Author Note: Jim and the rest of her friends meet Claire's big family. The adults in this group are Nancy, Barbara, Ophelia, Javier and Mary's parents who we don't see in Trollhunters and/or 3below. I was thinking of bringing Mr. Scott, Mrs. Palchuk and Coach Lawrence. But they wouldn't make the story interesting. Steve is almost an adult and can drive himself and his friends for 75 minutes.
Also, I changed Claire's outfit because I don't like it. Yes, it is beautiful and has her style. But after her wearing in for all of Trollhunters and her appearances in 3below, the Hamlet skull and purple sweats started to get old. I want her to wear something different. I had to rewrite this about five times
Anyways, lets meet Claire's family. Shall we.
I launch myself on Daniela, locking my arms around her and hugging her tightly. She wraps her arms around my back and leans her head on my shoulder. We spend about a few minutes holding each other close, my eyes coated with tears.
"I missed you, Claire!" Daniela's sweet and gentle voice mumbles in my ear.
"I missed you too, Daniela!" I reply softly.
We let go, and I observe my cousin's figure. "Wow! Look at you! You look different!" I say with excitement. I remember her being skinny and small. Now, she's curvy and taller but a few inches shorter than me. She's wearing a bright orange and pink floral dress that brushes her knees. She still has small and slight visible freckles on her cheeks. Her chestnut hair changed from long, beach-wavy curls to medium length, keeping the curls. "I hardly recognize you!"
"I hardly recognize you too! You dyed your hair, and your body changed!" Daniela replies with excitement too. "It's only because of your hug do I recognize you. You always gave people the biggest and sweetest hugs when you were little!" She adds, giggling. "It's been so long!"
"Yeah!" I giggle and blush.
Daniela looks over my shoulder, and her smile widens. I turn around and see my friends—some with curious faces and some with confusion.
"Claire, are these your friends?" Daniela asks innocently.
"Yes!" I reply, nodding my head and smiling.
"Claire, who's this?" Steve asks nicely and smirks.
"Guys, this is one of my cousins, Daniela. Daniela, these are my friends from Arcadia." I reply, and each of my friends introduces themselves to her. Jim is the last to say hello, sounding nervous, meeting one of my family members for the first time.
"Well, it's nice to meet you all finally. Claire told me about you a month ago." Daniela says sweetly.
"Where are the others?" I ask curiously, looking around to find some of my tricker cousins.
"They're still in the manor and will come out soon to help. They just sent me out here to greet you guys." Daniela replied before running to meet Enrique and reunited with my parents.
I gasp and cross my arms. "How rude!" I say sarcastically. I hear snickering behind me and turn around. I look around and see the vast dark wood doors open a bit, and something is peeking through them.
"Tulio! Miguel! Get your asses out here!" Daniela calls out, and my smile widens.
The doors fly open, and two tall and identical boys with dark hair run out and yell out with a loud Greta. "Claire, you're here!" They shout in unison.
"¡Hola gemelos locos!" I chuckle and smirk.
One of the boys blinks and points at my hair. "Wow, Claire, you look different." He says more calmly.
"Yeah, even your hair is dyed." The other boy says.
I chuckle and nod my head. "I hardly recognize you guys; let only tell you guys apart!" I say. They try to test me by telling them apart. I can hardly tell who's Tulio or Miguel, and it doesn't help we haven't seen each other in so long.
One of the twins comes behind me and wraps his strong arm around my shoulders. He pulls me against his chest, and I almost fall over. "You're a clever girl! You'll figure it out!"
"Or not!" The other twin says sarcastically and laughs.
I playfully hit the boy in the stomach to let me go, and we laugh. The twins look over my shoulder and have the same reaction as Daniela. "Claire, are these your friends?"
I agree; introduce them to my friends and vice versa. Tulio and Miguel joke and laugh with some of the boys. Soon, some of my other cousins come out, happy to see me. More greets and introductions come. Some of them walk up to my friends and chat for a bit.
"Come on, guys! Let's help our guests inside!" Tulio or Miguel shout.
My cousins and friends grab many luggage bags. Daniela helps Mary and Darci while I walk to Jim with my bags.
We smile at each other, and I wish I could kiss him right now. I grabbed Jim's hand, and we intertwined our fingers together.
"Your family seems to be nice. At least, your cousins are." Jim whispered in my ear.
"I'm glad you like them," I whisper back. I want to say more, but it's all I can say.
The doors open, and Jim's eyes widen as we go inside. We see a high hallway with archways, colored in light orange, to a vast ballroom-sized courtyard with a grey stone floor. Vines of red, purple, and blue flowers wrap around the pillars in the corner and edges of the room. I see two more levels of the manor with people talking and walking on them, but they stop and look down once we enter the floor. There is a vast staircase that leads to the second floor. Two smaller ones on either side of the giant staircase lead to the third floor. All of my friends and the adults gasped and were in astonishment. I let go of Jim's hand and walked ahead of the group. "Welcome to Señorío de Galot everyone!" I shout, smiling.
Some, everyone around us starts muttering. I hear my name throughout the commotion. Then the cheering and running come.
"Claire is home!"
Twenty minutes of greeting, introducing, shaking hands, hugging, and smiling with my cousins and other extended family youths happens in the chaos. I feel exhausted, and my head is almost spinning on my shoulders. I look senselessly around me as the crowd shouts, reaches, pushes, and shoves to say hello, acting like I'm a celebrity. I am a firstborn, after all. I look around to find my friends swarmed by some of my cousins, but there are two faces I have yet to see that I want to see. Then, I see my Aunt Olivia walking up to me. She's a short, plump woman with chestnut hair, a round face, hazel eyes, glasses, and heavy makeup. She's the exact opposite of Mom's appearance. The crowd disperses, and she smiles sweetly at me, but I know from the last time I saw her; she isn't so lovely, so I give her a fake smile.
"Hello, Claire! ¡Bienvenido a casa!" Olivia says kindly and opens her arms to wrap them around me.
I stiffen up and try to hold my grunt from Olivia's tight grip, but I sigh and wrap my arms around her. "Hey, Tía Olivia!" I squeak. I wouldn't call her Aunt behind her back, and she doesn't act like one. The hug doesn't feel warm or comforting; it feels controlling and cold, sending a chill down my spine. I know deep down inside Olivia is faking. After a few awkward moments, she lets me go, and I gasp air into my lungs.
"I'm so happy you're here! ¡Te hemos echado de menos Chiquita!" She says with excitement.
"I've missed you too, Tía Olivia!" I gasp from my final cough.
"¡No te he visto desde que tenías solo 12 años!" Olivia cups my face and studies it. "Te ves igual que tu madre."
I roll my eyes but smile. "Thank you!"
Olivia looks at my neck and blinks. "Tu Madre te dio el collar." She says with surprise.
I touch the necklace and smile. "Yes! It's beautiful!" I say sweetly, but Olivia's mouth grows thin.
She looks over my shoulder. I turn around and see my friends standing still with stoic faces. "Claire. ¿Quiénes son estas personas?" Olivia asks pessimistically with a raised eyebrow to the white strangers with a stern and harsh voice.
I hiss and rub my neck. I knew Olivia wouldn't take kindly to my friends at first. "Tía Olivia, these are my friends from Arcadia, and they came here to celebrate my birthday with us," I explain, but Olivia's expression won't change.
"¿Son todos Gringos?" Uncle Lucas speaks and steps up, making me cringe and bite my lip. I know Krel looks like a Latino, but he doesn't know or speak Spanish, and I wouldn't call Lucas my Uncle either.
"Hello, you too, Tío Lucas!" I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
Lucas is taller than all of his siblings and is a bit muscular. He has a chiseled face, a bold chest, and shoulders, and his eyes are the same as Olivia's.
Mom comes to the rescue and steps in between us. "Olivia, remember I told you about Claire's friends coming here." She says nicely.
Dad walks in front of me and next to Mom, and he gestures to me to go to my friends. I slowly walk backward and secretly grab Jim's hand, and he feels me trembling and squeezes my hand.
Olivia suddens smiles and claps her hands. "Hey, Ophelia! Hey Javier! Nice to see you again!" She says kindly.
"Hello, Olivia! Nice to see you too!" Mom says softly with a stoic expression.
Enrique says "Mama" in Mom's arms and looks up at her, making Olivia look down and gasp with a wide grin.
"Ophelia, is this your youngest? Enrique?" She asks with excitement.
Mom takes a deep breath and grips Enrique tighter. "Yes!"
Olivia gasps and goggles over my baby brother. "¡Awww, es tan adorable! ¿Puedo abrazarlo?"
Mom groans but nods her head begrudgingly. She hands Enrique to Olivia, and she holds him on her chest. I can't help but feel mad and a bit sick of the sight of my estranged aunt holding my baby brother. Uncle Sebastian walks up to us and shakes hands with Dad. My parents and I get along with Uncle Sebastian better than Mom's other two siblings. He's as lean and thin as Dad, with dark brown hair and smiling hazel-green eyes.
Uncle Sebastian and Dad turn and smile. "Sorry about my brother and sister." He apologizes kindly to my friends. "You all must be exhausted from your journey."
"Yeah, we're tired! Do you have anywhere to crash!" Steve yells sarcastically, making me nod my head and scoff.
"Follow us; we'll lead you guys to your rooms." One of the twins calls out, making all of us turn to see them and Daniela.
"Thanks, kids!" Uncle Sebastian calls out to his children.
"Come on, guys!" The twins shout, and all of us follow them. Tulio and Miguel lead the boys to their rooms while Daniela leads the girls to theirs.
She taps on my shoulder as we walk up the stairs. "You know where your bedroom is?" She whispers.
I shake my head. "It's been so long." I sigh.
"Oh, don't worry. Abuela has put new furniture in it to make you feel better. You have grown at least a foot since last I saw you."
"Do you know where Abuela or Diego are?" I ask.
"Diego is working at his job, and Abuela is working on some papers. Or at least that's what Aunt Olivia told me. She doesn't want us to disturb her." Daniela groans.
"How has life been here?" I ask, thinking it's as bad as Mom says.
Daniela shows Mary and Darci their room and gives the next one to Aja, Zoe, and Nari on the second floor. I see the boys on the opposite side of the courtyard. After the girls are settled in, Daniela and I walk to the staircase to the third floor.
"It's alright. However, a split has come in the family. One side is Abuela's, and the other is Aunt Olivia's. Aunt Olivia believes she should be the next head of the family because your mom abandoned us, and she's the second eldest child." She replies.
I gasp in shock. "That's not fair! My mom didn't abandon you guys; she just wanted a better life for herself!" I protest, but I quickly shut my mouth. I can't believe I'm defending my mother—who neglected me for seven years and tried to keep me away from my boyfriend.
Daniela hisses in pain and looks at me with guilt. "Yeah, but your mom is the firstborn and did leave when she married your dad."
I couldn't believe what she was saying. Just because Mom is the firstborn doesn't mean she has not to give up her dreams. She wouldn't have met Dad or had me if she didn't leave. I shake my head, and we arrive at a big door.
"Here we are!" Daniela says sweetly.
"Thanks, Daniela!" I reply nicely, leaning against the door.
"You're welcome! And now that you're here, I'm team You! I'm sure you'll turn this family back to normal!" She says excitingly with a huge smile.
I blink and take a step back as she walks away. 'I'm here?' What is she talking about? Does Daniela want me to stay in Huntington at the Manor? But I can't! I have to graduate high school, attend college, and have many things in my life. I love my family, but I'm not planning to stay for the long term. I lean out, look over the balcony, and see my parents talking with some of my relatives. They both look up and smile at me while waving. I wave and smile back but step back and hide, feeling guilty and hurt. I slowly open the door and see my old room from five years ago. The room is big and maybe even too big for an average teenager. But to the family, I'm not average. The walls are light oranges, like the color of the manor, with beautiful Celtic symbols and flower prints on the ceiling and parts of the walls. A big bed in the middle of the room has red sheets. There's a desk and a wall-length closet with clothes already inside. There's a stained glass door that leads somewhere. I feel a nudge in my backpack, and I groan and set it down on the bed to unzip the bag. NotEnrique pops up and looks around my room in awe.
"Amazing room!" He says with excitement. "What took so long?"
I roll my eyes. "Sorry. I had many family members swarm me like I'm a celebrity." I groan while I sit and look into my suitcase on the bed.
NotEnrique hops on the bed and raises his eyebrow at me. "You sound more pessimistic about being here than a few hours ago."
"It's because one of my cousins told me she hopes I stay here forever." I hiss.
There is a brief pause. "Well... do you want to stay here?"
I look down at the floor. I don't know what to think—staying here vs. staying in Arcadia. I suddenly remember when I decided to go to New Jersey. "I don't know..." I mumble and turn to the balcony door. I walk towards it and open the door. I see a beautiful view of the beach. I take a deep breath to let in the smell of fresh air and flowers below me. I think about everything I heard from the car ride with Dad to what Daniela said. I have so much going on in Arcadia, and I can't stay here for long, but this place will help get my mind off everything that happened back home and give me peace. I have so many plans I want to make here. I don't know what to think about what Daniela said. She told me my mom abandoned everything she knew, but I know Mom just wanted to make a life for herself and raise me away from what she had. This manor is a beautiful place, but to stay here for the rest of my life? I don't know what to think.
"Claire!"
I jump as I hear thundering knocking at the door, making NotEnrique hide under the bed. "Who is it?" I call out.
"It's Mary!" I hear her say behind the door. I open it, and her wide smile greets me. "Time to get your ears pierced, girl!"
"But I thought we were going tomorrow," I reply in confusion.
"Well, your cousins think it's better today and want to go to the beach tomorrow." She replies.
I nod my head, and we walk out of my room. We walk across the halls and down the stairs to the main level to meet all of my friends and four of my cousins. Maria, Aurora, Grace, and Daniela. Grace, Aurora, and Maria look similar to Daniela. All of them are smiling and giggling as Mary and I walk toward them.
"Are you ready to go, soon-to-be birthday girl?" Darci asks with a smirk.
"Where are you ladies going?" Douxie asks, raising his eyebrows and stepping towards us.
"We're taking C-bomb to get her ears pierced. Wanna come?" Mary replies, wrapping an arm around me.
All the boys shake their heads and chuckle. "Oh no! We think this is girl's time." Steve says, holding up his hand and smiling.
All of us laugh out loud. "Thank you, Steve!" I say sarcastically.
"Can I come?" Aja asks innocently, raising her hand.
"Of course! I would love for you to!" I say sweetly, making Aja smile with excitement. She hugs her brother and walks up to me. "What about you, Zoe? Wanna come?" I ask, turning to her.
She shakes her head but smiles. "No. I rather stay here with the boys." She says nicely before wrapping her arm over Douxie's shoulder. I see Douxie tense up and blush. "To make sure they stay in line."
Zoe smirks at me and winks. I get her message and smile in return. "See you guys later then!" I reply and pat Daniela on the back. We walk out the manor doors, walking in a tight group. Maria and Aurora lead us through town to a mall. While walking through the streets, Mary and Darci cling to me, trembling. The roads don't look as friendly and safe as Arcadia, but the colors on the building are bright and vibrant, even around 5:00 PM. Music on the streets, street vendors, and people talking and laughing. We walk into the mall, and Mary gasps at the clothes, shoes, and materialistic items in the windows of the shops. We pass ten shops up an escalator and four more shops until we get to a jewelry shop. A young woman who looks as old as Mom walks from a back door. Aurora explains to me that she is the manager of the shop.
"Hey, Maria!" The shop owner calls us. She has some beautiful tattoos on her shoulders and arms, many piercings on her ears, and one on her nose. She wears a black choker, a white tank top, and a bracelet on her wrist. "What can I do for you today? A necklace or new earrings?" She asks nicely.
"Hi, Melissa! No. I don't want to buy anything today but I want a favor from you." Maria replies with a smile. She grabs my wrist and pulls me next to her. She lets go and places her hands on my shoulders. "This is my cousin, Claire. Claire, this is Melissa. Claire came from Arcadia to visit us and is turning 17 in a few days. She wants to get her ears pierced today."
I smile warmly and wave at the woman in front of me.
She squints her eyes and smiles, walking to me. Her arms are crossed, but she has a warm impression. "Arcadia, huh? Welcome to Huntington, then!" She replies.
"Thank you!" I reply nicely.
"So, you want your ears pierced? Do you want two or a nose pierced too?"
I shake my head. "No, no, no! I just want one piercing in each ear." I reply, tapping my ear lobes.
Melissa chuckles and shakes her head. "Alright! Come on and sit on the chair while I'll get ready." She gestures to a white high-top chair before walking away.
I obey while playing with my fingers. Maria stands beside me and snickers. "Are you nervous?"
I look at her and nod my head timidly. I don't know why I'm nervous. I've fought monsters, traveled through space and time, and always risked my life. "I have never gotten a piercing on my body before, and it just feels weird," I reply timidly.
"Don't worry, Claire. Melissa pierced my ears about two years ago, and she's good at what she does." Maria says clearly.
"Yeah, don't worry, kid. I promise I'll be gentle." Melissa chuckles and sets items on a small table next to me.
"That's not what I'm worried about," I reply, shaking my head. Melissa gets ready. She hands me a pad of examples of earring studs. They are all the same size, but the items are in different colors. They are all beautiful, but I chose small purple gem studs.
"Simple but nice choice," Melissa says, seemingly impressed. She sets the pad down to clean and mark my ear lobes. "Like what you did with your hair, and I love the necklace."
I remember when I looked in the mirror and saw my hair change. "Thanks! I got highlights in it two weeks ago." I lie. "And this necklace was given by my mom, and it's a family heirloom," I say clearly. Suddenly, I hear gasping and see Aurora, Maria, Grace, and Daniela's mouths open with wide eyes.
"Cool! You know, my mother gave me this bracelet." She says and shows the bracelet on her wrist. It's gold but thin, with delicate silver designs and miniature red and green gems.
I tell her the bracelet is beautiful while she places my studs in the piercing gun. I clutch the trim of my shorts as Melissa's hand touches my neck, and her hands feel cold.
"This is gonna sting. Ready?" She asks.
I look forward and see the girls with big smiles and thumbs up. I nod my head and smile. "Yes!"
"One."
I bit my lips.
"Two."
I tightly close my eyes.
"Three."
I hear the gun click and feel a needle push into my skin. I immediately feel the pressure and try my best to hold my tongue and keep still. My mind wanders to memories of Jim to keep me occupied. I feel hot when thinking of him and me. Water coats my eyes and lets out a hiss instead of a howl. Then, the pain is over, and I open my eyes. Melissa reloads the gun and repeats.
"All done!" She replies clearly, smiling. "You're a tough chick. You didn't even scream or howl."
I take a deep breath and smile at her. "Thank you!" I gasp.
The girls cheer. "Congrats, Claire! You're a woman now." Marie jokes, and we all laugh.
Melissa gives me a mirror, and I see the simple but sparkling purple gems. I giggle, and the girls compliment my choice.
But Aurora ruins the moment by checking the clock. "It's 5:30. We need to get going for dinner." She states.
Maria pays for my piercing, and we leave, saying goodbye to Melissa. We walk out of the mall in the opposite way we came from. As we walk down the streets, I look up at the sky and see it start to turn orange. Despite having an average school day, a fun car trip, and meeting my family again, something doesn't feel right. I look around and try to shake off the strange feeling. I look ahead, and to my shock, I see the wolf from Arcadia. It walks along the sidewalk, 20 feet away from us. I close my eyes and hope this is my imagination, but I open my eyes and still see it's in the same place. I hear someone yell, and the wolf runs away. I watch it go in disbelief. Did that wolf just follow me from Arcadia? No, no, no! That must be a different wolf, but why would a wolf come out here? There are no woods or habitats for the animal to live here.
"So that's what it looks like?"
I turn around and back to reality to see Grace staring at my neck with wide eyes. "What?" I ask, raising my eyebrow at her.
"The necklace. Is that the circles of Veronica Galot?" She asks curiously.
I nod my head. "It is!" I reply, causing all my cousins to turn their eyes on me.
Aurora leans in closer. "That necklace hasn't been seen in the family for years! I've never seen it before! It looks so beautiful!" She says with admiration.
"But I thought it wasn't supposed to be shown until the 21st?" Maria asks in confusion.
I shrug my shoulders. "My mom thought it would be better if she gave it to me two weeks ago."
"But... but... Isn't that breaking tradition?"
"No. The parent passes it down to the eldest offspring, and I'm pretty sure that's the rule."
"But, Tía Ophelia is supposed to give it to you on the 21st. It's been a tradition in our family for 900 years." Grace says in the same tone as Maria.
I roll my eyes and walk faster. "Well, my mom and I aren't a fan of tradition." I groan. When we get to the manor, I see none of our friends or family in the courtyard until two little boys run up to us.
"Hi, Leonardo! Hi Pablo!" Maria calls, kneeling to hug Pablo.
My eyes widen. I have just reunited with Lucas's daughters; now, I see his youngest and two only sons before me. Leonardo stares at me fearlessly, and Maria lets go of Pablo to look at me.
"Maria, who is this?" Pablo asks timidly, pointing at me. I giggle at his innocent gesture.
"Pablo, Leonardo, this is Claire Nuñez. She's Tía Ophelia's daughter and one of your cousins. She's visiting us for the weekend. You have met her before." Maria says sweetly as she holds Pablo's hand.
I kneel and smile sweetly at the boys. "Hello, Pablo!" I greet him gently, and he hides his face in Maria's chest, making me laugh. Pablo is slightly smaller for his age, but he does look strong. He has thin dark hair, hazel eyes, and a cute round face. "Don't you remember me?" He shakes his head, making me chuckle. "I haven't seen you in five years. You were only two years old. You were this small." I raise my hand about one and a half feet from the ground. Now, Pablo is three feet tall. "You look so tall," I comment. Pablo giggles and slowly pulls away from Maria, smiling sweetly. He walks and hugs me, and I hug him back and kiss him on the head. Pablo giggles and rushes back to Maria. I turn to the other boy and lift him to meet his level. "And you must be Leonardo?"
"Yes!" He tries to say confidently but squeaks like a bird. Leonardo has lighter hair color and dark freckles on his nose, and he is slightly taller for his age but looks lean and slim.
"Hello!" I giggle and study his growing figure. "You're so big! I bet you're really strong." I extend my hand for him to shake it, and Leonardo takes it and squeezes it. Even though it's weak for a 16-year-old, it's not for a 10-year-old. So, I pretend to suffer for his strength. "Oh, you're so strong!" I gasp and smile.
Leonardo smiles and let's go. "Miguel wanted us to check if you were back and come to the Jardín, and they are with a bunch of boys from Arcadia that are fun." He says calmly.
"They're our friends. Would you mind taking us to them?" I reply and ask him.
Leonardo nods and turns around to lead while we all follow him.
"I like your hair and earrings," Pablo says softly.
I look down at him and smile. "Thank you!"
We walk to the hallway and down it to a door. Leonardo pushes the door to a huge yard surrounded by a wall. There are gardens around the edges and the middle, showing beautiful exotic plants of all rainbow colors. There is a wood overhead that covers a quarter part of the area, a small pond, and a black gate that leads to the outside.
I see all of my guy friends and Zoe, some sitting in chairs and chatting with Tulio, Miguel, and three of my other cousins. Joaquín, Emiliano and Elena. I spot Jim looking forward, and I slowly and carefully walk toward him. As some friends spot me, I freeze, lift my index finger to my lips, and point to Jim. They get the message and pretend nothing is wrong. I launch myself on Jim's back, locking my arms around his waist. I hear Jim gasp, and I giggle and kiss my boyfriend on the cheek.
Jim relaxes and places his hands on mine, laughing. "Hey, Claire!" He says, smiling. I let go of him and walked to Zoe and Darci.
"How have you guys been while we were gone?" I ask everyone.
"We have been talking to your friends. And I must say, I'm impressed with your friend Jim's skill in a different tongue." Emiliano answers with a huge smirk.
I look at Jim and raise my eyebrow at him. He smiles and steps forward.
"¡Hola Señorita! Sí, es cierto. ¡Hablo español y más que antes!" He says confidently.
I gasp and feel like crying. Ever since I've known Jim, he's been horrible with Spanish. He always struggled with talking in a different tongue. His mouth wouldn't utter any words, whether it was Spanish or Trollish. Toby told me Jim could only say perfect Spanish by being nervous and thinking about me. Maybe he is shy, but his expression is poise and no sign of worry. He has a slight accent, but I couldn't care less. That meant the world to me that he spoke. More importantly, I'm proud he talked in Spanish with my cousins while I was gone, enough to impress one of the most stuck-up of the bunch. I walk up and wrap my arms around him. I feel Jim wrap his arms around my waist. We hold each other for a moment until we let go, smiling at each other.
"So, Fiera, how's life in Arcadia?" Elena asks sarcastically, smirking. "I bet it's boring up there."
I roll my eyes at hearing my nickname again. "It's exciting, Elena!" I say proudly, smirking back at her and glancing at my friends. "My friends and I have so many adventures together!" Remembering everything that happened this past year, but my family doesn't need to know. "How's life here?"
"It's alright." Tulio answer.
"But it can be hard around Tío Lucas, Tía Olivia, Aubelo, and Kyra."
"I haven't seen Kyra yet. How's she?" I ask curiously.
"She's... umm... good," Miguel says nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Oh no. This can't be good. "Kyra is-"
"So, the word is true?"
We all turn to the sound and see a beautiful 17-year-old girl with long wavy brown hair smiling sweetly and walking toward us. "¡No te he visto en tan largo, prima!" She says warmly and wraps her arms around me.
I stiffened up again as I did with her mother, and her hugs were even the same. But I hug her in return. "Hi, Kyra!" I gasp.
She lets go and looks at my friends. "And who are these guys?"
I huff but comply. "Kyra, these are my friends from Arcadia. Guys, this is my cousin, Kyra." I introduce each other. Kyra says hi, and they greet her with a hello and their names until she gets to Douxie and Jim.
"Hello there!" She says flirtatiously and slowly struts toward them. "What's your name?" She sticks out her tongue a bit.
"Douxie! Nice to meet you!" He says nicely, smiling, and extends his hand out.
Kyra smirks and takes it. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you...hottie." She replies, biting her lip seductively.
I hear Zoe growl behind me. Douxie looks a bit nervous but pushes it down. Then, Kyra turns to Jim. I hold my tongue as I see her say hello.
"What's your name, cutie?" She asks in the same way as Douxie, making me growl as she walks closer to Jim.
"I'm Jim! Nice to meet you!" He says and smiles nicely.
"Nice to meet you too... Jim!" She says seductively, blowing him a kiss and winking. Jim's face also looks slightly nervous, but he doesn't say anything.
I growl, feeling blood rush through my veins quickly. I step next to Jim and wrap my arms around one of his. No one will hit on my boyfriend and get away with it. "Ummm, Kyra, don't you have a boyfriend the last time from your Facegram," I say proudly, smirking at her.
I hear gasps and then laughter around us. Kyra's face flushes with embarrassment, but she doesn't lose confidence. Instead, she gives me a smug. "Oh, Travis and I broke up because Abuelo and Mamá didn't approve of his... type." She says sarcastically. "At least that's not a problem for the firstborn of the family. They can break all the rules and leave our family without guilt."
I gasped and felt like she had just stabbed me in the chest. How could she say that about my mom? This is the second time today that someone commented about what my mom did before I was born. How could Kyra reflect this on me? I want to punch and scream at her, but I don't want to cause a scene. I squeeze Jim's arm, growl, and take a deep breath, but look at Kyra with fierce eyes.
She giggles. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I have to go and get ready for dinner tonight. Bye!" She says sweetly and waves before strutting away.
I stick my tongue and hiss as I see her enter the door to the manor. "Perra!" I mutter under my breath.
"Whoa! Calm down, Fiera!" Jim says, making me look at him. His face is severe, but he is holding a bit of a giggle.
"What? It wasn't my mom's fault for making her own life," I say in defense, still slightly furious.
Jim doesn't respond and leans in to peck me on the forehead. I take a deep breath and lean my head against Jim's shoulder.
"So, are you two close friends, a couple, or something?" Emiliano asks me skeptically.
I rolled my eyes and almost face-palmed myself. I haven't told my cousins about my having a boyfriend yet. Of course, Emiliano would be skeptical like his mother or Lucas. Like mother, like son. As if that's not common. "Yeah!" I say confidently. Emiliano looked a bit disgusted like he had smelled something rotten. "Got a problem with that?" I ask sarcastically, noticing.
"Awww, you two are so cute." Elena chirps and smiles sweetly.
"Thank you!" I reply softly. I appreciated that one of my family, other than my mom and dad, liked me being in a relationship. Elena is young. Only 14 years old. She understands the concept of being in a relationship. After all, most of her siblings and cousins have or are in a relationship, but she doesn't understand that Jim is not the boy some of our family would like, just based on his skin color. To pass the time, we all talked. Steve talked with Emiliano about sports. Maria and Daniela spoke with Mary and Darci about music and fashion. Tulio and Miguel talked with Douxie about rock bands and Douxie knowing how to play guitar. Joaquín talked with Krel and Eli about science. Aurora, Elena, and Grace spoke with Zoe and Aja. And I talked with Pablo, Leonardo, Toby, and Jim, sitting on my lap. A couple of times, I glance around the area. And every time I did, the happier and more relieved I felt. All of my friends and most of my first cousins talked and laughed with each other. I didn't remember much about my family except for the stories that Mom told me. I was afraid my cousins wouldn't like my friends, but here we are. Soon, Pablo got bored and off my leg to play tag with Leonardo, causing Jim and Toby to laugh.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here." I hear a proud and loud voice call out behind me. "I must be missing the party."
It almost gave me shivers, but I recognized the voice and had butterflies in my stomach. I turn to the black gate, and my face lights up. "Diego!" I shout in excitement and run towards him. Diego opens his arms, and I launch myself on him, making him grunt. Even though his loose shirt is covered with grease and he smells like a car, I wrap my arms around his neck, and he wraps his around my back, picking me up and spinning me in mid-air. I laugh and hang on tightly until Diego gently puts me down and releases me.
"I've missed you so much, Chiquita!" He says happily, grinning from ear to ear.
I giggle and smile back. "I've missed you too, Chiflado!" I reply happily.
I laugh hysterically, making Diego lunge at me, and I swiftly jump out of the way and laugh. We playfully fight for a few minutes, me dodging and him trying to attack me, all while laughing. I launch myself at Diego and hug him tightly, smiling up at him. Diego smiles back and chuckles, padding my shoulder.
"Claire?" I hear Toby's hesitant voice.
Diego and I let go, and I turn to smile at my friends. They look at us with concern while our cousins smirk and shake their heads.
"Claire, who is this?" Douxie asks nicely but is confused.
Before I or any of our cousins can answer, Diego places a hand on my shoulder.
"Hello there! My name is Diego! Claire's favorite cousin. You all must be her friends from Arcadia, am I right?" He states proudly. They all nod and introduce themselves, but Diego raises his eyebrow and smirks at me when Jim greets himself. "Claire, is this the boy you've been telling me about?" He asks with suspicion.
I blush but nod my head. "Yes! Diego, this is my boyfriend, Jim!" I reply sweetly. I walk up to hug and kiss Jim on the lips. I hold his neck while Jim leans in and wraps his arms around my waist. I hear some gasps, but I couldn't care less. I want to show how much I love Jim to my cousins. The kiss isn't long but tender and sweet. We break, Jim smiles, and we rub our noses.
I turn to Diego, who stares at us with wide eyes and a huge grin. "Oh my god... You two are so adorable!" He shouts. His eyes light up, and he claps his hands together. I swear, he looks like a big puppy, but he straightens up and looks more serious. "I'm glad to meet Chiquita's boyfriend finally. She's told me a lot about you and the rest of her friends." He adds and extends his hand for Jim to shake.
I blush and roll my eyes. Of course, Diego will try to embarrass me. I wrap my arms around Jim's waist, and he hesitantly takes Diego's hand to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you too. Claire spoke highly of you, and her words don't lie." He says calmly, smiling.
Diego blinks but smiles wider. "I like you!" And turns to me. "Claire, where did you find this one?" He jokes, making me laugh.
Diego is a big person, not big like Toby, and he is a tall young man, standing about six feet tall. He's muscular, having dark chestnut hair, brown-golden hazel eyes, and good abs. Handsome enough to make Aja, Darci, Zoe, and Mary swoon. He also looks like he can crush someone. He's intimidating enough to make Jim shiver a bit. But he's a gentle giant and only attacks when the ones he cares about are in danger. One time, when I was seven, a group of bullies circled me. I tried to fight them off, but there were too many and too big. Diego came to my recuse and beat all the boys up using a baton and his fists. He's two and a half years older than me. Back then, he was smaller but still bigger than me. That was the first time I saw the sweet, gentle boy become a protector.
"So Diego, you just got back from the workhouse?" Emiliano asks.
Diego chuckles and turns to his brother. "It's a workshop for mechanics, Emiliano, and it's an important skill to have."
Diego talks to us, mainly about the people he just met. Even though we hit it off, Diego is the life of the party. The girls light up to his stories. The boys find him cool to chat and arm wrestle with. I wouldn't say Diego is charismatic. He is charming but humble, passionate, kind, wise, and down-to-earth. Douxie joked, saying Diego is the male opposite of me. Diego taught me a lot about my moral views and beliefs. Out of all my family members, I like Diego the most. He's more of a brother to me than a cousin. My parents like him the best out of everyone. He is a good leader and protector. And best of all, he wants to help his family after college, but right now, he is taking a gap year. If I could decide, I would like him to become the head of the family.
"Kids! Come inside and get ready for dinner!" I hear Mom shout to us.
Author Note: I'm breaking this chapter in two parts because it was originally too long. The second part shouldn't be that long to wait for. As for time per chapter. I will upload three days after posting day, MAXIMUM. If I don't upload by then, there is something wrong or something occupying my time. Please review.