Skinwalkers

Oblivious

Lexi's POV

The next morning, I was up before Mom and Tim. I tiptoed out of Tim's room and back to mine, where I grabbed my shower essentials. The quiet of the house was serene, a stark contrast to the usual morning chaos. I relished the perk of being the first one awake—first dibs on the shower. Once I finished and got dressed, I could hear Mom and Tim stirring.

"Lex?" Mom's voice called out from the hallway.

I looked up from my songbook, which I had been idly flipping through, to see Mom standing at my door with a small smile. "Hey, hun, how'd you sleep?" she asked.

I closed the book and set it on my dresser. "I'm fine. Glad that Timmy is doing better," I replied, trying to sound cheerful. Mom walked over to my bed, smoothing my hair and planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you. You've been such an amazing sister and daughter. I don't think you get enough credit for it," she said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Well, if you're looking to make it up to me, cash works wonders," I teased.

Mom chuckled softly. "But seriously, I worry about Tim too. And you. I know it's been hard since Dad died. You don't need to be strong for us all the time. We can be strong for you, too."

She looked down, offering me a sad smile. "Always my little warrior," she said.

Our moment was interrupted when Tim burst into the room. "Hey, can I go out back?" he asked eagerly.

Mom nodded. "Yeah, if you're feeling up to it, sweetie."

Tim's face lit up as he dashed through the house and out the back door. I turned to Mom and laughed. "One minute, we're worried about his life, and the next, he's running outside. Quite the interesting offspring you've raised, Mom."

I got up from the bed and headed toward the kitchen to make breakfast. Just as I was finishing up, Nana and Will arrived.

"Hello, my darling," Nana greeted as she came over to me. I smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and handed her a cup of coffee. "Morning, Nana. Morning, Will."

Nana looked at me with concern. "I heard you had a pretty eventful night. Are you OK?"

I sighed, taking muffins out of the oven. "I'm fine, Nana. I'm just relieved Will made it in time to help. I can't even imagine what might have happened to Tim if he hadn't."

As I turned to face Nana, I noticed Uncle Jonas and Katherine arriving. "Morning," Katherine chirped, giving Nana a kiss on the cheek before coming over to me and planting a loud kiss on my forehead. I laughed.

"Good morning, Cousin Kattie. Morning, Uncle Jonas."

Uncle Jonas gave me a small smile. "Morning, Sweetpea. Where's your Mom?"

I pointed toward the back. "Out with Tim."

He headed outside while the rest of us stayed in. I reached for the plate of muffins, only to find Kat holding it and stuffing her face with one.

"You're so lucky that wasn't the only batch I made," I teased, playfully swatting her with the oven mitt.

We all gathered in the kitchen, chatting and joking around. As breakfast finished, Nana, Kat, and I headed to the porch to watch for the mail truck.

I smiled as Tim ran up to Doak, our friendly neighborhood mailman, who handed him a delivery. Tim's excitement was palpable. When Mom came out, everyone greeted her warmly.

"What's everyone doing here? Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Mail," Doak said, holding up the mail.