The Watchers

Chapter 2: Don't Expect Anything...

My tiny grandmother moves across her kitchen, cooking dinner for my brothers and me. I stand in the doorway watching shuffling around.

"Grandma, are you sure you don't want any help?" I ask.

"I'm fine, my stars," she says with her slight Slavic accent, "I do not need any help."

I slide passed her as I walk to the small dining table she keeps in the kitchen. I sit down and watch her cook. Her hands roll over a lump bread dough which sits on the counter in front of her. She pulls her hands back and rubs her wrists slightly, and I sigh slightly.

"Grandma, let me knead the bread for you, Grandma," I say as I start kneading the bread.

"You know, your mother did the same thing when I first met her. She helped me cook when you father brought her to meet your grandfather and me. She had this little glow to her cheeks... He told us that night they were going to get married before the full moon."

I look over at her and see the smile on her face. She, unlike my grandfather and father, is a human, and yet she always known more about being a wolf than most wolves I know. She always says she fell more in love with my grandfather after he told her what he was because it was the most trusting thing he had ever done with anyone.

"Grandma, why'd they want to get married so quickly?"

"Your mother was pregnant with you, my star," she smiles at me, "She was so happy and she made your father happy."

She sighs softly and rests her head against her hand, watching me.

"So you liked my mom then, Grandma?"

"Very much so. Mikula was my only child, and most mothers don't like giving up their only baby boys... But seeing how happy he was with Michelle... I knew it was time to let him go. And when you came into the world, the two of them couldn't have been happier. Oh!"

She blinks some tears from her eyes and smiles. I smile as she continues talking Mom and Dad. She talks about them adopting the boys after my aunt died, and them building our home together after I was born. Then she talks about my grandfather and how he was before he dissappeared. I listened intently and continued kneading the bread dough. She talks about how he loved to dance and how he would try to teach me how to."

I smile at the memories of dancing with my grandfather, hunting for the first time with him and Dad, and singing in the car with him and Mom at the top of our lungs. But along with the good memories... also came the bad ones, too. Memories like when he went missing. He's still missing, and a lot of the pack think that since he hasn't returned, he must be dead. Grandmother and I don't believe it, though. We believe that he's alive.

My wrinkled grandmother is still going on about how my grandfather was always so thoughtful, remembering every birthday, every family member she brought up, every anniversary, and every little thing she loved. Her blue eyes sparkle a little as she thinks about him, tears touching at her eyes ever so slightly.

"Grandma, how'd you know Grandpa was the one?" I ask quietly, kind of hoping she hadn't heard my stupid question.

She peeks up a little in her seat, "What was that, child?"

"Nothing... nevermind, Grandma," I sigh with a little relief as I put the bread dough in a pan.

She shrugs it off. She stands up slowly and walks over to me.

"You have your father's eyes but your mother's face," she smiles. "Don't let it get you into trouble, child."

She pats my cheek and puts the bread in the oven. She walks out of the room and as she does, the boys start squealing. I run out towards the squealing and find Lucas running from Lance, who has a dead rat in his hand.