The Runt of the Litter

Grown-Up Voice

Note: Thank you for reading, commenting, etc. I have an important exam tomorrow and one early next week so I really wanted to get another chapter up today in case things get hectic for the next several days or longer. So if there are any glaring problems with my use of the English language, I'm sorry, but I didn't put much time into editing🤷‍♀️. In this chapter Anna is thirteen.

Grown-Up Voice

Anna slammed her book down on the table. Fury burned behind her eyes, and her hair flipped over her shoulders when she stood abruptly and stared daggers at her brother sitting across the table from her. "I'm not going, Dean!" she declared more loudly than was necessary.

Dean sighed and calmly stood up, reminding himself that he had to be the adult here because Anna was not one and couldn't be expected to keep her cool during a disagreement. "Anna, there aren't a lot of options here. It's either you stay with Bobby, or you stay by yourself. Considering the number of demons and angels that would just love to gain some sort of advantage over us... I'm gonna go ahead and say option two is out of the question."

Anna squinted at her older brother, the anger never leaving her face. "So, we're ignoring option three, then?"

"Don't give me that. You're not coming with us," Dean said, pointing one finger at her seriously. "And that is not a debate."

Anna huffed angrily, "Why not?"

"Because you're thirteen, and this is too dangerous. You're going to stay with Bobby, and we're not discussing this."

"I won't go."

"Yes, you will, Anna," Dean said through a smirk. "Even if I have to drag you all the way there."

"You can't keep me there."

"And if you don't behave yourself, you can be pulled out of the hunt all together for awhile. Is that a better alternative for you?" He watched as Anna got angrier, but she seemed to at least be cognizant of the fact that if she kept pushing she would only dig a deeper grave for herself. "Munchkin, you're not ready for this. I know you think you are, but you're not."

"You don't know that," Anna snapped back.

"Don't start. You know I do." Dean snatched his duffel off the floor next to the table. "Get your duffel and meet me in the car. We still have to pick Sam up on the way out." With that, he went outside, letting the door shut loudly behind him.

Anna kicked the table leg hard and let her misery show on her face for a minute. She knew she had to go, but she also knew how terrible the next few days would be. Full of boredom and worry. She loved Bobby but she hated being left behind.

Sometimes Anna hated her life so much that it made her feel guilty and rotten inside.

"What do you want to grab for dinner, Rugrat?" Dean asked after they'd picked up Sam from the library and were headed through town toward the interstate ramp. "Pizza? Subway? Burgers?"

Anna rolled her eyes and looked out the window. If he thought she felt like eating fast food, he was insane. She had no appetite, and the thought of making a stop for anything between here and Bobby's only irritated her. Of course, there was no reason for that considering that she was dreading being left with Bobby. But she was upset and not in the mood to deal with Dean's happy go lucky attitude.

"Fine. Sammy'll pick since you're too busy living in your garbage can back there, Oscar."

"I'm not that hungry, actually," Sam said.

"That's helpful, Sam. No, really, thank you. She's definitely gonna eat now."

"You know, I'm not two years old. I'm sitting right here and I can hear you. So if you could refrain from talking about me like I'm not present, that would be great."