whirlwind

Five - Enemies

"This is a joke," Ben scoffed, looking at the paper in his hands.

It had been a month since Cara's parents had found out about Nicolas and her.

Things hadn't really changed - I mean - as far as she could consider.

Her mother and father were still utterly disappointed, and she was still pregnant.

Her schedule was the same as always - almost.

Now she woke up, went to class, stopped by the Callaghan's, then went home.

Nicolas kept his word, if she was ten minutes late, he would call her in worry.

She would always roll her eyes out of his worry for the baby.

At the current moment, Benjamin was criticizing his final exam grade for a History class.

"What did you get?" He asked impatiently.

"A 97," she answered truthfully.

"A 97? I got a damn 23!"

Cara scoffed, reaching forward and snatching his paper from his hands, turning it over as she examined it.

"Ben, you only filled out the first question. You left the rest blank," she spoke, raising her eyebrow.

"I watch the History Channel, Cara, I don't need to fill out some damn test," he bit.

Cara couldn't help but snicker. "You do if you want to pass."

"I've passed history class like a thousand times already."

"Well," She started. "Not this time you won't. And you can't sleep with a teacher to let you pass. I doubt our Professor would be into that."

"I can, I have." Ben merely said.

Rolling her eyes, Cara was about to move on to another topic when she looked at Benjamin once more.

"Did you just say "I have?""

He chuckled. "Don't look so surprised, babe. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

He took her utter shock and silence as an invitation to go on, so he did.

This caused him to laugh it off and throw an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the assembly.

Class had run over time by a few minutes, and a majority of students had gravitated toward the meeting room in an attempt to see whatever seminar was taking place. It was supposedly about discounts on college tuition — something anyone would take.

There were also some trade school reps giving lectures and attempting to persuade some of the graduating class to go to continue school there.

Benjamin and Cara took side by side seats in the back, Ben texting away in his phone while she laid her head on his shoulder, doing her best not to fall asleep.

Halfway through some "Dr. Coleson's" spiel, her phone - on full volume - rang.

People around her glanced briefly, but didn't say anything as she quickly ducked her head and quietly answered her phone.

"Hello?" She whispered.

"Where are you?" A quick voice demanded.

Her brows raised. "Nicolas?"

"No, love," he sassed. "It's the President. Where are you?"

Pulling her phone away, she realized it was 1:38, eight minutes past the time she usually checked in.

"I'm late, aren't I?"

"Where are you?" He asked again. "I'm coming to get you."

Cara resisted a scoff. "I'm in class, I'll be by in twenty minutes, I promise."

He let out a huff. "Are you alright? Are you safe?"

"The baby is fine, Nicolas," she whispered, only Benjamin noticing her conversation.

"And you?" He repeated.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you alright?"

Cara was very caught off by his question. It was normal for him to worry about the baby, but her? She shrugged it off, knowing she shouldn't overthink it.

"I'm okay, too."

He was silent for a minute.

"Good. I expect you at my front door in exactly twenty minutes, no more. If you're not there, I'm going out to find you."

Cara laughed softly.

"Deal."

In nineteen minutes, she was in front of Nicolas' house, walking up the steps.

Reaching forward to knock, she jumped when the door swung open before her knuckles ever made contact.

"No doddeling," Nicolas spoke quickly, ushering her inside.

"Doddeling?" She repeated with a laugh, which he quickly shot down with a glare.

"Sit," he told her, physically leading the girl to the couch.

She raised her eyebrows, looking to see Alexander and Elizabeth present in the room, too.

"What's wrong?"

The two men exchanged a glance, while Elizabeth came to sit beside the girl.

"We have many enemies. That's what being on top entails," Alexander spoke. "And those enemies will do whatever it takes to beat us, at all costs. This means you must remain safe. No one can know."

"I didn't plan on telling anyone, anyway," she said cautiously.

Honestly, the whole thing seemed just a little over dramatic for her taste.

"Cara, love," Nicolas spoke, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his. "Our enemies will hurt and exploit you, just to get to us."

She frowned, looking at their hands. "I'll be careful."

"We'd like for you to stay with us as often as possible, Cara."

It would be a bit of an issue, but she nodded. She supposed the safest place would be with them.

"What brought this up?" She asked, her gaze flickering between all of them.

Nicolas dropped her hands and stood. "Lucas. He's a very aggressive man with connections who only wants to be on top, any means necessary. But as long as he doesn't know you are connected to us, he shouldn't be an issue towards you. But you cannot trust anyone. Only us."

It was a hell of a lot that they were asking of her. Nonetheless, she nodded and tucked her legs underneath her.

"You don't have to worry about me. Spend a lot of time over here, don't talk to anyone, don't trust anyone. I think I've got the rules down," She said with a smile, before her stomach rumbled.

"Now," She grinned sheepishly. "Do you have peanut butter?"