• Chapter Five!!!!!
    Ah Family!!!!!

    Morgan walked in behind me as I turned the keyboard off.
    “Are those artifacts real of did you sculpt them?” I ask walking up to Morgan and meeting her blue-green eyed gaze.
    “My father found them. Speaking of the man he should be home in about ten minutes with Thomas.” Morgan answers.
    “Well now that you’re ready you should eat. You’re dad will suspect that you’re a ghost because of how pale you are. Let me help you get down there you look like you will faint.” I say convincing Morgan to let me carry her.
    I carry Morgan down stairs and place her on a chair at the table.
    “Okay now. What would you like to eat? I can make gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and gourmet peanut buttered toast. Which will it be Madam?” I say sarcastically with a purposefully bad French accent.
    “I think I will serve myself today.” Morgan answers in a bad French accent back to me. She gets up and makes a bowl of cereal and after she finished it rinsed it and put it in the dish washer. At that time Morgan had regained all of her color.

    “No all I’m saying Michael is that that museum is particularly big. It’s the fact of the matter that they need to make it smaller for-”Michael cuts Thomas off.
    “For those people like you who get lost in their own museum. It’s not good Thomas you need to go see a doctor about that.” Michael says arguing his half as he opened the front door.
    “Hi dad! Hi Thomas!” Morgan calls from the seat she was in. “What happened this time Thomas? Did you get lost in your huge museum again?” She asks greeting the two men at the door with me at her heels.
    “Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question or sarcasm? I can never tell the difference with your kids these days. And who would this young man being?” Michael asks flicking his eyes at me.
    “I’m Robert Jones. It’s very nice to meet you… Dr. Johnson? Am I correct?” I ask shaking his hand. “You met my brother Shamus, sir. He will be taking you’re courses next year.” I say staring straight into Michael’s eyes. “And Thomas would you happen to be talking about the museum on South Main street? I happen to get lost in there all of the time.” I admit to the man as I shake his hand. “Wow Morgan I guess that you were right. You do look an awful lot like your father. You two look almost exactly the same. I was asking Morgan the other day if she got her looks from her mother and she said that she looked almost exactly like her father and I’ve been waiting for this moment since.” I say staring into Michael’s piercing blue-green eyes.
    “Wow Morgan you sure can pick ‘em can’t you? He is just like you. You two make a cute couple.” Michael comments, placing a semi-large pile of papers on the table near the door.
    “Dad.” Morgan growls.
    Michael gives her the piercing look that Morgan gives me when I do something I’m not supposed to.
    Morgan gives the look back.
    “Wow you really are just like him Morgan. I remember when you gave me that look the other day. I wanted my skin to crawl but I was to beside myself to.” I say anxious to see what they would do next.
    “Be back no later than 10, Morg.” Michael says in a low growl.
    “10:30 and don’t call me that.” Morgan says in a tone meaning ‘Don’t mess with me or I will get you. My father or not.’
    “Morg.” Michael repeated.
    “Why do you call her that if she doesn’t like it, Junior?” A voice teased from behind the argument.
    Instantly everyone dropped their eyes from the argument, besides Morgan and Michael, to figure out who it was.
    “Not now Granddad. We’re arguing here.” Morgan said.
    “Yes I can see that. I’m on your side this time.” The man says working his way around Thomas, Michael, and Morgan to speak to me. “Now. Who are you son?” The man asked me while placing his hand firmly on my shoulder.
    “I’m Robert Jones.” I say proudly but get discouraged by the look on the man's face, I sigh.
    “Junior does this face look familiar to you? I think I’ve seen it before.” The man says.
    “Not now sir. One minute. I’ve seen his brother before but they look nothing alike. I’ve seen Robert before so why would I look now?” Michael asks.
    “Don’t make me part of this too, Junior. I will get started.” The man threatened.
    “Ten dollars on Morgan.” Thomas says.
    “Twenty on Junior there.” I say joining in.
    “You know this would be more interesting if we threw in a couple hours.” Michael said hunching over as if he were going to attack Morgan.
    “Deal. No later than 11:00 though.” The man I now know as Henry said getting into our amateur way.
    “Two hours away if Morgan looses and an hour and a half more if she wins.” I say getting even deeper into the bets.
    “No one get hurt and don’t break anything... bones or not.” Henry said waving his hand in front of the now hunched over Morgan.
    “Go!” Thomas said unexpectedly.
    Morgan slipped to the side and the three of us back away from the two ravenous family members.
    Michael throws a punch and Morgan catches it in her right hand. She takes her free left hand and pushes Michael up against a wall and with one swift and fluent motion Michael takes Morgan down. Now pinned on the ground Morgan twists out of the pin and puts Michael into it. And at this point Thomas and I are into the fight copying the moves in the air but then you look at Henry and he looked like he were at a funeral or at least a memorial service.
    Morgan now was pinned down and stuck down but in one move she was on top again and Michael was stuck. Michael threw a punch and it landed hard on Morgan’s jaw. Morgan was pushed up against the door and Michael was no so out of breath you’d think he had asthma. Morgan punched him hard in the ribcage and then I saw a vacant look in her eyes. Michael must have seen it too. Thomas stared at me and I stared at Michael and Michael staring at Henry. Next thing I know I’m standing in the spot the fight was going on in alone and out of breath. I noticed that the vacant look in Morgan’s eyes was pain and sorrow. I noticed that I was on my knees bleeding from my arm. It got very cold and everything went black.
    I moved my hand up to my face and back down to where it was before. Morgan clasped her hand around mine and I slowly and gradually pulled open my eyes.
    “How do you get to your house, boy?” Thomas asks shaking my shoulder roughly.
    “Thomas! Don’t do that. Dad? He’s up help me get him to my truck! Don’t worry Robert. I’ll get you home. How do you get to your house?” Morgan asks as I pull her hand to my heart. “Robert! Dad! Help! His heart is stopping! Dad? Dad!” Morgan cries shakily as she leans forward and places her head on my chest, over my heart. “MICHAEL JOHNSON! Get in here! I need your help!” she cries as I close my eyes and sigh in relief.

    I wake up in my house with everyone surrounding me including Vincenzo, Casey, Shamus, Naomi, Maria, Godric, Morgan, Thomas, Michael, and Henry.
    No one noticed me because of the yelling at each other.
    “Granddad you shot him! What do you mean by I didn’t mean to?! You took dad’s revolver and shot him clear in the arm! It could be in his heart now! He could be dead now for all we know!”
    “Morgan the look in the boy’s eyes was like he was going to die any way! He had a vacant look in his eyes. I’m telling you the boy’s a werewolf! I don’t want you hanging out with him.”
    “Henry be reason able. The boy isn’t a werewolf and she has all of the right to go out with him if he pulls through this.”
    “Michael? I’m Godric it’s nice to meet you. Now I need to know the whole story from all four of you and just to keep this clean… no one in this family is a werewolf.” Godric states cleanly while shaking hands with Michael.
    “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!” I yell as I recoiled and writhed in pain.
    Morgan places her hand on my face and I feel the warmth radiating off of her for once.
    “Morgan? Help me up. I need to speak to Godric. NOW!” I yell impatiently.
    “Robert. You’re okay!? Oh Robert! I missed you too much!” Morgan says winding her arms around my waist as I sit up weakly and notice that I’m placed on the floor on top of multiple old blankets and bandaged up as if a vicious animal had gotten a hold of me.
    “Morgan? I’m so sorry. Please… forgive my foolishness.” I ask winding my arms around her too.
    “You are the farthest thing from foolish. Why would I love a foolish person?”
    I lean over and whisper in her ear. “Please. Come and help me up to my room. I need to give you something.
    Morgan wraps her arms around my shoulders and helps me up off the floor.
    We silently stalk up to my room and she places me on the couch in the corner of my room where you would have put a bed.
    “Morgan? Will you sit down next to me please?” I ask as she inspects the wall full to the top with c.d.
    Morgan sits next to me and takes a deep breath holding it in and, what I thought she did not know, not noticing. She let it out.
    “Can you come closer? It’s important and I’m injured.” I say playing the most valuable card… ‘I’m injured and it’s important.’
    She scooted towards me and leaned in.
    I leaned in too. I…full on kissed her on the lips. I wrapped my arms around her and she wrapped her arms around my head pulling me closer to her. I leaned back into the laying down position. Her body mimicked mine. We laid there like that for what felt like hours and she finally pulled herself away from me out of breath. I laughed.
    WOW
    “Wow.” Morgan says placing her head over my heart.
    I pull her in and kiss her again. This time she did nothing to stop it. She lay there limp as a noodle formed against my body.
    “It’s my birthday tomorrow. The first day of summer break. How lucky am I?” I ask pulling away from Morgan and placing her head back on my chest.
    “As lucky as I’m to have you.” She answers slyly.
    “You cannot leave. I must keep you. Stay here please?” I beg placing my lips on her forehead gently.
    “You’ve finally regained all of your color. I wish I could stay but I have to go. Dad would kill me if I stayed here. But if it means that much to you and since tomorrow is your birthday and you are injured I will ask.” She says pulling towards me and kissing me on the lips.
    Yes. It does mean that much to me. I love you too.
    I did absolutely nothing to pull away this time and it lasted about five minutes until Morgan pulled away and stood up.
    “Well I shall go and ask my father if I can stay here tonight. You might want to come with me to back me up if he says no.” Morgan says sitting me up and helping me off of the couch.
    “Yes I will come with you and back you up… but first-”I kissed Morgan on the lips again.
    We silently walk down the two sets of stairs and approach Michael and Thomas sitting in a room with Godric.
    Chapter Six!!!!!!
    Eaves Droppers!!!!!!
    “Well now that that is settled we all agree that Morgan will be staying here with us until Robert is healed. Now Michael, Thomas, and Henry you should drive home and get Morgan’s stuff…” Godric froze and held the ‘f’ as he saw my head pop out from the door way.
    I gave Godric a signal saying ‘pretend that you didn’t see that’ and walked off with Morgan. We walked back up to my room and sat down.
    I got up and put a c.d., in the stereo system, labeled Fall out Boy. The song I Don’t Care started playing as I sat down next to Morgan and wrapped my arm around her.
    Someone rapped on the door four times and Michael’s voice called out from behind the door “Morgan we all agreed that you will be staying here until Robert is feeling better. I’m going home to get you some stuff, what do you need?”
    I got up and opened the door.
    “All I need is a few pairs of pants, some shirts, and pajamas… you know whatever else to pack so just throw in whatever you think is mandatory.” Morgan answers rushing up beside me and wrapping her arms around me for support.
    I pull her closer to me and Michael pulls a move that you would think he would never do. He took his hand and pushed a small space between us as if we were to close.
    “Don’t pull a stupid move boy. I’m on my toes.”
    “Sir, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
    “My father’s move may have been reckless just the fact that you are standing right before me, like you had never been shot, forces suspicion out of me.”
    “Dad! Stop it right now! You’ve no reason to be suspicious!”
    All of a sudden I was standing in a long hallway by myself and it was very dark. A light at the end of the hallway tempted me and I started running towards it. The light in that room faded and everywhere around me was black. I was engulfed in darkness once again.
    I awoke on the couch in my room with Morgan sitting on the arm stroking my head and humming a lullaby. Michael was sitting on the other arm with Morgan’s things and a small medallion in his hands. I very slowly and weakly pulled my eyelids open just enough to see out but so they couldn’t see my eyes open.
    “You know, Morgan that this boy is welcome into our family but there’s something I just can’t put my finger on that pulls suspicion out of me. If he really means that much to you then you should… never mind. You’re too young. Just like you’re mother. Both of you are so convincing and you don’t even have to say anything. ‘No I’m not too young. Just hurry up already’. That meant something to me but… now… Not anymore.”
    “So you think I want to get married now? Dad, 17! So when you say ‘meant’ does that mean… you just… forgot mom all together?” Morgan asks placing her hand lovingly on my forehead.
    “No… well… it’s getting sort of hard to remember her. You’ve to understand-”
    “Understand what? That after someone you love dies you just pretend they never existed and move on?! Dad! That’s horrible! How could you do that? You loved her!? She loved you! Do you think that up in heaven that she has forgotten you, too?”
    “Well Morgan, you’ve to understand that your mother was the most important person in my life and that losing her made my world come crashing down. Nothing meant anything anymore. Not even… ha… not even archaeology. The world could have burned to the ground and I could have cared less. The hole was made and nothing could heal it… until you came along.”
    “Dad? Do you mind… describing mom? I never saw her… and since you did I was hoping that you could…”
    “Your mother was the most wonderful person in the world. Nothing in the world could ever rip us apart. Obviously she had blonde hair and pale skin. I certainly don’t my hair is brown …and graying. She was so swift and elegant. Like a swan. When she walked the world stopped rotating to sigh and look at her too. She had the bluest eyes it was like standing on the edge of the world on a beach and all you could hear was the gentle roar of the waves on the shore. She was magnificent. I loved her so much. I miss her every day even more than the previous.” Michael said staring off into Morgan’s eyes.
    Chapter Seven!!!!!!!
    Under statements!!!!!!!
    “Wow. Now I understand. So… did you… you know? Save her. Like a happy ending and you guys walked on a beach talking and holding hands and stuff?” Morgan paused looking longingly into Michael’s eyes. “You really do miss her don’t you dad?” Morgan asks staring off into his eyes too.
    Wow. You both miss her… don’t you? Is that what it is Michael? You don’t want Morgan getting hurt when I …leave? Isn’t it?
    “Dad, do you ever wish you could rewind time to the last thing you said to her?”
    “Yes. I always do. The only reason why is because the last thing I said to her was… horrible. I can’t ever repeat it. I promised.”
    “What was it? The last thing you said?”
    “Well you’ve to understand that her mother didn’t approve of me and despised of everything I said and did so that drove my action. I told her word for word that: ‘Well if you’re mother just hates me so damn much than let’s just hope she drops dead. ‘Cause if this is the way she treats me after saving your life and keeping you safe and loved all these years then just maybe I hate her too!’ she didn’t think too kindly of me after that. She told me that: ‘One more thing like that would get you into a court’ and then she slammed the door in my face leaving me out in the pouring rain. I climbed in through the window that lead to our bed room and left a note on my pillow next to her.” He sniffled and paused. “I left the house and walked around the neighborhood thinking about our conversation. I felt so guilty that I knocked myself out on the couch as soon as I got home. When I woke up… or we woke up she walked up to me and kissed me on the forehead as if nothing had happened and ran out to her truck in the rain. She looked back once with an apologizing face on and pulled out of the driveway, down the street and that was the last I saw of her. I felt horrible that it had to end like that.” He said standing up and walking to Morgan.
    “I’m so sorry dad! I didn’t understand! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me.” She said apologizing.
    I felt a stabbing pain in my back and yelped breaking up the moment. I stood up and scrambled around for a moment.
    Apparently no one noticed and the moment continued.
    I saw a glistening drop run down Michael’s cheek.
    “Dad, I never knew. I’m so sorry! Dad… I love you.”
    I walked up to them and embraced them both in my arms with the warmth radiating off of me again.
    “Boy… let go of me. Now.” Michael said strictly.
    “Sorry sir. All I heard was ‘had to end like that’ and figured that… I might be able to make you feel better. I guess not.” I said pulling away from them and placing my hand on the still weeping Morgan as to say ‘I feel your pain. Don’t worry it will get better.’ I loved her right then more than I ever had before. “Sir, I understand you. I know… what you meant when you said ‘you two were and are so convincing’. You don’t want… me to” I pause and shudder “To hurt Morgan if I leave. That’s what you meant… Isn’t it?”
    Chapter Eight!!!!!!!!
    Birthday’s or Death days????????
    “Robert? How old are you?” Michael questions, quickly, changing the subject.
    “I’m 17 and will be 18 tomorrow. Why, sir?” I reply.
    “I was just wondering. So, boy, what sports do you play?”
    “I play… um… actually I don’t play any sports. I do play the piano though, sir.”
    “So does Morgan. Well I better get going now. You two have fun. Morgan… you know the rules. I’ll see you soon.” Michael says walking to the door after giving Morgan her medallion back.
    Morgan shuddered as Michael grips the door knob. Morgan stares down and stops breathing.
    Michael stops and turns around to face us.
    “Don’t touch her! Thomas, Dad gets up here now! It’s Morgan!” Michael cries out nearly sprinting to Morgan.
    “What’s wrong? Is she okay?” I ask trying to place my hand on her shoulder but get swatted away by Michael.
    “She’s fine. The necklace makes her see things. They… sometimes, lead us into trouble.” He says.
    Thomas and Henry step through the door way and sit on the couch next to Morgan.
    She blinks and forces her eyes closed. She sat there with her eyes pulled shut for minutes and then she opened her mouth as if she were going to talk and then shut it quickly.
    “What did you see?”
    “Death.”
    I shuddered and sat on the floor besides Michael. The moment lasted too long and I stood up at last finally re-gaining the feeling in my legs that I had lost when Henry shot me.
    I stood next to Morgan and wrapped my arm around her like she did to support me. I picked her up and ran down stairs as fast as you can say ‘speed’.
    “Godric… she’s one of us. What do we do? Michael probably knows though. That she’s a… werewolf.” I say placing her at the head of the long oak table in the dining room.
    “We tell Michael that we are were-wolves too.” Godric answers stroking Morgan’s head compassionately like I always did.
    Godric was a man built like Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter… just… not as old. He did not look old but was older than five centuries old by now. The man looked like he was in his late twenties and maybe early thirties. He had brown hair and deep amber eyes, almost brown, from not hunting in a while, that seemed to always match what he wore. He was the owner of the shiny and deep green Jeep in the seven car garage on the right side of our house. Godric was amazing and an inspiration to a lot of were-wolves like us who helped people not harmed them like savaged beasts. He had only killed three people in those five centuries and twenty nine years he had lived.
    At this time Morgan was in her normal state now and was totally abstract and out of the way.
    “Well it’s about time that you figured it out!” Morgan says the farthest thing from sarcastically.
    “Figured what out?” Michael asks appearing in the doorway.
    “After all this time they just figured it out, dad!” Morgan exasperates.
    Well at this point we were all staring at Morgan as if we were misunderstanding something. Michael gave a sigh of relief as Thomas and Henry walk out the big mahogany doors.
    “Well? Did you confirm it with them?”
    Now Godric had had enough. We exchanged expressions and flicked our gazes between Morgan and Michael who now were exchanging expressions too.
    We all started laughing at how ridiculous this all was. By the time we had all had our laughs, and were out of hysteria, we started to change expressions with the closest person. Morgan broke the silence.
    “When I was twelve I was standing in my room and my hand was bleeding. I didn’t know what from though. I hadn’t hurt it at all that day. I got this burning sensation running through my blood and it made me ache all over.” She said looking down the table of content faces. Michael, Godric, Vincenzo, Casey, Naomi, Shamus, Maria, and of course myself were all sitting at the table staring contently at Morgan.
    “The pain kept growing and I couldn’t get it off of my mind. So I screamed and no one was around to hear me but dad. The pain… I couldn’t bear it and I didn’t want Michael to catch it so when he tried to scoop me up in his arms I yelled at him to get away. I was in so much pain that I was on the floor cringing and writhing in pain... but not crying.” She paused and sighed as if it were a therapy session. She stared at me and continued “I woke up in the hospital writhing in a bed with my left wrist clasped in my right hand. To make it all worse the pain was two times as bad now and it was generating this immense amount of anger in me. I shouted for dad and he appeared there minutes later. I yipped and hoped out of the bed and we went home. I was just so angry and I didn’t know why. I just blamed it on all the bad things God had made happen in my life. I felt dark and mysterious and… evil.” She shuddered at the word and continued.
    “I locked myself in my room and didn’t eat anything for two weeks. On the Monday of the third day I began to see in black and white. This made me frustrated. I took a shower and threw on the usual outfit of cargo pants, red tee shirt, and black and red sweater. I changed my mind. I didn’t feel like wearing that today so I changed. I put on a button up red shirt, baggy jeans, with a darker red sweater vest over it. I slicked down my hair with enough gel to slick down ten times the amount of Elvis’ hair and pulled on white ankle socks and fancy black dress shoes. Lastly I brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror, which is something I hardly ever do. I looked so different. My canine teeth were so sharp and my eyes weren’t their usual blue-green… they were bright red and not quite amber.” Morgan stopped and looked at Michael and then to me.
    “I ran down stairs swift and elegantly not even leaving a trace of even leaving my room behind me. Usually you could hear anyone go down the stairs, especially me because I’m a klutz. But surprisingly you couldn’t hear a thing. I stood in the doorway near Michael and he asked me if I was feeling well and what was wrong. Lastly he asked me why my eyes were amber. I didn’t answer. I walked up the stairs leaving Michael dazed, stunned and confused in the doorway.” A tear slid down her face and she continued.
    “I went through the same routine every day for the next two weeks and still didn’t eat. I hadn’t read a book or played the keyboard in all that time. I was starting to scare myself. I ran down the stairs to see Michael standing in the doorway of the study. Word for word he said ‘I’ve had enough of this Morgan. You’ve been moping around like this for more than a month and depriving yourself of anything outside of your room. I don’t think you’ve even eaten since you’ve been bitten! Do something! Cheer up! Be yourself again, please? I miss the old you. The one who would gladly help me the one who would express herself with the keyboard and read two hundred books a week and the eager learner!’ Dad said infuriated. I was now officially over the edge now. ‘Dad you’ve pushed me too far.’ I growled jumping into the air and landing on the ground on all fours growling.” More tears slid down her face glittering as they went down. Michael took over as I stood up and comforted Morgan.
    “Morgan morphed into a magnificent and beautiful silver beast easily the size of a full grown lion. She growled deeply and pinned me up against a wall knocking all the wind out of me.” Morgan was done crying but the tears still slid down her face soothingly as she took over again.
    “I pinned him up against the wall with one huge paw and the other was ready to swipe at him. My medallion burned me so I let out a yelp of pain. I morphed back to a human and ran up the stairs clumsily leaving dad standing there out of breath.” She stopped and looked at Michael who was looking out the window.
    “I paced my room asking myself how I was to tell my dad. ‘How will I tell him ‘Dad I’m sorry about what happened and I just thought you should know that I’m a werewolf?’ No that wouldn’t do, and I figured that we should keep this a secret. Then that horrible memory of me almost killing dad flared in my head… Dad, helpless and scared, pinned up against a wall. Not even scared of some snake. Scared of… me; the person he was most scared to lose. Another memory came to mind of when I was first meeting dad. ‘Hey dad what’s your most valuable or treasured treasure? I ask dad. He told me that I was his most valuable and precious treasure. ‘And you are mine dad. Never fear I will protect you from any snake any time and meet it face to face!’ I proudly stated. And the memory ended. I ran down the stairs and jumped on the one that squeaked showing that I was coming down. ‘Dad I’m sorry about what happened and thought that you should know that I’m a werewolf. I just got so angry and… it came out instead of just anger. I… I think we should keep it a secret and… with the exception of Granddad and Thomas.’ I gave Dad a hug and he promised that we wouldn’t even tell them.” Morgan finished and placed her head in her hands.
    “Wow. Morgan, why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you!” I said patting her on the shoulder.
    She said nothing only looked back into my eyes and heaved a great sigh.
    “I think I should… uh, get going now. You lot have something to talk about and Morgan… uh be good.” Michael said turning around in the door way so his back was facing us.
    “Now dad, after all this time that you’ve known me do you still feel the need to tell me to ‘be good’?”
    “Well… yeah. I think you are a natural trouble magnet and that being good is hard for you. I’ll see you soon.” And he walked out the door and Morgan chased after him. We followed.
    “Dad! Tell me right now! Tell me! I can tell you are hiding something. Tell me… please.” She paused and I stepped up next to her and wrapped my arms around her waist and placed my head on her shoulder. “Dad tell me or I’ll do it. Don’t make me break our promise. I don’t want to. I really don’t want to.”
    Michael said nothing and only turned around to face us.
    Then and only then did Morgan stop what I was doing next. “Robert not now, please. Dad I will and you won’t like it. You will not forget this one either. I can guarantee that.” She says stepping forward and pulling my arms away from her. She was starting to cry.
    “You aren’t ready yet Morgan. Don’t start. Not yet.” Michael said looking deeply into Morgan’s eyes. He gasped at something we couldn’t see.
    “Dad… don’t make me. I don’t want to. Please just tell me.” She says stepping towards Michael again.
    He gasped and fell to his knees. He writhed in pain and screamed while Morgan only stood there looking angrily at him. It was horrible. I couldn’t stand there and do nothing.
    Michael screamed again and shuddered as if he were freezing cold. He put his hands to his temples and curled into a ball cringing on the damp warm summer ground.
    Morgan laughed and fell to her knees. She stayed like that and let not one of us get any closer to her.
    “Michael! Don’t slip and don’t let go! I’ve got a plan! Don’t worry I’ll save you!” I yelled as I ran in the door of our house.
    I ran up into my room and put on some mangy old clothes, quick as a whip. I slammed the door to Shamus’s room and ran down the stairs morphing into a sleek russet werewolf, twice the size of Morgan, as I ran. I felt a sharp intense pain in my spine, finger nails; and mouth and I shifted in seconds. I barked and leaped out of the front door slamming into Morgan as I came down for a landing. Vincenzo and Casey quickly caught on and did the same thing. Naomi and Shamus caught on a little bit later and Godric and Maria went inside to formulate a plan. But I couldn’t quite tell.
    Morgan took a moment to catch on but eventually caught on and morphed into a werewolf bigger that I had imagined. She sniffed me and then, remembering what she was doing, slammed into my chest as hard as she could send me stumbling backwards. The others formed a semi circle around Morgan and me.
    Michael let out another scream and cringed again but this time not in pain but sheer fright. I could imagine why too. Five more giant wolves standing in front of him… I would too if I were in his position.
    I swung at Morgan but she dodged it and hit me back. I stood up and reeled back. Noticing that I was hurt Casey hurtled herself at Morgan and knocked her down. Morgan pinned Casey down and bit her on the arm. Vincenzo lunged at Morgan and knocked her off of Casey. Morgan, pinned down by Enzo, Vincenzo nick-name, let go of everything and swung him off and ran at me at full speed. I met her head on and we collided knocking the wind out of us both. She regained her breath faster than I did and ran at me again. I swung at her and my giant paw met her face sending Morgan flying away. I had ripped a hole in the side of her face and she didn’t even notice. It healed in seconds and she ran back at me again this time from the side and knocked me on the ground. She bit my arm and ripped it open. I yipped and her paw met my face.
    Michael screamed again and this time didn’t stop.
    It left me feeling guilty that I didn’t do it sooner but I let go and smashed my head into Morgan’s ribcage. I heard a crunch as I jumped up onto my back legs. I didn’t have enough energy so I sat down and watched Morgan reel back still wounded from my blow. I focused and told the others that this was our fight, through our minds which is how we all communicated in our wolf form, and howled at the moon. Morgan snapped her eyes open and they glowered that fresh amber color that she had told us about in her speech. I focused hard on my ability and closed my eyes. We connected naturally in human form so why couldn’t we in this form too? I pulled my eyes open after ‘successfully’ connecting to her.
    I had changed the way other species thought so why not our species too? I thought about how she felt that Michael was keeping something from her and too much flared in my head that I went limp and so did Morgan.
    Michael stopped screaming finally. He seemed very cold and so I told Casey to go and warm him up. She sat him up and he sat close to her as he figured out that she was the warmth coming from some randomly appearing source.
    I regained my strength and Morgan did too. We circled each other and I tried connecting us again. I couldn’t get into her mind. This was bad. At least now she had forgotten about Michael and he wasn’t in pain any more. She tapped into my mind and all of a sudden I was standing in a dark room with only two big green glowing eyes there with me. The eyes turned into a person ten times bigger than me and I was now a human so I couldn’t do anything to hurt him. The man pushed me down and stepped on my ribs breaking them all. He jumped up and landed a punch on my face breaking my nose and chin. I gave a howl of pain so loud and so sharp that it would have made you deaf. I cringed and the man laughed at me. He stomped on my legs. I let out a great howl this time and let go of everything leaving me in the dark and in pain.
    I was on the wet damp ground with the great big silver wolf hovering over me with big round blue-green eyes. My pain had gone far enough and I figured out that it was just an illusion. Morgan, noticing the blood still on my face and arm, changed back into her beautiful human form and lay down on top of me, forming to my body. I heaved a sigh and placed her head over my heart. She sighed too. The injuries were gone now but the blood had stained the ground, my skin, and our clothes.
    “I’m so sorry that you had to see that.” She said barely getting it out of her before she broke into tears and began sobbing. “I-couldn’t-can’t-control- pain-fake.” She rasped out.
    The others were in the house except for Casey who was still warming the unconscious Michael.
    I looked about and then replied “Morgan, I know how you feel. I’m special too and I have been a werewolf for almost one hundred years and I still haven’t mastered it yet. Look… you caused a lot of trouble but we all took care of it and it is behind us now so let’s just forget it for now.” I said pulling her head up to my face and kissing her on the neck, jaw, forehead, and finally the lips.
    It just figured that as soon as I started kissing her it started pouring rain. She didn’t budge. She locked her hands around the back of my neck and I locked mine around her waist. We just laid there for what seemed like ten minutes until Michael stirred and woke up when the rain abruptly stopped.
    When Michael regained consciousness he got up thanked Casey and I and left without saying one more thing to Morgan.
    Casey morphed back and glared at Morgan on her way into the door.

    We all went to sleep accept for Morgan and I. We lay on the couch talking for a long time and then I brought up the topic that Morgan and Michael had talked about earlier.
    “Do you ever miss your mom even though you never met her?” I questioned Morgan after making our bed of pillows and a load of blankets on my pull-out couch.
    “Always. Never knowing her makes me miss her even more. It just feels so… weird having a father and no one to call my mother. Do you know what I mean?”
    “Well… no not really. Both of my real parents are dead. I know how you felt when you were growing up though. You were just always hoping that one minute would pass and your dad would suddenly be there to save you and hold you tight and to comfort you in storms and when you didn’t know what to do. I felt something similar to that. When my parents died I hid away with the keyboard that they had given me for my Birthday, and waited for them to wake up or for someone to come and save me. Once Vincenzo and Shamus found me and they smiled that crooked smile I felt at home again. And after all that time alone…” I gave Morgan the exact same smile that Vincenzo and Shamus had given me when they found me.