Alpha's Stolen Mate

Chapter 3

Aunt Leah's house was the epitome of style and sophistication with its luxury modern dining room, open kitchen design, the recessed tray ceiling, intricate shelving, and a dark and moody color palette in the interior of it. Thea was seated on one of the sumptuous velvet chairs in the dining room, a black bowl of cereals sitting on a sleek black table in front of her, and she could only be grateful and content. Two days ago, her life had changed dramatically after she made that call to the woman she had only met twice. One time was on her tenth birthday when she brought her a board game of snakes and ladder, and a barbie doll. Then the second and last time was when she was fourteen, at her father's funeral. That was when she got her number promising to call her occasionally. Only she didn't keep the promise until two days ago. She knew Aunt Leah was her only salvation. And she wasn't wrong. And after spending a weekend in Swakopmund, Thea already felt the change in her life. She had her bedroom next to her sister's. She had three main meals daily, with additional snack times in between. And her aunt had found her a psychologist whom she had to meet only on Wednesdays every week. She saw it coming, so she didn't have a problem with seeing the psychologist. "You can always choose not to say anything about your past. The doctor will help you healthily deal with your emotions," her aunt had said when she mentioned the psychologist to her. Maybe she thought she would react negatively to the idea, but somehow she was okay with it.

The only thing that was left was school. Her aunt was spending so much on her and her sister, just so they could go to school. The only school aunt Leah had found was the famous Ashford High School. One of the top five private schools in Swakopmund. According to the brochure that her aunt had brought home, Ashford High School offered a strong academic program, created the perfect studying environment with smaller classes, and offered a wide choice of extracurricular activities such as sports and the arts. But one could be sure to find the language they wished to study, such as English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and more. If whatever she was reading was accurate, then she was sure her education was in good hands. Only there was one problem. Private schools were expensive. The costs were too high. She knew her aunt was well off, but spending a large sum of money for just their school was beyond kindness. She put the spoon, she was holding in her right hand, down, and picked up the brochure. She searched for a page with a range of products and services which the school offered and their prices. She found it, and she looked at the tuition fees, the primary cost. Thousands of dollars. She looked at other additional costs, like enrollment fees, textbooks and supplies, extracurricular activities, transportation and meal plans. Another thousands and thousands of dollars. This school was literally robbing people. She put the brochure down, and leaned back. She wondered if her aunt would really pay for her and her sister's school.

"Eat, Thea. You don't have to worry about these things anymore. You should be living life and let me handle this."

She heard her aunt's soothing voice first, and then her sister's footprints. They were back from the mall already.

When they arrived in Swakopmund two days ago, her aunt took them shopping for proper clothing and all their toiletries. And today, she left with her sister to go buy them stationary and school uniforms.

"Aunt, are you sure there's no other public school that can take us in? This school is ridiculously expensive," she complained, picking up the brochure and dramatically dropping it on the table as if to break it apart.

"No, sweetie. That's the only school I can find. And I know someone there. I explained the situation to him and he understood. He talked to the headmistress and she understood too. Now you two are fully admitted to Ashford. I bought you a MacBook because you're matriculating. And I bought your sister a tablet. You should receive your timetables at the end of the day today." She told her, while unpacking some stuff.

"Why are you doing this?" Thea heard herself asking. It was miraculously wonderful what her aunt was doing. It was far beyond what she expected.

"I think what you meant is, thank you aunt," Delphine said, hugging her. Aunt Leah laughed, and added, "You're right Delphine. Your sister needs to learn how to relax. No overthinking about anything."

"Thea, we're not with mom now." Delphine said, with a hint of sadness in her small voice. Thea understood the meaning behind her sister's words.

"Yes," she said, looking at her aunt. She was going to continue with her questions later, when it was just her and her aunt. She had to know why she was helping them this much.

"Okay, I'm going to set up my tablet. I haven't been on IG in a long time," Delphine said, and ran upstairs.

Aunt Leah sat on the chair opposite Thea. She took her tiny hands into hers, and said, "I have waited for your call ever since that day... I knew you would call sooner or later, but I had hoped for sooner. Why did you take so long?"

Thea looked at her, saw the serenity in her eyes. And wished she could open up to her, even just a little bit.

"I knew you would ask me to come live with you," she confessed.

"And you didn't want to leave your mom," aunt Leah said, still holding Thea's hands.

Thea nodded.

"You know Thea, it was your father's last wish for you to come live with me. He told me about yours and your mother's situation, but I saw you that day. Even at your father's funeral, you were a strong young girl. I knew you would take care of yourself, but I wished you'd come with me that day. I couldn't ask you to come, that was yours and your mother's decision," she said.

"I know I should've called sooner. Because if I did, then I'd be at university by now," Thea said, her voice rasped, before a great sob escaped her, and she covered her face with shaking hands. Her aunt rounded the table, and came to stand beside her.

"It's okay now. I'm glad you called," she soothed, hugging her.

"Thanks aunt. Really, I'm so grateful. You're even helping my sister. You're so kind," she said after about fifteen minutes of sobbing.

"I want you to go out there tomorrow, and do your best," she encouraged.

Thea nodded. If there was something she yearned for more than anything else in this world, it would be a mother's love. She was deprived of it. But her aunt was already doing a good job at filling her empty heart with it. So she was going to take a breather, if only for a little while. She wasn't going to overthink about this whole situation. It is a universal fact that everything happens for a reason.

"Now, go wash your hair. We're going to the salon," aunt Leah told her, and kissed her cheek before she left for her bedroom. Thea sat there for a moment, and smiled at how life had played itself out perfectly well. She was having the best time of her life. She was even going to get her hair done at the salon.

She jumped to her feet with typical youthful enthusiasm.

When she went upstairs, she passed by her sister's room. And as she peeped in, she saw Delphine lying on the bed with her legs up the wall, and deeply focused on the screen of her Samsung tablet, no doubt she had already set it up. Two years ago, when she came to live with them, she had come with a smartphone, but their mother asked her for it because she didn't have one, promising to give it back once she bought one for herself. And like all the time, she never kept her promise. Delphine complained too often to her, but Thea was busy trying to make ends meet rather than be concerned with a mere mobile phone. A month later, Delphine had come home from school with a Samsung A15, claiming a friend gave it to her. But that one got lost last year at her boyfriend's birthday party.

She'd never gotten a phone ever since she broke up with her boyfriend on Valentine's Day this year.

"Seems like someone is having a good time," Thea said, jutting out her hip.

"Hey, do you know that Ashford High has over one thousand pupils attending there?" she asked, getting up to face the door.

"Wait, what?" Thea, shocked, entered the room and sat on the bed with her legs hanging off the bed.

"Yes, here it says: Its three state-of-the-art two-story facilities and dedicated educators create a vibrant, supportive learning environment for a population of over one thousand learners and nurture young minds into compassionate, critical thinkers and responsible academic prowess and citizens."

"Wow,"

"And it's been ranked the first school in both NSSCO and NSSCAS in Erongo Region for the past ten years. And what's even more interesting is that, apparently, the school makes the most of its coastal location by offering activities ranging from skydiving to jet boating. Oh my word, this school is going to make all my high school dreams come true. I mean, it has a swimming team, the fashion club, music, photography, art and painting, cheerleading. Oh my God, you should try that." Delphine continued reading out loud.

"Try what?"

"Cheerleading, of course."

"Okay, what else is there?" Thea asked, now sitting, cross-legged on the bed opposite her sister.

"Sports like tennis, basketball, football, netball and volleyball. Oh no, and rugby also. Apparently it's new, they just formed it this year." Delphine put the tablet on the bed, and looked at her sister with teary eyes. "Sis, we're going to the best high school ever," she said. Her smile was sad, yet her eyes twinkled.