"This whole affair will not end well," was the low grumble that made its way across the Lawson breakfast table as the family sat and ate.
Like many families in Moon Lake, the Lawsons would be heavily affected by the fact that it was suggested that the were secret was voted on to be exposed. While it wouldn't outright expose Moon Lake, it would mean that the world would be directly presented with the fact that weres were real and that could well mean that places like Moon Lake would face exposure one way or the other, and it was that that presently had the Lawson family patriarch, Evan, being a bit frustrated with things as they were.
"You can't be sure on that, dear," Maggie Lawson said to her husband and lifted a forkful of eggs to her mouth. She swallowed the bite before continuing, "for all we know that this could just be a revision of the emergence clauses that Moon Lake has had."
"No... from what has gone around Tachibana's security services... this is a full tell the world we exist and go from there," Evan answered, "and while I'm sure there can be plenty of legitimate reasons why it should be done... the fact that people are fighting over it is proof that it won't end well. It has nothing to do with whether or not humanity is ready but that weres aren't ready."
"Maybe it's because we've spent so long hiding that many weres don't know any other way," Spencer offered from her seat.
Her voice was a bit weak, as these sorts of things wasn't something that she'd focused on, but she could remember all the things that the Lawson family had done to stay hidden while her father served in the Navy SEALs. It was often complex and hard to deal with, and it left her longing for conditions where she could feel free to be "free" in a way that she couldn't otherwise. Often because many of the people her father had served with and befriended were normal humans who had no idea weres existed, and thus she couldn't be in her were form all that much, and even her parents hadn't been able to be in their were forms all that much. In this, returning to Moon Lake was something that Spencer had come to like, as she could be in her hybrid were fursona and had met those she admitted having some interest in, including a pair of weremers and one home schooled werewolf.
"Maybe," Evan said after a moment, "but that still doesn't make it a smart decision to just come out into the open. If no one is ready... it's better to get things in order first. Otherwise, you're running through every half assed battle plan ever launched... fire and fury but no support and logistics to run the operation."
"From what I've heard at the hospital, dear, it seems as though the man who's argued for this feels that we may not have much of a choice in the matter," Maggie warned, "that exposure is coming, one way or another and that it would be better to be ahead of the curve and on top of it rather than playing catch up."
"Like I said... it's not that there might not be good reasoning behind the idea," Evan managed as he slumped back in his chair for the moment, "but that doesn't mean that going through with is wise or the right thing to do. At least not right now. Let us get were society ready for the change and then enact it. For if we have too many more riots like yesterday... things WON'T end well."
Spencer sighed at that, for she wasn't at the college to see that riot or at the high school early enough to see the fist fight outside the doors to the school, she had heard plenty about the latter during school. She couldn't say she knew enough to fully know why the two high school students felt the argument was worth knocking each other's teeth in, but she knew that the consequences of it were severe. She wasn't presently involved in any after school programs, but she also knew that since the Lawsons didn't live on Wood Street, she couldn't be there to offer Eric Anderson or Julie Stovall a ride home or work more on getting Morgan Barr better integrated with life outside his home. It was that sort of thing that she privately resented, particularly while they were all settling in to what was a new town for her.
And Moon Lake, up until now, had not failed to impress Spencer. Sure, many weres were surprised that she was a hybrid were, but then it was pretty rare and thus understandable. Meeting other weres in her grade and the grades around her was often quite helpful in that she could feel more free to come out into the open, as it were. She could share things in a way she couldn't while her father was actively serving, and the fact that many weres were quite open when it came to certain tastes had ultimately been quite a blessing to her, especially since she'd gotten through a heat cycle without being driven mad by it. Though, even that presented Spencer with other things she wanted but wasn't sure on how to get.
"Maybe that sort of stuff won't happen today," Spencer offered her father, "that all that stuff was more the surprise at things. And as people calm down... they won't be so excitable at things."
"Hopefully, Spencer," Evan raised his eyebrows and catching some sense of nervousness in his daughter's tone.
Spencer wasn't exactly a "girly girl" in that she owned more tee-shirts and jeans than skirts and she didn't have anything that was pink in color. And he could remember his daughter always having a fair amount of self confidence, regardless of the situation. Sometimes it had gotten her into trouble in the past as a result, but she'd never been a bad kid, and there were some times where Evan put more responsibility on the other party in the incident, and that had often boosted Spencer's confidence. But the way she'd said her last comment was more nervous than anything else, and that was enough to worry him. Some of it was worry as to whether his own grumblings on the problem unnerved her or whether or not something else was bothering her.
"But this is still a tight issue... I really can't say for sure what will happen," Evan then finished with a sigh and looked to Maggie, hoping for some help from her.
"Your father is right, there," Maggie commented, "hopefully things do settle down. But given how long weres have tried to stay "secret," particularly after most people stopped believing weres were real... there will well be something about this that it will take time for people to accept... Even if they ultimately have nothing to fear from it."
Spencer frowned at that and only looked up when her mother continued.
"But you cannot lose hope, either," Maggie spoke, "a big part of why some of these initial responses to what the City Council has voted to do have been violent has been more that people have jumped to conclusions and assumed either the best or the worst. Those that have assumed the worst... believe that normal humans will just attack Moon Lake, even if the reveal doesn't reveal Moon Lake, and have no hope of a good solution. Thus they can't understand why anyone would support it and will make an emotional attempt to try and justify protecting the were secret. And that will often include being violent as a result... It's a case where people have lost their heads on the issue."
"I don't think I can find their heads..." Spencer commented.
"Nor do we expect you too," Evan reached across the table and patted her shoulder, "we do expect you to keep your cool and stay safe. Keep your head about you, and you'll be fine. Maybe that will set enough of an example that more people will follow... letting people calm down. And that is for the moment, all we can do... regardless on what we think on the situation."
And that was largely what stayed with Spencer when she left home and made her way to the school. She arrived too late catch up with Eric or Julie, as she saw them enter the building just as she got out of her Bronco, and that was a bit depressing. For Eric Anderson and Julie Stovall were two of the figures that she'd met that she'd had the most interest in. She had the sense that they would likely be a fairly consistent couple, and to an extent she could accept that. But there was just something about both of them that intrigued her. Some of it might just be that weremers were as rare to her as hybrid weres were to every were in Moon Lake, but that couldn't be it... at least not entirely.
At the same time, things had gone well enough with Morgan Barr that even if Eric would never be "hers," she'd at least have someone that could end up that way. Of course, some of that also made her wonder privately to herself if she was actually jealous of her parents' marriage and was seeking to duplicate it. As she'd also found that a good many weres at Moon Lake High had seemingly found their romantic partners and fairly quickly. Of course, she also had to remind herself that if Morgan was to be a potential boyfriend/husband type, he was still home schooled and thus wasn't able to interact with others outside of the summer months. Her mind also wondered on what would happen with the reveal and his situation. After all, would state standards change regarding vaccinations change if the world knew on weres?
Those things all wandered through her mind as she made her way into the building, set down the books that she wouldn't need for her first period class and then set about on her way to that first period class. She made some observations and did note that things seemed a bit better than they were the previous day, but that might just be the result of remembering the consequences that hit the high school as a result of the fight the previous day. Students that had potentially lost after school programs didn't want to do anything more to risk more things being taken away by the school's administration. Though when the principal got on the school's intercom and voiced the general policy announcement, Spencer also go the sense that many of those after school activities might be on again, at least for the moment.
"They must have a plan by now," Spencer thought to herself as Ian Andrews finished that announcement, "or at least a plan tuned to the reveal in particular... That might be good news... though, I suppose we'll have to wait and see."