When the Wolves Howl

Two: House Workers/Security

The next day I dress in shorts, a one-off-the-shoulder crop top with a fiery red tank underneath and matching sandals. When I come downstairs, Dad and Diego are in Dad's office, talking heatedly. Not wanting to disturb them, I head outside where Mom is examining the front of the house from the shutters on the windows to the porch swing, rocking chairs, and railings that are in need of paint, to the lawn that's grown a little over half a foot since the last time we mowed it two weeks ago with a clipboard in her hand.
"Hey, Mom," I greet, trotting over to her in the middle of the lawn, the grass tickling my ankles. "Whatcha doing?"
"Not now, Lucia," she says hurriedly as she writes something down on the paper attached to the clipboard.
"Are we renovating?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Just making some improvements," she states simply as a truck that looks like it just got buffed and is so black it looks blue, rolls into our driveway. It stops halfway there, making a huge gap between the truck and the opened double-car garage.
Three buff guys climb out in basketball shorts and Ts. One of the guys, the driver and seemingly the biggest of the group, has pitch black hair that stops past his shoulders. The guy that rode shotgun has messy dirty blonde hair that curls around his ears. The third man who rode in the back seat, has blonde hair on one side and dark brown on the other, pulled back in a ponytail. Those three make me think of the news yesterday morning and how their hair is the same color as the wolves that attacked the man's fur. I shiver.
"Roman, Dean, Seth!" Mom exclaims as the three make their way over and give my mom a hug. "It's been too long!" She turns to me.
With those three behind her, she looked like a middle schooler. They towered over her by a good six or more inches and I'm about 4 inches shorter than her.
"Lucia," she says, "these are Roman," she places her hand on the guy with the all back hair, "Dean," then Dirty Blonde, "and Seth." Two-tones. "You remember them, right?"
"I've met them before?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says as if it's obvious. "You guys used to play with each other all the time when you were kids."
I look back up at them. They stare right back, their gaze-especially Dean's-unwavering. I could've stayed out here forever and looked at them, but that wouldn't bring my memory back of us ever being friends and playing with each other.
"You guys are 16?" I question.
"19," Roman and Dean say in unison.
"18," Seth answers.
"Huh."
"Well then," Mom says, dropping her hand, palm down, on the clipboard. "Let's get started."
I trudge up the steps and sink into the porch swing. With me sitting all the way back, my feet were off the ground, swinging. I look up and see Dean staring at me as Mom explains about the chores around the house: mowing the lawn, and painting the shutters and things on the porch.
Then she starts on about how there was a patch on the roof that needed fixing and the tub and jacuzzi that needed to be refilled.
"Hey, Mom?" I call out. "Is there a way you can fit the whole in the wall in my room in?"
She slaps her forehead. "That's what I forgot," she says before turning to the guys. "Can one of you go up there and deal with it right now?"
"Dean can do it," Roman says.
Dean glares at his friend, growling. I guess he's the meanest in the group. He walks up the steps and looks at me expectantly.
"What?" I ask.
"Are you gonna show me to your room?"
"Oh," I mumbled as I hop down from the swing, making him chuckle. "Follow me."
As we're making out way toward the staircase, passing Dad's office in the process, he comes out with Diego right behind him.
"Ah, Dean," he says. "Before you and the boys get started, meet me in my office, will ya?"
"Yes, sir," he replies before nudging my lower back with his thumb and index finger, right where my back dimples are.
I can feel him boring a whole in my butt as we ascend the stairs. Maybe these shorts weren't a good idea.
I turn the nob of my bedroom door and gesture him inside. He looks around. "Where is it?"
I go over to the full length mirror leaning against the wall beside my bay window and move it aside, revealing a huge hole that I can fit both of my fists in. He frowns.
"What happened?" he asks.
"Diego," I answer simply. "It was a couple of years ago and our parents were about to move him into the bigger room. He didn't know that was a good thing and had this big temper tantrum. It still stumps me that he could make a hole that huge, you know?"
I realize that I'm talking to much when he stares at me blankly. I quickly shut my mouth. He goes over to the hole and looks at it for what seems like forever. "It's hard to control it at first," he muttered, but I know he's saying it more to himself.
I still can't help but be curious, though. "What's hard to control at first?" I ask.
He glances up at me, startled, as if he didn't know I was still there. "N-nothing," he stutters before straightening up.
"I can't do anything about it today. But this'll be my first task tomorrow morning, okay?"
I nod. "Hey, did you hear about that wolf attack on the news?"
I see his forearms tense up. "Yeah," he mumbled.
"Isn't that crazy?" I question. "Someone should really do something. Not kill them or anything but just take them somewhere, you know?"
"Uh-huh," he replies distractedly as he walks out.
"It was nice meeting you," I call out. "I guess," I whisper.

Mr. O'Brian's Office...
"Have a seat, boys," Mr. O'Brian tells Dean, Roman and Seth as his son, Diego, closes the door behind all of them.
Mr. O'Brian is sitting in a black leather swivel chair while Mrs. O'Brian and Diego stand on either side of him. The boys sit in brown leather, stationary chairs, tending buzzing in the air.
Mr. O'Brian does not look happy. "Care to explain to me why there was a wolf attack last week that is now known by the whole San Fransisco area?"
No one speaks. Dean knows he should because he was the one that actually did the crime, but he just can't bring himself to do it.
"We're really sorry, sir," Roman says.
"Sorry?" Mr. O'Brian asks. "Do you think it's easy being the Alpha of this pack?"
Roman, Dean, and Seth shake their head. "I have a lot on my plate," he says, standing. "What, with trying to fend off the Wyatt pack, making sure every member is well and accounted for, making sure you three, our newest members, are in check so that situations like this don't happen, all while keeping this wolf thing a secret from my daughter. Do you think that's easy?"
The boys shake their heads again. Mr. O'Brian sighs and picks up a picture of Lucia's face. He exhales another breath.
"I am on my last legs here, boys," he states. "I need you guys and Diego to help me out here. That means, no more attacks."
"Yes, sir," the boys reply in unison.
"Now-" Mr. O'Brian and everyone else stop as they hear footsteps padding down the hall.
Mr. O'Brian tenses as a knock sounds at the door. "Come in," he says, trying to he causal.
Lucia pokes her head inside. "Hi," she greets with a sheepish smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to discuss something with you right quick."
"Sure," Mr. O'Brian replies.
Lucia brushes her shoulder length bangs to the side as her father takes a sip of scotch from his short cut glass.
"I think we need to do something about the wolf problem."
Mr. O'Brian spits his drink into the potted plant in the corner, coughing up a lung. "What?" he asks hoarsely.
"The wolf problem," Lucia repeats, slowly this time. "The man on the news that got attacked was living near the woods and in case you forgot, we live near one too. I just don't want what happened to him to happen to one of us," she explains.
"Honey, I told you that stuff was garbage," Mrs. O'Brian reminds her daughter.
"I know what you said," Lucia replies. But that doesn't mean we can just disregard it. Despite what you say, what if it is real? I just think we need more security."
Mr. O'Brian recovers himself, straightening himself to his full 6'1 height. "If that's what you think needs to be done, then that's what we'll do," he says as he stares down each and every boy sitting on the other side of his desk. "I bet the guys here would love to help us."
The boys nod again making Lucia sigh in relief. "Great," she states. The she disappears out into the hall wear she makes her way toward the kitchen.
Diego shuts the door and nods his head in his father's direction, telling him to continue.
"Lucia goes to sleep at 11:00," Mr. O'Brian says in a low voice, meaning he's all business. "I want you to be here at midnight in your wolf forms. You'll be able to detect danger better than if you're human."
With that, he waved his hand away dismissively and Mrs. O'Brian jumps in. "Alright, boys, follow me. We'll knock out the backyard first."