{I would love to see the Moon Lake series continues to expand, provided we are able to maintain some sense of continuity between the various episodes and story threads. Right now, the Charlstons are running a day ahead of events with The Andersons.—tmw2015.}
Moe Charlston turned and saw a beautiful blonde woman walking towards his family.
"Greetings. I'm Samantha Twist, the Town Chancellor," she said.
"Miss Twist," began Moe, holding out his hand.
"It's Mrs."
"My mistake," he said, before introducing the rest of his family.
"That's my car right over there," said Samantha, pointing to a red, four door sedan parked a little down the road. "Whenever you're ready."
"Just a second, please," said Moe, before turning to face Daniel. "I can't thank you enough old buddy," he said, holding out his hand again.
"No problem. And don't worry about Marcus or any of the Gambonis. You're safe here," said Daniel. "We're a pretty tight community. I've already alerted the police. We'll keep an eye on you."
"We?" asked Moe.
"Didn't you know I'm on the force?" asked Daniel.
"No."
"Coming up on my 15th anniversary on the job soon," bragged Daniel. "Well, I'd better get to work. See you later."
With that, the Charlstons got into their SUV and followed Samantha to their new home, a nice one story house with three bedrooms within walking distance of the high school.
"Now then," began Samantha, after showing the Charlstons around the house and finalizing the real estate transaction on behalf of the bank. "Your friend Daniel insisted I try to get you a place near him that had a built in security system," added Mrs. Twist, before walking over to the command panel and explaining how it works. "I highly recommend changing the passwords to something unique to yourselves, and Daniel lives two houses down on your right," she said, pointing the way. "We drove past the high school on our way here. I'll understand if you want to get settled in first, but one of you will have to accompany Karen on her first day to complete registration."
"Sure," said Nichole Charlston. "No problem."
"The movers placed most of your furniture in the obvious places, although I'll have to call them back once you decide which bedroom is Karen's," said Samantha, "but I'm afraid unpacking your personal stuff is still your responsibility."
"Understandable," said Moe, looking around at all the neatly stacked boxes. "Boy, you sure go all out."
"We try. Welcoming new people into our community is something we look forward to. Now then, there is one other matter to discuss. Which one of you will be the were?" asked Samantha.
"Aware of what?" asked Nichole, echoing the confusion amongst her family.
"Not a-w-a-r-e. A w-e-r-e. You know, as in werewolf, werecat, weredog, etc.," explained Samantha.
"Like in the movies?" asked Karen.
"Sort of. But in this case, the were prefix refers to being more than a mere, normal human being," said Samantha.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Moe.
"No, I'm not," said Samantha, as she started to change before their eyes. Fur began to cover her body, expanding the fit of her business suit. Her fingers lengthened and gained claws as her ears stretched upward and formed points. Samantha's green eyes soon had slits, a few of her front teeth became pointed fangs as part of her face expanded to form a muzzle with whiskers growing beneath a cat's nose.
Samantha kicked off her shoes to allow her feet the space needed to complete the change into her padded foot paws, as she tugged the back of her skirt down just enough to allow her tail the chance to pop out and stretch to its full fur covered length.
Moe Charlston stared at the sight in disbelief as his wife Nichole fainted.
Their daughter Karen looked on and said, "Neat!" as Samantha Twist, the apparently human Town Chancellor stretched and enjoyed the full length of her werecat body.
After helping Nicole to the sofa and waiting for her to recover, Samantha explained once Mrs. Charlston was conscious again. "Moon Lake is a safe haven for many, including almost every variety of were beings in the world. One of the town's rules is that one member of every new family must become a were within 30 days of moving here, under the belief that once you're part of our extended family, you and yours will help maintain our secrets, because to betray us means betraying yourselves as well.
"It doesn't hurt, and transforming can be quite... invigorating," added Samantha with a smile. "Although only one member is required to do so, there are many examples of the rest of the normals, as we call regular human beings, eventually joining our extended and ever growing family," she said, thinking about her friends the Andersons. "Four-fifths of the Moon Lake population over the age of 14 are weres."
That was a lot to take in, even without the speech coming from a human size talking cat.
"Just how many types of weres are there?" asked Karen with genuine curiosity, while staring at Samantha.
"Cats, dogs, panthers, tigers, foxes, mer people, the complete list is in the hundreds," revealed Samantha, "at least, based upon the last Moon Lake town census. My son Ben is your age and a werewolf."
"What would it take to join a group?" asked Karen.
"KAREN! You can't be serious!" exclaimed her mother.
"We have to at least find out what we're getting into," was the daughter's only reply, while still staring at Samantha's feline form.
"Most groups conduct formal ceremonies according to their own rules. I can make the proper arrangements and introductions once the decisions are made as to who volunteers and what form you want to be," explained Samantha.
"What about your group?" asked Karen.
"Mine?" asked Samantha in return. "If you're thinking about becoming a were-feline, there are plenty of varieties, each with their own prides. As to mine, I'm afraid it's a bit specialized."
"Oh? How so?" wondered Karen.
"While none of the were groups discriminate, mine represents all the werecats who are also part of the LGBTQ community as well. Small, but proud," said Samantha, as she pleasantly recalled the recent induction of Martha Anderson conducted by her and her wife Frances.
"Oh," said Karen, a bit disappointed. It was one thing to possibly become a were-creature, but although still a virgin, Karen knew she liked boys.
"Now then. I left a copy of the town handbook, explaining all the various groups and community rules concerning weres on your dining room table," said Samantha. "My card is on top, with all my phone numbers on it. I know this is a monumental decision, but like I said, you have 30 days so don't rush into it, but please call me as soon as you have made your decisions and I'll start making the appropriate arrangements."
Samantha Twist resumed her human form as she started walking toward the front door, carrying her shoes in one hand.
She paused to put them back on as she turned to face the Charlstons again.
"I can see the dumbfounded looks of disbelief on your faces, but please trust me. Once you get settled, you'll love it here in Moon Lake. Bye."
And then the Town Chancellor left, leaving the Charlstons to debate the situation.