Armed and Ready

Who: Alexis and her father
Where: The Byrd House
When: Before school

"I don't care if it's against the law. So long as there's a beast running around town, you will remain armed!"

Alexis glared at her father, hands curled into fists, her nails biting into the skin of her palms. Her handgun sat on the kitchen table next to a half eaten bowl of cereal. Though she'd never shown distaste for the gun before, from her current expression it might as well have been a dead rat. Jonathan Byrd looked down at his daughter, his eyes hard and his jaw tight. This was one issue in which he was refusing to budge, unwilling to send his daughter out unarmed. He wasn't overly concerned about her being attacked while inside the school, but if she didn't take it with her, then she'd have no defense before or after.

"Do you know how crazy I'd look if I got caught with that at school?" Alexis asked, trying another argument. She'd gone with the law first, as it seemed the most practical, but if that didn't work she'd go for how getting caught with a gun at school might impact her mental health. "They'd think I was gonna go mental and take out the students! They'd question my sanity and take me away from you!" It was a low blow, considering how hard he worked to make sure there were no questions about his parenting skills. Moving around as often as they did made things difficult enough as it was.

"Then don't get caught," he said sternly. It was an end of discussion statement, as well as a warning. For Jonathan Byrd, nothing meant more than protecting his daughter. He wouldn't have even sent her to school, except the attacks all seemed to be occurring at night. Furthermore, large crowded areas would be safer for someone in her situation than leaving her at home. He couldn't guarantee she'd stay in if he made her stay home, and wandering off on her own was probably the worst thing she could possibly do. "You're going to miss the bus," he said, voice softening slightly. This was for her own good. Maybe one day she'd see that.

"I'm dancing at the hockey game tonight," Alexis said, pushing away from the table. Angrily she stuffed the gun into her backpack, only first making sure to check that the safety was on. This was why she wished she had a car. She could leave it in the glove compartment and he'd never know.

"Call me and I'll pick you up," Jonathan said, picking up her cereal bowl and taking it to the sink. "I don't want you walking home tonight. Even if you're with that boy. He'd be no good against one of those monsters." Though he did have the morbid thought that the boy might be nice bait to give Alexis time to run. That didn't change the fact that neither could outrun a werewolf.

"But we might go out after the game!" Alexis argued. Or whined. She had a social life for the first time ever and she didn't want it destroyed by her father's over protective tendencies! And if Kyle didn't walk her home, she wouldn't get a goodnight kiss! It was probably selfish, considering the fact that she lived on the opposite side of town from him. It really wasn't practical at all; maybe they should both start riding their bikes.

"Not tonight," he said. "There will be plenty of other games, plus it's a school night. You don't need to be running around town when you should getting your homework done."

It was hard to argue with the homework point, but logic wasn't driving Alexis. She wanted to stay out because everyone else was, and that was reason enough. Prior to living in Marquette, she hadn't had a basis for what other students did, though her little rebellions were nothing new to her father. She'd always been a bit moody.

"Fine," she snapped, realizing she wasn't going to get her way right now and that if she didn't leave she'd miss her bus. Plus, he'd be there to pick her up regardless, and she'd be in more trouble if she didn't show when she was supposed to. "I'll see you tonight," she said, pulling on her coat, then grabbing her backpack before heading towards the door.

"Call me when you're through," Jonathan said, watching as his daughter disappeared out the front door to head towards the bus stop. Most of the time, he let her do as she wished, but when it came to supernatural attacks of any sort, he went into protection mode. He wouldn't lose her like he lost her mother. He couldn't. Taking a deep breath, he dumped her cereal bowl in the sink. His own job was waiting in the meantime, this time without pay. If there was a werewolf running around town, he planned to take it out before it attacked again. And if it was a werewolf, then he had a hard decision to make about the victims in the hospital.