Legend of the Wolf People

Virginia, 2000

Ginger Corvin was home for winter break. She'd just finished finals at NYU and was coming home to visit with her family and friends. She was working on a BAs in medical science and theater. The medical degree was for her parents. The theater degree was for her. She wanted to be an actress but her father, the Army Ranger, wanted his little girl to be a doctor. She'd just turned 21, first Christmas she'd be able to drink with her parents. Merry Christmas!

Bridgette Corvin flew home from Connecticut. She'd just finished her first semester at Yale Law. It'd be the first break she'd had all year. Between the Colonel and school, it's been a roller coaster ride of a year. Upside: she'd be home for Christmas. She'd see her sister, their little brother, mom, even the Colonel. Thank God, Ginger turned 21 on their birthday this year. She was only 20 but having an Irish twin that just became legal. Happy holidays!

Ginger's cab pulled up at her parents' Virginian home. Their father's Buick was parked out front.

"Great, Dad's home," Ginger grumbled, unenthusiastically. She noticed her little brother's bike out front, next to the snowman saluting the neighborhood. She gathered her bags and picked up her little brother's bike from the snow.

Bridgette's cab pulled up as Ginger eyeballed their brother's snowman statute of their father. Her bags were piled in the porch as she hid in the far corner, avoiding windows so their parents couldn't see her. D.J.'s bike was sitting, toppled over, next to the garage.

"Thank you," she handed the driver her fare and climbed outta the cab. Gathering her bags, she went to say hello to her sister.

"What's up, doc?" Bridgette smiled, putting her bags on the porch. "How's the acting going?"

"Hey! My attorney's here." Ginger killed her cigarette and nodded at her sister. "I gotta part in the school play. Modernization of Romeo and Juliet. It's adapted as a musical."

"Who are you in the play? Juliet?" Bridgette dropped her bags by her sister's and tries to bum a cigarette.

"Nice try, kiddo," Ginger smiled, tucking away her pack. "The Colonel would kill me. You're the good one remember?"

"No, I'm not. The only good child of Colonel Michael Corvin is Michael Corvin, Jr. That's only because he's six." Bridgette sighed, reaching for her phone. "But out of us, hell yeah I'm the good one. So Juliet?"

"Of course. I've been lead in most projects I'm in. I even did a short," Ginger bragged, pulling out the cigarette behind her ear and lighting it. She took a drag and handed it to younger sister. "How bout you? How's law school?"

Bridgette took a drag of the cigarette. "Same as medical school: shit. Stuck up teachers, stuck up students, fucking assholes." Bridgette handed back the cigarette to Ginger.

"Language young lady," Ginger mimicked their father. They shared a laugh as Ginger dragged on the cigarette. "Do you know how the Colonel and the missus have been?"

"I think mom started a new fundraiser for kids in need. The Colonel is heading some board of directors thing. Garcia's taking care of C.J.," Bridgette grabbed the cigarette. "He had a soccer game not to long ago. He won, I think."

"Good for him," Ginger the cigarette and killed it. She bent over to grab her bags. "What'd you get him for Christmas?"

"He's six. I got him a Playstation thingy and a few games. What'd you get him?" Bridgette asked, gathering her bags and spritzing them both with perfume. "Got mom a Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift basket. Colonel got scotch, just like every year."

"I got a bottle of wine for mom, a tie for the Colonel, and for the munchkin I got him some movies the parental units won't let him see," Ginger smiled. "Best sisters ever?"