It wasn't until we herded back into the house (at six in the morning!) that my dad hit me with his bomb of a question.

"What have you two been doing?" He said, furiously. He was sitting in the kitchen when we entered the door way, and even waited until I sat across from him at the table to ask what was wrong.

"Drinking coffee and catching up at Mrs. Nicole's house." I replied, a little confused by his question.

"No! Not you and Claire", he said, "You and Angela."

I didn't want to answer it, to tell you the truth. I wanted to avoid this question like the black death. So, hoping it was something else, I replied, "What?"

Mrs. Nicole, who'd been standing on the far side of the kitchen, came forward and leaned on the table. "Sex. Have you been having sex?" She said, obviously a little embarrassed at just the word itself.

"Yeah, so what?" Angela said from behind me as she came and took a seat to my right. She was still in those short, shorts, and my giant T-shirt... which wasn't helping the situation. I found that in these situations, it's best to stay subtle. Because it's always the guy who gets screwed afterwards. But Angela wasn't going to patiently dance around the subject, no matter how I pleaded in my mind for her not to. And I knew she heard me.

The two across from us were damn close to livid at her coming out with it. My dad, slammed his hands on the table, then pressed his face between them. Mrs. Nicole, was a little more subtle. She just lit a smoke in the house like she was in for one hell of a ride.

"What's wrong with that?" Claire asked from behind me, just as confused as Angela and I.

My dad uncovered his face. "Because he's addicted to hunting and blood, and going through our puberty. And she's an empath." He said, summing up exactly what we'd been doing in one simple prase. It didn't take long for Angela's mother to realize what he was saying. And once it sank in, she looked horrified.

Claire was a little less effected by what he was saying, taking it like someone said that people sometimes spit in other peoples fast food when they're dicks. It wasn't until my dad went on that she, Angela, and I started to realize how dangerous this whole situation was.

"Claire, you should remember the stories of how our ancestors infected humans." He said, rubbing his forehead, sweating a little.

"Yeah, by biting them." She replied, just as I would.

"Before that."

She shrugged. "I know they used to capture wounded humans and change them under the full moon, but I haven't read our history in years."

"Obviously." Angela's mom snorted. Claire glared at her from the living room.

"It's not my place to know!" She yelled at the witch.

"Claire, calm down." Dad said, raising his hands and standing between the two. "Angela," He turned too her, a sort of sadness floated around him, and I couldn't figure out why. "They say that when our kind would fight, the victors would capture the wounded. They'd bring them back to where ever they hid their packs, and they'd wait until the next full moon to change them.'

"What does this have to do with anything?" Angela said. I knew she could read his mind like a book, but if it was so terrible that she couldn't even trust her own abilities, then I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it.

"The captives who made it to the next full moon, were bound against a tree, shaven of all branches and obstructions too the moon." Angela grabbed my hand, and squeezed. "Then they would weed out their weakest warrior, and kill him. Drain him of all his blood."

I clenched my teeth, and wrapped my other hand around hers.

"Then they would force it down the captives throat, until it took, and he became one of them."

"That's impossible!" I yelled abruptly. "The venom changes humans to us, not blood."

"Blood is sacrificed by our bodies to make the venom. That's because blood is less potent, that's why we fully change now a days."

Silence filled the room. But inside. Guilt sweltered right along anger. 'This whole time...' I thought. 'I'd been poisoning the woman I loved.'

I couldn't take it. My head seared with pain as I tried to shut out my thoughts. I constantly fought the phrase, 'It's all my fault.' And it only got worse.

"Michael..." Angela said, trying to look me in the face.

My head hung low, my black hair sheltered the others faces from my sight. I saw them as angry confused beings, just making my life worse and worse as my guilt plagued me. I fought back tears along with guilt and it hurt so much. The salt behind my eyes burned like freshly diced onions.

"Michael..." She said again, shaking my shoulders lightly. Her soft touch making it so much harder to keep back the tears. Why hadn't I been more careful?!

I thought of what Claire had said, and where as I did have to make a choice, I wished it could have been Angela's as well. Instead, I sat there. Now noticing the slight differences in her scent weren't because of my newly found abilities, but because of hers. Her strengthened scent overwhelmed me as I crossed my arms over the table and laid into them.

Her arms draped over my back, comforting and forgiving, and all I could do was whisper, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

My chest rose and fell spastically as I tried to control my tears. I could feel hers sinking through my shirt.

"How do we even know she's changing?" Claire asked, finally uncovering her mouth.

"If my dad could point it out within the two seconds he was around her, I'm pretty sure can safely assume this to be the case." My dad said. His hand reaching over the table, grasping my shoulder.

"But now you two, look at me Michael," He said. I rose my head from my wet arms, and wiped the tears away from my red eyes. "You two need to make a choice."

I couldn't help but remember the last time I'd talked to the Musician. He'd also asked us to make a choice, and it was an easy one to make. But now, in this room. Father and son, Mother and Daughter on the spot... I feared it wouldn't be an easy one to make.

"You can either stay here, and live together until you can afford your own house." He began. "Or, you can separate temporarily. Giving this thing a chance to die out before she fully changes."

Before I could respond, Claire stood up.

"Why wait now? They are just going to get right back to what they were doing once their time apart is up. And why risk their happiness to keep her human?"

"Because she's my daughter! And it's her choice whether she wants to move forward or not!" Mrs. Nicole yelled. I could see the fear in her eyes of what her daughter would become. It was easy for her to tolerate what we were. But when it was her daughter who would become one of us... her tone changed immediately.

Claire sat back down, instantly quieted by what had been said. Though, Claire did have a point, and I agreed with her. But right now, it was up to Angela.

"I'm staying with Michael." She said. "If what we have, changes me to make us stronger, then I'll stay."

I wanted to kiss her and throw her on the table after what she said. And after the though, I watched her smile a little.

"Michael?"

I looked at my dad. "It's her choice, and I stand with it."

Though, Mrs. Nicole hated the thought of two seventeen year olds living in the same room, she decided what was best for her daughter, was what would make her happy. And surprisingly, what made her happy, was me. I couldn't believe it when she said so. Though, she did leave quite abruptly, without another word, but to wish her daughter a good night, and a kiss on her forehead.

******************************************************************************

That night was awkward at first as Angela and I tried to change the subject to something else... but that just made everyone a little more uncomfortable. I could still remember their faces when they put it together... what we were doing. And it still makes me laugh, to this day.