Grey Blood - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

The morning after game night, the house was unusually quiet.
At least, for about five minutes.
Then, chaos.
Angelina had barely taken a seat at the dining table when Damien set a plate in front of her.
"Eat," he said, giving her a firm look. "No skipping meals."
She nodded, picking up her fork.
Leo grinned. "She listens to you too easily. Where's the fun in that?"
Damien rolled his eyes. "Not everything has to be fun, Leo."
"Everything should be fun," Jace argued, stealing a piece of bacon from Leo's plate.
Leo gasped. "You absolute menace—"
"Boys."
The firm voice made them all pause.
Alec had just entered, his presence commanding as always.
Angelina felt her back straighten instinctively.
His gaze softened when it landed on her.
"Did you sleep well, sweetheart?"
She nodded. "Yes."
Alec seemed satisfied with that. Then, turning to the others, he got straight to the point.
"We need to discuss Angelina's schooling."
The room fell silent. Angelina stiffened.
School?
She hadn't thought about that.
Her aunt and uncle never cared enough to send her. She had learned to read and write on her own, sneaking books when she could.
But real school?
The idea felt foreign.
"I've already arranged for her enrollment," Alec continued. "She'll start in a week."
Angelina's stomach twisted. "A week?"
Elias, who had just entered the room, gave her a sharp look. "That's plenty of time to adjust."
"But—"
"You're going," he said firmly. "No arguments."
Angelina bit her lip.
Leo sighed. "Eli, you can't just throw her into it like that."
"She's sixteen," Elias replied. "She should have been in school a long time ago."
Caleb nudged Angelina's shoulder. "Are you nervous, Bunny?"
She hesitated. "...A little."
Damien frowned. "Maybe we should ease her into it."
"She'll be fine," Elias said. "She's smart."
Jace smirked. "Yeah, but have you seen high schoolers? They're vicious."
Angelina tensed.
She didn't know how to be around other kids.
Would they even like her?
Would she be able to keep up?
Alec, noticing her silence, spoke again. "You won't be alone, sweetheart. Leo and Caleb go to the same school."
Angelina's eyes widened. "They do?"
Leo grinned. "Yup. And don't worry, Little Star—we'll be your personal bodyguards."
Caleb nodded. "Anyone who messes with you gets a very unpleasant surprise."
Elias gave them a warning look. "No fights."
Leo smirked. "Define fight."
Just as Angelina was starting to relax, Alec suddenly turned to her.
"Sweetheart," he said carefully. "When I was enrolling you, I couldn't find any record of a previous school."
The air in the room shifted.
Angelina's stomach dropped.
Oh no.
She hadn't thought about that.
Her mind raced, her heart pounding as panic set in.
What would they think of her now?
Would they see her as stupid?
As a burden?
Would they regret taking her in?
Her fingers clenched around the fabric of her shirt as she quickly blurted out, "They never let me go to school."
Silence.
She forced herself to continue.
"But—but I didn't want to fall behind," she said, voice trembling. "So I—I studied on my own. I found free online videos for every grade and followed them. I did practice tests. I made sure I learned everything properly. I—I promise I'll work hard. I'll get good grades so I can get a scholarship. I won't—"
"Angelina."
Alec's voice was gentle.
She snapped her mouth shut.
He exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Sweetheart... do you really think you need a scholarship?"
She hesitated. "I—"
Elias cut in, his voice sharp but not unkind. "You're not a burden."
Angelina flinched. "But I—"
"You're not."
Leo sighed, ruffling her hair. "Little Star, do you know who our dad is?"
Angelina blinked. "Yes?"
"Then why," Jace drawled, "would you ever think you need a scholarship?"
Caleb crossed his arms. "Angelina, you could fail every subject, and Dad would still make sure you had the best education possible."
Alec nodded. "But you won't fail. Because you're smart. And you've already proven that."
Damien's voice was softer. "You did all that by yourself?"
Angelina bit her lip, nodding.
Damien's expression tightened. "You shouldn't have had to."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Alec stood, moving toward her.
Before she could react, he gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek.
"My sweet girl," he murmured. "You don't have to prove anything to us. We already know how amazing you are."
Angelina's throat burned.
Her father's touch was warm Comforting.
"I just..." She swallowed. "I just don't want to be a bother."
Alec sighed. "Sweetheart, you're our family. That means your problems are our problems. Your dreams? We'll make them happen. Your fears? We'll help you through them."
Elias, for once, didn't argue.
He just nodded. "You don't have to do everything alone anymore."
Leo smirked. "And you definitely don't need a scholarship."
Jace grinned. "But you do need to let us help with your homework."
Caleb chuckled. "Or just let Elias do it for you."
Elias scowled. "I'm not doing her homework."
Leo waggled his brows. "You say that now—"
Angelina let out a small, breathy laugh.
And just like that... the tightness in her chest eased.