Drowning In Shallow Water

12

I love bacon. I bobbed my head as I savoured the taste of the treat over breakfast. It was quieter than usual, save for Martha answering Anna's persistent questions. She was absolutely innocent and cute and I wanted to laugh each time Luther rolled his eyes at every silly question. I admired Martha's patience and the love she visibly displayed for her children. It made me miss my mother. Could she have been like this? Did she love me like this?

There was some tension between Danny and Brianna. They stared at their food silently, their lovey-doveyness now gone. I made a mental note to talk to both of them about it. They probably had a fight. I didn't want them to be this distant from each other.

"So, are you ready for the Luna training?" Martha said out of the blue.

My jaw dropped in shock but Kaden suddenly went into a choking fit, hitting his chest with his fist as he stood from his chair, disappearing into the kitchen for half a minute before coming back, avoiding my questioning gaze.

"Luna training?" Danny asked, finally speaking up. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

I looked around the table. "What does it mean?"

"Well, you see-"

"I can explain," Kaden quickly said just as Martha had begun to speak. "Mom, I had to ask her first."

"Ask me what?"

"So you decide to make my sister your Luna without her permission? You haven't even discussed this with me! Are you crazy?!" Danny yelled, the veins of his neck bulging out.

He slammed the table loudly, making my heart leap to my throat. Brianna had to hold his arm to keep him from jumping over the table to strangle Kaden. I rolled my eyes. He was probably overreacting again.

"Let's all just calm down. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation," Martha said. "Maybe I went ahead of myself."

Danny managed to finally calm down and I tried to be patient in order to understand what was going on. I found myself feeling anxious as Kaden began fidgeting in his seat.

"I'm sorry about this, Nicola. I know you said you weren't ready for any Luna responsibilities and you want to see how far we can go. I only asked Mom to see if it was an option for you to see what it's about. I was going to ask you about it first but I'm afraid Mom didn't get that part," he explained, looking at me closely to guage my reaction.

"My bad. I think I was a bit too excited," said Martha apologetically. "I promise not to get ahead of myself next time."

I nodded at the explanation. "Maybe we should talk about this later."

"Are you thinking about making her your luna? Really? We'll aren't you something," Danny exclaimed, shaking his head.

"I didn't ask you so you don't have to worry about it," Kaden waved him off like an annoying fly while I watched the interaction silently, my lips pursed.

Danny just scoffed but said nothing else, thankfully. I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.

"Maybe luna training can wait and you can finish your studies. I understand you were in your last year of high school, right?" Andrew spoke up after a moment of tense silence.

"Yeah, I was," I replied.

"Then maybe we should consider finding you a tutor to help you finish up. You don't mind being homeschooled, do you?" Andrew suggested. "It is just that I'm worried the worst might happen if you leave the pack. There has been some concerning activities we do not quite understand and we need to be careful."

I frowned as I took in his words. With the revelation about my magic and the potential villain, my head was beginning to spin. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.