—In the beginning, Adam walked the Earth with his first wife Lilith.

[ALEX]

†

THE CAR CAME to a stop and my mom grinned, grabbing Jackson's hand as she looked towards me and squeaked in excitement, "We're here!"

I faked a boxy smile and Jackson patted my knee reassuringly with his large hand but it only made me uncomfortable so I scooted over in my seat, away from him and my mom.

The large man looked like a mix between Wolverine and a golden retriever with his big blue eyes and oversized canines that were evident whenever he smiled (and boy did he smile a lot) and his thick head of curly blonde hair was always so messy that mom hadn't stopped trying to fix it the whole drive here.

To be honest, I can't even remember how we got here. One moment the car was going through a tunnel and the next I woke up in Seacrest, the most woodsy town on Earth. Even Satin Ridge, despite being a relatively small town, had huge malls and countless attractions to keep you from going insane.

Here, all I could see so far was trees, a house or two, winding roads, and even more trees. Though, for some reason, it was starting to feel like a place from a half-remembered dream.

Jackson was looking at Mom in such an obviously lovestruck way that it made me curl my lip, cringing internally.

Ugh, romance.

If I had a dollar for all the divorces I've witnessed in my seventeen years on this Earth, I'd have more money than my rich stepdad did- which, now that I look at his tailored suit, was probably a lie.

Still, I've seen more divorces than the average teenager and they all happened because dumb adults like these two couldn't resist "the call of the loins", as Karma and I so like to call the reason humans haven't gone extinct, which made it possible for me to be here, judging everyone who listened to their bodies and answered that wretched call.

Even thinking about it made me want to throw up in my mouth.

Karma liked to joke that I never got over being told boys had cooties in elementary and she may be right since there wasn't a single boy that I'd given a chance in all my years living in Satin Ridge.

Who is this Karma I keep talking about?

My very best friend and the only person who knows that I cried at the end of Frankenstein.

The book.

No, we're not going to talk about it.

Actually, maybe we should, because see, I hate reading more than probably anyone else in the entire world and you might think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not.

Reading is not only boring, it's useless. What can you get out of reading that you can't get from a show or a movie or a nice podcast?

Exactly, nothing.

You're just sitting there staring at words until they start doing all kinds of gymnastics off the page and by then you're already daydreaming about what could've been a better comeback to that rude homeless guy you got into a fight with two months ago on your way back from the thrift shop.

Okay, I may have lost my train of thought—oh right, so I read the damn book after Karma had begged and begged and pleaded with me saying, "Horror is your shtick right? I promise you'll love it!"

I finally gave in then, but what she didn't tell me is that the book would rip my cold dead heart right out of my chest and use it to play ping-pong.

Karma was wrong.

I hated the book. It was long, and boring, and depressing, but I couldn't stop reading it and by the end, well you know what happened at the end.

The book broke me. I was a cold, heartless, monster, but this damn book broke me into a sobbing mess... That wasn't supposed to happen!

I have to hand it to Mary Shelley. She had a real talent for birthing monsters, but the real horror was finishing the book and realizing I actually sympathized with the darn thing the entire time because damn, it reminds me of my own struggle with isolation and acceptance.

The creature, abandoned and misunderstood that grew detached from the world.

Okay, that was pretty emo, even for me.

"I promise you'll love it here," Jackson said.

See what I mean?

Jackson had an accent that I couldn't place and his deep voice kept it's kind tone as he looked into my naïve mother's eyes.

She wore a summer dress almost identical to mine and her tightly coiled hair was caught up in a puff, tiny butterfly clips gripping into the fluff and making her look like some kind of pixie.

She might be easily fooled but I wasn't going to trust some guy I met just yesterday, and especially not a sweet talker like Jackson.

The worst type of men, in my opinion, are the ones who know exactly what they want and are determined to do everything in their power to get it. How else would you explain Mom getting married to him the very same day they met?

I've never trusted men like Jackson before and I don't intend to start now.

Mom was the first to reach freedom when the car came to a stop and was next, smoothing out the tight dress as I got out. Dresses were really not my thing, they were seriously impractical and hardly ever covered me up right but Mom insisted I make a good first impression.

Her definition of a good first impression was literally, "I don't care if you're upset, Alex. You can sulk but please don't give Jackson any reason to think we're animals with your 'quirky' habits."

Whatever that meant.

I let out a heavy breath and my train of thought was cut off abruptly when I looked up at the massive house in front of me, my mouth falling open in shock.

Mom said Jackson was rich, but she didn't tell me he was rich rich.

I nodded to myself in approval, hand on chin. Mom really hit the jackpot.

Ever since she got married to Jackson she's become a whole new person too, now that she didn't have to keep worrying about bills and paying for medical school.

I like seeing her happy but it's just a matter of time before the 'honeymoon phase' ends and all the problems no one even bothered to consider, start to surface all at once.

You know what they say about money and it's inability to buy happiness (debatable).

I like seeing her happy but it's still a little bit creepy how childish she's allowing herself to behave these days.

Having a kid might force any typical young girl to mature and become a woman before her time, but although my mom could be mature when the situation called for it, she was still unbelievably immature, even more so than me, the actual teenager.

I guess the prospects of having virtually no responsibilities can bring out the kid in you, even at thirty-three years old, because she barely knows the guy and they're already married and moving in together.

Hello? Stranger danger?

I don't think she had any ulterior motives but I couldn't help but wonder if Jackson only snatched her up because he thought he'd have better luck with a younger woman and could maybe pop out a couple of kids that only kinda look like him.

Ugh.

Who ever said adults were smarter than teenagers anyway? They were definitely stupider, running around and "falling in love" left and right and the worst part was they could just decide to get married on a whim and no one can stop them.

Didn't they know love was just a ploy big cooperations use to trick small minded people into buying valentines day gifts?

Mom and I had that kind of relationship where I'd tease her ruthlessly for being an airhead so when she'd called me three days ago to announce her marriage that had happened spontaneously on the two day cruise she'd won playing some stupid mobile lottery, I laughed in her face because I thought she was joking.

But it turned out that she was dead serious about Jackson; so serious that she uprooted my entire life and ruined my livelihood just so she could play housewife in a lavish mansion out in the middle of nowhere.

It must've been her love of spontaneous adventure that she passed onto me, which made her take the plunge with Jackson so soon after meeting him, but honestly, there was no denying their chemistry.

Still, if this was a joke, however elaborate, it was a really bad one and it had gone way too far.

I can't go back to our two bedroom house now!

On the front lawn stood a few shirtless, sweaty men who looked like they'd been training for a fight scene in an 80's action movie. They were all incredibly athletic looking with hulking muscles and they were a lot taller than the average men I was used to seeing back home.

Come to think about it, Jackson himself was huge, at around 6'6", and especially compared to my mother who was only 5'0" tall.

Seacrest is just a whole new world, isn't it?

The front doors of the house flew open and a little girl ran out, her raven black hair flying. She crashed into Jackson's arms squealing, "Afa!"

While Jackson was introducing us to his daughter, I noticed two people exit the front door as well, a blonde girl who was fixing her rumpled clothes, followed by a boy with a serious RBF and man was he tall.

He was wearing a simple pair of basketball shorts that did little to hide his v-line and his shirt was slung over his shoulder, putting his defined abdominal muscles on display.

He wasn't ripped beyond belief like the other guys, but he definitely had a nice body and my throat instantly went dry the second I allowed myself to look at his face.

I couldn't tell what color his eyes were from where I was standing but they were narrow and stern, making him look like somewhat of a delinquent. His inky black hair curled at the tips and stuck up in places and I was sure I caught a maze of veins running down his large hands before they were tucked into his pockets while he continued watching us intently.

"Ah, Tristan," Jackson said, handing the little girl whose name was Candice, over to mom, "Come, come."

Mom smiled, holding the little girl on her hip and I could already tell she adored her. Jackson placed a hand on the small of Mom's back, "This is my beautiful m- wife Ellie," my mom giggled at that, "and her equally charming daughter Alexandria."

"Alex" I corrected, but Jackson was already walking up to the boy and giving him a hug.

"Good to have you back," The boy spoke, his voice was softer than his appearance suggested, but his eyes still never left our direction and I took that as a warning.

"Good to be back, son," Jackson released him from the hug with a smile.

Oh no.

That's his son?

Mom had said he was my age but for some reason I wasn't expecting him to be hot.

There must be something in the air in Seacrest because for the first time in my life, I was positively salivating at the sight of the opposite gender.

I stayed quiet, watching the exchange before I realised Tristan's eyes were now on me and they had narrowed considerably.

I raised a brow, glancing around to see if he was glaring at me or someone else because trust me, I do not want to be here either, buddy.

So this is my step-brother.

We were the same age, I knew that, but with his height and with how mature he looked, it almost felt as if he was much older than me.

Jackson dismissed everyone on the lawn and as the men took their leave, a burly looking man approached him, muscles bulging under the wife beater he wore, "Alpha, while you were gone a stray-"

"Not now Silas," Jackson cut him off quickly with a kind smile, "We can discuss those issues in my office. For now I want to give my lovely wife a tour of her new home."

"Of course," Silas bowed respectfully.

I rolled my eyes.

Man, am I back in the 1800's or what?

The adventurer in me wanted to see what the rest of the place looked like so I slipped away when no one was looking, ready to explore.

The grounds were massive and sorrounded by a thick wood that seemed pitch dark even in the middle of the day. I followed the cobblestones until pretty soon I was walking on a pathway lined with lush hydrangeas that led into a very well kept garden.

I skimmed my fingers over the petals of an assortment of flowers as I passed by, smiling to myself, before someone called out to me from behind in that strange accent.

I turned around to see a lanky guy with light caramel skin and cropped curly hair standing there. He was the only guy I'd seen so far that wasn't over six feet and he had two sets of piercings on one of his ears and a single lip piercing in his lower lip that drew attention to his award winning smile, dimples prominent.

Jesus, why is everyone here so smiley? It felt like I was in a Disney movie or a tampon commercial. Honestly, what's the deal with those?

Does anyone actually believe a "happy period" is a real thing?

This boy didn't seem threatening at all and his sweet smile was a nice contrast to the angry looking Jerkwad from earlier who hadn't bothered to spare me or Mom a single word.

"Alex, right?" The boy asked, extending his hand.

"Yeah?" I ignored it.

"I'm Emette. My dad, Silas, he's the pack Beta. If you see anything suspicious you can always call us."

"That's a weird way to start a conversation," I mused, already confused, "Do you guys have like a pervert problem- and what's a Beta?" I asked, scrunching my face up.

"Oh right. Uh, they're looking for you inside," he motioned a thumb over his shoulder, seeming a bit fidgety now, "They... they sent me to get you."

I groaned out loud with a roll of my eyes and he laughed, the sound oddly melodic.

"Not psyched about moving here, I'm guessing."

Perceptive.

"Who would be psyched to move to some shitty backwoods town no one's ever heard of?" I asked without thinking.

He laughed again and I wondered if I should start doing standup for a living since I was such a riot.

Emette then clicked his tongue, "I'll admit, Seacrest is probably boring compared to where you're from, but don't worry," he flashed his dimples again, "There's plenty of stuff to do here and you'll see what I mean soon enough. Make me your personal guide and I promise you won't be so grouchy after s while."

I didn't think I was being grouchy, but he might be right. I was pretty irritated by the fact that my mom had ripped me away from Karma and the only life I'd ever known, but maybe a fresh start didn't mean the end of the world.

"Fine, you can be my guide," I said, "Just don't try ripping me off like they did in Jamaica, I'm dead broke."

"Oh, come on, you're loaded now," Emette glanced at the house before he grinned back at me, "And besides, the local attractions are pretty unique, I'd say it's worth the extra tax."

"I mean, all I've seen so far are trees and half naked men so..." I trailed off with a shrug and Emette cracked up yet again.

I'm on a roll!

"You're so much different than what I expected, Alex," he said on a chuckle, "I kinda like it."

"You've heard about me?" I asked, surprised since I was so used to being invisible.

"Yeah, you two are all everyone's been talking about since we got the news."

By 'everyone' did he mean the whole town? I don't know what Jackson did for a living, but if his getting married to my mom caused us to be the talk of the town, he must be pretty important.

"What did you expect then?" I asked, raising a brow. Maybe I was a little too interested in what he had to say, but I couldn't help it, "I mean... what's everyone saying about me?"

"We're just glad Jackson finally tied the knot. He must be so happy now that he's finally found his soul mate."

I mean, personally I wouldn't go that far.

And were his eyes lighting up? Damn, these people must really like Jackson to be so happy for him.

"Yeah, well you're all going to be disappointed cause we're nothing special," I said, "Mom, may be a little bit special, but not in the good way."

"I'd say you're pretty special," Emette gave another smile, dimples digging deep, "You're just what we needed."

"Do special people spend their entire life savings on surgery for their pet goldfish only for it to end up dying a week later?"

Who did that you ask? My mom, everyone.

Emette's brows furrowed and he was about to speak when I gave him a tight smile, "Thanks for delivering the message."

He folded his lips, "No problem. Thanks for moving to our shitty backwoods town."

Oops.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that to someone who has lived in said town their entire life.

Giving the boy a quick pat on the back, I turned and headed inside.

I was pulled into a bone crushing hug by mom as soon as I entered the foyer. She was wearing way too much perfume which caused me to have a small coughing fit.

"Jesus, mom, some people have sensitive noses," I mumbled.

She really was acting like her true self now, I suppose I should've expected it.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," she cooed in a slightly condescending tone, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, pulling me down to her height.

"I can't believe it!" she squeaked into my ear almost wrecking my eardrums and I pushed her off not-so-gently.

"Mom, stop," I mumbled under my breath, slightly embarrassed.

They don't need to know we've only seen houses like these watching House Hunters.

"But it's so beautiful here," she sighed happily, "We always dreamed of having a nice house like this one day, right Alex?"

I rolled my eyes. The only thing I always dreamed of having was some peace and quiet for once in my miserable life. To think I was acting more mature than my own mother.

"It's more than just nice, even," She continued to squealed excitedly, "It's gorgeous. You should come and have a look around with me."

"I'll look around later," I said, not wanting to follow her like some kind of lost puppy and listen to her squeal at every chandelier and family portrait like some poor commoner.

"It's amazing, Alex," She kept going, "I mean, just look at the size of this place and the grounds, it's so-"

Someone cleared their throat obnoxiously loud and I whipped my head around to look at Tristan who stood glaring down at Mon and me from one side of the double staircase like we owed him money.

"Oh Tristan!" Mom chirped with a sweet smile, "You've met Alex, right?"

"Pleasure to meet you, Alex," Tristan said blandly, blue eyes looking down at me disdainfully, "And of course, welcome both of you to our humble home. How was the trip?"

I hated him immediately.

He was so...fake.

"I barely remember it," Mom chuckled, "Now that I think about it, I might've actually slept the whole way through..."

Tristan was still eyeing us suspiciously while Mom yammered, but I paid it no mind, heading into the living room where I saw Jackson on the floor with Candice.

He looked up from where he was seated as I walked in before getting to his feet.

"Mind watching the little one for me while I give Ellie a tour?" He asked and I nodded.

"Sure."

Kids are better than people anyways.

He then left the room in search of my eccentric mother.

Once again, if this was legit and not just the elaborate plan of some weird cult to use me and Mom as human sacrifices, how a sensible guy like Jackson chose an airhead like my mother will forever remain a mystery to me.

I sat next to Candice as she drew with her large crayons, combing my fingers through her waist length hair. Toys and books were strewn about the room haphazardly and I pulled her close wrapping her in a tight hug and inhaling her smell.

She was my lifeline now.

"I think I'll call you Candy," I said in a hushed voice.

"I wove candy! But Afa says 'em not awwowed to have sweets cause it makes my teef rot and I won't gwow up to be a big stwong wolfie like him and-"

I blinked rapidly, looking down at the toothy grin she was wearing as she continued to talk and talk, before I chuckled. I hadn't expected her to be this talkative but it made me feel better about the whole situation immediately.

Even if what she was saying made absolutely zero sense.

A few hours after we had arrived and Jackson was done giving us both an official tour of our 'humble' home, it was getting dark out and when stars were dotting the night sky and the moon was high overhead mom and I were eager to try out the hot tub we'd spotted earlier in the daytime.

Zero-proof cocktails in hand, we sunk down into the warm bubbling water with satisfied ah's.

I was wearing sunglasses for the extra chic-ness.

Ah, yes. This is the life.

Mom leaned in and I thought she was going to tell me something juicy when she said, "Be nicer to Tristan."

Huh? My brain struggled to make sense of her request.

I wasn't particularly rude to the guy, I just avoided him since he hasn't stopped glaring at me since I got here.

"I'm not dumb, I know he wasn't the nicest to us," She sighed, "But I think he just needs some time to warm up to us. He lost his mother not too long ago," she explained, "And I think he might still be healing from the loss."

Or he could just be an asshole.

Was I really supposed to feel sorry for the jerk now?

Honestly, I could care less.

"Yeah, yeah, Ill try," I said.

The heat from the hot tub was doing a good job at making me feel relaxed enough to just nod and agree to whatever she wanted. Tristan could have some grace if Mom wanted it.

That's for her sake though, not his. He could eat a bag of—things that rhyme with brick.

"I mean it," Mom said with a teasing edge to her tone. "Be nicer or bad karma will follow you."

I rolled my eyes but laughed anyway, "Don't bring Karma into this."

Mom giggled at that, almost snorting her cocktail.

"I've never been so happy," She sighed after soaking for a while.

"Even when the pizza delivery was two minutes late that one time and we got our order free?"

"Okay, maybe the second happiest," She said after a few seconds and I chuckled.

"Are you ready to start at your new school on Monday?" She asked.

I only shrugged, "All the world's a stage, Mom."

Plucking the cherry garnish from her drink, she chucked it at me and it bounced off my forehead.

"Don't go making trouble for us now Alex, the people here are really nice."

I rubbed the wet spot on my forehead with a wince, "Mom, that's a whole other red flag if you ask me. Do you see the way they look at you?"

"What way?" she asked, sipping on her cocktail.

"Like they want to eat you or worship you or something I dunno," I tossed my head back, looking up at the sky as I rested my arms over the edge of the hot tub on either side, "I mean, what does Jackson even do? Is he like the mayor or in the mafia or..."

"Something like that," I heard her mumble and I pulled the sunglasses down to the tip of my nose, lifting my head to look at her warily.

"And he chose to marry you of all people?"

She let out an obnoxious laugh, snorting in between, "Alex!"

"I'm just saying," I chuckled with a shrug, "You're almost burned our house down like what, five times?"

Mom threw back her head to guffaw properly this time.

"At least I've never put a microwave dinner in the oven," she said when she could catch her breath.

"That was one time and I was tired, I had a test the day after!"

"Uhhuh, so tired that you stayed up watching desperate housewives until three AM," Mom was grinning.

"You watched with me!" I grinned back.

Mom laughed before looking out towards Jackson's back porch, "If you ever tell anyone that I won't give you an allowance, ever."

I gasped, hand over heart, "You wouldn't dare."

"I would absolutely dare," I could see her lips twitch as she was holding back a smile, sipping on her cocktail again.

I held up a hand to stop her before she could go any further, zipping my lips closed with my thumb and index and miming that I'd tossed the key behind me.

"That's what I thought."

THE SHITTY BACKWOODS TOWN

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