The Rogue Alpha

It was hours before we pulled into the tiny town the cabin was "near" and another twenty minutes before we actually reached the cabin.

That twenty minutes seemed longer than the rest of the car ride. My bro's mood changed abruptly the moment he saw the town sign. It read, "Welcome to Wolfville, home of the werewolf museum."

I laughed and stated, "Everyone needs their tourist shtick."

He laughed too, but it was a nervous laugh.

We stopped at the local gas station. The clerk inquired about where we were headed. I answered, "My grandma called it the Shade family cabin."

I swear he snarled at me. Then he turned to my bro. "Why would you go there? That's enemy territory."

"We don't have any enemies." I informed him, "We're just a couple of friends on a vacation to a family cabin, I just heard about."

The clerk ignored me and told my bro, "Hope you don't regret your trip."

I rolled my eyes and we left. When we got in his car I looked over and noticed the hairs on the back of his neck were parallel to the ground.

I reached over and smoothed them down. He smiled, weakly, and started to drive. His eyes darted everywhere, his hands gripped the steering wheel, and whatever he was listening to, it wasn't me. I had to keep repeating myself to get the directions through to his brain.

Just outside the driveway to the cabin we were stopped by a handsome man. He walked to the driver's side window and talked to my bro.

"I'm Marshall, of the Lakeside." He introduced himself.

My bro replied, "I'm Mitchell, I come from the Moon Landing, but I'm currently unattached."

I looked at him strangely.

Marshall looked at me, and asked my bro, "Who's she?"

"A friend in my care, who doesn't know where she comes from." My bro responded.

I noticed a firmness in his voice that wasn't often present. The conversation was odd, to say the least, and yet I didn't dare ask any questions, or interrupt in any way.

Marshall asked, "What business do you have at the Shade cabin?"

"My grandma is a shade by birth." I replied.

My bro asked, "What seems to be the problem with the cabin?"

"No problem really." Marshall stated, "Technically it's just over the Hunt City line, so no one from Wolfville will go there."

"Must be a severe rivalry." I mumbled.

"I guess we can't invite you over for smores then." My bro said while attempting to smile.

"You could, but I wouldn't accept." Marshall looked over at me, then he said, "Tell you what though, you can bring your perdy friend to tomorrow's bonfire, down by the lake. You can meet everyone, and maybe find a place to belong."

"We'll certainly think about it." My bro answered.

"You do that, Mitchell and friend." He replied as he stood up straight.

My bro turned into the drive.

I saw him wince at the same moment I felt a stabbing pain in my side. I did my best to ignore it. Obviously Mitchell of Moon Landing didn't want to admit to the pain, much less discuss it, and neither did I.

The cabin itself was stunning. Big enough for a family of seven or more, but not so big that it looked like a mansion made of wood.

My bro's little sedan barely took up any room under the parking awning. We grabbed our things and went inside.

On a large dining table I found a letter written to me, from a cousin I hadn't seen in years. He welcomed me, told me to make myself comfortable, and he would see me in a few days.

"Guess you'll be meeting my cousin Richard this week." I announced to my bro as I put the letter down.

"That should be interesting." He replied, "What room do you want?"

"Something on the first floor." I answered.

"Lazy bones." He teased.

I grabbed a fake apple from the dining table and threw it at him, he turned, it smacked his butt hard enough to echo in the open space. "Nothing girly either!" I instructed him.

My bro did a mock bow and grumbled under his breath, "Yes miss Luna."

"I heard that!" I snapped, "You better never finish that last word!"

"What's to finish?" He teased.

I scowled at him. He laughed and put my bags into a room decorated with blues and greens.

I decided to raid the fridge. Thankfully my cousin had stocked it with plenty of meat, cheese, and fruit, along with a bunch of other stuff I didn't care about. In no time at all I had a couple of steaks cooking, and was preparing a fruit and cheese platter.

My bro took a deep breath through his nose. "Smells like you have bacon and wine in your steak pan. Delicious."

"Wine cooler." I corrected him, "And you're eerily good at that."

He grabbed a chunk of extra sharp cheddar cheese and declared, "I'm good, that's why you love me."

I smacked his hand with the spatula and exclaimed, "Not good enough to be allowed to steal food before it's offered."

We ate dinner and headed to our rooms. I was exhausted, and feeling more drained by the minute.

I shut my door, and went to close the curtains, but paused when I saw the piercing yellow eyes in the distance. They disappeared a few moments later. I almost doubted I had actually seen them. I debated calling for my bro, but they were already gone, so I didn't see the point. Instead I closed the curtains, changed for bed, and shut off the lights.

The bed was perfect for me, and the pillow felt like a slightly firm cloud. As soon as I closed my eyes I was asleep.

It didn't take long for the dreams to come, but morning took many dreams to get to.