"How are you, Hailey?" My mom asked when she entered the kitchen where I was preparing oatmeal for breakfast.
"Fine. We should go see dad, mom. He was left alone in the night. Lord knows how his condition is." I said.
"Charlotte was with him." She defended.
"Mom honestly, the way we use them in every one of our issues is too much. Charlotte has her own husband, she even have a young child to take care of. Why should she spend the night in the hospital when her family is at home?" I said a little harsher than I wanted to. My mom sighed and shook her head in frustration.
"What do expect me to do? Go back to the hospital after I picked you from school? It was late and Charlotte offered to stay with him. We are family." She said.
Seriously, I hate the way they are involved in everything about us. We are family, yes, but that doesn't mean they should know everything about us.
I huffed as my mom left the kitchen. I hate fighting with her but I hate it more when she drag Charlotte and her family into our affairs. Charlotte's husband is my dad's elder brother,Will which makes her my aunt. She's always happy around mom and comes to our house very often. I should have liked the idea of seeing her every day in my house, but her too nosy character makes me feel like chasing her out with a club. She has two children, Rollin who is the direct opposite of my aimless brother. And Leah the last child who's twelve. Rollin turned eighteen when I was in school meaning Dylan, my brother also turned eighteen. Speaking of Dylan, he's the most annoying creature in the Austen family. He stays out late and comes back wasted. Going to clubs with girls my age. My dad had knocked his head several times and my mom cried every night but he's just too hard headed.

I sighed heavily and served the meal. I took it to the dinning area where, Daphne was waiting. I smiled hugely and served her. She muttered a small "thanks" and started eating. Honestly, Daphne is the most precious thing to me. Even though she can be annoying at times, but the joy I feel when I see her is just so much. I hate when she's sad and even if I'm sad, I'm always infected with her joy. She's the most precious thing to me.
I went outside and my mom was there, cleaning dad's car.
"Mom?" I called and she raised her head giving me a small smile. "Let's have breakfast before that." I said heading back inside.
"Hailey?" She called and I stopped turning to face her.
"I don't want Daphne to see Bobby's condition." she said sadly looking at me. "I'd wanted us to leave her with Dylan —"
"Who? You mean you want to leave Daphne in Dylan's care?" I snorted.
"Or we leave her with Charlotte" she said shrugging as I groaned.
"Why can't we take her with us?" I said.
"Cos Daphne isn't going to be your normal sister after she sees Bobby's condition." She said. Of course, Daphne will have nightmares and sleepless nights when she sees dad in a critical condition. But she needs to get used to everything. She won't be kept away from dead and sick people for ever. She's growing and she needs to get used to it.
"Mom, I agree but Daphne isn't growing younger but older and we can't continue to keep her away from sick people." I said to my mom's surprise.
"What's gotten into you, Hailey? This is Daphne we're talking about!" my mom hissed. Maybe it's because of the gothic school I spent five months in. I've seen a lot in that thing called a school. I was  like Daphne too. I don't like the sight of patients in critical condition after going to Anders high School, I'd become something else.
"Okay fine. Let's leave her in Charlotte's care." I shrugged and my mom sighed.

"Hailey, where did you say dad is?" Daphne asked from the passenger's seat behind. Mom started the car and focused on the road, leaving us to our conversation.
"Er... Dad?" I asked trying to give her a good answer.
"Yeah, where's he?"
"Um.... He is off to see a friend in Florida" I lied. She groaned and looked at me suspiciously.
"Dad said he's coming to pick you at school. What's he doing in Florida?" she asked looking intently at me.
"Er.... Yes... Yes, but—" I was struggling with my answer when mom spoke up.
"Yes, it's very important so he had to go. He'll be back before you know it." My mom smiled. Daphne still wasn't content so she looked at mom and I with a very suspicious glare that made me felt like shouting the truth.
"So where are you two going? I want to come with you, Hailey." She asked again.

For the love of cake, Daphne, stop asking too many questions that's making me lie! I groaned and looked at my mom to do the talking.
"Hailey and I have to go see a friend. We'd wanted you to come with us but Charlotte has a cake for you. Leah miss you so badly, so you're going to stay with them till we come back." Mom lied smoothly as we pulled into Will's driveway.
The house was just as it was before I left to school five months ago. Charlotte came out smiling hugely as she came to meet us.
"Hailey!" She cheered when I got out of the car.
"Good morning, Charlotte" I smiled, she hugged me before responding to me.
"Hailey!" I heard Leah's voice as she ran to me and hugged me.
"I missed you so much." She said and pulled away.
"I missed you more, baby." I smiled.
"Where's Robbin?" My mom asked.
"He went out with Will." Charlotte smiled.
All this while, Daphne had arrested me with that suspicious glare. She looked oblivious of the things going on around her and concentrated on making me feel like a terrible liar.
"We'll be back soon, Daphne! Take care!" mom called as we went back to the car.

We arrived at the hospital and my heart missed a beat as we walked down the aisle to where dad is.
I was so nervous as we opened the door. And there he lied with his eyes half closed. He looked lifeless to me. He was breathing faintly and slowly. His heartbeat too was slow and uneven.
"They asked us to pay a huge amount of money so he'll be on life supporting machine." my mom whispered beside me.
"But we know, it's a waste." She said her voice cracking as I kept my face on dad's.
"Dad?" I whispered and he turned to look at me.
"Hailey, you're here. Welcome." He said faintly. God, no way! This is not my dad! My dad used to talk and behave like a young man. But look at him now.
"Hailey, I have something to tell you before I die." He said.
"Dad, you aren't dying," I said panicked, a tear strolling down my cheek.
"It's better to believe in the truth no matter how bitter it is. It's better to be exposed to a blinding light than to be left in the dark. It's better to be told the bitter truth than to be told an exciting lie," He ranted. God, he's almost close to you, please tell him to say whatever it is and stop behaving like an old man.

"When I was like you, I was disposed to the blinding light and I'm still in that light now. It's my duty to expose you too now that you're automatically my first child. Dylan is inviting unknown curses to him and his future and it's just so painful I'm the one to be blamed cos he's mine.
When I was seventeen, my dad asked me to come with him to a nearby forest." He said and panted.
"I did and what I saw him do had turned my life upside down till now and I'm sure it'll turn your life too. To my surprise, he started removing his clothes as I watched him in confusion. He then turned to me and shook his head. It was like a dream when he turned into a huge black wolf right in front of me. He told me the same story I'm telling you now. After talking, he transformed into the huge black wolf again and ran deep into the forest, after sometime, I heard a wolf howl for sometime and it turned into a shriek before the forest grew silent and lifeless. Then there was thunderstorm.
Two weeks after that, my dad never came back. I was still in shock and one day, I just woke up to see my arms covered in thick brown fur. I shouted in panic and call my mom. She explained to me that I'm a werewolf, I had no choice to make but to accept my fate and protect my people."
"Likewise, I'm about to die Hailey, you are an Alpha but you'll be a Beta if Robbin agrees to be the Alpha, not like he has a choice but normally, Dylan is supposed to be an Alpha and then Robbin a Beta. I'm an Alpha which I'm not supposed to be. Will is my elder brother but he wasn't around the day my dad was supposed to die, I saw my dad transformed which automatically made me an Alpha.
There's a lot more to say but your mom will feel you in. I'm sorry, Hailey. Daphne had to be around too cos she's also part of you.
I'd wanted you to spend your teenage life normally but I'm supposed to join my fathers now. I love you, Hailey." He whispered to me as more tears strolled down my cheeks.
He turned his gaze to my mom and whispered "I love you, Bella. Make sure the work is completed" He smiled weakly and turned his head away.
So peacefully, I watched helplessly as he stopped breathing, he grew pale and stiff. I wailed without thinking and two nurses ran to us. They checked him and shook their head at us. They covered my dad with a white cloth and asked as to leave. I watched them push the stretcher on which my dad lied, covered in white cloth away as I wailed helplessly.