Twelve years later...
Waking up to yelling is not something you want to do everyday. In fact, it's not something that you want to wake up to at all.
Which is why I was out-of-my-mind pissed when I heard Art and Damon in a shouting match, jolting me out of my sleep.
I growled and flung the covers off me, stomping downstairs.
Damon and Art were having a face-off, fists clenched. I could tell that Art was really mad because he had a vein sticking out of his forehead. I got right in the middle of them, putting a hand on both of their chests.
"There had better be a good reason for you two fighting," I growled, "because you are both about to get your butts kicked."
"He started it." Art said, pouting. Damon folded his bulging arms.
"I did NOT start anything. He's the one who cheated." I finally noticed the checkers on the floor, the board somewhere in the kitchen. Which just made me madder.
"So let me get this straight." I said, folding my arms and narrowing my eyes. "You meatheads woke me up because of a freaking Checker's game?"
"He cheated!" Damon said earnestly.
"I did not!"
"Says who?"
"Says the instruction manual for the game."
"BE QUIET!" I screamed. I breathed in and out slowly, closing my eyes and thinking happy thoughts. When I had finally calmed down to the point that I wouldn't shift I opened my eyes, glaring at my scared-looking brothers.
"Now, this is what's going to happen." My voice had a deadly edge to it. "You guys are going to pick up all of the Checker pieces. I'm going to go back to sleep. And if you wake me up again, so help me God Logan and Damon, I will come back down here and beat the snot out of you."
They gulped, looking at me warily. I started up the stairs. My brothers were no pushovers. But when I was seriously mad, they listened. For their own good.
When I got back to my room I snuggled back into my bed and just couldn't fall back asleep. Which really stunk. Muttering curses, I got out of bed again and went to the kitchen, where my dad was cooking.
It was odd really. My mom couldn't burn water, so my dad did all the cooking. That was unusual, especially since he was an alpha. But the whole situation turned out to be okay. My mom was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs and just watching him. It was cute and gross at the same time.
"Good morning, sweetheart." She said, smiling. I tried to give her a smile. What can I say? I'm not a morning person.
"Morning." I said, grabbing a plate and filling it with the freshly cooked chocolate chip pancakes and eggs. I sat down at the table and ate hungrily. "Where's the twins?" I asked. The house was quiet.
"Leo and Cassidy took them to the park."
I shook my head. "Those poor, poor kids." They'd probably see some stuff they did not want to. Leo had just found his mate. They were perfect for each other and I was happy for them, but they showed that loved each other IN PUBLIC way too much, if you get my gist. I just hoped Caleb or Amy would have the sense to throw a chunk of dirt at their heads to separate them.
"I know right." My dad sat at the table next to me and dug into his plate with gusto. Damon and Art came along not three seconds later, grabbing plates and sitting down heavily. I finished first and washed my plate, downing a glass of milk to quench my thirst. I rubbed my stomach happily.
