Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4)

Natalia headed to the dining room. When she sat, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

“Good morning, Nattie. This is Kareen.”

“Good morning. Is this an update for last night's meeting?”

"Yes. How are you doing?”

“I'm doing well, thank you. So what's up?”

"We don't often get petitions, but last night an individual who wishes to remain anonymous, submitted a petition requesting that we define just what a Viperian is.”

“This is because of Victoria, isn't it?”

“I was expecting some... comments over her birth, however, not so soon. Hardly anyone has seen her, but word has spread. We do work hard at keeping Viperia just for Viperians, but there are exceptions. You're not the only one. We have your father who is allowed in because of Brianna, for example.”

“It's not my father or me. It's Victoria. A blonde Viperian.”

“It's quite easy to define a Viperian. We're venomous.”

“But what if Victoria doesn't have fangs?” Natalia said with concern. “We haven't seen them yet.” "No?"

“No. But she can speak Viperian. She seems to speak it better than Uri or Tia told me she would. However, they have a hard time hearing her, so everyone thinks I'm making it up.”

“You could be interpreting based on mother's intuition.”

"We had vandals last night, Kareen. Victoria warned me. She woke me up. Now how could I misinterpret that?”

"Vandals?"

“They painted anti-Undent marks on our garage doors.”

"Oh, dear.”

“Kareen. If Viperians want a definition of what makes them a Viperian, let them create one. Just have them leave us alone. This is childish. Having a definition isn't going to stop me or Victoria from going into Viperia. We are a Viperian household.”

“That is quite true. I'll discuss that with the rest of the Council. That might be a good way to address this.”

“Education is always the key.”

"Sometimes education can't erase irrational beliefs,” Kareen said. “We've banned teddy bears, yet there are some people that think they have a right to bite whoever they want and make a teddy bear. They think it's part of our culture.”

"Unfortunately, change takes time.”

“So true, Nattie. Take care. I'll be in touch.”

"Bye."

Natalia stared at her breakfast.

“This isn't the sort of problem I'd expect after having a baby.”

Uri came through the door from the garage. He headed to his office.

Natalia sipped her tea. It was already cold.

“Mag?”

This day wasn't going right, she thought.

Mag didn't appear.

Natalia rose and stepped into the kitchen with her tea. There was no one there. She put her mug into the microwave to warm it up. When she sat down and sipped, it was too hot.

Uri came out of his office and headed back toward the garage. Natalia stirred her tea.

"Busy place. You're taking it all in stride,” she said, looking down at Victoria who was sleeping soundly.

Her tea was now cool enough. She picked at her breakfast. It was after her tea was gone that Mag appeared.

“I'm done Mag.”

“You didn't eat everything.”

“Too much going on.”

Natalia rose.

“Is everyone at the new place?”

"Yes. Let me clear the table, and I'll take you over.”

Mag picked up her plate and mug and disappeared into the kitchen.

Natalia rose and headed out to the garage. All the garage doors were closed. Someone was outside spraying. She figured Uri was spray painting over the marks.

Mag stepped out behind her.

"We can walk around the yard instead of going through the guest house,” Mag said. “The fence is down.”

Natalia followed.

Two men in work clothes were dismantling the fence between the yards. They didn't look Viperian. With the fence partially gone, it was easy to cross over to the other yard and into the back door of the other house.

Natalia could see that just about every window was open. She understood why as soon as she stepped foot in the house. The air was stale with a heavy smokey odor.

“They left food in the fridge to rot. Looks like they hardly took anything out, not even the garbage. Maybe some of his clothes,” Mag said.

"We got left with the mess to clean up,” Zena said, appearing in a doorway.

"Uri bought the whole house with furniture and all?"

“Looks that way.”

The decor was old and dark. There was a lot of dark wood on the walls.

“Look at this, Mag,” Zena said.

She sprayed the wall and wiped. The dark wood turned into a light golden brown.

"Oh, my word,” Mag said. “We're calling in reinforcements.”

Zena nodded.

“I think he smoked. Look up.”

The ceiling was brown, but there was one light colored swath.

"He definitely smoked,” Mag said.

“Disgusting,” Natalia said.

“Don't stay too long in this house with Victoria.”

“I think I'll forego the tour for now,” Natalia said.

Zena pulled out a phone.

“I'll see who's available to come over and help. We're pulling everything out, including the carpets.” “Good timing, Uri,” Natalia said, wondering what he was thinking in arranging all this now. “Maybe you should call Grazie and have the girls come over,” Mag said. “They will be good company. I hear Tracy is going to be a good mother when her time comes. She's doing awesome with Grace.”

Natalia took the hint. There was more than just needing good company. Extra eyes during this time of chaos were a good thing.

“I will,” she said, stepping back out into the sunshine.

The two workmen, who had been taking down the fence, were gone, but there were two others. They also didn't look to be Viperian. They were cutting out the hedge between the yards.

She walked back to the house, making the call as she went.

"Hi, Grazie. How are things over there?”

“Good, Nattie. How are you?"

“I'm doing fine. The house here is in chaos with workmen, and we had some vandals last night. I was wondering if you could come over with the girls. Or send them over. Company and extra eyes would be good with all that's going on.”

“I heard rumors about Uri's house remodel.”

“I think he took on more than he should.”

“The girls and I would be happy to come over. We'll be there after lunch.”

“Thanks.”

Natalia crossed through the garage and into the house. There were noises down in the basement. She went down to investigate.

Uri and the two workmen were examining a wall.

"Checking to see which side of the bathroom to go through,” Uri said. “This is Hans and Doug. This is Natte, my wife, with Victoria, our new daughter.”

“Pleased,” Hans said with a raise of his cap and a nod.

Doug just nodded.

Hans kept looking at his phone. Natalia could make out a GPS system on his screen.

“The best angle is to go through the bathroom,” he said, but that would kill the bathroom. What about that room?”

He stepped over and turned the knob. The room was locked.

“Not that room,” Uri said.

Natalia knew that was where the breeding beetles were kept.

“I think this side of the bathroom,” Uri said.

It was on the side away from the beetle room.

"We don't need to be straight, just have to avoid the areas I talked about,” he said.

“Right,” Hans said

Hans pulled a pencil from behind his ear.

"Doorway about here.”

He marked on the wall.

“That will work,” Uri said.

“We'll knock it out and put up reinforcements.”

Doug took a hammer off a loop on his pants and smashed a hole into the dry wall.

Natalia decided it was time to go back upstairs. The area was going to get dusty. She decided to head up to her balcony off her office. Seeing that Mag was nowhere in sight, she grabbed a glass of iced tea to take with her.

“Nice to be able to carry you around and still have use of both hands,” she said while she walked up the stairs.

In her office, she opened up the double doors out to the tiny balcony. From there, she could see the men cutting down the hedge.

Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

“Hi, Nattie. It's Francie. Moralis and I heard you had your baby. Congratulations. I know you're still recovering, but I wanted to extend the invitation. We're having people over by us for a cookout on Saturday since the weather is holding.”

Natalia found herself craving company, especially since she hadn't done much over the last month and a half of her pregnancy other than study. A cookout sounded enticing.

“Thanks, Francie. I think I'll be recovered by then. I'm already doing just fine.”

"Feel free to extend the invitation to your staff. The more the merrier.”

“Thank you. And how are you doing?”

"Big and pregnant. Tazia is giving me an easy time, according to what everyone is telling me.” Natalia knew they were also having a girl, and they had named her Tazia.

“Moralis is easy going. Sounds like Tazia will be the same.”

“That would be nice. Come anytime after twelve. We'll have all the boats out for whoever whats to do that. As for me, I'll be firmly planted on the deck.”

“I probably will be, too. Thank you and see you on Saturday. Bye.”

Natalia put her phone down and watched Mag and another woman pull out a wooden table from the neighbor's house. A few other women spilled out. There were a few that she recognized. "Apparently, Mag found help. That house needs a huge makeover before they move in. I don't think they'll meet Uri's deadline.”

There were noises downstairs.

Natalia could pick out Uri's footsteps from the workmen. A few minutes later, Uri came up the stairs. “It's going to get noisy,” he said.

She gave him an eye.

“I was hoping you could go next door, but I hear it's quite a mess.”

"Grimy is the word,” she said. “I was over there already.”

He knelt down to run a finger across Victoria's cheek.

“If you only gave me daughters as beautiful as she, I'd be a happy man.”

“Grazie and his girls are coming over sometime.”

“Chaos reigns,” he said.

“I need someone to help me with everyone working next door.”

“I heard they brought in help. There might be problems parking. We've filled up the street.” “Maybe we should buy the other neighbor's house and put in a parking lot.”

He chuckled.

“The noise won't last long. They just have to break through the basement wall, then it's just digging.”

He leaned over to put his cheek against hers.

“Thank you,” he said. “For such a beautiful daughter.”

She smiled.

He kissed her cheek and left, closing the door behind him.

Victoria was nursing when the noise in the basement started. It sounded like a jackhammer or giant saw. She wondered how the grubbies beneath the floor were handling it. She wondered if Uri had taken this into account.

Victoria didn’t seem to mind.

“You just want your milk.”

The door opened and Mag stepped in.

"How can you stand that?” she said.

Natalia shrugged.

“I don't know what got into him to think he can have all this going on with a newborn,” Mag said, sounding a little miffed.

“I have Grazie and the girls coming. I'm good. You don't have to check on me,” Natalia said. “Besides, I think the chaos is keeping me from fretting about other things. And I can do the diaper change once she's done.”

"You sure?”

“I'm good. Besides, I can always call you on the phone if I don't see you in the yard. I have a good line of sight from the balcony.”

The noise in the basement stopped.

“I just hope they don’t do something that'll open the floor up.”

“I already voiced that. That's why Uri's down there supervising,” Mag said.

She frowned.

“I'll be back over at lunch time.”

"How many helpers did you get?”

“Twenty. Our focus is the kitchen and all the bathrooms, then we'll start with bedrooms and work our way down. There are some nice bedroom sets, but all the mattresses need to be tossed. I told Uri to order a dumpster.”

“I wish I could help.”

“No, you stay right here. You have enough to worry about. We're having a cleaning party. We'll get it done faster than those boys downstairs can tunnel.”

Mag looked defiant and left.

Quiet settled over the house. Natalia peered across to the other house. The backyard was now full of furniture. Some ladies were wiping them down. She could see a clear picture of what was being cleaned and reused and what was the pile to be trashed.

The hedge was now gone, and all the branches and debris were raked up in a pile. She figured more grubbie food. The activities in the back were waning and she found herself daydreaming and watching the birds.

Mag appeared, setting down a plate with a sandwich and chips as well as a pitcher of iced tea. Natalia could see the ladies next door finding places to sit as they also were taking a lunch break. “Thanks, Mag.”

She was half-way through lunch when Uri came in.

“Grazie and the girls are here.”

"Have them come up.”

"Hey, Nattie,” Tracy said coming in. “It's only me and Marian. Grazie forgot that Zean and Jaina had to go to club. They took Theresa with them.”

The two girls pulled up chairs.

“Club?”

"Summer club. Girls meet and have fun. I did it when I was younger. It's a lot of fun. It was the one thing mother let us do. So what's going on?”

Natalia explained the house project.

“Where's Grazie? Down with Uri?” she said.

“Yeah. Wow. Your yard is huge. I can't believe their digging a tunnel.”

They watched while Grazie crossed the yard with Uri. It looked like he was showing him what was going on. Grazon was trotting behind them. Grace, held in Grazie's arms, had her arms up to the sky.

“The new house needs a good cleaning,” she said. “I was told to stay out.”

Uri trotted back over while Grazie went into the other house.

"Go on over and get a tour. It's lunch break anyway.”

The two girls left. Natalia finished her lunch.

Uri came up a short time later.

“Going to get noisy again,” he said, while he watched Victoria. “They hit a rock. Apparently a big one. They're going to try chipping through it.”

“She didn’t mind the noise,” she said. “Did you get lunch?”

He nodded.

She heard the front door.

“Just don't dynamite it out,” she said.

He smiled and left.

Natalia rose, deciding she needed to do a little walking. She headed down, but paused in the living room. There was a six-inch diameter flexible pipe coming from the kitchen, through the house, and out the front door. She peeked into the kitchen to see that it ran down into the basement. Debris seemed to be flowing through it.

“Very large vacuum,” she said, figuring this was sucking the dirt out as they dug.

She left out the back patio door and over to the other house.

"Hey, Nattie.”

“All the ladies gathered around to see Victoria.”

“Wow. Look at that hair."

Natalia explained the genetics.

“She's adorable.”

Everyone seemed to agree.

“Making any headway inside?”

"Oh, yeah. Kitchen is now spotless,” Zena said. “Garage is full of garbage bags. This guy kept everything. Come see.”

The kitchen was only a little smaller than theirs, but the pantry was large. It was spotless and smelled clean.

Victoria fussed a little.

“Things look great. Excuse me. I'm going to head back over. Have fun girls.”

Natalia could see that Tracy and Marian were now part of the cleanup crew. She could hear Grazie upstairs.

“Out’

Victoria's voice contained an urgency that Natalia couldn't ignore. She picked up her pace as she headed back over to the house. For some reason, she felt the need to avoid the garage. That same feeling also came from Victoria.

“Out,’ Victoria said as she started to fuss with renewed vigor, adding to the urgency.

Natalia went through a patio door at a fast pace, heading toward the basement door.

“Uri,” she said when she reached the door.

Fear now gripped her.

"Uri."

Victoria was now crying hard and fussing.

"Uri."

Her voice felt strained

There were noises below, then he appeared. He ran up the stairs.

“What is it?" he said, looking concerned.

The whole house shook. Dust billowed up from the basement.

“Shit.”

Uri ran back down.

“Doug? Hans?"

There was coughing.

“We're out,” came the reply.

Natalia covered Victoria.

“What happened?” she said, swallowing hard.

“We found out what that rock was for,” someone said. “It was holding up the garage floor.”

Uri and the two workmen came up. The workmen were covered in dust and dirt.

Natalia backed up to let them through, but she followed them toward the garage. She stopped at the doorway after they had stepped out with care. The middle of the garage floor was caved in beneath Uri's car. All four tires, however, were still on intact cement.

"Oh, boy,” Hans said.

“The vibration of drilling through that rock broke up the ground and gave way,” Doug said.

“They didn't use enough rebar. Heck, there isn't any rebar.”

"Hans, you're right.”

The two men were kneeling down by the cave-in.

“That was probably why my updates to the garage went so well,” Uri said. “It was easy to cut through the garage floor.”

Natalia figured this was for the trap door area that he had in the secret room in the garage. He had one in his house in Viperia as well.

"We can probably use ramps to get that middle car out,” Hans said.

“Let's get the others out first to reduce any weight,” Uri said.

He hit the garage door openers and grabbed a set of keys. Natalia felt nervous while he backed her car out of the garage. There was one area the front driver's side tire hit where the cement crumbled. "Someone was cutting costs when they poured this,” Hans said.

“Easier to move that rock now,” Doug said.

They were both peering into the crater.

Bonnie appeared.

“What the fuck?” she said.

She walked around the limo, looking perturbed.

“You're good. We hope,” Uri said.

Bonnie gave him a wary eye before she got into the limo. The floor held when she backed it out. “We have some two by sixes in the truck,” Hans said.

“They're too long,” Doug said.

“Jack the car up and put them under the front tires. There's more solid cement in front of the back tires. We're good,” Hans said.

"Humm,” Doug said, but he trotted out of the garage.

"We'll need a jack out of the car,” Hans said.

Uri opened his trunk.

Natalia continued to feel agitated.

“Uri, be careful.”

Victoria was still fussing.

“The floor is going to do more. I can feel it,” she said.