Woo, long chapter! So, now that we're at the third chapter, I'm going to be updating every Saturday. If I ever forget, you guys have my permission to annoy me about it until I update.

The title of this chapter is from P!nk 'Sober'

I only own my characters

Chapter Three

Why do I feel this party's over?

"Madison!" Mason, the mr military man, and also my adoptive father, calls, pulling his daughter into a hug, "It's great to see you!"

Madison, who has tears running down her cheeks, making my heart ache, gasps, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!"

"I thought it would be a nice surprise." Mom suddenly says, walking up to them and giving her husband a kiss. I stand by awkwardly, not really 'into' the big family thing. It's really hard to act cool around the person who's supposed to be your dad but also happens to be your boss. And master. Woof.

"IT WAS A FLIPPIN AWESOME SURPRISE!" Madison screams before crying into her dad's shoulder. Mason-I can't call him Dad- laughs softly and rubs her back. Then, he catches my eye and his smile falters for a second and I see a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

I force a grin and look behind him. The Avenger's dude, Tony Stark, is walking away awkwardly back to the rest of his team, who are sitting at a table with a few bottles of wine.

Oh, great, just what we need.

Drunk superfreaks with powers that can kill the entire human race.

Madison and Mason separate after a few minutes of tearful hugging and he slowly walks up to me. "Uh, hey Dad?" I say awkwardly. Why is everything awkward? Seriously, I've said that, like, five times already!

"Hi, Zoey." he replies and then bends down a little to hug me. As his head passes my ear, he mutters, "Walk with me later. We need to talk."

I feel like groaning in annoyance, dread, fear, and all this other gibber gabber. But instead, I pat his back and break the embrace first.

Madison skips up to him, "You won't believe what has happened while you were gone!"

Mason laughs as she drags him towards the unknown. Mom smiles and, with a glance at me that suggests that I should try to have fun (I know her very well), she follows them.

I stand there for a few seconds, watching the Avengers, and then walk away in search of Finn.

"Hey, Zoey!" I pause and turn around. One of the workers named Chelsea is jogging towards with a bunch of kids shadowing her. Oh, I forgot. Got to show the kiddies the animals.

"Where's Madison?" she asks and I shake my head, "She's off with her dad."

"Oh," Chelsea smiles, "Good for her!"

I nod and take over the group of kids. "You guys' ready to see some cool animals?"

"Yeah!" they chorus.

"Then let's go!"

I lead them to the sheep first, hoping that Finn is there. He is, and while the kids pet the sheep, I motion him to the side and kneel down.

"Hey, Finn-"

"Hi, Zoey!" he yaps, licking my face. I pull away and say, "This is serious, Finn. The Avengers are here and I have a bad feeling about them. They might hurt Madison or find out about my powers. I need you and Angus to keep a close eye on them until they leave."

Finn's lolling tongue flips back into his mouth and he nods, "Okay. What about the sheep?"

"Forget the sheep. Madison's safety is more important."

I stand up and am about to walk away when Finn asks, "But, Zoey. Why do you and Mason want to protect Madison so much? Sure, Mason's enemies might try to kidnap her, but what would they use her for? Hostage negotiation?"

I blink. Finn just said something smart.

"I have a feeling she's...not like everyone else." I reply and then walk back to the kids. After a few more minutes of them petting the 'bahhing' sheep, we move onto the horses. Then the cows. Then the chickens. The kids really like animals.

But as we're walking back to the Party Field, Mason appears. Uh oh.

"Okay, kids," I say softly, "run off to your parents, now."

They all scatter and I walk up to Mason. He has a grim smile on his face, "Walk with me."

I think it would be nice you you to know that it's been a while since Mason and I have talked to each other alone. And a while meaning nine years. Ever since I got out of his car and saw the vineyard for the first time, we hadn't really spoken.

We walk along the treeline of the woods in a awkward silence. Then, Mason says, "It's been a long time Zoey."

No duh!

"Yup," I reply.

More silence.

"I'm sorry to say that I haven't been fully honest with you."

I stop dead in my tracks. "What?" I exclaim and he raises a hand for silence. "I mean about Madison. And also a bit about your powers."

I gape him and he continues, "Have you ever wondered the real reason as to why you have to protect Madison?"

Slowly, I nod, "And?"

"Well," he shifts uncomfortably, "She has...certain powers that...certain people would take interest in."

"Like the Avengers?" I ask and he nods, "They also are linked with a secret government agency called SHIELD. They are the main reason that I needed you."

"Why are they here?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "I don't know, but they are why I came."

"And what are Madison's powers?"

Mason takes a deep breath and says, "She can...well it's kind of hard to explain, but she can remember things. Really well. She can basically record entire conversations and then recite them."

"Well that explains how she remembers every dream she has and I remember nothing." I mutter, "So, she's like a Jabberjay? From the Hunger Games?"

He smiles and says, "I don't know what that is, but I guess. She can also learn really quickly. With powers like that, people could use her against each other. And I don't want that to happen, obviously."

I nod again and say, "Sooo, what about my powers?"

"Well, this is kind of a side-effect from the wolf DNA in your bloodstream."

"Oh great," I snort, "Side-effects always end badly."

"Not this time, though." Mason says, "It's not entirely bad unless you don't use it to your advantage. When I brought you home, the scientists said that you were ready to find a 'subject'. That 'subject' was Madison. Do you and her have an unusually strong bond?"

I think about it for a moment, and then say, "Yes."

"Okay. Now, to my understanding, you and her are practically linked. You can feel her feelings, that is, if they are strong enough, and she can feel yours. If Madison is panicked, you can feel her fear."

"That kinda explains how Madison sometimes gets close to discovering my secret." I say and he smiles, "Yes, yes it does."

"But," I start, "What does that have to do with my...wolfness?"

"I don't know. Those scientists were strange."

I nod and we fall into a short silence. Wait a minute, I'm pretty sure what the scientists were doing was illegal. Why didn't he stop them? I'm about to ask him when I hear Madison's voice.

"Dad! Zoey!"

We turn around to see her running towards us. Suddenly, she skids to a halt, just as a strange scent reaches my enhanced nose.

Whirling around, I see a huge Mountain Lion snarling at us. Its long sharp claws are flexing and its nose is twitching. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Madison holding a chicken. Oh great.

"Run!" she screams, spinning around and sprinting off. The Mountain Lion takes off after her. With a quick glance at Mason, I run in front of it. Without hesitation, I morph into a huge black wolf with one amber eye and one green eye.

The wolf has returned.

Hmm, should I leave the chapter off there? Nah, it would be to short….and that would be cruel to you guys.

The Mountain Lion skids to a halt and stares at me. Then, it snarls and charges at me.

Growling and baring my teeth, I leap at it. If I were a full grown mutant, I would be much bigger than it. But since I'm not, I'm only, like, a foot taller.

My weight throws it off balance and I collapse onto it. The lion snarls and swipes at my cheek. Its claws barely penetrate my thick fur, let alone my skin. I snarl and bite its shoulder and it yowls in pain.

The cat wriggles underneath me and I fall off. It quickly stands up and barrels into my side. Yelping, I stumble and the lion takes its opportunity and leaps onto my back. I start bucking and kicking like mad, spinning around in circles and rearing on my hind legs but the beast clings on like a burr. Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my shoulders and the weight of the cat falls off.

Looking over my shoulder, I see bare patches on my back. The Mountain Lion snarls at me and shakes black fur out from its claws.

People are screaming, but I can barely hear them over the blood roaring in my ears. The lion and I glare at each other, circling around and lashing our tails. The big cat roars and swipes its paw, aiming for my eyes. I duck and bite its forearm. The feline hisses in pain and worms out of my grasp.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzes past my muzzle and the lion and I both jump back in surprise. That's when I realize that everybody's watching.

The arrow came from one of the Avengers, Hawkeye, I think. The Mountain Lion and I look at each other and we both get the message that the fight can continue later. Then, another arrow is shot and the cat drops dead, the arrow sticking out of its throat.

Shaking myself, I dodge the arrow shot at me and dash into the forest. I hear footsteps behind me and run faster. Ducking behind a bush, I try to control my beating heart and prick my ears. Multiple voices are speaking nearby.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. We should call Director Fury."

"Yeah, that was no ordinary wolf. Why would it come here though?"

"Could it be one of those girls?"

I mentally invent an all-cuss word song and sneak away as fast as I can. As soon as they are out of earshot, I start muttering to myself, "What the hell were you thinking? You just couldn't let Mason shoot it with a gun or something? Now everybody has seen me in my wolf form, and those Avenger superfreaks will come and hurt Madison. What was I thinking! I-"

"Shh!"

My ears perk up and I look around. Angus and Finn step out of the shadows, looking around nervously.

"Are you hurt, pup?" Angus asks and I shake my head, "Then follow us."

I obediently follow the dogs as they lead me out of the woods. "I'm sorry," I whine, "I should've just ran and let the grown-ups take care of it-"

"Yes, you should have." Angus growls, but I can hear no hostility in it, "Yet you didn't, so right now our main focus is keeping your secret a secret."

"Yeah," I agree, "If Madison finds out she'll never look at me the same way again. Everything would be ruined."

"Don't worry, Zoey." Finn yaps, "Everybody should forget once they've had a few more glasses of wine. Also, no offense, but great kibble you are big!"

I glare at him lightly and turn back into a human.

"Zoey!"

Madison shouts, running to me as I walk out of the forest. "Are you okay?" she frets, "What happened? When I looked over my shoulder I just saw this huge wolf and the Mountain Lion!"

"I saw it pass by me as I ran into the forest." I lie, "I don't know what it was." Everybody's gotta tell a white lie once in a while. "And I'm fine." That isn't a lie. The feline's claws couldn't scratch me because of my thick pelt. And my shoulders only hurt a bit.

Madison smiles and pats my back, "Bet ya regret what you said about Mountain Lions!"

Phew!

"Totally!" I say and laugh. Madison laughs too and hugs me, "You may not believe this, but I was really worried. Next time, run after me."

I smile and hug her back. Looking up, I see Mason watching us. As we pull away, he approaches.

"Hey girls," he says, "The guys called and I'm gonna have to go back to work."

"What?!" Madison exclaims and my heart clenches. Confused, I blink at him and then realize that this must be what Madison is feeling.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I have to."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the Mountain Lion, right, Dad?" Madison asks, "Because that has never happened before and I think that big dog taught it a lesson."

Mason shifts awkwardly and says, "No, no, not at all. There's small problem at the base, though, and I need to be there. We'll FaceTime tonight, I promise."

Madison's face drops and he quickly adds, "But I can still stay for a couple of hours! Let's have some fun in the meantime."

She brightens up a bit and says, "Okay. Come on!"

The Next Day

Just so you know, the party didn't go too well after that. People left sooner than usual, and we barely had any kids left for the grape squashing. Madison and I had to help. My feet still smell like grapes.

Right now, we're putting away tables with some of the workers. The legs fold into the front so it's pretty easy for us- especially me with my super-mutant-wolf strength. Unfortunately, the worker, Chelsea, doesn't think we can do it.

"Don't worry, guys," she says as she walks over, "we'll do it. You go and help your mom."

Madison and I look at each other and I suppress the urge to roll my eyes.

"Okay, thanks, Chel." I thank, and then we both walk towards Mom, who is putting away the games. Once we're out of earshot, Madison mimics, "Don't worry, we'll do it."

I grin and giggle. Chelsea has always been protective of us, even though I could totally snap her neck anytime anywhere. If I wanted to. "She acts like we're little kids." Madison complains, "I mean, 'hello woman'? We're tweens!"

I shake my head, still giggling, and pick up a stray frisbee. "Oh!" she exclaims and snatches it. I watch as she tries to throw the frisbee to Mom. But, if there's anything that you should know about Madison, is that she sucks at throwing frisbees. So, of course, it ends up on the roof of our house.

"Fail." I smirk and she play punches my arm. Rolling my eyes, I lead the way towards the twisted tree next to our house.

Its top branches touch the roof, but before I can start climbing, Madison asks warily, "Are you sure this is safe?" I scoff and start climbing, "Probably not. But I'm here, so it's alright."

"We could get in big trouble."

"I know….isn't it great?"

It's her turn to roll her eyes, but she soon follows me as I make my way up the tree. As we get higher, the branches get thinner. I accidently put my hand on one of the thin ones and it snaps. Madison gasps.

"It's okay." I reassure her, keeping my cool. Being more careful now, we eventually make it to the roof. And in good time too, because Mom has finally spotted us.

"How'd you get up there?" she calls up to us. I open my mouth, already forming a lie in my brain, but Madison beats me to it, "Uh, through the attic window. We're getting a frisbee."

"That Madison threw onto the roof!" I add and Madison scowls.

"Well, just be careful."

"No, we're going to skateboard off the roof." I say sarcastically to Madison. She snickers and walks towards the frisbee. Before she can throw it, though, I grab it and toss it. It flies through the air gracefully before sinking perfectly down to Mom, who catches it. Madison scowls again and I stick my tongue out at her.

She scoffs and after a moment sits down on the roof. I join her quietly. For a while we just admire the beauty of the vineyard, of our home. The horses galloping and grazing. Finn herding sheep. Even watch the birds fly by.

Of course, this peace can't last for long.

Angus's howling and barking breaks the silence, "There's a car coming down the road! It's black...and looks like trouble."

Quickly, I cast my super-mutant senses out, listening and watching. My sharp vision just barely makes out a large car, yes black, driving down the dirt road at the end of the fields. I watch as it comes to a halt, and five people pour out of it.

I mentally curse and stand up. Madison looks at me, confused, and asks, "What's wrong?" Shoot! Think fast, Zoey!

"Um, let's go on the other side of the roof." Lame, I know. But I'm just trying to protect her. It's, like, part of my programming. Hahaha, I sound like a robot. I-am-a-ro-bot-wolf. Ding dong, ding dong. Ahh! Focus Zoey!

Looking over my shoulder, I see them walking to the house. Finn races towards them, with Angus trotting behind. Good, let them get slobbered on. It'll buy me some time.

Madison walks up to the top of the roof and then disappears over the side. With a last glance over my shoulder, I follow her.

"Oh, I like this side." Madison comments, sitting down, "We can see the little pond and the cows."

I nod, inwardly freaking out, and stiffly sit next to her, "Yeah...cool."

Listening intently, I can hear one of the superfreaks talking to Mom. Please tell them to go away, Mom!

Madison looks at me, her eyes narrowed, "Something's wrong."

I jerk my head in surprise, "What?" Is she also, like, a future seer?

"I don't know, I just feel it."

Oh! Must be my feelings. Forcing myself to calm down, I say, "It's probably nothing."

Just then, footsteps approach the house and a man's voice calls, "Misses Zoey and Madison Colt, please come down. We need to speak with you." Wow, what a giveaway, Mom. My step-sister looks at me, "Who's that?" I shrug and resentfully follow her as she walks across the roof.

I get a good look at them as Madison begins climbing down. That thunder guy isn't here, and neither is the ninja girl, but another man replaces them. He looks tough, eye patch and all, and I think I can see a gun strapped to his belt. Uh oh. That ain't good.

Madison and I swing down the tree. She drops down first and I hesitate on a branch.

Just deny any accusations.

Sighing, I land with a 'thump'.

I don't see Mom with them. Where is she? Shoot, what did they do to her?!

Angus and Finn edge their way towards me as Madison walks up to the group. "If things get messy, just hold them off." I whisper, barely audible.

"Hi." Madison says, "I'm Madison, and this is my sister, Zoey." I put on a very forced, fake smile and nod a greeting. She continues, "What brings you to our vineyard? Are you looking for our mom?"

Oh, Madison. So oblivious to the danger you could be in.

The man with the eye patch replies, "We're here to see you and your sister. Would you please come with us?"

Nuh uh, buddy.

"We spoke with your mother and she said it was alright." he adds after a moment.

"Why do you want us?" I ask sharply and they all look at me. I get the feeling they know I'm the wolf.

Another man,- uh, Hawkeye, I think- steps forward, "We'll explain in a more private place."

"What's wrong with here?" I pursue. Madison elbows me in the ribs, "Zoey! Don't be rude! Of course we'll-"

"There's nobody here for a few miles." I interrupt, sitting down on a tree root. Patting one, I say, a bit challengingly, "Come. What've you got to say? And don't worry, the dogs aren't into gossip."

A few of the Avengers frown while others glance at each other uncertainly. Hawkeye and the eye patch dude walk towards us, "We need you to come with us." Hawkeye suddenly grabs my arm while the other man grabs Madison. Then, everything turns to chaos and my instincts take over.

Finn leaps on the eye patch dude (gonna call him Mad-Eye from now on. What, I like Harry Potter! Don't judge me!) while Angus snarls at the rest of the team. I let out a very wolf-like snarl and punch Hawkeye's face, making his nose bleed. He grunts in pain and I knee him in the gut. Whirling around, I slip out of his grasp and face a large man with short blond hair.

Thinking quickly, I kick him where the sun-don't-shine, but he seems to barely feel it, only stumbling a little.

Lunging forward, he punches the side of my head and black dots dance across my vision. Groaning, I stumble to the side and feel strong arms pin mine to my sides. Then, something hard hits the back of my head and I black out.

I think I should let you guys know that I love cliffhangers. The next chapter will probably have one, but the I don't think the one after that will. I'm not that evil. Anyway, see ya next Saturday!

Tally ho!

-Flaming Crow