Unleash

Chapter Eight

"Get up Smelly, we're not going to be able to train if you lay here all day." Max exclaimed smacking me in the head with a pillow. He had a "miraculous" recovery from his illness soon after Dad and I's fight. I think he was mainly interested in learning all the dirty details because I got a text late last night asking for a early morning training session. I didn't protest...until now. I bit out a growl at him and rolled over in bed. He groaned dramatically. I stayed out late yesterday in the forest, causing me to not be able to shower or get the proper 7 hours of sleep I need to not be a complete crab.

My phone started blaring and I lazily felt around for it on the night table next to my bed. Max sighed, leaning over and handed my phone to me. I blinked at my alarm that was set as a last chance precaution to insure we could cram training in before school. Sitting up abruptly in bed I launched a pillow at Max's head.

"Why didn't you tell me it was so late!" I yelled at him, lunging out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Oh gee, why didn't I think of telling you? Silly me!" He said sarcastically and picked up a random sweatshirt off my dirty floor. He looked at it, smelled it, gagged, and promptly threw it back onto the floor. "By the way, Smelly wasn't just a nickname. You smell rank."

I looked down at myself to see dirt and sap covering parts of my arms and legs. I got home at 3 am, threw on a shirt and shorts, and passed out in my bed. It was five now, and I was feeling the horrible effects of those two hours of rest.

"Well, you're gonna have to suck it up." What was the point in showering if I'm about to sweat while training? I grabbed a discarded sports bra off the floor and ushered my brother out of my room.

After shrugging it on and throwing on random workout clothes over it, I left the confines of my bedroom and trudged outside. Max was sitting on the damp grass of the back yard waiting for me. The sky was dark, the sun still hidden under the horizon. Why did I agree to this again?

I began to stretch out my body as Max lazily lounged on the grass and looked at me. Getting into a fighting stance, I was confused when Max didn't stand and echo my actions.

"I don't actually want to train; it's like five in the morning! I'm still tired." Max yawned for full effect and I glared at him.

"What did you want then?" I asked angrily and threw my arms up in the air. 

"What did you and Dad fight about?" Max asked and plucked some grass from the dirt. He looked at the various blades and then let them go in the wind. 

"My math grade." I supplied quickly and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Liar! I know you found your mate!" He said suddenly upset and stood to face me. He crossed his arms, copying me.

It struck me how much we looked alike in this moment. Same carmel hair, same brown eyes, same tanned skin. He was larger than me, and had less freckles but we were still basically the same. 

"If you knew already why did you make me get up at this ungodly hour to talk!" I groaned and yanked my hair up into a unruly ponytail using the band I always kept on my wrist.

"He's a human...how?" I rolled my eyes at his straightforward question. Maybe he did inherit Mom's cut to the chase attitude. 

"How did you even find out?" I asked suddenly suspicious. Dad wasn't one to go blabbing, especially about something he took seriously.

"After you left last night, Mom and Dad talked. I listened to as much as I could before they entered Dad's office and I couldn't hear anymore." He shrugged as if him spying was no big deal. "But back to my question, how?"