First Meeting

Chapter 5: Secrets Don't Make Friends

Alexa was angry. She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something... something big. A nagging feeling was in the back of her mind just trying to find its way out, but she couldn't quite get there.

Suddenly, Joe clapped his hands once and stood up. "Well, it's past midnight and I think we've all had enough for today. Alexa has a pretty big day tomorrow, so maybe we should all get some rest and pick this up in the morning." There were murmurs of agreement.

Everyone exchanged good night hugs before Joe and Morgan went off to their bedroom while Ally and Alexa went to set up their usual sleepover spot in the living room.

"This... can't be real."Alexa whispered to her friend as they got ready for bed. "They can't seriously believe that I'm the hidden daughter of some fancy business Tycoon set to inherit a multimillion-dollar company...." Alexa peered closely at her friend.

"What?" Ally snapped irritably. She pulled back the sheets on the futon they had made and climbed into bed.

"Oh my God... you knew!" Alexa accused her friend in a harsh whisper. "What else have you been hiding from me? Are we even really friends, or did your mom pay you to hang out and babysit me?"

Ally's voice cracked, "Come on Alexa, think! That doesn't even make any sense - we're the same age! Please, I promise you we are friends, best friends. Let's just talk to my mom tomorrow and I'm sure she'll explain everything."

Alexa's head was throbbing, this nagging feeling still wasn't going away. She didn't want to think about it anymore. "Fine. Good night then." she managed, before she rolled over to face the wall.

Ally began to cry.

Frustrated, but unable to stand the sound of her friend crying, Alexa flopped restlessly onto her stomach. With her head still facing the wall, she stretched her hand out and intertwined her pinky with Ally's. It was a small gesture of forgiveness, the same way they used to do after a big fight when they were little, before they both succumbed to sleep.

* * * *

Something's wrong, she can't hear me!

   Do not panic... It is to be expected. All will be explained to her in due time. Ally and Lucy know what to do. Rest now, tomorrow she will need you.

* * * *

The next morning, Alexa woke up feeling not refreshed exactly, but definitely more alert. She decided then that no matter what happened the night before, she wasn't going to let it ruined her birthday.

"Goooood morning sleepyhead!" Alexa sang out as she ripped the covers off of her best friend. "We have a lots to do today so we better get started!"

"Uuughhngh" was all Alexa heard in response. Ally was definitely not a morning person.

Alexa nodded thoughtfully as if that noise had been perfect English, "Why yes, it IS my birthday! Thanks so much for remembering!"

Ally groaned and threw a pillow at her in frustration. "Okay, Okay, I'm up. Need coffee, and bacon."

Together, they tidied the living room and the remains of last night's dinner before heading to Alexa's bedroom to get dressed.

Already in her usual uniform of a graphic tee and hair in a bun, Alexa pulled out a duffel bag from under her unkept bed to begin packing for her trip. "What do you bring when you don't know where you're going?"Alexa mused.

"Loose training clothes, jeans and all the graphic tees your heart desires." came the response from the doorway. Morgan stepped into the room, surprising the girls with steaming hot coffee. "We won't be far, so if you need anything else we can run home and grab it."

"Well that was easy." Alexa heaved the mostly empty duffle to the front door.

Ally snapped her phone shut. "Great! All set then. I talked to my mom and she said that Alexa and I should be ready and at the house by 5, so we can talk before the guests start arriving."

"That gives us..." Ally checked her phone again, "...5.5 hours to shower change and do our make up before we go."

The rest of the day passed quickly, with the girls taking turns in the shower, styling their hair, and a bajillion last minute details to check.

Finally, they were left standing together in front of the mirror admiring all the hard work they'd done. Even Alexa had to admit that Ally had been right to bring all of the accessories for her to try on - they both looked stunning.

Don't forget your letter.

The idea seemed to just appear in Alexa's mind. 'Weird, but whatever,' she thought to herself, and headed into the kitchen to check the junk drawer.

She put the letter in her duffle, and after securing her bag in the back of Ally's SUV, she turned to find a teary-eyed Morgan and Joe waiting at the entrance to the building.

"Oh... you look so beautiful baby. " Morgan sighed.

Joe added, "We'll be over around 8 girls! Have a great time!" They waved together from the doorway until the loud SUV turned left and out of sight. "She's going to be okay right Mo?" he asked.

"Lucy will know what to say. She made it an easy decision for me, I'm sure she'll do the same for Alexa..." with that, Morgan and Joe walked hand in hand back towards their apartment in silence.

"Hey! is that the bracelet your parents got you?" Alexa leaned forward in her seat to get a closer look.

"Ah, yeahhh actually. My dad gave it to me as a gift when I turned 18." She slipped the bracelet off with one hand and passed it to Alexa so she could get a better look.

Glancing over her shoulder to judge the speed of the cars while she merged onto the highway she commented off handedly, "It's a neat story actually, all the women in my, uh...extended family, have something similar."

"Oh cool," Alexa automatically responded. She was preoccupied. The bracelet felt warm, warmer than it should have felt. She inspected it closer, turning the name plate around to read the inscription.

"Alejandra Lopez, Beta Sister," She read aloud, tracing her finger along the engraving. On the clasp was a small circular engraving of a moon.

"It's beautiful..." she breathed. Alexa wondered what it meant. For some reason she felt drawn to the gold bracelet. Feeling self conscious, she held out her hand so she could help Ally put it back on.

"Thanks," Ally replied once it was back on her wrist. "It's pretty much a rite of passage when you turn 18." She grimaced. "There were a whole bunch of traditions and stuff that I had to do... but the bracelet was definitely one of the fun ones."

Alexa let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Do you think my birth parents had any traditions like that? Maybe your mom would know some..." she trailed off.

"Well, you'll definitely have the chance to ask her, seeing as we're here."

Ally and Alexa had pulled up the dirt road and now sat idle in front of the house. The house it self was almost unrecognizable. Gold and rose coloured decorations covered the walkway, main door and maple trees. A similar looking colour scheme could be seen around the side of the guest houses heading towards the yard.

"Girls hi," Mrs. Lopez waved them in from the main foyer. "Please come in. You must have so many questions. You both look wonderful."

Alexa grabbed her duffle and carefully made her way inside the house. "Thanks Mrs. Lopez, I really do." She paused taking a deep breath in.

"Wow, something smells amazing in here, like fresh baked bread or pie crust or something" she looked towards the kitchen.

Ally exchanged an excited look with her mother. "She did the same kind of thing in the car ride over too. Read the inscription of my bracelet and like, zoned out."

Lucy steered Alexa to the living room, Ally right behind them carrying the duffle. "Please sit Alexa, there's a lot to talk about and not a whole lot of time before the guests arrive. More things than even Morgan or Joe know about so we should make good use of our time."

"Can I see your bracelet?" Alexa blurted out without even thinking. "Ally said something about all the Lopez women having one."

Lucy smiled, "of course dear." Nodding at her daughter, she held out her wrist to show an almost identical bracelet to her daughter's with a slightly different inscription:

Lucila Lopez, Beta

She spoke again, "but I thought that maybe you would be more interested in the one behind you."

Alexa looked around at Ally, whose hands held the letter that had Alexa had placed in her duffle bag to read tonight.

With trembling hands, she pried open the envelope and shook it until a familiar weight fell into her outstretched hand.

Read the inscription.

Alexa didn't notice that those words were never said aloud. She held her breath before gently turning to look at the back of the nameplate:

Moonshine Pack

Confused, she flipped it over to read the other side of the name plate:

Alexa Cardoza-Montgomery

Alpha Sister