“Hello… is anybody home?”
     Renée stirred from her slumber. Her eyes blinked open, and she naturally lifted her head upward to see. Her mind was still groggy from sleep, but she could tell where she was. Reflexively, she reached for her eyeglasses on the bedside table.
     “Good morning, sunshine,” Ein teased. “The world says hello.”
     Renée blinked again, slowly, forcing herself awake. The skin of her thigh was stiffened by a bandage — a serious reminder of what transpired a few nights ago. But she quickly disregarded the sensation in favor of tracing the voice to her “brother’s” face.
     “I didn’t realize you’re such a sleepyhead,” Ein tried to make the mood as light as possible. He leaned against the bookshelf, grinning. The grin faltered as a novel jumped out, and Ein scrambled to pick it up and set it back into its rightful place. “And I didn’t realize you had this many books—”

     “They are organized by color and content,” Renée interjected. “You can leave it be. I will fix it later.”
   “My bad, Renee, I’m sorry,” he quickly replied. He smoothed out the cover with his hand and set it aside. Unbothered, his “sister” let out a small yawn. She stretched her arms above her head.
     “How are you feelin’?” Ein asked.
     “I feel fine,” Renée insisted, working out the kinks in her neck.
     But something felt… off.
     “Ein, how long was I asleep for?”
     “Uh… a couple days?”
     “As in ‘two’, or more?”
     “Maybe a couple more…”
     Renée rose from her bed and searched for her cellphone to find out the right day and time. “I do not understand. This was a minor injury.”
     “Maybe it’s not the scrape at all, Ren. Maybe you’ve just been exhausted,” Ein suggested. “You’ve been non-stop. Even more than Sire.”
     “It is because our success is dependent on everyone’s full participation.”
     “Yeah, but you can’t overwork yourself,” Ein explained. “You should know that more than anyone here. You’re human… too.”
     Renée knew that.
     “You’ve taught me that,” Ein added.
     “Did I miss school?” Renée asked. Ever so subtle, her voice was still laced with panic.
     “Just some days. Nothing major has been happening, though, post-exams… wait a second. Do you really think missing some lessons would be a problem for you?”
     “Intelligence doesn’t equate to attendance, Ein,” Renée shook her head. “Missing class, that is going to alarm the teachers.”
     “‘Alarm’ them?” Ein chuckled. He was more mindful with his response, using language he was sure she would understand. “Sis, they’re more concerned with the kids that deliberately skip their classes. Luke has you in for sick days. Trust, this ain’t gonna be a ‘detriment’ to our cover.”
     Renée paused.
     Ein blinked. “I get it. You worry… a lot.”
     Renee’s breath hitched.
     Excuse me?
     “You try not to show it. To us, it’s this cool, calm persona. But you’re tired. But, it’s okay to be tired.”
     “We just…” Renée struggled to justify her discontent with her actions. “We may run out of time—”
     “We won’t,” Ein said. Almost uncharacteristically, he was stern.
     Renée blinked, confused.
     Ein paused, realizing his tone. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck.
     “It’s… it’s because I know that we’ll be on track. You won’t let us fall behind,” he explained softly. “That’s all.”
     Renée shook her head.
     “Come on,” Ein insisted. “Think of all the good we’ve done so far! We got some Moonstones, we finally found Maddie, and Sire’s been investigating the gun you snabbed. Which, I already know what ya gonna ask. He’s still studying it. It’s probably from a man-made material, like steel—”
     Renée raised a brow. “‘Snabbed’?”
     “Isn’t that the word?” Ein asked. “Like, ‘to grab’?”
     If it was another slang term, she wasn’t so sure either.
     Ein stifled a laugh. “I’m trying here.”
     Trying his best, with everything. Trying to fit in, just like she was.
     Renée smiled slightly. “It’s impressive.”
     “You think so?” Ein grinned again. Renée found it a bit doltish, and her eyes followed him as he slapped his forehead and retrieved a mug on a tray by her desk. He remembered what he was initially there for.
     “I made you some tea,” he announced. “It’s not coffee, but I thought it would work like those commercials where you’d wake up ‘cause you could smell it. But, it’s probably cold now, huh…”
     A sense of innocence. Childlike logic that was endearing.
     But was also consistently threatened.
     Ein encouraged her to sit back down on the side of her bed, as he plopped down on her desk chair before her. Still sporting his signature smile stretched across his face, he held out the mug. “I hope it’s okay.”
     “Thank you,” Renée nodded. Accepting it, she took a long sip, humming to herself. On impulse, Ein sniffed the air. “Oh, good. It still smells nice.”
     Renée cocked her head, noting he sat a few feet away from her. “Where are your ears?”
     “My ears?” Ein reached for his left ear. Humanlike. 
     “Lady Madeline refers to your half form as ‘wolf-man’. You are not in ‘wolf-man’ form,” Renée noted. She had expected his ears to look… different.
     “Yeah. Mundane,” Ein explained.
     “Your senses are still heightened like this?” Renée asked.
     In human form.
     Ein shrugged. “I guess so. Why?”
     Of course, mundane-masking Moon Blooded still exhibited stronger senses than mortal humans, but Renée was still a little surprised. She took another sip of her tea. “Hm, I guess it is just something I haven’t considered before.”
     “Just vaewolf things, perhaps,” Ein sillily proposed. Folding his arms, he smiled weakly as he gazed out the window and to the sky. Lapsing into silence, he took in the sights of the afternoon. But there was not much to see, the suite so high above the ground. Renee’s gaze followed, taking in the scenery, but after a moment, she shifted to study his face. She discovered senses of sadness and thoughtfulness, something she had seldom seen from him before. Normally, she would stay quiet. But the very look in his eyes was a trigger.
     She broke the silence.
     “I do not wish to pry, but something is troubling you,” she stated.
     “Huh?” he started. “What?”
     “What are you thinking about?” Renée asked.
     “Oh, nothing!”
     Renée raised an eyebrow again, and he sighed.
     “When I was little, my mom and I would do things like this together. Watch the clouds. And when my cousins came around, we’d climb the tallest tree we could find and watch the sunset. Or gaze at the stars.”
     He was smiling. But it was sad. Renée could tell he blinked back small tears.
     “You miss your family,” she observed.
     “Yeah,” Ein chuckled, albeit a bit forcefully. “But, I know that it’s not forever. Our families… We’ll see them all again. Someday.”
     But your parents… Renée wondered.
     They are dead.
     “One sweet day,” Ein smiled weakly, assured. As if that thought, that fact, even if stated aloud, would not have mattered. He continued on. “After we’d watch the sky, and walk home in the dark, I always had to watch over Emileah and Juniper, just like my mom and dad did with me. They made me feel safe, like everything was gonna be okay. I can just hope that they’re taking care of each other.”
     He looked out again, slowly finding Renée’s stare. “I guess we kinda do that for each other now.” He motioned a semicircle with his finger, signifying the entire household. The coven. The team. It was a momentary glance before he settled back at the window.
     Renée had reflected on the statement. After their trials, it was evident there was truth to it. They had started to act like a coven. A family.
     But under an immense challenge.
     She stared at Ein. Ein Indigo, a young “alpha-in-training” from an Edon Island wolf pack that maintained a sense of innocence that was truly endearing. But that side of him was consistently threatened, as he had to leave to become part of the Lunar Cycle. Had to leave to risk his life for his people, at such an early age.
     Her story was different from his, and yet she could relate. Leaving home so soon, growing up as a warrior. A fighter. In the hopes to see her family again. As she continued to attend high school, as she continued to give it focus and attention, she realized how miniscule her issues — her “high school-drama adolescent issues” — and the issues of her peers, were in the grand scheme of things. Nothing there risked their lives. In fact, it enriched their childlike virtue.
     But she knew that they weren’t truly in New Hills for skating, dating, dances or exams. Despite being kids, masquerading as average human children.
     They were both trying their best, and yet had so much more on the line.
     In a way, it was the end of their youth.
     They were forced to grow up.
     “Thank you.”
     Ein shifted slightly. Puzzled, he asked, “For what?”
     Renée continued to study the sky.
     “For sharing that with me.”
     Ein nodded, but stared at her for a while.
     Renée…
     Sororcula.
     It was new.
     He loved it.
     He released a small sigh. He cleared his throat, finally forming a small smile.
     “So… wanna play Alien Fighters 3?”

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