"Alec bit Daisy," Tony finally tells his mother, visibly wincing at the thought.

The old, Italian woman removes her hands from Daisy's shoulders as she stares at her son. "And have you explained anything to her yet?" Her tone is sharp and pointed, already knowing that her son has not.

Tony shakes his head. "I was hoping you could help me, Mamá, I'm not exactly a Werewolf, so..."

Werewolf, Daisy's head spins at the thought of that word.

Mamá Moretti shakes her head softly and moves back to stirring a pot of pasta, muttering something in Italian. She lets out a tired sigh and swirls the noodles in the boiling water. "Why must I always clean up you boys' messes," she says to herself as she adds some ingredients to another pot.

"Um, I have a question," Daisy speaks up, and the two Moretti's instantly turn their heads to look at her. "I'm a werewolf? And it's because of Alec, who is also a werewolf? And whose entire family are werewolves?" Her one question quickly turns into three. And there is definitely more bouncing around in her head.

"I'm not a werewolf," Tony interjects once she finishes. Daisy turns her gaze from his mother to him.

"Then, what are you?" There's more? Her breath draws out as she thinks about the orange eyes she had got a glimpse of earlier.

Tony leans back slightly before replying as if preparing for her to freak out at any moment. "A Phoenix. So while my family gets claws and fangs, and "spidey-senses;" I can shoot fire from my hands and feel other people's feelings by touching them," he explains to her. His eyes watch her warily, waiting for her reaction.

Daisy's eyebrows rise on her forehead as she stands there in thought. "Huh..." she whispers. Her breathing becomes shorter and her heartbeat grows more rapid, thumping brashly in her chest. Daisy turns and walks over to one of the brown, leather stools at the kitchen counter. Tony follows her closely and sits in the one next to her.

She folds her hands in her lap in order to keep them steady and her leg bounces hastily against the leg of the stool.

Claws. She remembers the gashes on her arm in the forest.

Fangs. Alec's teeth after Tony pushed him to the ground.

Senses. The loudness of the Moretti family's voices from outside their home, before she stepped foot inside.

"We all get enhanced physical strength, as well..." Tony says as he watches her leg shake underneath the table.

"Daisy, being a werewolf isn't bad, it won't change anything about you," Mamá speaks up as she leans on the opposite side of the counter, facing her. "You only change when you want. Nothing happens on the full moon, those are all myths. However, you can never let anyone else know that you are one of us now."

Daisy snapped out of her thoughts and her brow furrows as she looks up to meet the gaze of the older woman. "No one?" Her voice comes out barely above a whisper.

"There are some people who believe that since we're supernatural, we must be monsters. And don't believe that for a second Daisy-James. We're humans before we're anything else," Mamá Moretti explains to the timid girl.

The kitchen becomes silent as Daisy processes everything she has been told. Naturally, she's unsure how to feel right now; it still feels surreal to her. And actually surreal is a bit of an understatement. She briefly considers checking herself into a mental institution, but when she looks over at Tony, her emotions settle.

Out of anyone she had ever met in her entire life, Tony Moretti is the most dependable by far. Looking into his caring, dark eyes, she knows adjusting to this new reality is possible.

"This is real?" Daisy asks him softly.

Tony nods apologetically. "Yes."

About twenty minutes later, Mamá announces that dinner is ready.

Daisy gets up from her stool and pushes all of the recent events to the back of her mind, just wanting to focus on her second family for now.

The past twenty minutes, Tony had thankfully steered their conversation in a different direction. So, they talked about music, and movies, and forgot about Werewolves, just for a little while.

Dinner goes by quickly and soon casual conversation resumed in the Moretti house. However, the weird tension that Daisy picked up on earlier, still faintly lingers in the atmosphere.

"I caught the scent of a Lynx earlier today, I'm going to check it out tomorrow," Alec casually declares across the dining room table.

"Oh! A Lynx! I've never met one before, can I go too, Alec?" The smallest of the cousins pipes up. It's Sofia, a five-year girl who has an unquenchable curiosity.

Across from Alec sits Tony, and next to Tony sits Daisy, who stares down at her now empty bowl that is smeared in red sauce.

A small noodle slides into her bowl as someone else's fork pushes it into the middle.

"Maybe I'll bring them by tomorrow, Sof. How does that sound?" The little girl squeals with delight and nods her head vigorously in the seat next to her mother.

Isabella shoots Alec a look, but he pretends he doesn't see it.

Daisy looks over at Tony, a smile playing across her lips.

With a glint of humor in his dark eyes and a slight smirk on his face, Tony leans closer to her. "Penne for your thoughts?" His smirk grows into a grin as she laughs at his silliness.

As if her laughter is contagious, the room is soon filled with Tony's as well. The rest of the Moretti family draws silent at the sudden giggling of the two teenagers at the table.

Noticing the stares of ten pairs of eyes, they straighten up in their seats. Tony lets out a small cough and Daisy clears her throat awkwardly.

"Aw, you two are so adora—"

"Mamá!" Tony interjects loudly, giving his mother a pointed look. Mamá Moretti raises her hands up as a symbol of surrender. But her eyes show no regrets.

"I should get going," Daisy speaks up, cutting the awkward tension in the room. All eyes turn to her.

Mamá Moretti stands from her seat, "Let me walk you out, then." She smiles warmly at Daisy as she also rises from her seat.

Daisy says a quiet goodbye to Tony and then follows his mother out of the dining room.

After Daisy leaves the Moretti's home, Tony lets the thoughts that have plagued his mind all night out. "I can't believe you." He shakes his head at his brother. "And you," Tony looks to his father.

Both of the accused Moretti men are visibly surprised by Tony's sudden change of mood.

Tony's mother walks back into the dining room at this time. "What's going on?" She asks her youngest child, returning to her seat.

Tony's dark brown eyes narrow at his father. "How could you say that you would do the same thing if you were in his position?" He references the statement that his father made earlier regarding Daisy getting bit.

"Because it makes sense—especially when we are losing more and more of us every day," he tells him calmly.

"So?" Tony throws his hands up. "That is no reason to take an innocent girl's life away! You have no right. Ariana would not have wanted this." He glares harshly at Alec. "There is no good reason ever to do what you did to Daisy." He stands up from his seat and walks out of the room.

"Tony!" Papá Moretti yells at him pointedly.

But Tony ignores him and doesn't turn around.

<><><>

"Where did you go last night, Daisy?" Her mother asks the golden-haired girl. She wears her honey hair, streaked with gray, back in a neat french braid.

Daisy pulls a tray of cookies out of the oven and sets them on top of the stove. With her back still to her mom, she replies, "I went over to Tony's. Mamá Moretti made Penne pasta." A small smile appears on her lips as she remembers the inside joke.

Daisy spins around to face her mother who looks at her with eyebrows raised and a knowing look on her face.

"Oh, not you too. We're just friends! Plus, there's this other guy at school I thought I liked, but now..." She shrugs. "He's not the guy I thought he was I guess."

Her mom frowns. "Oh?" She asks her daughter to elaborate.

"It doesn't even matter, it's a lost cause. He's been... like socially shut-off or something ever since the eighth grade. Plus, there's a lot of other stuff going on at the moment." Daisy notices her mother preparing to inquire further and quickly adds, "Lots of homework. And they just put Heroes on the T.V. for free, so I have to watch it again."

Her mother smiles, causing the corners of her hazel eyes crinkle. "Come on Daisy, priorities. Heroes should come before homework any day."

Daisy laughs at her mom, or rather, her best friend sometimes.

"Oh, by the way, I'm going back over to Tony's tonight. We're hanging out with some other friends too." Daisy tells her mom casually as she turns back to her freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

She didn't tell her mother a total lie, she just left out part of the truth. She couldn't exactly tell her mother that she was going over to Tony's to meet the Lynx Alec is bringing over. "Friend" is definitely too kind of an adjective to describe Alec. Even the thought of him gives her the urge to roll her eyes. But she resists so that her mom doesn't get suspicious and suddenly tells her to stay home.

"Okay. Just be back before nine," she says to her.

Daisy turns back to her mother with two cookies in hand. She hands one to her mom. "Okay," she says before taking a bite of her freshly baked dessert.

A couple of hours later Daisy stands in the Morretti's living room, next to her best friend.

"Jensen?" Daisy and Tony blurt out at the same time.

The teenage boy in question walks into the room with a surprised expression on his face. He pauses and reaches a hand up to push his shaggy black hair back from his freckled, pale face. "Hey, guys," he says to them nonchalantly.

Alec enters the room behind him and stands next to Jensen. "Do you guys know each other?" He looks between the teens, noticing the confused expressions of both Tony and Daisy.

"Yeah, we go to the same school," Jensen tells him while sticking his hands into the front pockets of his dark blue jeans. Jensen's blue eyes meet Daisy's gaze, causing her to quickly avert her eyes to Alec.

A barely noticeable shade of pink rises to her cheeks as she feels Jensen's eyes linger on her. "Is he the Lynx, Alec?" Daisy asks.

Alec nods, "Yeah, he's the Lynx I caught the scent of yesterday."

"Oh," she mutters and looks over at Tony, who has yet to say anything.

He makes a 'hm' sound. And soon, the four of them stand silently and awkwardly in the middle of the Moretti's living room.

"I need to talk to all of you about something," Alec speaks up, grabbing everyone's attention.

"About what?" Daisy asks while stepping backward and proceeding to sit on the couch behind her and Tony.

Tony follows suit and sits next to her.

"Well... I want you guys to come join my pack. Their numbers are rising and ours are falling." Alec explains and sits on the couch opposite her. He leans forward, clasping his hands together.

Jensen sits in the open seat next to Alec, wordlessly.

Daisy narrows her eyes and Tony's expression remains blank. She's the first to speak, "Uh, I was not aware that you had a pack, and I don't really care, because my answer is no. Sorry. Well, I'm not actually that sorry considering you kind of changed my life forever. So..." She shrugs her shoulders and crosses her legs, getting more comfortable on the couch. "And who is this mysterious, 'they'?"

"People who want to eliminate all supernatural beings," Alec tells her and moves his gaze to his brother.

"Yeah, I'm not just up and leaving everything for your supernatural gang thing that you have going on," Tony says right after Daisy, leaning back into the couch as well while crossing his arms.

All eyes now fall on Jensen, who sits perfectly still on the other side of Alec.

"Yeah, supernatural gangs aren't exactly my style either..." he says bluntly, brushing his dark hair back again with his fingers, revealing his bright eyes underneath.

Daisy notices that the dark circles under his eyes aren't as prominent as they usually are.

Next to him, a flash of annoyance crosses over Alec's face and he swiftly gets up from the couch. "You guys need to grow up and understand that there are bigger things in this world. You want to know why you became a Werewolf, Daisy?"

Alec narrows his eyes at the girl across the room. She stays quiet as a low growl erupts in his throat. "Because my best friend died. When she was dying she told me to take her life so that I could use it to help stop the guys who killed her! There are people out there who will stop at nothing to kill us, our friends, and our family. They see us as unholy beasts, without minds," he points at his head, "Or hearts," his finger taps on his chest.

When he finishes, the room is dead silent and the teens stay perfectly still, no one daring to say anything.

"So, I was made a Werewolf, from, another Werewolf?" Daisy blurts out after a minute. Her mind spins as she grapples with the new information and connecting it to everything that has happened to her so far.

"Yeah—" Tony starts but is cut off by his brother.

"That's all you got from that?! Seriously?! Oh, my God! Gesù. Aiutami!" He huffs and spins in a circle with his hands holding his head.

When he stops he says, "Forget it then. I'm not having three inexperienced, immature teenagers come in and meddle in everything I've worked so hard to create." He seethes at them and storms out of the room. A couple of seconds later the sound of the front door slamming echoes throughout the house, indicating that Alec has left.

"Uh..." Jensen mutters as he stares at the now empty doorway where Alec left through.

"What just happened? And what does, 'Gesù. Aiutami,' mean?" Daisy turns to her friends who look just as dumbfounded.

Tony purses his lip and lets out an uneven breath. He looks over at her, surprise still etched into his features. "It means Jesus help me. And his best friend, well, she was his fiancé." He explains while briefly glancing across the room at Jensen.

Daisy follows his gaze to find Jensen sitting motionless with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh my gosh," she whispers. Goosebumps appear on her arms and she feels her breath catch in her throat. Alec's demeanor begins to make more sense as she puts everything together in her head.

"Um," Jensen suddenly stands from the couch in front of them. "I guess I should go then." He turns and begins to leave but is stopped by the unanticipated presence of Daisy when she stands from the couch and takes a step towards him.

Jensen's eyes meet hers as both of them stand there, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Then, she breaks the silence, "I still don't know what a Lynx is."

The corners of his mouth twitch up and he looks away. A small smile plays on his thin, pink lips.

"Yeah, I've never met a Lynx before either," Tony interjects.

"Well, I've never met Werewolves before," Jensen reciprocates and shrugs his shoulders. The three of them find their way back to their seats.

"Actually, I'm a Phoenix," Tony tells the boy across from him. He raises his hands, palms up, in a slight shrug.

One of Jensen's dark eyebrows rises at the new information. "Like the bird?"

Tony nods his head. "Mhm."

"So what can you do, then? Do you heal people with your tears or something like the one in Harry Potter?" Jensen chuckles.

Daisy can tell that he's joking, but little does he know, Tony can do other things, amazing things.

Tony laughs lightly and clasps his hands together, leaning forward and setting them on his knees. "Uh, no. Not quite."

Jensen also leans forward, slightly, intrigued to hear the rest.

"I can feel other people's feelings by touching them and I can do things similar to The Human Torch from The Fantastic Four. Like, create fire and stuff."

"Woah," Jensen's eyes widen. "Can you... can I see it?" He asks with newfound excitement.

Daisy smiles at the unfamiliar look on his face. It's a nice change compared to his usual stoic expression, she thinks.

Tony smiles and holds out one of his hands. In the blink of an eye, a flame appears in the center of her palm, dancing upon his olive skin.

"Woah," Daisy and Jensen say simultaneously as they watch the fire flicker against his skin.

"Wow," Jensen breathes out in awe. "All I can do is dream and see through stuff..." He mutters as he watches the fire in Tony's hand.

In an instant, the flame disappears and Tony clasps his hands back together. "Everybody dreams... What do you mean? " he trails off, waiting for Jensen to explain.

"You can see through stuff?" Daisy quickly adds the part that Tony forgets to mention.

Jensen's blue eyes look between the other two teens. "Uh, my dreams are premonitions; Clairvoyance to a degree. And, yeah, I can see through things."

"I've known Lynxes to be able to see through things, but never dreams with any sort of meaning..." Tony says thoughtfully.

"Wait, so, I have a question," Daisy states, causing the boys to turn to her. "I'm a Werewolf," she points to herself. "You're a Lynx," she points to Jensen. "And you're a Phoenix," she points to Tony. "Are we actually these things? Why are we named after these animals? As far as I've seen no one has changed into an animal?" She questions, looking at Tony, assuming he has more answers to offer.

"It's kind of like leveling up in a video game," Tony tells her.

"Huh?" Daisy's eyebrows furrow and the corners of her mouth turn down.

"You have to level up in order to unlock your power so-to-speak. My brother was able to change into a full wolf when he was eight. I, however, have not been able to change, ever. I honestly don't know if I ever will, considering no one's really ever seen a Phoenix before."

"What do you mean?" Jensen says.

"There's only one Phoenix in a lifetime. Once it dies, it's reincarnated," Tony explains. "So, I guess, in that way, I am sort of like the Phoenix in Harry Potter..." He shrugs and chuckles at the epiphany.

"Woah, so you're, like..." Jensen searches for words.

"Rare?" Tony interjects.

Jensen nods his head.

Tony lets out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know. My parents remind me of it every day. They say I should go with my brother and use my extraordinary-ism, as they like to call it, to help his pack. It's kind of tiring being reminded every two seconds that you're literally one of a kind." Tony grimaces.

"Pheonix or ordinary, I think your parents would love you the same," Daisy tells him as she notices the frown deepening on his face. Her heart hurts for him, knowing what he means. Her own mother expects a lot for her, considering her brother has been officially marked as a failure by her mom.

Tony looks at her with a small smile appearing on his lips. "I know they would." He looks down at his lap. "But I wish I didn't ever have to wonder if being extraordinary changes how my own parents look at me."

"At least they see you," Jensen says, and then becomes silent.

Breaking the quietness, Daisy sighs, "Well, as if being a teenager wasn't hard enough, let's add supernatural to the mix." She laughs. "Guess I'll have to deal with it and make the best."

She looks between the boys. "What say you guys? Wallow or talk about how freaking awesome we are?"

They all laugh and soon the conversation becomes casual and they talk like old friends for hours into the night.