I would sleep tonight, with the hardest nightmare. I was awake by a tremendous sound rack on the ground floor. Sleepy and bumping into every furniture corner I could find I went to the kitchen, to find the source of such fuss, oblivious and certain it was my fathers reaction to some employer letter letting him go. I reached for the kitchen door, but the words escaping its shielding made no sense with the scenario I expected.
-``Hey! I have classes tomorrow, would you please keep it down.'' - I attempted to sodden the occasion. Between crying screams and moving feet...
-``Get out of my house this minute! I will not answer for my actions!'' - my father's voice sounded.
-``The next letter will be delivered by them! This will be recognized as a problem!'' - met with cold harsh class.
-``Get the !\#\@\$\$\%\& of my house or I will bite that smile off your face.'' - his temper was worsened.
-``Please darling... humph... it's OK. Shriek... Don't ruin your, … hum... mood over me.'' - Now, this a first, it sounded like my mother... but I hardly found her crying this way... words came bitten by sobs and shaken by sorrow tremors.
I found the strength to open the door, before I knew what had been said. I entered to face whatever rude bastard made my mother cry. She was such a strong and optimistic woman that it had to be a hell of a storm to crack her.
-``What the hell is going on? Are you all crazy?'' - There were three men, one of which I recognized from the bonfire gathering in the beginning of the year. He had his face smirking and grinning under a highly lifted nose. He was dressed formally with a dark grey long coat; inside colorful bands showed hanging on the matching shirt breast. The other two had the same grey shirts, with matching jackets and trousers. The strangest thing was that their trousers met their feet over heavy black boots, in this sunny day I couldn't imagine the reason. I scratched my eyes, the sun light was troubling my sight and I expected to make sense of it all with a little less drowsiness.
Handing me a white closed envelope the familiar blood sucker engaged. - ``There is one for you too! Though I see no reason why there should be. You mutt are as dirty as the blood your mother gave you.''
-``What did you just say about my mother?'' - My voice rose like fire in my throat. My hands shook and I didn't know whether our company was all aware of my condition, but I could control my rage no better than the first day I experienced it. One year, classes with flying, diving, and bending humans and I was back in the hand of nerves at the first word spoken about my mother. I was grinning madly at my ability to react when I never would, just because I am not under control.
-``Keep your fangs inward or you will repent I swear! I am not afraid of you! The letter stays and we have more to do than spend our day within this household!'' - He dropped violently the letter I never made it to receive and signaled the other two to leave through the kitchen door. He left with a sick smile facing us both, never actually facing the door while he retreated.
``Oh dear. Calm yourself.'' - My mother came towards me, but before she could take a step forward...
-``Are you crazy? Get the !@\$\%* away from me! Can't you see?'' - I looked down at my diddling hands, paws actually. Horrified for what I just did and what I could do. My mother started crying, weakened already by whatever happened before and I gave the final blow. Who am I? Who does that? - "I am so sorry! I just don't know what I... what would... I am not sure...'' - I stormed through the door, embarrassed by my own behavior.
-``Wait, please!'' - My father swirled me on my ankles through my instinctive struggle and embraced me. So I was covered in his body left with my hopeless distress and troubled moment. Unable and unwilling to resist, inside a shield to my inner beast.
-``I am so sorry!'' - My words were muffled by his large breast, my hands returned to weight on my shoulder, hanging on my sides. I left my weight hang on him and found I was buried in my happy place.
-``I know darling... I know! We both know! I am proud of you though! Don't ever let those elitist blood suckers bad-talk your mother!'' - I froze. He knew! How? What just? Where?
My mind swiftered past this too-real moment, to my awakening cry silently in bed. It was a dream. Just a dream... That returned the next day! After a long day of classes with Akita and my knight paying as much attention to the lecture as I did to them. My mind was spread all over the infinity of thoughts, wondering endlessly and without focus.
This time I sprang to my heels the moment I heard noise in the kitchen. I ran down the stairs and stumbled even harder on the small standing table in the hall. I opened the kitchen door to find the same surreal situation. The two men hanging a side of the tall long coated wingman I had seen before. He was smirking over his proud self. My father fighting for the will to control his own hanger sitting at the kitchen table facing my mother who cried quietly with her face hanging on her hands and her elbows on the table.
-``What do you want from us?'' - fury escaped my lips.
-``Funny you should ask!'' - He smiled at me as though he was accomplishing an intimate desire delivering me the white closed envelope.
-``What is this?'' - I replied without holding the boiling hatred in. On my side, my father had an opened envelope in front of him, with the white written sheets spread over the table. I could distinguish the university logo on the header of the sheets. I looked down at the white envelope hanging from this outrageous man's long fingers, waving it gently as though I would be the one interested in receiving what he had to bring.
-``Is this about my grades? Am I being expelled from the university?'' - It didn't make sense. My grades weren't beautiful, but they were far from the pitiful or worth this drama. I didn't fail in any exam, after I took it for the second time. But that is why there was a second round, so screwed up cases such as myself could get it right.
-``Why are you crying?'' - I shouted desperate at my mother.
-``Nothing'' Sob `` Dear'' - She stood and walked away as to lift the tension, she glanced at her hopelessly exhalated husband - ``Please don't! He is not your problem.'' - With a steadier voice. My father faced her, smiled trembling his grip tight on the table, his fingers paling by the pressure. I could smell the tension, the sadness and desperation. She left and I was left hanging, without a clue as what to do or what went on.
-``You should take the envelope so these men can leave us alone.'' - He said firmly without ever taking his eyes of his own hands.
-``Are you OK?'' - I grabbed the envelope still fluctuating cheerfully under my nose and came to sit at the table where my mother was before.
-``It's ok, we will deal with this the best we can.'' - He replied with a calm tender voice that contrasted exuberantly with the shaking of his growling hairy hands.
-``We should leave then. But keep in mind we expect you next week or else...'' - Before he could wrap it up with a grin, my father stood to his feet facing him. Inches from his nose were these long drawling teeth, protruding from my father's now hairy face. His eyes sparkled with a definite defiance. The tall man stepped back for an instant, recovering as fast as he could to his superior look. He glanced at his sidekicks, still trembling in panic of what just didn't happen and they too found their grinning smiles. They could have fooled me five months ago, but now even in my human form I could hear their harts jumping frenetically, I could smell their fear and anxiety and I could see my father's control over his own. Transforming made him calm, in control, in his element. I had never seen him so in contact with the world. Still in the controlled environment I woke sweating and shaking, in the Mideast of my transform.