As the adults continued their conversation, Karen Charlston excused herself and left the room.
The others were too deep into their discussion of werebeasts, and the fact that one of the Charlstons must become one if they were going to stay in Moon Lake and protect Karen from the Gambonis to notice, except for Francine Brooks.
Without saying anything, she got up to follow Karen into the Brooks' family kitchen, while the others talked in the living room.
"What's up?" Francine asked Karen, after the kitchen door closed behind her.
"A lot," admitted the teenager, as she turned to look at the older woman. "This is... really..."
"Heavy?" asked Francine.
"And then some," agreed Karen.
"I've got the feeling that you might need a friendly female ear outside of your family," said Francine, as she leaned against a kitchen counter in a relaxed pose.
"You don't mind?"
"No, but remember, while I will answer any question I can truthfully, I can't say anything that might influence your decision one way or another."
"Understood," said Karen, as she leaned against the edge of the kitchen sink. "First off, you've heard my mother. She won't do it herself, but will probably go along with it if it means keeping me and the rest of the family safe from the Gambonis. On the other hand, at the very least, she probably won't speak to whoever does become the family were for a very long time, if not..."
"Are you afraid she might divorce your father if he becomes a were?" asked Francine.
"Immediately? No, but I can't completely cross it off the list of possibilities either," admitted Karen. "Whatever happens, we're tired of running, even if we could afford to continue doing so. Moon Lake was supposed to be our last stand and new start. But now, I don't know what the future holds for us."
{{Neither the Charlstons or the Brooks are aware that Moe's cellphone is bugged. Despite the fact that they've currently lost the tracking signal since Moon Lake is in a "dead zone", the Gambonis are searching other surrounding areas first just in case, before re-consolidating their forces to search Moon Lake for the Charlstons.}}
"I'm afraid that's one of those bridges that can't be crossed until you come to it."
"I know. But... there's something else."
"What?" asked Francine gently.
"Knowing my dad, he'll probably take on the responsibility to spare us doing so while protecting his family in the process," said Karen. "Yet... there's something about possibly becoming a were that I find... appealing."
"In what way?" asked Francine.
"Well, have you ever heard of a Marvel Comics' character called Tigra, or a DC Comics' character called The Cheetah?"
"Peter is the comic book fan in the family. I haven't read one since my last issue of Betty and Veronica."
"Marvel's is a heroine, while DC's is a villainess. Yet there is something about those furry feline females that I find..."
"Attractive?" suggested Francine.
"I was going to say exotic," replied Karen. "While I have nothing against them, I'm not a lesbian. I'm not even bi." Or at least, the thought's never crossed my mind before. "Anyway, I've always loved cats. I'm still thinking about becoming a vet after high school graduation, and I've had several as pets, until Marcus killed the last one after I refused to go to a school dance with him."
"That's awful," said Francine in shock. But I won't burden her right now with the fact that hardly anyone in Moon Lake actually does own a pet, because four-fifths of the town can turn into weres.
"A couple of days after that was when we first started running. Anyway, depending upon who the writer and artist are during a particular appearance, there is just something about that type of character..."
"I get it. Under the circumstance, there are a couple of things I can tell you right now. First off, if you do become the family were, you can be any kind of were you want to be, so that would be your golden opportunity to become a werefeline of some type. The were prefix in this case means becoming something more than just a plain human being. Whoever steps up to the task will basically become a hybrid, with the best of both species, as well as some additional fringe benefits that I'm not allowed to discuss right now," said Francine.
"Really?" asked Karen.
"I said I had to answer everything I could truthfully without influencing any decisions," Francine reminded her. "But also remember that Moon Lake is a safe haven for a lot of people, especially weres. Regardless of who does become the family were for the mutual protection of Moon Lake's entire population, we take that responsibility <b>very seriously<b>. However, even if your father winds up doing it, there is nothing anywhere that says you can't become a were yourself someday."
"WOW!" said Karen, thinking of the possibilities.
"Just remember this. Becoming a were is a big step. Once that happens, there is no going back. No do-overs. This isn't some kind of trendy fad. Whoever becomes whatever were, that's it. For life," advised Francine. "Now, I'll give you a couple of minutes to compose yourself while I go back to the living room," added Mrs. Brooks, before leaving the kitchen.
Karen Charlston stood there, thinking about it for a moment, before pulling out her cellphone and dialing a local number she had preprogrammed into it.
She was happy when it answered, but a bit disappointed when she realized that it was only an answering machine, since it was well after five and the office was closed for the day.*
She waited until the 'beep', and then said, "Mrs. Twist? This is Karen Charlston. My family is still... debating the matter right now, but as a personal favor to me, could I please have some more current information on what were-feline societies are available in Moon Lake? You can call or text me back at this number at your convenience. Thanks."
Then, after setting the ringer to vibrate and putting the cellphone away, Karen took a deep breath and rejoined the others in the living room.
*The Charlston story line is currently slightly ahead of our other Moon Lake tale, which is just now entering Monday morning, while the above is part of the Monday evening events in Moon Lake.—tmw2015