Last Night

A gasp broke the still air of Bayne's bedroom as he sat straight up in bed. Another nightmare. He ran his hand over his face and up through his hair trying to gain a grip on reality. Restlessly, he glanced to his nightstand, which held an alarm clock and other objects he couldn't quite see at the moment. The blurred green numbers told him it was three in the morning, on a Saturday. Of course it was, that was the time he always woke up to, 3 o'clock on the dot. He picked up the glass of water from the stand and began to chug it, ignoring the strange stagnat taste. He placed it back down and rolled to his side, then to his stomach, and then to his back again. Staring up at the black ceiling he placed his hands over his forehead, feeling the sweat that had dewed in the night. He sighed, irritated that he couldn't get comfortable again, and rolled out of bed. Staggering across the room, Bayne turned the bulky fan on in the corner and stood in front of it, allowing himself to cool down. He always felt like he was running a temperature.
The hall light flipped on and Wes's pale figure stood in the doorway, with his arms crossed tightly over his massive chest. He wore nothing but boxers and a scowl on his features.
"If I hear you scream one more time, Bayne, I swear..." Wes growled at him, an animal like growl, nothing anywhere near human, "Some of us like to sleep in this house." Wes had always been one to overreact to everything and anything. Nobody much liked him, that included Bayne.
Bayne puffed out a heavy sigh and looked to him, retaining his anger and irritation. It wasn't like he chose to have nightmares. "I'm sorry." He said simply, he wasn't looking for a fight, especially at three in the morning. Bayne never recalled screaming, but according to everyone else he would always yell out a sharp "No!" He didn't ever remember yelling though, not even in his dream.
"Next time, you're sleeping in the basement." He threatened before leaving, lumbering back to his room like a great bear.
Rolling his eyes, Bayne shut the door and made his way through the dark to his bed. He laid his head down on his pillow and closed his eyes, though there wasn't much difference. His room was pitch black; there were no windows. He didn't mind though, windows gave room for distraction. He rolled to his stomach again and allowed his body to ease into a comfortable position. It wasn't long after that he relaxed enough to fall into a deep sleep, willing himself to have a dreamless night.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Catherine glared out the car window, piercing the sheets of rain with her green gaze. "I don't see why we have to leave." She protested to her parents from the backseat of their four door sedan. Right now they were traveling through Florida, heading for the airport that would take them to some hick town in Ohio. Of all places. Corn fields and dairy cows didn't even come close to comparing with Clearwater Beach.
Her mother, Charlotte, gave a sigh and tried to speak in a calming voice "We have to, for your father. I don't like it anymore than you do. With this promotion you can finally have your own bathroom, you can go shopping more often, and.. well, maybe this move will be good for you."
Catherine scoffed in disbelief "Shop where? A farm? And good for me how, exactly?" she pushed her auburn hair back behind her ears as she took out her smartphone, playing a random mind numbing game.
"Well, I hear small towns are very moral. Maybe you'll find out you like it." Charlotte gave an optimistic shrug as they pulled into the parking lot of the airport.
Catherine was reluctant to get out, and when she did she took her time walking through the warm rain. She walked under her umbrella, listening to her rain boots squeak against the pavement. Enjoying the brimy sea-salt that always seemed to be in the air. It clung to her hair, and no matter how many times she shampooed she couldn't get it out, not that she minded. She'd miss this. The humidity, the seagulls flying over head, the sound of the crashing waves against the damp sand. She frowned as she took it all in, staring at a palm tree as she walked, remembering each grove, fearing she'd forget it once she got on the plane. Saying goodbye was hard. Letting go was harder.

There was a light rap at his door, startling him, and he instantly shot up and took a defensive crouch on his bed. Bayne let out a sigh as he came to realization that it was just a knock. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as the door swung open and Lilla stood there with a hip cocked to the side, smirking.
"Calm down, it's me." She said, biting her lower lip, clearly amused as she took in his defensive stance. Bayne sighed and loosened his rigid shoulders before sitting back down on the bed. "Wes said you had another episode last night..." Lilla said as she walked into the room, the only light showing behind her from the lit hallway. "You know you can talk to me about it."
Bayne let out a chuckle as he got to his feet and went to his closet to pick out a shirt, "Yeah, right."
"You can." She said, taking a seat on the edge of his bed "You're my brother, blood or not." Lilla tossed her blonde hair back over her shoulder, watching him intently.
"I think you're mistaking me for some sensitive guy." He flashed her a smile and slipped the gray t-shirt on that hugged his muscels.
Lilla grinned "Teenage werewolves. So moody." She shrugged her shoulders and got to her feet "Better hurry downstairs before Kaine eats everything."
"I think I'll skip breakfast." Bayne gave a shrug as he changed his pajama pants to jeans and slipped on his black combat boots. His usual wardrobe.
Lilla sighed "Again?" There was a worried annoyance in her voice "You need to stop disappearing. Henri is starting to get suspicious." she frowned, crossing her arms.
He nodded and glanced to her "Then let him." He said before going downstairs and walked past the kitchen where the guys were being rowdy, throwing pieces of bacon at each other. Bayne felt sorry for Lilla, having to be the only girl amongst all this ignorance.
"Where do you think you're going?" Henri's voice spoke, creating a silence throughout the house as everyone listened.
Bayne's hand was caught on the door knob as he sighed, turning to Henri and shrugged "Just out." He met Henri's gaze unwillingly. Henri was a middle-aged man with dark hair and scruffy cheeks that were graying. He wasn't much taller than Bayne with a lanky build, and yet he had such an authority that even Wes listened to him. Though he had to, he was alpha after all.
"Out? No, you are going to sit down with the rest of us and eat. I've had enough of you running off every morning." Henri crossed his arms over his chest "That is an order by the way." He added.
Bayne gritted his teeth as the order gnawed at him. Taking his hand away from the knob he walked past him and into the kitchen, taking a seat at the small dining table inbetween Lilla and Kaine. Kaine was the smallest of them all, he'd only just had his first transformation, but for what he loses in size he gains in quick wit and speed. While Wes depended on brute strength.
Picking up a piece of grissly bacon Bayne crunched it between his teeth and chewed, ignoring everyone as he ate in silence. Henri sat at the head of the table and smiled, happy to have everyone here. He cleared his throat and everyone stopped eating, looking to him.
Henri swallowed a piece of dry toast and nodded "So it's August again and school starts Monday. We all know the drill."
Wes sighed "Not the buddy system again." He grumbled.
Henri acted as if he hadn't heard a thing "Wes and Kaine will be paired and Lilla and Bayne. I've arranged it so you have your classes together. I don't want to lose anyone else." He said, directing the last bit to Wes, who swallowed hard.
The air grew thick as the memory of Shane came to mind. Shane had stayed late after school for some school project, and that's when they got him. Bayne cringed from the memory of the news repeating the tragic story over and over again. The memorial service and reporters that bombarded even weeks after. Shaking his head, Bayne pushed the painful thought from his mind and took a loud crunch of another piece of bacon.
Henri spoke again after a moment "You go to school with your buddy and you come home with your buddy. No after school activities, no projects. I'll deal with any uncooperating teachers."
Wes sighed "No football again?" he asked, now somberly pushing his food around on his plate.
"We can't risk it, Wes. I'm sorry." It was clear Henri was sorry, but that made no difference to Wes. Wes then shot a glare at Bayne, something he always did at random. It was unknown to Bayne why he hated him so much, maybe it was jealousy. Bayne could go places alone without Henri badgering him so much. But Bayne was different. He knew how to stay safe and get out of tough situations if they ever were to come to light. Wes, on the other hand, was an act first think later kind of guy.
Finishing off his breakfast, Bayne pushed himself from the table and stood "I'm going out...", he saw the look Henri gave him, "To the backyard." He recovered quickly before going out the back door with a soft sigh. He walked across the mangled lawn from Wes constantly doing suicides during the summer. Working out wasn't one of Bayne's favorite thing to do.
He took a seat on the white stone bench under the old oak in the far corner of the backyard. Placing his hands behind his head and leaning back into the tree he closed his eyes and relaxed, letting his superb hearing ability to stretch out. A basketball on a court, the bell on a bike chiming, and a door closing with a soft thud. Bayne opened his eyes and glanced over in the direction of the sound. He watched as a girl stood next to a white car with her arms crossed over her stomach tightly, glaring up at the house in front of her. It was clear she wasn't happy, but why? He tried to match her with all of the faces he'd seen in town before, but frowned when he drew a blank. She must be new, he thought to himself as he watched her go into the house.
Bayne pursed his lips as he let his hearing fan out to her, hearing her walk up the steps and go into a room. He could see her in the window then, she looked around, still scowling. Bayne smiled. Why did he find her frustration so humerous? Perhaps it was because she was a human. Humans were always so easy to make fun of. He watched as she plopped down on her bed...
"Bayne!" A sudden shout forced him back to his own backyard. He looked to the backdoor to see Lilla standing there "We're heading to the store. Want to come?"
He thought about it for a moment and glanced to the girls window again, sad to see she was no longer there. He looked back to Lilla and nodded as he stood "Yeah, alright." He said before walking to her, his mind still on the girl. He wondered if she was going to school on Monday and if she'd still be scowling. The thought only made him smile wider.