Chapter One: The Party

There was a full moon risen in Bellevue. Keys were jingling in Avery's hands. She was squinting in the dark to fit them into their socket, to escape the freezing cold that the night brought with it. Her automatic porch light must have blown a globe or something, usually it turned on as soon as she reached the patio. Regardless, she pulled out her phone and turned the screen on to see the key slot. Bag slung over shoulder and groceries hung from her forearm, she fumbled inside turning on the first light she could reach. Instantly she jumped back as a group of mysterious figures stood beyond the light. With haste she reached into her boot leg to draw a knife, holding it threateningly at the intruders.

"Surprise?!" they called half-heartedly, flicking on the lights to reveal balloons and cake in hand. With all the running around she'd been up to, she'd managed to forget her own birthday!

"Huh..." she laughed reluctantly.

"It's good to know little Avy's on the ball, but you can put the weapon down. It's only a surprise party!" her older brother, Sam, turned on another light. He was reasonably dressed up, in comparison to his usual parka and ripped jeans. Tonight his jeans were only slightly ripped and trusty jacket had been shed for a more casual V-neck tee. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the old jacket hanging on the back of a chair. She had too much faith in his sense of style.

"Actually, not a surprise at all," she toyed with him, "I just wanted to be the one to cut the cake!"

"And you're still full of bullshit I see." Sam walked over and wrapped Avery in a giant bear hug, the knife still in her hand, "I've missed you little sister."

"And I've missed you. How was Tallahassee? Catch any rogue wolves?"

"A few." he let go and slung one arm over her shoulder, leading her into the party. Her parents were standing in the middle, presents filling their arms.

"Mum. Dad. You shouldn't have!" she ran forward to relieve them of their gifts.

"Why not, I don't see any issue in spoiling our precious daughter on her special day." Brian Venator hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek.

"Happy Birthday dear." her mother Andrea handed her another gift.

"Well go on, open them." Sam nudged her.

Inside she was hoping that maybe it would be a nice dress, something she could wear out to a bar or club, but she already could guess what it would be. The only slightly normal present she had ever gotten for her birthday was a pair of hiking books, intended so that she could join the family on their 'hunting trips'. Her family was not exactly normal and she wouldn't wish her life any other way. They didn't hunt deer or even foxes. Her family hunted a very specific variety of wolf. Werewolves. They had done so for centuries.

So when Avery guessed what would be inside the fancifully wrapped boxes, she already knew they'd be some kind of weapon that some great great great grandfather used to defeat some deadly werewolf. That always seemed to be the case.

Pulling the wrapping paper back on the first present she found a cardboard box inside. She paused for a second, eyeing off her parents for any clues. Neither of them batted an eye. She pried open the cardboard to reveal a necklace neatly placed inside, with a silver locket at the bottom. The locket had an amethyst stone on the front and she could smell a familiar herb within. The necklace was housing wolfsbane. Actually, she stood corrected. This was now officially the most normal present.

"It's beautiful." she took it from it's little lilac pillow.

"We got this hand-crafted by one of the oldest surviving blacksmith families in all of Bellevue. We thought it'd be a good family heirloom in the long run." Andrea helped her put it around her neck.

"Look at the back. We got your name inscribed." Brian stated.

"I love it. Really."

"Well you're gonna love the next one even better." Sam boasted, lifting up a medium red one she'd put on the floor. He plonked it in her arms and smiled brightly. Underneath the wrapping this present wasn't as subtle, the bold letters over the box told me exactly what it was. A utility belt! At first Avery looked puzzled, until she opened the box to inspect it further. It was beautifully detailed.; Leather bound and of the highest quality, neatly sized pockets to fix all your favourite silver bullets, light bombs and even a spot to put a pack of chewing gum. The clasp around the middle to join it together had been custom made with a their family crest etched descriptively in the center.

"Where did you manage to get this?" she started to put it on to see what it looked like.

"A friend back in Tallahassee helped me put it together. I found all the leather myself and made the crest. She just helped bind it all together and make it look amazing." Sam rubbed the leather with pride.

"She?" Avery looked up at him curiously.

"Just a friend I met while staying there." Sam brushed off any idea that this 'she' might be more. He leant in for a hug and whispered in her ear, "I need to speak with you privately after Mum and Dad are gone. It's urgent."

"Sure." she whispered back.

Avery smiled and went off to socialize with the rest of the guest that were there. Most of the people there were hunters or from families of hunters. She had Uncles and Aunts there, Cousins and other distant relatives that she'd seen on and off during her travels. Her family had never stayed put in one town for very long, in fact they'd been in Bellevue for two years now only because Avery insisted she wanted to start living a slightly normal life. Sam was much older, almost thirty, so he'd already flown the coup a long time ago and made his way around the US continuing the family business. His recent hunting spot was in Tallahassee, Florida. It seemed harmless a while back, there were high crime levels in some parts of the city, but none of it could be left up to werewolves. Usually they like to stay where there is an abundance of national parks and reserves not in overcrowded cities. But then a string of random animal attacks hit the news, so Sam was off with a couple of hunting buddies and after some wolves. It had seemed that they'd emerged from an outlying national park and moved into the city to wreak some havoc. He'd been gone for six months already. It was a happy surprise that he had come to wish his sister a happy birthday.

There was a sudden knock at the door that gave Avery a slight shock, but she brushed it off and went to go see who was. Standing in it's arches, with the porch light now working, was another band of hunters who her family were very familiar with. The Argents!

"Chris, Kate, Vicky! How lovely that you could make it!" Andrea rushed to the door to greet old friends, "How was your car trip?"

"Pretty good. Heard some howling on the way though." Kate hugged Andrea.

"It's been too long." Victoria clasped her friends hand.

"And so this is what has become of the little Avery." Chris Argent stepped in the house, shutting the door behind him. Avery nodded with a slight laugh, she hadn't seen the Argents in at least five years.

"Not so little any more, not that I was a baby before anyway." Avery shook hands with her new guests, "Come on in, the party has only just begun."

"You know, I still don't agree with you putting your daughter on the front line." Avery could here Victoria complaining to her mother as they walked off into the living room.

Sam was chatting to a friend in the corner when he noticed that his parents attention had been taken by the Argents, leaving Avery free for him to talk to. He quietly excused himself, signaling Avery to follow him to her room. She did and closed the door behind her as she entered.

"What is it?" she asked as Sam began to pace back and forth nervously.

"Something bad has happened, Avy." he started to sweat, "I haven't told Mum or Dad because I'm petrified of what they'll do if they find out."

"Sam..." Avery moved slowly towards him, reaching out to comfort him.

"I shouldn't have come tonight, I've gotta get back home."

"Stop being so cryptic and spit it out." she grasped his shoulders and forced him to look into her eyes.

"I'm in love." he sighed.

"And...?" Avery sighed with relief also, "Congratulations. Mum and Dad will be happy that your loner ass finally found someone." she started to leave.

"She's a wolf." Sam spat out. Avery froze on the spot and let go of the door-handle. She didn't reply for a solid minute or so, just stood there silently thinking.

"Say something. Please." he asked softly.

"You're insane." she replied finally, "You want to be with one of... of them?"

"It's hard to explain—," Sam went to talk as she cut him off.

"You're damn right it is. You're supposed the be the big badass wolf hunting brother. You're the one that kills them without a second thought. You were the one that encouraged me when I felt conflicted that this was the right thing to do."

"Avy..."

"Don't Avy me. Sam you're gonna have to kill her."

"Shut up for one second." he covered her mouth as she began to raise her voice, "Look, I didn't know she was a wolf at first. I just bumped into her one day and we hit it off. She only just told me."

"So you want my advice?" Avery questioned, removing her brothers hand.

"No, I need you to understand. What I thought they were, they're not. They're not all evil like our parents have lead us to believe." Sam was trying not to get frustrated.

"And did she tell you this?"

"Yes."

"How do you know she can be trusted? We've always been taught to trust family before anything else. What if she's lying to get to us, to finish off our bloodline." Avery was scratching her head.

"She's not. I can promise you that." he slumped his shoulders, "I want you to come back to Tallahassee with me to meet her. I need someone on my side when I try to explain it to Mum and Dad."

"Why me?"

"Everything we know is wrong. About them being evil and mindless. I've learnt so much from her and I need you on my side with this. It's going to change your world."

"If I do this, don't expect me to go unarmed and don't think that it means I agree with what you're doing." Avery said straight up, arms folded across her chest.

"I won't, just take everything at your own pace. As long as you're there and you're listening I'm pleased."

"Alright. We'll leave in the morning, no point dragging this out." she went to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my party. I can still enjoy turning twenty despite your bombshell."