Mythfits

3- Ella

Throwing the door open, I call up the stairs, "DAD! I'M HOME!" No answer. All too aware of the unnatural silence blanketing the house, I slip off my shoes, quietly peer into the living room, and once verifying no one occupied the area, I pad across the carpet to the kitchen. Lifting a socked foot, I step onto the tile... and immediately slip and hit my head on the granite floor, the fall knocking the wind out of me. I probably should not have worn fuzzy socks while trying to walk on the smooth kitchen tile. As I lay still, trying to get my breath back, my phone dings, simultaneously scaring the crap out of me and sending me nearly two feet in the air. Which is NOT an easy feat when you are laying on your back.

Ella,

Abbie had to go to the hospital again today. I'll probably be home by 9, but I'll call if anything changes. There's pizza in the fridge that you can microwave and DON'T EAT ALL THE ICE CREAM!

Be good,

Dad.

Great, just what this day needed- first day of school, annoying vampire pestering me all day, too much math homework, and now my little sister is in the hospital. agian.

Just to be clear, this is not the first time that this has happened- Abbie has been in and out of the hospital ever since she was born. Apparently she has some rare disease somehow caused by genetics, but it's not truly a genetic disorder as it could be hypothetically cured, just no one has a cure yet... yes, it's confusing; yes, she could potentially die; but honestly, I still believe that there is a cure. I mean, the doctors haven't found one yet, but what's the point in living in a world with vampires and werewolves and not being able to find a way to cure my little sister! I mean, come on!

-----

Late that night, as I wait for Dad to return home from the hospital, I attempt to shift on purpose. I start small, I imagine my hand as a paw, and my skin starts to itch. Then I sneeze. As I watch, startled, the skin on the back of my hand ripples, then thickens. Bit by agonizingly slow bit, my fingers shrink and my fingernails grow into claws. The skin on my palm thicken into pads, and finally the whole thing sprouts fur.

A knock rings out on my bedroom door, surprising me. I quickly hide my paw into my jacket pocket, before opening the door to reveal dad. "Dad, you're home! How's Abbie?"

"She's gotten worse, and the doctors don't know what's wrong. They she'll stay for at least a few weeks this time, but let's worry about this in the morning. It's getting late." He was right, about the time, my alarm clock said that it was almost 12.

"Good idea." I tell him "I was getting ready for bed anyway. You should too." I give him a hug, "Good night dad, I love you."

"G' night Ella, go to bed." He smiles wearily, "Love you too." He wraps me in a crushing bear hug, then leaves.

As I close the door, I yawn and sneeze at the same time, managing to make one of the weirdest sounds of the day. Being a werecoywolf sucks when you're allergic to dogs.