Rena felt oddly out of place, sitting at a crowded table.

  To distract herself, she buried her focus in the food.

  A wise decision, as it turned out. The meal was divine, rich, flavorful, and heavy on meat. That alone earned high praise in her book.

  She wasn’t sure what to think of Samantha yet, but a person who could cook this well couldn’t possibly be all bad.

  “It’s very good,” she mumbled between bites.

  Samantha beamed and instantly launched into a monologue about recipes.

  -Thank you, dear! It’s buttered chicken with-

  Rena’s brain was far too tired to keep up. The endless flood of culinary trivia washed over her, and she could only nod and hum along with every word.

  When Samantha finally ran out of breath, she jumped straight into another topic with the same tireless enthusiasm.

  Her boundless social energy made Rena seriously consider throwing herself out the nearest window.

  “So! Are you kids excited about school?” came the killer question.

  Micah’s eyes flared with fury and slammed the fork on the table.

  -No! Why would I be?! - he shouted. “I was completely fine at my old school. But no! We had to move here, and I had to leave all my friends behind!”

  “I hate it here!” he screamed, slamming his fist on the table and knocking over a chair. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran from the room.

  Silence fell like a guillotine. The air in the kitchen froze.

  Kate’s smile dropped. Her face twitched, ready to explode.

  Shit. Shit, shit.

  Rena shot upright, panic spiking. She rushed to speak before her mother could detonate.

  “Khm, um… sorry,” she said awkwardly, fast. “He... he can’t handle his emotions well. I’m sure he’ll apologize later.”

  She glanced at her mother, with warning in her eyes.

  Kate caught it. After a pause that lasted a beat too long, she put her fake smile back on.

  God... just take me away already.

  “Yes, Micah is kind of... special,” Kate said, voice neutral but cold.

  “The move has been hard on him. He needs more attention than usual.” Her voice carried a veiled threat.

  Well, of course she wants me to take care of it. she rolled her eyes.

  Samantha blinked, clearly unsettled. Her eyes wandered from the fallen chair to the stairs.

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  “Poor thing... Shouldn’t he be in a special school or something?”

  “He usually does fine,” Rena jumped in quickly. “He just... has tantrums sometimes. But he’s managing it.”

  That seemed to satisfy Samantha, who eventually let the topic drop after a few more nosy questions.

  Rena silently gave herself a point for the rescue.

  “Well, you won’t throw a tantrum like that, so I’ll ask again.” Samantha chuckled. “Are you excited about the new school?”

  If I ever lost control, Micah would look like a beginner.

  Rena snorted inwardly, then glanced at Ollie, who was clearly trying to disappear into the furniture.

  -Wow, yeah, super excited, - she replied with dry sarcasm. “It’ll be great.”

  Kate shot her a sharp look, but Samantha didn’t catch the tone.

  “I knew it! I went to that school too, one of the best,” she said cheerfully.

  Rena couldn’t make sense of the woman’s behavior, so she retreated back into her food.

  Until she was disturbed by strange sounds approaching from outside.

  Heavy footsteps. The smell of blood invaded her senses. Her body tensed, a low buzz of alert sparking through her body.

  Her legs trembled. Her nails ached. Her senses sharpened.

  The strange, threatening sounds drew closer, almost beside her.

  Heavy breathing. A stronger wave of blood. A sharp, meaty snap.

  Rena felt it coming. It was almost at the door, and she couldn’t stand the stench any longer.

  “I’m going to the bathroom-” she blurted, standing quickly and keeping her gaze low, hand clenched tight.

  As she entered the bathroom, the scent changed. Something besides blood.

  The thing outside smelled... similar to Samantha.

  Probably Ray or Samantha's partner. she thought, exhaling.

  Not a monster. Probably.

  She closed the door a little more calmly and stepped up to the mirror.

  “Nice,” she said sarcastically.

  Her green eyes shimmered, pupils dilated. She opened her mouth and was thrilled to see her teeth had changed.

  Her thoughts also took a hard turn.

  A fanged grin crept across her face, her previously suppressed emotions bubbling to the surface.

  She felt like she could bite a stupid stick in half.

  Not like he could stop me. Because he’s a taller than me by a head...

  “He can’t even open a bottle,” she growled under her breath.

  Her eyes widened. Wait. Why did I suddenly go into killer mode?

  She stared at her reflection.

  Her stupid thoughts had forced her body to shift further.

  “Stop it!” she snapped at herself.

  Without thinking, she sank her teeth into her arm.

  Sharp fangs tore the skin easily, and blood welled up.

  Her own scent filled her nose, overpowering the foreign one that had triggered her in the first place.

  After a few deep breaths, the buzzing in her limbs began to fade.

  She pulled her arm away, watching as the wound closed rapidly, skin knitting together and leaving nothing behind but a faint scar.

  The healing was a relief but it got only one problem, it always made her hungry.

  Her stomach rumbled with the thought.

  She scrubbed the blood from her hand then returned to the others.

  The smell had changed. It was no longer coming from outside.

  It was inside the house.

  She hesitated at the kitchen door, swallowed hard, then stepped in.

  Sure enough, someone new had joined the table.

  A tall man sat in the middle chair, radiating discomfort like a space heater on full blast.

  He looked like a colder, harsher version of Samantha’s sons, same face, same features, but there wasn't even mocking smile on his face.

  Rena guessed this had to be their father.

  He turned toward her, his gaze sharp despite the tired lines around his eyes.

  “Rena, right?” he said, voice low and gravelly. “Come, sit down.”