After filling Mist in on what happened, Hunt goes home for the day. He doesn't want to push Mist into spending time with him so soon. He wants to give her a little time to let things sink in and she'll go to him when she's ready.
Mist suggested that we spend some time together. So, we are now watching this cheesy princess movie. I don't mind though. Any time I spend with my sister is time I'll never regret. Even if that does mean watching dumb princess movies.
"Thanks, Ryder."
"For what?" I ask.
"For everything." She looks up at me.
"Glad I could help." I grin.
"Dork."
"Thank you."
She scoffs and rolls her eyes. I laugh.
"Do you think I did the right thing?"
"Are you really still questioning it?"
"Maybe? I don't know. I just want to make sure I'm not ruining my life or wasting my time."
"Everything will turn out how it's supposed to. Just trust your gut and your heart and everything will be just fine."
"How are you so good at pep talks?"
"You."
"Really?"
"Yeah, before you, I was lost. I had nothing and no one. You gave me a reason to want happiness, to want to try to live. You're the one who gave me a better perspective on life."
She smiles and looks like she's going to cry, but not in a bad way. "I love you."
"Love you too, sis."
***
"Hey, Ryder?" a voice whispers in my ear.
"What?" I mumble. I squint to try and see who's talking to me.
"Can you come help me move some boxes?" my dad asks.
"Yeah," I murmur. I gently remove myself from the couch where I had fallen asleep next to Mist.
I follow Dad to the garage.
"So, what are we moving?" I scratch my head and yawn.
"I need your help to move some boxes to get to your mother's good dinnerware."
"For what?"
"Mist's birthday."
"Wait, when's her birthday?"
"In two weeks. Your mom makes her a big fancy dinner every year, it's kind of a tradition. Your mother insisted that we get the dishes out now."
"Oh, okay."
He hands me down a few boxes off of a tall shelf.
"Found them." He passes me a large plastic bin.
"Why do you keep this stuff in here?"
"Well, it's not normally stored in here, but we were doing some painting before you moved in and we put some things away to keep them from getting broken. We just never got around to putting them back into the china cabinet."
"Oh."
He passes down one more box, and I pass him back the other boxes. He climbs down the ladder and sets it aside. We both carry a box into the dining room.
I feel weak as I set the box on the table, which is abnormal for me. I have this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't shake.
"Let's open them up and take out what we need and put the rest into the cabinet." He opens his bin and starts taking out plates.
I open mine and it's full of utensils. I reach to take them out, but I stop before I touch them.
"You alright, Ryder?"
"Uh, yeah."
"You look a little pale."
"I'm fine."
"Okay, you just going to stare at the forks or take them out?"
I stare at the silverware, petrified to touch it. Silver hurts a lot. Like it burns my skin literally.
"Ryder," my dad yells.
I can't respond.
He takes a fistful of silverware and places it in my hand. I instantly feel a horrible burning sensation in my palm. I thrust the silver out of my hand. I yelp in pain and crumple to the floor, clutching my hand against my chest.
Mist bursts into the room. "What happened?"
"I don't know," my dad says, confused.
"Why is the good silverware out?"
"Because your mother asked me to get it out."
"Did Ryder touch it?" Mist asks.
"Yes?"
"Dad, he's allergic to silver!"
Mist kneels at my side. She turns my head to face hers. I know my eyes are glowing. It's bad enough that he knows silver hurts me, but seeing my eyes. That'd be bad.
"Are you okay?" she asks, worried.
"Just peachy." I continue to clutch my hand against my chest.
"Silver? Seriously?" my dad asks.
"Yes, Dad. It's a real allergy."
"Why didn't you say something, Ryder?" he asks me.
"I wasn't sure it was silver." I keep looking at Mist. I give her a look to see if my eyes are still glowing. It's hard for me to tell since I'm in excruciating pain. She shakes her head no.
"You should have asked," he states.
I stand up. "Well, you shouldn't have shoved it into my hand." I exit the room to go find some aloe in the bathroom.
I can hear Mist and Dad talking in the dining room. I ignore them as I tend to my hand. I slather the burn in aloe and wrap it up with a bandage.
"Ryder?" my dad says to me.
"What?" I continue to wrap my hand.
"I'm sorry."
"It's whatever."
"Ryder, you're clearly upset. Can we talk please?"
"Talk about what, Dad? Huh, what?"
He sighs. He turns and walks off.
"You okay?" Mist leans against the door frame.
"I hate this."
"Hate what?" she asks.
"The lying. The secrets. The hiding."
"Then tell him."
"I can't."
"No, you're just scared. You're scared that he won't like you anymore. You're afraid he'll see you differently. The longer you keep this from Mom and Dad, the harder it will be on all of us," Mist says.
"I don't want to mess things up."
"You won't. I'll be right next to you to back you up. I'll be right there with you. It'll be okay."
I hear voices in the other room.
"Is everything alright?" I hear Mom say.
"Yeah, I kinda got mad at him and it's a long story. He doesn't want to talk to me," Dad replies.
"It's okay, we'll do it together." Mist holds out her hand.
"You sure about this?" I ask wearily.
"Positive."
YOU ARE READING
Foster Wolf
Werewolf(Complete) Ryder is a teenaged boy in foster care. his parents died when he was two and was put into the foster system. He has bounced from one home to another. Either he was sent back or ran away, but this time when his social worker, Mary, found h...
