a very attractive man.
"Oh no problem… I tend to run into things." She offered blushing.
"Yeah like parked cars." William offered grabbing the bag she was holding and adding it to his load.
Mortified she rolled her eyes at her boy and debated on a swift kick to the rear. "This smart mouth is William and I am Chloe. We are checking him in for the first day. Adriana made all the arrangements."
Smirking towards her she felt like melting and a sudden happiness that her friends didn't decide to tag along came to her mind.
Note from author: I made some changes to the child's age due to she would have been 14 or so when she had him and I don't feel like starting a plot line on that at this moment. To much energy.