The Moonwalkers

Steak and Shopping

Mom decided that we should eat out for lunch. We couldn't help but feel a little relieved at that as well, especially since it's been a while since we spent some time outside.
"We also need to pick up some groceries," Mom said. "Everything's gone."
Chris rubbed his hands together. "Does that mean we get more meat?"
"You bet," Mom grinned. "But right after we have our lunch first."
To our surprise, she drove right to the new steakhouse in town. Oh god, that spells expensive.
"Mom, you sure this is a good idea?" Charlene voiced just what I was thinking. "This place... I looks as if the food costs big bucks."
"Nah," Mom simply said as she parked right in one of the shop's reserved parking spots. "Alright, let's go. They have all kinds of steak! A whole steak buffet!"
I gasped at the sound of that. "A steak buffet?!"
"And that's all you can eat too!" Chris exclaimed, pointing to a sign by the entrance. "Oh, meat!"
The wolf in me started slobbering. I quickly covered my mouth to hide it as I got out of the car, wiping as much saliva as I could as I followed the rest in.
The scent of roasting and grilling meat greeted us as soon as we stepped into the shop. This place, it only serves meat.
"Is it really okay for us to have this much meat?" I asked, grabbing Mom's arm like I usually did. "Like... it won't mess with our brains and controls, right?"
"Nah," Mom snorted. "If anything, it only helps us control ourselves more. If the internal Wolfie is satisfied, it won't disturb us as much."
I wiped out more of the drool that dripped out of my mouth. "You sure? Because it seems like she's awakening now."
Mom turned to look at me and started laughing. I turned away to hide my drool, but it was just too much.
"Here's some tissue," Charlene chuckled, handing me a pack of tissues.
I nodded and ripped open the pack, pulling one of the folded sheets out before dabbing it at my mouth. Mom snorted and booked us a table.

I could hardly moved as I made a beeline towards the dairy section alongside Chris, feeling so overstuffed after all that steak. I went to get some butter while Chris stared at the rows of cheese. At last, he reached for a 24-pack of sandwich slices and placed it in the basket he was carrying, together with a block of cream cheese. I rejoined him, chucking two blocks of butter and a carton of milk into it as well.
"I'm actually kinda excited for tomorrow," I said, now making a beeline for the canned food and sauce section with him. "Are you?"
Chris nodded silently. I know that look, I've seen it one too many times whenever he's upset.
"Chris, you okay?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Chris turned to look at me. "I'm just a little scared for the hearing."
"And why's that?"
"What if they separate us, forcing one of us to stay with Charles instead of Mom?" Chris worriedly said. "I don't want any of us to live with Charles."
I smiled at him. "Chris, you're old enough to have a say in this matter. You can choose to stay with Mom. Why do you worry, then? Besides, Charles has to agree with having you live with him. That won't happen, would it?"
Chris lets out a snort. "He faints at the side of me in werewolf form. Why would he want custody of me?"
"Or any of us, for that matter," I added. "Even Charlene has the right to take guardianship of us at this point. Charles may even prove incompetent, actually."
"He is, more than," Chris agreed with a slight smile. "I don't know why, but the thought of court just scares me. It's like... it makes me feel like a perpetrator."
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
"It's not funny..." Chris shook his head at me.
I quickly stopped. "Okay, okay. I get you. I've been scared too, actually. Mainly why I've been able to keep Wolfie in control this month."
"Yeah, concentrating on something else does help us focus on keeping it intact," Chris agreed. "Anyway, what's next on the list?"
I took out my phone and stared at the list that Mom sent in the family group chat we created without Charles. "Uh... baked beans, chilli sauce, canned pasta sauce, ketchup... Worcestershire sauce?" I looked up in surprise. "We didn't buy it after we broke the last?"
"Not we, you," Chris smirked, pointing at me before snorting. "You get the cans, I'll get the sauce."
"Sure," I nodded, making a beeline for the cans' section. I grabbed a few cans of cheese mushroom sauce and tomato chicken sauce before turning to Chris, who put one bottle after another in the rather heavy basket. "Aight, let's go find Mom and Char to chuck this into the trolley."
Chris looked at me in surprise. "Wait, there isn't anything else on the list?"
"Well, there are some spices," I said, skimming through the list. "Like... black pepper, white pepper, cumin, ginger, stuff like that."
"Then let's get those first, Charlie," Chris said, hoisting the basket up his arm slightly. "And then we go find Mom and Char."
"But it's heavy, right?" I said, seeing how the basket heavily weighed down his arm.
Chris shook his head. "It's fine."

"Dinner? Already?!" I exclaimed in surprise as Mom drove up to a fast food restaurant. "And we're getting burgers? I'm still full from all the steak we ate!"
"I know, that's why we're just going to the drive-thru, get some crispy chicken burgers and fries, then eat once we get home," Mom cheerfully said.
Mmm...crispy chicken burgers. A footage very like the ones used in commercials played itself in my head, making me slobber once again.
"Wolfie is slobbering again," I groaned, reaching for the box of tissues on the deck cover behind me. "How do I stop this again?"
"Think about... your stupid schoolmate that tried to attack you," Chris suggested. "That psycho? And imagine replacing her dark eyeshadow with soot!"
That made it stop, surprisingly enough, and made me burst into hysterical laughter. I shoved at Chris's shoulder mid-laughing, unable to remove the image of Luna with sooty eyes.
"Okay, that's funny," I said when I finally stopped, holding onto my aching middle. "Oh... oh, my stomach. It hurts from laughing." I snorted again. "Eyeshadow with soot. That's actually genius."
"Isn't that what ladies from the old days actually used?" Charlene added. "I heard they burnt cloves and used that as eyeliner."
"Cloves?" Mom said in surprise as she neared the ordering intercom. "Wouldn't that like... have a menthol effect that might burn their eyes?"
Charlene shrugged as we stopped at the second intercom since the first was occupied by a pickup truck. "Who knows? Maybe it did, maybe they liked the feeling."
"Maybe they did," Mom rolled down the window to order. "Hi—"
She didn't get to finish since a very cheerful voice from the intercom interrupted her to tell us to order from the other ordering station instead. The one that was occupied.
"Oh..." Mom sighed. "Looks like we have to wait, then."