Nolan

I really loved my sleep, so I especially hated being woken up whenever that stupid alarm blasted through the house. Most of the time, I tried blocking it with my pillow, but it was way too loud. Mom and Dad never turned it off until all of us were out of our bedrooms.

I pulled myself out of bed and because I was still very tired, I stumbled out of the room and into the hallway. "Why does this always happen early in the morning?" I asked.

"Morning?" Dad asked as he turned off the alarm. Like always, I was the last one out of my bedroom. "Nolan, it's one in the afternoon."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Because it's still dark in my bedroom."

"Yes, because you insisted on having black curtains for you're bedroom for the purpose of sleeping in," Dad said. "Hurry up, get changed. We have to head down to the HQ."

"Can I take a sick day?" I asked. "Is that a thing?"

Dad just gave me a flat look, so I sighed and headed back into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Just once, I would like to sleep in without being woken up. Although, sleeping until one was technically sleeping in.

I should have been used to the alarm waking me up. It has been for years, ever since my brothers and sisters were starting training in the Protector Circle. The sudden calls in the mornings, afternoons, and even nights were a perk to being a Protector.

We had a duty to protect humans and supernaturals.

After I was changed, I walked out of the bedroom and to the kitchen where the rest of my family was. I was about to get something simple to eat, but Dad stopped me. "No time for that," he said. "HQ, now."

"But I'm hungry," I whined.

"Then how about you stop trying to sleep in," my older brother Ryder said as he was putting on his shoes. "How can you even sleep in until one? What, do you stay up until like four in the morning?"

"If you must know, yes, I do," I said. "I'm a night owl. I still want something to eat."

"You can grab something at the HQ," Mom said. "My dad texted me and said that the meeting is urgent. He needs everyone there as soon as possible."

I sighed and headed to the closet by the front door to grab my shoes. Afterwards, Dad and four of my siblings walked to the elevator so we could head underground of the apartments to the Protector Circle HQ. If my grandpa said it was urgent, then my guess was there was an attack going on in Miami.

Grandpa was waiting for us when we got to the HQ entrance. "Ah, there's my most trusted Protectors of humans and supernaturals," he said.

"Are you saying that because we really are the most trusted, or because we're family?" Dad asked.

"Are your questioning my authority?" Grandpa asked.

"No, sir," Dad said. "Just wondering why you were put in charge of the HQ."

Grandpa chuckled. "Go, take Tulip to the training ground. The rest of your children will be able to handle what's going on."

"Children?" Ryder asked as Dad took my nine year old sister to the training ground. "I am an adult."

"Wow, twenty years old, so adult," my other brother Alan said. "You're still Dad's child."

Ryder glared at Alan as Grandpa gestured for us to follow him to the main part of the HQ to show us what was going on. "Three people have been found dead by attacks last night not known to mankind," he said. "I've had someone on the police force confirm to me that it was a werewolf attack."

"Werewolf?" my sister Orchid asked. "No way. The werewolves are peaceful creatures. They know not to kill anyone."

Alan snorted. "Right. They've done it in the past. They can do it again."

"You're forgetting, Alan," Ryder said. "Orchid is very well—acquainted with the werewolves."

"Shut up," Orchid said. "I'm just saying that there's only one pack in Miami, and there's no way they would kill innocent people."

"Orchid, the evidence is there," Alan said. "It was werewolf attacks, there's one pack in Miami. It's obvious, and you're just being blind to it."

"I'm not being blind to it," Orchid said before looking at Grandpa. "Nolan and I will go talk to the pack and see what they say. It's not fair to accuse that pack of attacking those people when we haven't even heard what they have to say."

"Uh, if anyone's going to go there, it shouldn't be you," Alan said. "Ryder and I can go."

"No," Grandpa said. "I agree with Orchid. She and Nolan will go."

"But she's too close to them," Ryder said. "She won't think straight."

"I'm a lot tougher than you think," Orchid said. "Besides, if you two go in there, you'll just be throwing around wild accusations. Nolan and I will actually listen to what they have to say and see if they had any part of it."

I knew Alan and Ryder were still going to protest, so it was my turn to speak up. "She's telepathic, remember? Orchid hasn't told anyone outside of the Protector Circle what her ability is, so they won't be able to lie to her. She'll read their brains and see what they're truly thinking."

"Exactly why I'm sending you two," Grandpa said. "Go now. We don't have any time to lose."

As Orchid and I walked away to head out of the HQ, she said, "Thanks for taking my side."

"Of course," I said. "You were right. You're the best one for the job. Ryder and Alan are better at fighting, not interrogating. I just hope you're right about this."

"I know I am," Orchid said. "I know the pack. They would never attack humans at all, under any circumstance. There's something else going on. I can feel it."

Orchid and I left the HQ and headed up to our family's apartment. "So, what is it this time?" Mom asked us.

"Werewolf attack, apparently," Orchid said. "Three dead. I don't believe it. I know the pack, and they wouldn't kill humans. Nolan and I are going to go talk to them."

Mom sighed. "Orchid, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment."

"She's not," I said. "Don't worry. We're the ones going because she would be able to tell if they're lying or not. Trust me, I know my sister, and if she has to, she'll put being a Protector over her feelings."

"Alright," Mom said.

We left our house and headed out to the car Orchid, Alan, and I shared. Ryder got his own car, of course. It would make more sense if Alan and Ryder shared a car, and me and Orchid shared one. But of course, being triplets meant we had to share.