Where She Belongs

Back Home.

"You look sick. After the fight you put up to move away from home, this is how you look after yourself? Do you have any idea how worried we were, especially when you refuse to answer our calls? Luckily your brothers keep us semi-updated since you like to share with them on facebook what you've been up to and-" Dad starts to rant and I can't help myself.

"Ah, I didn't share just with them, it's called a status and anyone on my friend list can see it too." I point out, but I may as well talk to the wall as it'll understand more. "And I'm not sick. I just don't tan like you guys do or feel the need to eat my weight in food at every meal."

He snorts unimpressed only before he can continue, the back door opens and my brothers come in like a tornado. Luke, the true brains of the family grabs me from behind and squeezes until I can hardly breathe while the youngest of our sibling trio, Jack goes straight for the fridge. I'm pretty sure I was adopted, well if not for the uncanny resemblance to Mum I have. I wouldn't even be surprised if the truth came out when I turned thirty or on my parents' deathbed. Luke is two years younger than me, about a hundred feet high and built like a house. Keeping the trend, Jack is two years younger than Luke and if not for that tiny detail, you'd think they were twins. They both had Dad's features and build but thankfully not his sense of humour or personality.

"Can't. Breathe." I remind Luke and instantly the pressure vanishes.

"Sorry, Sammy. I forget how tiny you are." He mocks, ruffling my hair.

So much for respecting your elders. "Are you on the 'roids? You know that can really mess with-"

"Just once can the three of you not act like rogue ferals!" Mum snapped.

"We're not!" Jack protested, his mouth full of leftover roast meat.

Dad growls and walks out, making all of us pause yet the second he is gone Luke grins. "Good to have you home Sammy."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble.

"Be ready to leave at six. We're all going out to Kate and Nathan's place for dinner." Mum left the three of us alone and instantly all eyes turn to me.

"What?"

"You really should have called them back." Jack frowns. "It's really serious Sammy. Bad shit is going down and I can't believe Mum actually went to get you by herself. What if something had happened?"

"I didn't know okay. I thought it was about stupid Thanksgiving or something, and who is the idiot that let her go by herself if it's so dangerous?"

"She snuck off. Dad was going mental, reckons your days of being the black sheep are over and it's time you joined the pack whether you want to or not." Luke isn't joking around and I don't think my brothers have ever been so serious in their life. "Sure you're doing okay?"

"Yes, gods! I'm fine. I'm great. I have my job, my apartment and my cat. I'm happy with good friends and none of this pack crap. Kate and especially Nathan won't let me do pack stuff anyway, you all know their views on my, disability." I huff.

Nathan and Kate are what could be termed as Alphas. While we run in our own family units, the pack as a whole was any of our kind in a certain postcode and of course, there had to be leaders or a boss of any kind of group. Shifters aren't exactly an endangered species but we're not about to be taking over the main species ruling the planet either. There are too many humans, normal, everyday people and throw in a few vampires, witches and who knows what else, we're simply one of the many races living here. Like anything non-human, we like our existence to be kept on the down low - the fear the witches have caused over the centuries warning enough for the rest of us to stay as myths and legends in the pages of fairy tales.