Since arriving home, I had only one goal in mind—completely avoid my parents at all costs. Mom didn’t say a word to me. Instead, she just stomped along with down-cast eyes until we arrived at my car, and then without a word, she stomped away toward her own. Not too sure what to think of that. She looked as though she had plenty to say, but for some unknown reason, evidently decided to hold off for a bit.
I, in turn, took it as an opportunity to race home before Mom could get there, and rush up to my room before I had to face her.
I had been shut in my safe-haven for over an hour without so much as a peep from anyone, which made me even more nervous. Mom rarely lets me do the whole leave-me-be-thing, and she was obviously upset after speaking to the principal. Maybe she was taking some time to cool off. Mom can be good at that sometimes.
Although, more often than not, when she’s acting all patient she has an ulterior motive. Nine times out of ten, she’ll leave me alone just long enough to make me think that maybe I got away with whatever it was that I royally screwed up, and then POW! She’ll let me have it. I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. Especially since this wasn’t her first conversation with the administration about my behavior.
Trying to keep myself occupied, I grabbed the US Weekly from my nightstand and cranked up my iPod.
I had just taken my mind off of my impending doom when Aiden eased my door open and peeked inside. “Hey Al, just so you know I was knocking. Anyways, dinner is ready,” he said, attempting to sound causal, as if I didn’t realize I was about to have to face the wrath of mommy-dearest.
I looked up at him with a blank stare, even though I had clearly heard him, and put my iPod down.
When I didn’t respond, he repeated, “I said dinner was ready.”
“Great. I can’t wait,” I said sarcastically. “Did Mom say anything to you?”
He looked down at the floor without answering. What did that mean?
“Aiden! Did she say anything or not? You’re freaking me out,” I said as I slammed my magazine down on my bed.
“No, but I have a feeling that it’s not going to be good. I mean this is your third fight. What do you think Mom and Dad are going to say? Great job, Honey. Third time’s a charm!”
“Don’t be a smart-ass, Ad,” I said, and jabbed him in his ribs with my elbow on my way out the door. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
***
I sat down at the dinner table with my eyes glued to the floor and waited for the fireworks to begin, but they didn’t come. Instead, my dad acted like nothing happened. He even asked me nicely if I wouldn’t mind helping him set the table, which, for some reason, made me feel even lousier about the trouble I had caused.
With the table set, there was nothing left to do but sit back down and endure whatever Mom had coming for me.
Is Principal Murphy going to kick me out of school?
What if my parents kick me out of the house?
What if they send me away to some school for screwed up teens, like the reform schools you see in movies?
I sat there, waiting, but no one said anything. We all ate dinner in what could only be described as a seriously uncomfortable silence. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen? No one spoke. Aiden hadn’t even looked up from his plate. What the hell?
Dad had made steak, my favorite, and I couldn’t even find it within myself to enjoy it. Maybe this was some new method of parenting Mom read about; make the kid feel so bad about herself that she never gets in any trouble at all.
Finally, the silence was broken.
“We are all going to have a talk after dinner, okay?” Mom said sounding a bit nervous.
Dad reached over to pat Mom’s arm as if to comfort her, which made my stomach churn.
Shit! I am definitely going away. They are so kicking me out of school! I know it! Military school, here I come.
My mind reeled as I watched my parents talking with their eyes. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, and when I turned to Aiden to see how he was taking all of this weirdness, as usual, he seemed completely unfazed by any of it. I felt like shouting, “Hello? Earth to Aiden! Are you seeing this? Your sister is about to be booted out of school! Do you even care?”
I pushed the food around on my plate, no longer able to stomach it with the tension mounting in the air. The longer we sat at the table the more anxious I became. Finally, I couldn’t take the suspense any longer and belted out, “Can we please just get this over with? I’m not really in the mood to puke up my steak and baked potato, and if someone doesn’t tell me what is going on, it just might happen.”
Mom and Dad froze and both suddenly looked as though they may puke as well. Their silence was all but killing me.
Aiden put down his fork and cleared his throat. “Ummm, should I leave? Do y’all want to talk to Al alone?” he asked.
Thanks a lot Ad. Way to be there for me, big bro.
Mom and Dad looked at each other once more. Then their eyes darted back and forth between Aiden and me before finally landing on the floor.
I stared at them both unable to believe that it had come to this. They couldn’t even look at me.
“Just tell me!” I shouted. “You’re sending me away, aren’t you?” I asked, sure my number was up.
Finally, Mom opened her mouth to speak.
“No Alli, we are not sending you away. God, this is so hard. I’m not sure where to start,” Mom mumbled under her breath.
Dad poured her another glass of wine and reassured her, “You can do this Lillian. They’ll understand. They can handle it.”
“Just say it, Mom. Whatever it is, I can take it,” I said trying to sound convincing. Honestly, I wasn’t ready for it. Whatever it was.
Mom scooted her chair out from under the table and turned toward Aiden and me, suddenly seeming a lot more confident. Taking a deep breath, she began, “Okay, several months ago, we started to notice that you were both changing. Physically. And obviously from what’s been going on with Alli, emotionally too. God… I should have told you this a long time ago. Maybe you would have taken it better, especially you Al. I’m so sorry.”
“What are you talking about Mom? You aren’t making any sense.”
“Just let her finish, Alli. This is important,” Dad said.
Mom again looked back and forth between Aiden and me and finally admitted, “Okay, I’ll just say it. I’m a werewolf and y’all will be too very soon. There, I said it. It’s out.”
Aiden and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. Had she lost her ever-loving mind?
“Hey Mom! Grrrrrrrrr! Maybe you should lay off the wine before you sprout some back hair,” Aiden somehow managed to say through his laughter.
I was doubled over, almost in tears, when Mom got up from the table and left the dining room without a word. Our laughter ceased when Dad threw his napkin on the table and stood up to surely chastise us, but his speech was cut short when an enormous, dark-brown wolf wandered into our dining room and bared its teeth at Aiden.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” the wolf growled with fury.
Now it was Dad’s turn to laugh as Aiden high-tailed it on top of the dining room table, screaming, “Holy shit! What the hell is that?”
Still smiling, Dad said, “That would be your mom, son, and no cussing at the dinner table.”
I wasn’t screaming or jumping on table tops. Instead, I was frozen in place, seemingly suspended in time. Dad was laughing, Aiden was shaking, and my mom…wolf…mom-wolf, whatever she was, was staring at us all with the same dark brown eyes she’s always had. It was real. She was real. Holy shit is right! My mom is a werewolf!