"Katie, get up." A boy commanded, shaking me awake.

"What!?" I said, getting up to find Cormac looking worried.

"You were mumbling in your sleep about Horatio. Did he do something to you?" Cormac's eyes searched mine. Even though I had only met him yesterday, he had already taken over the role of big brother.

I shook my head, "the only clothes I have are torn apart. So, do you guys have anything?"

"I have a t-shirt," he laughed, "but other than that, the only girl in the house is Mom, so no." Rolling my eyes, I got up and immediately reached out a hand for my glasses, but found nothing. A brief moment of panic ensued before I remembered that they were crushed.

"I need some glasses or contacts too," I told him, squinting in an effort to actually see. My brother nodded and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of bed, "hey, I have legs. I can get up on my own."

"You sound like Caleb." Cormac commented, opening the door with me in line behind him. He led me down the stairs through the bookstore into a kitchen and dining room area. The rest of the family was assembled except Caleb.

"I thought you were getting Caleb." Mrs. Jacobs commented, seeing that I was definitely not her son.

"Yeah, I was. Then, he kind of decided that throwing me out of the room and locking the door was a good idea, so I opted out." Cormac informed her.

"Well, someone needs to wake him up." Richard said, taking a bite out of a bagel he was holding.

"How about you Katie? I heard you asking him for help last night." Horatio suggested. Even without my glasses I could tell he was smirking.

"I'd explain myself," I told him, "but I think your pal Enra has that covered." Walking back the way I came, I left the Jacobs to look back and forth between the two of us until I was out of sight. I reached Caleb's door and politely knocked. 

"I'm not getting up Cormac. Horatio, quit teasing me about Kathleen, hearing about her is starting to get on my nerves. Richard, just leave now. Mom, I just want to be alone for a bit, so you can stop freaking out." Caleb said through the door.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I was sent to get you downstairs." I apologized.

Within seconds, the door was open and Caleb appeared trying to button on a shirt and failing. "Sorry, I didn't know that it was you. I just don't want to get up today and act like I'm okay because I'm not." Caleb explained.

I wanted to say something. Being a werewolf must be awful, and obviously there is some pain that goes along with it. Having a girl in your family that's the same age as your younger brother must be different. Plus the fact that I'm obviously the last person he wants to be here right now, makes his life pretty awful. Only, I couldn't say anything. I wanted to go back to bed too.

"Here's an idea," I proposed, "how about we both go back to bed and act like this conversation never happened."

"Deal." He put out his hand, which I shook before going across the hall back into my room. The bed was inviting, but I was a mess. Luckily, I found everything I needed to look acceptable except glasses and clothes. After 10 minutes, I looked normal; my hair was brushed and teeth were clean.

Laying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, yawning. I had a feeling that something was going to happen, but hopefully nothing right now. I started to go back to sleep, letting the darkness of closed eyes and ringing silence lull me to a comfortable sleep.

"CALEB OPEN THE DOOR!" Came a chorus of voices from the hallway. This was followed by a banging on Caleb's door. They had to wake me up again, didn't they?

"All of you, leave me alone! I'm busy!" Caleb fumed.

"Busy doing what?" Richard questioned skeptically.

"If my sister is in there-" Cormac started.

"She's not, she went back to her room. Now stop yelling because otherwise you might wake her up." Caleb cut him off. Something in his voice made him sound protective of me. I suppose that this argument is going to be about me, but at this rate, they all feel like my close friends. Minus Cormac, who, of course, is my brother.

"Katie, open the door!" The chorus commanded.

"Open it yourself," I whined, "I'm trying to sleep." The brothers opened in the door and poured into the room.

"We told you to get him up." Cormac reminded, plopping down on the bed, making it bounce.

"He's up, is he not?" I returned.

"Did you see him?" Horatio inquired. I nodded, remembering Caleb's apology to me.

"Did he do something? Hurt you at all?" Cormac interrogated.

"You're acting strange. Almost like you're worried I was the one that did something to him." I remarked.

"Did you?"

"Why would I?"

"Caleb can be an idiot." Richard input.

"He's fine," I told Richard firmly before turning back to the brother of my own, "just not wanting to interact with people today."

"Why's that?" Cormac raised his eyebrows as if uncertain about whether or not I was telling the truth.

"I think we all know why. You are awful to him." Horatio stated.

"Me? I prefer to think you are the one that's the problem. I am never the problem, Caleb loves me." Cormac defended.

"You are insensitive to his lycanthrope."

"Can we please just call it werewolf-ness?"

"That's improper."

"No one likes a nerd, Horatio." Richard informed while Cormac hit his older brother on the back of his head. Rolling my eyes, I got up and left the room, closing the door behind me. They must have been too distracted arguing to notice me, or too involved to care at that moment.

"People are ridiculous today." Caleb moaned, meeting me on the staircase.

"I agree, and I'd love to go back to sleep, but they have invaded my room." I sympathized to his delight.

"Join me for breakfast?" Caleb invited, opening the door to the kitchen and dining room.

"What a gentleman!" Cormac exclaimed, thundering down the stairs and running in before I could enter.

"What a good dude!" Richard confirmed.

"Hey, Horatio doesn't like that language. It's improper." Cormac reprimanded. The two disappeared laughing into the room.

"I am never going to live this down, am I?" Horatio breathed.

"Not unless you make them forget it." Caleb replied, as if implying violence was involved.

"I think that as the older brother, you might want to make sure that you wont let them walk all over you." I suggested. Horatio, who had been looking at us strangely since we answered his rhetorical question, now nodded and headed inside.

"Well, I guess that we should probably go to breakfast before they tell my mom. Especially since they refuse to listen to the facts." Caleb sighed.

"Horatio seems is better than the others." I corrected.

"You haven't know him that long," Caleb said, "then again, you haven't known any of us that long."

"True," I entered the room, finding a plates set up for the two of us, "but that also means that you guys haven't known me that long either."

"Making all of us mysteries to the other parties." Horatio concluded for us.

"Took you long enough Caleb." Mrs. Jacobs remarked, pouring milk into our cups.

"Yeah, well, I decided I wasn't going to get up. Then my brothers ruined that." Caleb glared at his brothers, making Richard avoid the look.

"Katie," Mrs. Jacobs turned towards me, "do you have any other clothes?"

"Nope, the only things I have here are missing contacts, smashed glasses, and a injured outfit." I admitted.

"Well, on the bright side, you aren't dead." Richard said in an effort to cheer me up.

"Thanks Richy boy! I feel oh so much better now." I ridiculed

"Well, it's true," Cormac informed, "you aren't dead. That's much better than you, in fact, being dead."

"My own brother," I stumbled dramatically and fell onto a chair, "my own flesh and blood! He's betrayed me! Romeo, my own cousin! Thou hast slayed me for what? Certainly there is some maiden you fight for this time!" My over dramatic actions made Caleb and Cormac role their eyes in sync.

"The only question is," Horatio continued with our role play, "What is her name?"

"Okay, I know what's going on here," Richard affirmed, "Katie started talking like that one guy Romeo killed-"

"You mean Tybalt." Horatio corrected, earning a groan and mutter of "nerd" from Caleb.

"Whatever Horatio, let me finish my point," Richard snapped at his brother, being particularly rude at that point, "So you decided to start acting all Shakespearean too because..." Richard paused dramatically, looking towards Cormac.

"You like her." My brother finished.

Running his hand through his hair quickly, Horatio denied the accusation, "No, besides, Cormac would kill me. Katie likely doesn't even like me at all, let alone like that. And this conversation is pointless," here, he got up and walked towards the door, "so good day fine sirs." The door slammed when he exited. 

"Well, isn't that nice of him?" Caleb commented, continuing to wolf down his food.

"You should apologize, the both of you. That was very rude." Mrs. Jacobs suggested. Only, it wasn't so much a suggestion as a command.

"But mom..." Richard whined.

"My, aren't we acting immature today." I commented abruptly, calmly eating my cereal the whole while as I had been.

"Do you like my brother?" Caleb interrogated.

"No-" I started.

"Do you love him?" Richard continued.

"No, I-" I was cut off again.

"You better not be lying." Cormac told me.

"Boys," Mrs. Jacobs broke in, stopping the 'let's be mean to Horatio and Katie' party going on, "If you don't apologize then you will be punished."

"Mom! I'm 18!" Caleb exclaimed, rebelling against the decree.

"Do you live in my house?" She questioned.

"Yes, but-" Caleb argued.

"Have I payed your every expense?"

"That's not the p-"

"Yes or no?" She asked, her voice asserting authority.

"Only when I was little. Now-" Caleb was getting annoyed, but his fighting spirit was showing.

"Am I your mother?"

"Of course, but I'm-"

"Then you will follow my rules. Now you have ten seconds to leave this room and go to apologize." Mrs. Jacobs finished. No one spoke, and I could hear everyone's breathing. Caleb's steps bounced of the walls, seeming to echo. It was so quiet that I jumped when the door banged shut.

"Apologizing seems like a really good idea right now..." Richard decided, getting up and walking over to the door. It was closed softly, the click of the lock nearly silent.

"I didn't really do anything, so I'm going back to bed," Cormac faltered at Mrs. Jacob's glare, "by which I mean say I'm sorry. Besides, I'm sure you girls have somethings to talk about, so I'm going to go." He left the door open on his way out.

"Now, hunny, what sizes are you? I'm running to the store." My acting foster mother said.

"Small or 14-16, but I can go with you to the store." I replied.

"No, no, that's ridiculous, besides, someone has to make sure the house doesn't catch on fire while I'm gone," Mrs. Jacobs laughed, "Plus, the boys need someone to look after them."

"Then, I'll pay you back or something." I offered.

"No, it's my pleasure. Besides, it's my fault your clothes got ruined." She reminded.

"Alright, I'll hold down the fort for you as long as it takes." I pledged.

"Okay Katie," She patted my head, "I won't be at the store very long. I'll call when I'm on my way home."

"Alright, see you later." I said, finishing my food.

"I'm just going to say goodbye to my children, then head out. Goodbye Katie." She proclaimed. We smiled at each other before she left. She's quite a wonderful person, I don't know how I ever hated her as a teacher.