A/N: Starts with past, then goes to present.

[3] Reptile

The first time Mia asked Samuel why his packmates called him Saurus she was met with cold silence. What else did she expect? Just because she and his sister now got along did not mean he wanted to be any more cordial. As a matter of fact, her new friendship with his sister seemed to incite him ever more.

How dare she befriend his dear sister? She was a horrible plague in his eyes, one who was out to kill their innocent wolves.

Curiosity unsatiated, Mia typed the nickname into the browser just as Samantha returned from her snack run. She poured the abundance of cookies and treats on the table before sitting in her rightful place between the two of them.

Preventative measures, of course. Samuel couldn't stand having her near him and she was more than glad to have a barrier between her and that—

"Reptile." She said, reading the definition.

Samuel rolled his eyes. Sammie joined her cheek to cheek in order to peer into her small computer screen. Her best friend smiled. "That's Saurus. Have you ever seen him climb a tree? He's like a lizard."

That made sense. The first time she met him he climbed the tall tree with relative ease. Mia had assumed the nickname Saurus was to give allusion of a dinosaur, but in reality reptiles were composed of many other creatures.

Samuel dug his head back into his work. "Why do you care? It's not a name you'll ever have the privilege of calling me. You're no friend of mine."

Samantha shoved his shoulder. "Be nice!"

It was the most common phrase she used when they were together. Mia let his bad humor slide without offense. What did she care if he didn't like her? She was no better. In fact, she probably hated him just as much as he hated her. There were times when he was calm and she would purposely bait him, just to see his eyes glow with rage. It suited him quite well.

Her only error was not foreseeing the growing fascination with his rage as a catalyst for future problems.

Present
Mia stirred with joy as Samuel entered the library on a Tuesday morning. There were few times she welcomed his presence with joy, but this was one of them, and it had all to do with the multiple boxes he juggled in his arms.

He, however, was the complete opposite of happy. If anything he looked like he wanted to squash her. It was a wonderful look. She had purposely changed her mailing address from Samantha's to his specific box after he squashed her flower. Samuel had a weird obsession of keeping his mailbox empty, it was one of his daily checklists to keep things organized.

"What is this nonsense that keeps appearing with your name. And in my mail box of all places!" he thundered, dropping them unceremoniously on the table.

"Be careful you insensitive reptile! I have valuable things in there!"

He watched quietly as Mia opened them one by one. There were a few packets of seeds for flowers, but the majority were random objects he did not understand. In the end he tutted in disapproval. "Valuable? More like a complete waste of money."

Mia threw one of the empty boxes at him. As expected, he caught it in his hand. Mia held the objects close to her, caressing them as if they were a pet. "No, this is a I-don't-have-bills-to-pay type of splurge. It's not often I don't have to pay rent and food. I'm taking advantage of your money."

A mischievous look came upon Samuel, making Mia nervous. She probably should have kept that to herself. At times it was more profitable to keep her mouth shut.

"Well... since clearly you need a responsibility to make you wise with spending money, I'll be more than glad to help—"

"Don't start getting any ideas! You're suppose to be a good host!"

Samuel shrugged impassively, his eyes zeroing into something in her bag. "I would hate for you to think I'm a good host, it means you would consider coming back." When he pulled out the precious gas card that Samantha had given her, her eyes widened.

"Hey! Give that back!" She jumped from her seat, her fingers stretching out grab it, but it was too late.

Mia looked at the card Samuel dangled over her like a glorious shiny rectangle treat.

"As of today, you will be paying for your own gas when you need to fill your car."

Mia pouted. This was horrible! "That's not fair, Sammie is just as much entitled to give free gas as you are!" She defended, going on her tippy toes to reach for it.

"I guess I'm not a fair person." Samuel smiled wickedly, enjoying her vain attempts and struggle. He moved the card from side to side. She followed it with childlike hope the way a mouse would when they see a piece of cheese.

"But-! But your sister helped you in some aspects of those stations!" She grabbed him by the shirt. "I should be reaping benefits too! I'm her best friend!"

Samuel shoved her into her seat. He slide the card into his own wallet with a victorious smile.

"You are evil!" she cried.

He flicked her forehead. "And you are a spontaneous buyer, completely compulsive. This is the fourth time in two weeks I'm getting packages for you. Multiple ones each day. This nonsensical buying will stop."

"Ugh! Your not my dad!"

"You're not my dad." He repeated, using a high-pitched squealing voice to mimic her. He then sat down at his desk to do his usual work.

Mia glared. How dare he be so calm and happy, typing his life away while she sat here wallowing in despair. "When can I get it back?" she asked, forcing herself to use a gentle tone in hopes of somehow fixing this incident.

Samuel ignored her. His gaze remained level with the screen in deep concentration. He was wearing all black today. The perfect angel of death, totally set out to ruin her day.

"Samuel!" She repeated, frustrated. When he didn't answer her again, she muttered under her breath. "I'm going to steal your wallet." It was a dumb idea that would probably fail, but it's better than to lose those wonderful card privileges.

He snorted. "No you're not."

Great, so now he had selective hearing loss. Only hearing her when he felt like it. Fed up with his resilience, she left the room in search for Sammie. Perhaps his sister could ask for another one and secretly give it to her. This time she would make sure to hide it in a safe spot. He wasn't even suppose to be touching her purse! His keen eyesight was such a bother.

Upon entering Samantha's room she was met with calm music and a green-faced friend. She laid on her bed with cucumbers over her eyes. Mia shut the music off and sat in her rolling chair.

Without having to look her best-friend sighed. "What happened now? Don't you guys know this is my period of tranquility?"

Mia found the bottle of face mask and began to apply it on herself. "You will not believe what your brother just did." She had to pause to gather her bearings. "He took the precious gas card you gave me! He thinks I'm a compulsive buyer."

Sammie took her cucumbers off and sat up, a genuine frown on her face. "You too?" she walked over to her humongous make-up supply. "He not only took my gas card, but he also took my credit card. Its awful!"

Mia watched as she delicately picked up ten different types of hilighters she bought from an online sale, nine of them unused. Samantha watched them with bitter sorrow as though they were the last remaining ones in the whole world. Mia was there when Sammie bought them three days ago. That, along with four eyeshadow palettes, ten brushes, and seven nail polishes. They were all on sale, of course. On the outside Sammie appeared tough, but in the inside she was a huge girly girl.

"It's horrible, he doesn't understand the beauty of online shopping." Mia supported. She thought she had it bad, but it appeared her best-friend had it worst. Being related to that horrible dinosaur must be so depressing.

"He said I won't get it back until four weeks." Samantha's eyes grew wide. "Do you really think we are compulsive buyers?"

Mia scoffed. "Of course not!" Then, she thought about it for a little bit. She refused to completely agree with that monster. "...Maybe?"

Samantha looked down at her hands. "I'm so upset I haven't done my nails."

"Does that mean we don't have to run today?" Mia pipped. Maybe she could slide out of their workout.

Picking a creamy gold nail polish from the bunch, Mia sat in front of her and began to paint her nails. Her best-friend sucked at painting them anyway, she always went above her cuticles and ended up re-doing them at least three times. Sammie laid back on her bed and let her do the work.

"Of course not! Running gives those feel good hormones. It will help us feel better."

Mia groaned. She should have known the warrior side of her friend was always seeking to stay strong and active. She refused to complain too much though. She only joined at the tail-end anyway, right after Samuel left.

After pampering themselves for some further time, Samantha got ready for her running. It was always better to do these things before because afterwards there was only energy for showering, eating, and laying down. Mia did some homework before she joined. She went outside only when she saw Saurus separating from her best-friend.

As he zoomed by her Mia innocently placed her foot in his way to trip him. He appeared so distracted she was sure it would work. A cry escaped her lips when he snagged her foot in less than a second, lifting it up in the air. Mia had to hop in place to not lose her balance and fall.

"Eww! Get your scaly reptile hands off me!" She pulled her foot away but the grip on her ankle made it impossible.

Saurus smirked. He move her ankle from hand to hand as if he were playing with a flimsy rock. "You honestly thought this would work?"

"Saurus, let go of her ankle! Mia, apologize!" Samantha reprimanded.

"You heard her, let go of my ankle," she hissed.

He smiled, showing his pearly teeth. "Nu-uh. Not until you apologize. Human."

It was a battle of wills between her angry scowl and his haughty eyes. Samuel shifted her ankle again, making her almost fall on her bum. "Okay, fine! Sorry." Her tone was anything but.

He clucked his tongue. "That doesn't sound convincing."

Samantha groaned at their dispute and looked at the sky with a why-me expression. "Let her go Saurus, please. I don't have all day."

He sighed. "Only for you, dear sister."

He let her ankle go like it was a worthless object and continued to the house. Mia trudged to her best-friend, each step carried a new sourness it didn't have before. This running better really release some 'feel-good' hormones because right now she really wanted to hurt a specific wereman.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please comment and vote :)