For as long as I can remember, my sister has always been in my life.
This is technically impossible because she didn't join our family until I was three, but since I don't have any earlier memories, she's always just been there. We didn't always get along, however; or rather, I didn't actually like her at first. It was more like I wished that she would be sent back to wherever my parents had gotten her from.
I didn't understand at the time that her own mother had given Lark up and we were going to be her family from then on. I just knew that I had to start sharing my clothes and toys with a this new girl who looked and acted nothing like me.
We've always been completely different, too. Not just in appearance—I'm pale skinned with straight, silver-gray hair while my sister's complexion is darker and her hair is jet black—but also in personality.
I'm a bookish home-body, but Lark is an artsy party girl. And while I've usually had some sort of plan or goal to work towards, she's left most things up to chance and taken everything one day at a time. So for her to tell me she's coming to visit me when she's less than a mile away isn't out of character in the least bit.
Since there isn't anything else left for us at the crime scene, I ask Clayton to drop me off at the Cock and Mamie pub on campus. He looks surprised at the request, but thankfully he doesn't ask any questions. I don't have the energy to deal with arguing with him any more tonight, especially since I have a lot of questions of my own for my sister.
When I arrive, she's already sitting in a booth, drinking a beer straight out of a bottle. Two large suitcases are also piled up nearby.
"Planning on staying a while?" I ask with a laugh as I go in for a hug, even though I'm already afraid of the answer.
"Nice to see you, too," Lark says, giving me a big squeeze. "Whoa, did you swim here?"
"Tell me you want to avoid the subject without telling me you want to avoid the subject," I say, shaking water out of my hair as I slip into the booth across from her, but she just shrugs innocently and takes another swig of beer.
"All right then, let's get back to you," I continue. "What are you doing all the way upstate? Last time we spoke, weren't you still in Bayshore?"
"Bayside, actually," she says, looking around. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Hey, this place is pretty cool, but it's so not your vibe. Why did you have me meet you here instead of at your place?"
"First of all, it's totally my vibe," I say, mock offended at being considered uncool. "Plus, I wasn't prepared to have a dinner guest, so I figured we could eat while we catch up. I can vouch for the loaded fries, but I hear they also have a good shepherd's pie."
I look around, but other than Spencer busy with a line at the bar, I see no servers around.
"I ordered at the counter," Lark says, lifting her nearly empty bottle in an attempt to help.
"I'm sure someone will be by eventually," I say, turning my attention back to her. "Anyway, how long did you say you were staying?"
"I didn't," she says with a smile. "But hypothetically, how soon could you introduce me to your hot wolf man?"
"Ssh," I shush her, even trying unsuccessfully to cover her mouth with my hands. But as always, my sister makes a joke out of this, too.
"Oh, relax. As if anyone would take me literally," Lark says, carefully adjusting one of her lash extensions.
More than you'd think, I want to say, but this isn't the place to have that discussion so I stick to the basics.
"Listen, sis. This place isn't where you want to be right now. There's something going on even beyond . . . that and while I don't know what it is, I know it's not good," I say, baffled myself at how in less than two weeks' time I could have gotten involved in a situation where feuding werewolf packs may not be the biggest threat around.

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Brotherhood of the Wolf
Paranormal[2024 WATTYS Shortlist] Academia is a different beast all together when a university is run by werewolves and your new dean is a literal Alpha. * * * At twenty-five, Barlow Milligan is looking forward to starting her first job after gr...