That night, the Ross family had finally finished getting all of their belongings into the house. By the time the movers left, the sun was beginning to set below the horizon. Kent decided to take Samantha’s advice for food and took the family to The Local Diner for some takeout. Once they returned home with their dinner, the family sat down at their kitchen table. The four of them ate in silence for the first few minutes, as each person was lost in thought.
“So…” Kent said, trying to start a conversation with his family. “Today was...rather eventful…”
“When you told us we were moving, I never expected to be moving to a town that’s a sanctuary for Werecreatures,” Diana said before taking a bite of her salad. “Let alone learn that Weres actually exist.”
“You’re not unhappy about all this, are you Diana?” Kent asked. “If you are, I can do my best to…”
“Kent, I’m fine,” Diana said. “Sure, it’s a bit surprising, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a bad thing. Plus, from what we’ve seen of it, the town looks very nice.”
“Right...right,” Kent said, sighing in relief. “Sorry, I just want to make sure that you are happy. I know that it wasn’t your choice to pack up and leave Quantico after we lived there for so many years.”
“Sweetie, it’s fine,” Diana said, comforting her husband. “I’m happy, Ava is happy, and Connor is definitely happy.”
“Alright, I believe you,” Kent said, kissing his wife on the cheek. “So Connor, you want to tell us what you and Tad were talking about upstairs?”
“Mmf?” Connor swallowed bite he had taken out of his hamburger. “Sorry about that. We were talking about a lot of things, but it was all mostly Were related. Tad told me a bit about how it felt to be a Were, what it was like around Moon Lake, and a bunch of other stuff.”
“And you really want to go through with becoming a Were?” Diana asked.
“Of course Mom!” Connor practically shouted. “Being a Were sounds like the coolest thing ever! I’m more than willing to become the family Were!”
“Well, you’re going to do your research before you make a decision,” Kent said. “Your mother and I don’t want you...rushing in.”
“I will dad, I promise,” Connor said. “I’ll read the book and talk to other Weres at school tomorrow. Oh, may I be excused? I want to finish unpacking my room.”
“Sure thing bud,” Kent said. Connor then stood up from the table, brought his trash over to the trash can, and went upstairs to his room, leaving just his mom, dad, and sister at the table.
“So Ava,” Diana said. “What’s your opinion on all of this Were stuff?”
“Well, I wasn’t too sure at first,” Ava said. “But I when I talked to Mrs. Twist outside before she left, she told me some things about being a Werecat.”
“So you want to be a Werecat?” Kent asked.
“Well...I’m not 100% sure just yet,” Ava admitted. “While being a Werecat does sound really nice, Mrs. Twist told me that there were things I needed to keep in mind.”
“Like what?” Diana asked.
“She said that Werecats were strictly female, and that they’re all either bisexual or lesbian. I really have to think about it before I make a decision.”
“Well, just know that no matter what choice you make-” Kent started.
“-You’ll always love me,” Ava finished. “I know Dad.”
“Well, I’m sure that there will be a few Werecats in your classes at school tomorrow,” Diana said. “Why don’t you try to make friends with some of them and ask them what it’s like?”
“Alright, I’ll do that,” Ava said as she finished up her own burger. “May I be excused as well?”
“Of course angel.”
“Thanks mom. Love you!” Ava took her trash to the trash can before going upstairs to her room to unpack. Now, Kent and Diana sat alone at the table.
“Connor will study the kinds of Were species he can become...right?” Diana asked, sounding slightly concerned.
“I’m not sure,” Kent said. “You know how he can be at times. Sometimes he’ll just gloss over something, and other times he’ll sit down and commit himself.” Kent then paused to think.
“But...if I’m being honest, I think he’ll do the latter this time,” he continued. “You saw how excited he was when he volunteered to become the family Were. He’s really invested in this, and he has a track record of doing really well in school when he’s doing subjects that he’s interested in.”
“Right…” Diana said with a smile.
Kent kissed his wife before taking their trash and getting up from the table, throwing it away before sitting back down next to his wife.
“Mind if I ask you something?” Diana asked.
“Not at all,” Kent said. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well...when you said to Connor that you and I might consider becoming Weres...were you serious?”
“Well…kinda. Do you not want to become a Were?”
“I’ll admit, the thought of being able to shift between human and animal at will does sound appealing,” Diana said. “And then there’s the parts about having an extended lifespan and being more sexually active.”
Kent kissed Diana again.
“Looks like we’re all doing our research then,” he said with a smile.