Last of the Weres

Chapter 13

Riley's POV:

"I'm home!" I yelled, dropping my bag on the floor. 

"Come to the kitchen, before your brothers eat all the snacks!" my mom shouted back. Her voice sounded insistent and a tad rushed. Unconsciously a grin exploded on my face at the thought of food. 

The loud voices of my family echoed in the house. Upon entering the kitchen I discovered my brothers were in a fierce eating competition. My jaw dropped at the sight. Rider and Rick were shoveling strawberries in their mouth like there was no tomorrow. The rest of my rowdy brothers stood beside one of the competitors, cheering and shouting. 

The large bowl of strawberries was visibly decreasing by the second, if I didn't act fast I wouldn't even get one. My hand shot out, scooping up a few red berries. Raven glared at me, and even stopped counting for Rider. The same went for River, who had been keeping score for Rick. I grinned and started to step away. The quicker I leave, the quicker I can escape imminent torture. 

"Not so fast, strawberry burglar!" River cried, reaching for my arm. I shrieked, the shrill noise escaping from my throat without warning. I just barely had dodged the grasp of my brother, thankfully. River wasn't my only threat though. All of my brothers lost interest in the competition and had focused on me. 

I curled my hands around my strawberries. As long as I get to taste their sweet flavor, anything would be worth it. Protect the merchandise, that is your mission. Faster than lightning, I was flying out of the kitchen, dodging my laughing mother. 

The light tap of my brothers feet reached my ears, proving they were in pursuit. My hand reached for my mouth, shoving a small berry between my ready teeth. Mmm. Chew chew. Run. Chew chew. Ahh! Run!

Although this was our house, I hadn't even seen most of it. Time for a quick tour! My feet lightly slapped against the wood flooring as I raced down the hallway upstairs. I bursted into a room, hoping that there would be another escape option. The wooden door slammed against the wall, and bounced back right into Royce's face. I stifled my laughter as I raced for the only other door in the room, which led to the balcony. I turned my head as I wrenched the french doors open. I stuffed the remainder of the strawberries into my mouth as I glanced at my brothers faces. 

Each of them had a slight determined look, but the amusement of the situation shown through. They all piled through the doorway, rushing for me. I grinned, the mushy fruit filling my mouth. Then I did what anyone sensible would do in this situation. My foot slammed against the railing of the balcony, giving me a push off point. Then I thrusted my leg, propelling myself off of the balcony.

The air rushed through my wavy hair as I fell toward the ground. If I had been Human, I would have surely broken something, but I wasn't weak like them. I hit the ground suddenly, crouched on my hands and feet. There was a slight wave of impact that ran up my arms, but nothing more than an uncomfortable sensation. 

"Sorry boys, I took a detour," I taunted. All seven of my brothers had crowded on my balcony to stare at me. 

"Who would have thought she would leap off of the balcony to protect strawberries," Rory commented with a smirk. I grinned up at them, gesturing for them to jump down too. And they did, all landing softly as I had. 

"What should we do?" Ryan asked. I waited, hoping someone would suggest visiting the cave. Sadly, all of the boys just shrugged their shoulders, typical. 

"Oh come on! Really, guys? Let's go to the cave! I want to see what all the talk is about," I suggested, using my famous smile. They didn't seem to need any more convincing however, and nodded eagerly.