Disclaimer:
~Big thanks to Enemyoffun for making this universe to play in, and to all my beta readers for helping me hammer out some of the details in this chapter. Also, a big thanks to djkauf, who's edits are always awesome. Another big thank you goes out to Maggie for writing the conversations involving the Harper Clan.
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as Mikaela tries to figure things out. Please comment on this, I enjoy reading your comments and learning from them immensely.

Chapter 14

18 October 2011

After resting my arm after Cindy got a good look at it, she took a seat behind the desk and took a deep sigh. She looked like she was in shock or surprise from that little tidbit that I sprung on her.

“So…,” I started. “Want to talk?”

Before she could get a syllable out of her mouth, her sister Carly walked in the door. She was talking to herself, “I have to remind Chris that he will need to help out some of the boys with their skill. They see a girl going through their motions and they don’t know one stance from the other.”

She stopped suddenly when she realized the two of us were in the room.

“Oh,” she started, but was cut off by her sister.

“Carly, get Chris in here. The four of us need to talk.”

“Cindy, what’s going on?” she asked, wondering.

“Just do it!” Cindy snapped.

“Fine, fine. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, alright?”

Carly left the room to get her brother, while Cindy turned her attention to me.

“You didn’t have to snap like that,” I commented.

She gave me a look that read, ‘I’ll do what I damn well please.’

“I joke and tease a lot, I know,” Cindy let out a sigh and shook her head. “But this isn't the time or place for that, given some of the things you've told me.”

“Indeed,” I replied.

The door opened again with Carly and Chris walking in. Carly had a serious look upon her face, while Chris was confused.

“What’s going on, sis?” he asked. “You’ve never pulled me out like that before.”

He took one look in the room and said to the two girls that were already there, “This had better be good.”

“Mikaela has a story to tell us, and we all need to hear her out, without comments or questions until she finishes.”

“You might want to sit down,” Mikaela suggested.

Carly flipped her hand at Cindy that signaled for her to get out of her spot. Chris grabbed a stool and pulled up to the desk, while Cindy simply sat down on the desk.

“Well?” Chris and Carly queried, impatiently.

I started to tell them an abbreviated story of what had happened to me, leaving some of the more personal details out. They didn’t seem too interested in that, although they perked up when I told them about the meeting between myself and Vernon Stiles, and how I wasn’t going to be led around by the nose.

“So.” Cindy looked at me without the usual look of impending mischief in her eyes. “What do you want us to do? Introduce you to Dad, introduce you to other weres our age, what?”

“Any help you can give,” I politely asked. “I don't want to be led around like some lost puppy.”

“Oh, I think that can be arranged.” Cindy nodded, “Why don't you come out to our place tomorrow evening and I'll introduce to Dad and Mom. They're the alphas of our clan, by the way, and you've already met one of the Betas.”

“I assume you are referring to Carly, when you mean one of your Betas,” I commented.

“Yup,” Cindy grinned and waved towards her sister. “One and the same."

I nodded curtly at Carly who looked like she had something that she wanted to say.

Carly lifted an eyebrow and nodded. “That would be me. Now, I can give you a boost in some of these introductions because of my standing in the family, but the other families will have to be brought in by Dad.

“As for the younger ones...,” she winked at Cindy, then turned back to Mikaela. “If you can stand being around my admittedly often certifiable sister there, she can introduce to some of them, I'm sure. Just don't let her yank your chain all the time or you'll probably go nuts.”

I giggled at the comment. “Often certifiable? What has she done to warrant that?”

“Safer not to ask.” Carly shook her head, then grinned at her sister, “My little sister is a prankster and goes off the wall at times. Much to the despair of our parents.”

“Oh boy. So, tomorrow night? What time and where?”

“Could you make it around six?” Carly asked. “You could join us for dinner and then have the rest of the evening to talk about things if that much time is needed.”

“I get off work at the comic book store at 5. I believe I can make it. Although, I'm not sure what my mom would say if she knew I was walking into a den of Coyotes.”

“I'll pick you up then, and get you home.” Cindy put in, grinning.

“As for your mother? I think I'll leave that one to you for now. Five at the comic store then?”

“Can you even drive?” I asked.

“Well yeah,” Cindy put on an insulted expression. “I'm sixteen and haven't run into or over anyone or anything since I got my car. Well at least not with the car....”

That didn't bode to well for my confidence. "Alright, I'll meet you there at five. If you come early though, you're a customer."

“Fair enough.” She answered with a grin.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and said to the three of them, “I'll see you tomorrow night then.”

------------------------------------

As I was leaving, I could hear the three of them begin to talk amongst themselves.

“Are you out of your mind?” my mom practically shouted at me when I got home.

She wasn’t taking the news that I had to go eat dinner at the Harpers very well. She was all for talking with them to get them on my side, but my going to their residence and sharing a meal, she was on the verge of going ballistic.

“Calm down, Mom. I’ll be fine,” I replied.

“Fine? How do you know that you will be fine? The only thing that you know about them is that they own the town dojo. Given that statement, they can–and if given the opportunity–kick your ass.”

“Mom, the clan’s Beta invited me, and she’s the daughter of their Alphas. I think the only thing that I have to worry about is the driver of the vehicle picking me up tomorrow evening.”

She sighed again, as if there was some kind of point that she was trying to make. I just think that she didn’t want me to go onto one of the clans’ property again. Vernon Stiles riling me up was probably what she was thinking about right now.

“Fine. As you had already accepted the invitation to go, I’ll just have to go with you,” she fumed.

“Uhh…,” I stammered. “I think they wanted me to go alone.”

“WHAT?” she screamed. “Are you crazy or something?”

She fumed some more and went and plopped herself down onto my living room couch. “What am I going to do with you, young lady?”

“Mom! I’m a grown… woman,” I answered, didn’t realizing that I would be hearing myself say that to my mom, least of all in an argument with her. “I’ll be fine.”

I went over to her and curled up next to her. “And it’s not like I’ll be totally defenseless. I can turn into a wolf and run away if need be. I didn’t have that when I talked with the Stiles.”
My mom ran her hand through my hair and messed with it, like she was petting a cat or something. It felt nice and almost made me forget the argument.

“You’re right,” she reluctantly admitted. “I just wish there was some way that I could keep an eye on you, and be there if you needed me. I do know more about fighting than you do at the moment.”

“True. But, I can take care of myself.” I added, “And I haven’t seen those goons for days now. Maybe, they’ve given up and gone elsewhere.”

“We can only hope for that.”

She sat there for a few minutes longer until she got up and said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use some dinner right about now.”

I fell to the couch with a thump. “Fine, then you get to cook some hamburgers up for us tonight. I’ll take care of the French fries.”

“Deal,” my mom replied, smiling.

The two of us giggled about the argument and then set about the kitchen to make us something to eat.

--------------------------------------

October 19, 2011

Things were business as usual at the comic book store. I managed to get my homework done with time to spare. I didn’t exactly like dressing up for most of the day though. My mother insisted that I make a good impression with the Harper clan leaders, and I needed to look my best. I just thought it was an excuse for her to put me into a skirt.

I heard the jingle of the store’s bell on the door and I saw Cindy walk into the store. I glanced at the clock, and saw that she was early by about twenty minutes.

“You’re early,” I commented when I saw her.

Mr. Larson was in the back of the shop at the moment, doing some inventory. There were only a few other customers in the store browsing some of the latest releases.

“It's been awhile since I've been in here.” Cindy shrugged and started looking at the bin filled with back issues. “I'm just a customer right now, so don't worry about it.”

“Take your time then. And wait a sec, I don't remember seeing you in here before. Your brother, yes. But, not you.”

“Don't worry about it,” she winked. “Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.”

“You'd better,” I said, turning back to my job.

Some time passed and then Cindy walked over with a few issues.

“What’d you pick?”

“Witchblade,” she grinned at me while showing the issues she'd picked out.

“Just that one?”

“Well,” she said, “I have a lot of reading to catch up on here.”

She showed me the sizable stack she had chosen among the many issues available.

I whistled, “Looks like you are backed up to September. Was there anything else that you read?”

I didn't really want to force the issue, but I was still on the clock and had to try to make some money for the store.

“Oh,” Cindy shrugged, “Vertigo’s Vamps, too.”

“Vampires? Didn’t peg you for them.”

“Vamps,” she repeated. “Good storyline and great artwork.”

“Okay,” I said, raising my hands to show no disrespect. I rung up her sizable purchase and told her the bill.

Cindy passed him a credit card and grinned. “There you go.”

“Really? Your parents gave you a credit card at sixteen?” I still finished the transaction anyway.

“It's my money,” she answered, then added, “Trust fund.”

I whistled again, not realizing that she was loaded. Then again, I should've known better. I handed her the receipt and loaded all of her comics into a bag.

“There you go. I hope you enjoy them.”

“Thanks,” she smiled at me, then sauntered out the door while calling over her shoulder. “I’ll be waiting in the blue Miata.”

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a few minutes past five. I headed into the back and told Mr. Larson that I was off for the night, and about the sizable purchase that had just come through. He chuckled at that and told me that he would see me tomorrow when I came in.

I headed out the door and crossed the street where I saw Cindy waiting in the Miata. I had to admit, she did have a nice car.

“Hey, get in,” she grinned at me. “So. Do you need to go somewhere before I get you to my place?”

“Nah, I’m good,” I replied. “As long as I can trust leaving my bag in your car.”

“No problem,” she assured me. “People don't mess with my car and it'll be parked at my place so security will be watching it, too.”

“Besides, the car will be in the garage, so don't worry about your stuff.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said, as we pulled out onto the road.

We travelled for only a short distance until Cindy hit the gas of her car. I was a little surprised that she decided to jump that fast.

“Hang on,” Cindy grinned, as the little car seemed to leap forward.

In fact, that was all I could do at the moment. I was taken aback at just how fast this car did accelerate. “You haven’t been upgrading the car, have you?”

“Nope, this is how they came out of the factory. Oh, here we go!” At something like seventy miles an hour, the little car skidded a bit, did a ninety degree turn and turned onto one the streets that led to the more impressive residences in the town.

“And that would be telling,” she impishly smiled, referring to her car. She managed to race through the streets without banging up her car too much, carefully avoiding traffic. It was like she was channeling her inner race car driver or something. I was hanging on to the handle above the door as if my life depended on it. Which with her driving, it probably did.

“Don't pee on my seat there,” Cindy warned as the car shot out of the alley, while she adroitly dodged a few other vehicles and pointed the Miata down a street with some traffic on it.

“Wahoo!” Cindy screamed as she wove in and out of the traffic -- not always in the proper lane. “This is fun!”

I was going nuts, trying to hang on. Why, oh why, did I decide to get into the car with this rabid Coyote? She might've been worse than Wile E. Coyote. I looked back and it looks like that through all of the twists and turns that she took through the streets and I noticed that she did pick up a police cruiser.

“Uhh..., Cindy,” I stammered.

“Yeah?” She asked while still driving at a speed that terrified me.

“Cops.”

“Oh, the sheriff’s.” Cindy shrugged and grinned. “We’ll explain thing to them once we reach the gates.”

“You've got to be kidding me,” I commented as she turned onto a different street.

“The gate guards will let the sheriff in, and keep the bad guys out” she assured me with a grin that still looked way too maniacal for a teenaged girl.

“Wait. You have gate guards?” I asked with a double take.

“I once threw rocks at hunters,” she gleefully told me.

“Oh, yeah,” she affirmed. “Our gate and wall guards are really good. No one sane messes with them.”

“Hunters?” I asked. I hadn't heard of them, at least I don't remember hearing about them.

Then she pressed the accelerator again and made me forget the question as I was pushed back into the leather seat. Again. She drove along this back road, through the rich part of town. At least that's what I assumed it to be with all these large houses. Eventually, she did a sharp ninety degree turn into a long driveway. Skidding and screeching to a stop at a steel barred gate that looked as if it could stop a tank she cheerfully waved the people in a booth on the other side.

“Hey guys! Let the sheriff in so I can explain.”

When I took a look at the guards I admit that I was a little nervous. The guards looked like they were ex-military, and that they weren't to be messed around with. Good thing lunch was a while ago, otherwise, I might have hurled from Cindy’s insane driving.

“This was definitely a fun drive today,” she said to me with a grin.

I shrugged as she pulled up to the large, expensive-looking manor. She hit the brakes and managed to drift the car into a one-eighty degree turn. I think I was glad when she turned off the engine.

“You can take a breath now, you know,” she told me in a conspiratorial whisper.

I did do just that, after I climbed out of the car. I ended up standing bent over with my hands on my knees. “You drive like a rabid dog, you know that?”

“Oh not a rabid dog,” Cindy answered while patting my back. “I’m a Coyote. Remember?”

“Yes, I remember,” I said. “By the way, you have company.” I pointed to the police cruiser that pulled up the drive. This probably wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Oh, yeah. Them,” Cindy shrugged, as she walked over to the cruiser.

Oddly, the sheriff didn't seem to act like she was crazed, drunk, drugged up, or anything else. I heard one of them ask her, “What is it this time?”

Cindy did her best to explain the situation. I think she was trying to write it off as busted accelerator. They talked for a few minutes, and then the sheriff left.

“What did they say?” I asked.

“Get my car looked at and don't do it again?” she sighed and winked.

She walked over to me and rubbed my back. Eventually, I stood the rest of the way up. “Wow, I never have opened the Miata up.” She laughed. “That was fun!”

I had a look of panic on my face. “Please, not with me in the car, okay?”

“Oh, come on.” she grinned. “It was fun. Admit it!”

“Fine...,” I groaned. “Maybe a little bit.”

“You can unclench your hands now,” she told me.

I giggled and did so. “So, what now?”

“We go in, introduce you to the rest of my family, have dinner then you can talk with Mom and Dad.”

“Okay. Hopefully, no one tries to crash the party.”

“Oh, trust me,” Cindy smiled, and it wasn't a really nice one. "If they should get past our security, they'd have a really nasty surprise. But, they won't get past our security."

“If you say so,” I replied, as she led me inside.

“Yes, I say so,” she answered simply, as if the issue was nothing more than discussing the weather or something that she was really sure of. “And who would you expect to crash the party?”

“Never mind,” I quickly blurted out. I didn’t want her to know some of my concerns ever since this whole fiasco started.

We walked into a very nice looking entrance hall. I had to admit, this place did look very lovely and expensive.

“Nice place you have,” I noticed.

“It’s home,” she answered. “Thanks.”

A couple of people walked down the hallway towards us. They looked like they definitely meant business. I gulped quietly, or I hoped quietly enough, and stood there. Cindy walked over to the two of them and gave them a hug.

She exchanged hellos with her parents, and they scolded her for going fast and bringing the sheriff to her house. Cindy complained that it wasn’t entirely her fault as she tried to float the same story that she told the sheriff to her parents. They eventually said that they didn’t want to hear any more of it, and that they would talk to her later.

The two of them eventually walked over to me where the male stuck out his hand and said, “Welcome to our home. I’m Patrick Harper.”

I shook his hand and the woman said, “Cecily.”

I shook her hand as well.

“Mikaela Vance,” I replied.

Patrick immediately got down to business. “So, you’re the new lorekeeper that I’ve been hearing about. I must say, we weren’t expecting to see someone after so long.”

“Patrick,” Cecily interrupted. “There will be plenty of time for that later. First, we shall have some dinner, and then we can get down to the matter at hand.”

“Right, my dear. Right you are. Come, let us dine and then talk.”

The two of them led me through their home to the dining room, after I hung my coat up on a nearby hangar in the entrance hall. Cindy had snuck off somewhere, but I was betting that she was getting ready for dinner.

I saw a very nice looking dining room table with it set for seven. Seven? I thought that only five people lived here. When I turned the corner, my hopes faded when I saw who else was sitting at the table. Vernon Stiles. What the hell was he doing here?

“I see that your other guest has arrived, Patrick,” Vernon said, with a sly grin on his face.

“Mr. Stiles,” I replied with an acknowledging nod.

“Good to see you again, Mikaela. I was just getting to the subject about you. Please join us.”

He stood up and extended his hand. I swallowed and returned the handshake. I hoped that I could get this clan as an ally tonight, or at the very least, keep them from being an enemy and still be alive. With Stiles’ presence here, I didn’t know what was going to happen.