Disclaimer:
~Big thanks to Enemyoffun for making this universe to play in, and to all my beta readers for helping me hammer out some of the details in this chapter.
Author's Note: Welcome to the next installment of Mikaela! It's taken me a while to hammer this out, and I hope you all enjoy Mikaela's continuing adventures. This may be a little rough around the edges, and I apologize. I'm currently looking for a new editor. For those of you just finding this story, the previous installment, "Tell Me Your Secrets," fills in a lot of the background about Mikaela.
Please feel free to comment on this, as I always enjoy reading your comments and learning from them immensely.

Chapter 1

December 17, 2011

The countryside whizzed by as my mother drove from Sacramento International towards home. Not much to see out here, mostly just dry, yellow grass blowing in the cold wind. That's the funny thing about California, really only two seasons for most of the state. Either it was hot and sunny or it was cold and rainy, snow if you were high enough. Although, the cold in California didn't get as low as it did back east, unless you got some really cold air to come down from the Arctic.

The grasses whipping around in the wind reminded me of the windstorm of events that I just left back in New York. After the events involving the Omegas, it seemed like the Were clans decided to let me try to adjust back and worry about my finals. Not that being done with them stopped me from worrying about them too much. Although, I think I did very good on them, and wouldn't break my grades in my classes.

The Were clans kept their distance from me for some reason, impeding any progress I could make into getting them to help me with my new job. Iris being on detached assignment to be my protector and Forsaken Intelligence's eyes and ears in Ravencrest left me wondering what their motives truly were. Did it have something to do with events concerning me, or in the town as a whole? I did know that I wasn't the only young Were going through fascinating events.

I snapped out of my reverie once I saw the familiar features of where I grew up. The tree-covered hills, the curvy roads, the stretches of grassy plains dotted with oaks. My mother pulled into our driveway and soon pulled up to our modest home. A simple three bedroom, two bathroom house. Currently, it was just my mom's house. Apparently, she was having marriage problems with my stepfather, not long after I became me. He moved out, and my mom just assumed they were now separated, but not divorced. Now, after heading back here on Thanksgiving to arrange some things, it was just the two of us.

Climbing out of the car, I couldn't help but feel like I was finally home. Even though, it was just my mom and me.

“Well,” she started, “what are your plans for vacation?”

“I'm not sure, yet,” I replied, for what was the third time. “Maybe read a couple of the books that I brought with me?”

“You and those books,” she sighed. “I guess it would be too much to ask of you to try and explore your hometown since you've been gone.”

“Why?”

“Well, there are other layers now accessible to you now, then when you were here in the summer.”

“And why didn't you tell me about them on Thanksgiving?”

“Because we needed that time to help change your room around!”

I face-palmed myself. “Right....”

“Grab your bags, and I'll see what I can do about getting us some dinner.”

I managed to only do it in a couple of trips. Looking around my room, I could actually see how much work we did during that short break. All the stuff that said this room belonged to a guy were gone. Now, there was only the things that said this room belongs to a girl. The only exceptions: personal interests. And that the room wasn't painted pink.

Looking around, I could see various things that were missing from this room. Clothes and some kind of style being the most obvious. I still had my assortment of comics books, novels, science fiction items, and video games. But, something still was missing. Maybe I'd figure it out before I headed back to school in January.

I flopped onto the made bed and just stared up at the ceiling, still decorated with stars, planets, and the occasional starship Enterprise. Seeing them made me remember those times where I would imagine I was a crew member aboard one of those ships and going on those adventures. Now, I wondered if they compared to what I had already experienced.

I don't know how long I just laid there on my comfy bed, but I soon smelled pepperoni pizza. Mom must've ordered something from either Pizza Factory or Round Table. The growling of my stomach alone lured me out into the living room and kitchen area.

Our home wasn't as extravagant as the clans in Ravencrest. Actually, it was very similar to the Drakes. The other members of my mom's side of the family mainly stayed in Orange County, California, where they loved to live it up on the rich side. We did get along with them on an alright basis. The only other member of the family up this way was the matriarch of the family, my grandmother, Sandra Vance.

She maintained a much larger residence, and generally kept to herself. In fact, when my parents were working, I would often spend time over there. So, she also raised me along with them. I did get the feeling that she was holding something back, and at times seemed removed from raising me. Maybe I'd get a chance to ask her about that while I was here.

“Gotta movie?” my mom asked, handing me a plate full of pizza. I noticed that she ordered at least three.

“I can go rummage around for one,” I answered.

“Works for me,” she replied with a smile.

“Why three pizzas?” I asked, curious.

“You never know when you get hungry as a wolf. Plus, as you should rightly know by now, it makes great leftovers.”

I laughed at that, and went back to my room to rummage around for a movie. Going through my superhero movies, I found one I hadn't seen in a while, “Iron Man.” Back in the living room, I set the DVD/Blu-Ray player up and popped in the disc. Mom had my pizza ready for me, on the coffee table next to the couch.

Sitting on the couch and watching the movie, I noticed that my thoughts seemed to drift a bit. Maybe I was just getting sleepy from the jet lag. I did know that I had to reset to this time zone, even though it was only three hours off from what I had grown accustomed to.

As my thoughts continued to drift, I noticed that I had already grown accustomed to something else: being a woman. When did that happen? And why didn't I notice it? How had I so easily adapted to this? Did Michael just die when Mikaela was born? Or was there something of him left, now mixed in?

Even now, I could feel the underwire of my bra chafe into my breasts, due to the awkward positioning, since I had my legs curled up differently to support my dinner. I did notice that my mannerisms and how I acted had changed from what they were before. Also, my male tendencies that probably got me awkward glances a few months ago were gone.

Was the bracelet helping me along? Or was I Mikaela all along, and the bracelet only just brought her out? Definitely some other things to think about, and at the very least, during this winter break.

I glanced back at the movie after eating some of the pepperoni pizza. Tony Stark was putting the finishing touches on his new Iron Man suit. I caught my mother swooning over him with a couple of glances out of my eye.

Boy, did I want to have his toys! That's another thing! Why did my sexual preferences stay the same when my body did not? Not that I minded that I was still attracted to the ladies. The thought of making out with a guy absolutely repulsed me.

Ugh! This was too much to think about right now! Need to relax, eat pizza, and enjoy a good movie.

Through the rest of the movie, I somehow managed to keep my mind on the movie and my stomach. When it was all over, I definitely felt tired, the jet lag finally kicking in. After getting myself cleaned up and into my pajamas, I stole a glance in the mirror.

Seeing an attractive girl in my bedroom definitely was a fantasy of mine growing up. I just never thought I'd be the girl. It was too bad that Alex had to stay behind in Ravencrest. But, my mother was adamant. It was only to be me this trip. At least she didn't care if I stayed in contact with her through various other means of communication.

I yawned quite a bit before I decided to snuggle under the covers and fall asleep. Maybe I'd go into town tomorrow, and see if anything was different.

----------------------------------------

Driving into town in my mom's car, I noticed that the town of Rancho Calaveras hadn't changed all that much since I been here last, being last summer, not over Thanksgiving. The small shopping center and schools were still there, and you could still drive right through, blink, and miss the town.

Although, one thing bugged me. A lot of people wanted out of the county upon graduating high school; I certainly did upon graduation. The nearest major population center and job hubs were about an hour away. So, why did people want to live out in the middle of nowhere? One of life's little mysteries, I guess.

I parked in the lot with most of the stores of the town. The grocery store, comic book store, drug store, doctor's office, gas stations, fast food places, and other things like that. Most of the people in the area did at least some of their shopping here. I decided to head to the local coffee house, Common Grounds. It might be a good place to see who was still in the area, and if any of them would recognize me.

The atmosphere of the coffee shop seemed to emulate that of a college hangout. My guess was they were trying to appeal to young people to keep them in the county. That doesn't work out too well if most of the fun things young people do are at least an hour away. Including their jobs to make the money to do things.

I ordered a cup of black coffee and got a strange look from the barista. I guess she thought I wanted a latte or something. The barista looked young and tried to impress the male customers to earn more tip money. However, she looked a little chubby in my opinion. Probably just the remnants of my former male-self thinking there. If she worked out a little more, she'd definitely start making bank.

I took a seat on one of the couches and pulled a copy of the newspaper over to read, after taking a look at the stacks of books they had available. I mentally cursed myself for forgetting to bring my notebook with me.

Writing was a big hobby of mine; one of the reasons why I found a job working for the comic book store back in Ravencrest. I also worked for the one in town as well, as a summer job before I went to school. In fact, the owner of this shop recommended me for the job in that one. I wonder if they were both wolves or something.

I sat there sipping my coffee and reading the paper for a while. All the time watching people come in and go out. Some spotted me and wondered who I was related to. In a small town, you don't get many strangers this time of the year.

During the summertime, when most of the business was booming, you'd get a lot of people going to the three lakes in the area: Lake Olette, Lake Ossosoli, and Lake Kokkol. Olette was the largest of the three, and saw the most recreational usage. In fact, it was the closest lake to the town, a little under a mile away. I had been out on the lakes, and I could see why they drew a crowd in the summer.

Right as I finished with the newspaper, and my second cup of coffee, I noticed a young woman whom I definitely haven’t seen before. She had very white hair, hair that could’ve been dyed if she was a fan of anime or something along those lines. As she exited the shop, a very familiar duo entered the coffee house—my two best friends growing up here, Marilyn Blackcloud and Johnathan Quinn. I hadn't see these guys in months. Although, I'm not sure what my mother told them about everything that happened to me in New York.

At the moment, I was merely content to just observe them, and see if they noticed me at all in any way. Of all the people in town who could probably figure me out, it was these two. During our childhood and teenage years, we were practically inseparable. We hung out all the time, and had a lot of the same interests. That even persisted when John had his impressive growth spurt that definitely made me envious that he suddenly became a huge girl magnet. Whether or not we were all Unseen, that remained to be seen, but for some reason I was suspecting John might be one.

As they ordered their drinks, John paused for a moment. He acted like he noticed something vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it. I quickly looked like I was more interested in my paper.

Glancing over the top of the paper, I saw that he turned and ordered his drink at the counter. I didn't want to breathe that sigh of relief just yet. They turned and headed for the couch next to mine, facing away from me, wanting to enjoy their drinks in comfort instead of going somewhere else. Maintaining the illusion of being interested in the newspaper, I casually listened in on their conversation.

After John sat down, he got that weird look on his face again. That “Where have I seen that before?” look appeared on his face again; this time with more focus. It was like he was trying to figure out where it was coming from. I could also hear him sniffing the air, like he was trying to find a certain smell.

Could he smell me? I didn't know of anyone who could recognize someone by their scent. At least, no normal person.

“Would you sit down already?” Marilyn asked, exasperated. “You're making a scene with what you're doing.”

He sat down, careful not to spill his coffee. “I'm not making a scene,” he defiantly answered.

Marilyn groaned. “Fine, whatever.”

The two of them sipped their coffee before she added, “So, what did you think you saw?”

After a moment, he said quietly, “I thought I smelled something familiar, but I can't seem to place it.”

“Oh? That doesn't seem right. I know you're pretty good at placing smells with certain things.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Whatever though. I'll figure it out.”

I thought to myself, 'I hope he's shrugging it off.'

“So,” Marilyn started, “how's everything in college? Is it what you expected?”

“Sort of, I guess,” he answered. If memory serves me, John got accepted to University of the Pacific, a private university in northern California. In fact, it was less than an hour's drive away from here. I also had thought about attending that school along with him, that way we would have had each other for roommates. But, for some reason, Ravencrest won out.

John continued, “I think I'm going to rush for one of the fraternities there.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“Alpha Delta Omega.”

“You can't be serious!”

“I am. Why shouldn't I be?”

“You join that fraternity? Are you that desperate for friends?”

“No...,” he drew out. “I just want....”

“Just want what?”

“Fine! I would like a few more friends at school. Alright?”

I heard the couch cushions make a squishy kind of noise. I could only guess that was Marilyn sitting back.

“And why is that?”

“Because it feels weird still being a nerd and have all these girls hitting on you. And my roommate is a Norm.”

“Ouch. That sucks.”

I heard her sip her coffee before she added, “Can they be trusted?”

“Nope. Guy can barely get to class on time, or even get out of bed.”

“That doesn't mean they're not trustworthy, though.”

“He also ratted me out to my parents about my crush on Wonder Woman.”

I winced at that. I knew about that crush for a long time.

'Ah, crap,' I realized. 'I look a bit like Wonder Woman.'

Before I could groan, Marilyn observed, “Ouch. I could definitely see why he's not trustworthy now.”

“Besides,” he added in a low voice, “after what happened to my distant cousins back east, the family wants me to mingle with others for the connections.”

“Ah,” she said, with some realization, “so there is something else at work here. Tough break, man.”

“Thanks,” he muttered.

'Back east?' I thought. 'I wonder what he meant by that.'

“How about you?” he asked. “How's your college life going?”

“It's okay, I guess,” she answered. “Berkeley's a nice school. But, it doesn't help that you're more of a number to your professors than anything else.”

“Just have to make the right impression.”

“Easy for you to say. You've got that animal magnetism.”

I saw him cock his head out of the corner of my eye, while I heard Marilyn brush it off.

John's cell phone went off right after they said that.

“Yeah, Mom,” he answered. “Yes, I'll be right there.”

“What is it?” Marilyn asked, after he hung up.

“Mom says I need to get home ASAP. Something happened in the area that they want to talk to me about.”

“I guess I'd better get home, too then. My grandmother could be calling me up at any time if it's not just related to you.”

The two of them left the coffee shop in a hurry. They didn't seem to give me any attention this time around. Whatever was going down in the area, seemed to be bigger than a somewhat familiar person nearby.

Maybe I had better get home to find out what was going on. Chances are my mother knew about it.

----------------------------------

After I parked the car in the garage, I immediately rushed in and found my mother at her computer.

“You're back soon,” she commented.

“What's going on?” I asked, pointedly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just found out that there's something going on in town that has do with the local weres from my friends.”

“You talked to them actually about this?” my mother replied, with a little worry and surprise in her voice.

“Well...,” I began to admit, “I didn't talk with them, more like eavesdropped on their conversation.”

“Mikaela...,” my mother warned.

“What? I didn't know how I was going to break the news to them yet. And, John seemed like he could smell me.”

My mother groaned. “I had a hunch that could happen. You're probably going to have to break the news sooner to them than you think. Anyway, I haven't heard anything about news like that.”

I heard a car pull into the driveway right then and there. Why did that seem like too big of a coincidence to me?

“Expecting someone?”

“No...,” my mother wondered.

The two of us walked out to the living room where we saw a familiar car pull into the parking lot. I recognized it immediately as John's.

“Well, I guess we're about to find out what all the hubbub's about,” she commented. “Go to your room, or somewhere out of sight. Unless you want them to find out before I can welcome them in.”

I rolled my eyes at her, and went into the kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I did see both of my friends walk up to the front door.

After I heard them knock, my mother yelled out, “Coming!”

“Oh, John, Marilyn, what brings you by?” she asked about a minute later, as if they were unexpected visitors.

“We've come to ask a few questions, Miss Vance.”

“And what questions would those be?”

“Where's Michael?” John put very bluntly.

“Michael? Why are you asking about him?”

There was a brief pause before Marilyn asked, “May we continue this conversation inside, please?”

“Yes, please come in. Have a seat on the couch.”

Another pause from what I could hear and then my mother spoke, “So, mind telling me what's got the two of you in a bit of a panic?”

“My mother notified me about a new Were being in town,” John started.

“A new Were? Is that what this is all about?”

“Not exactly. We do know that you are a Wolf, and that Michael never became a Wolf while he was still here.”

“So, you think it's him?”

“Yes, and I did smell something familiar, but not quite right a little while ago at the coffee house.”

“Maybe it was just a familiar brew.”

“No, this was distinct,” John replied, adamant. “I knew I grew up around it, after I had my change of course.”

“So, you think Michael's finally turned in a Wolf?”

“That is what we think,” John answered. “So, where is he? I haven't heard from him since he went to college. Makes me wonder what happened to him.”

Before my mother could answer, I heard a loud knocking on the door. Great, now who could it be?

“Excuse me,” my mother politely said.

I heard the door open a few moments later. “Mom!” my mother sounded, very surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk. Now.”

“Okay, but I have guests right now.”

Another pause. “Mister Quinn and Miss Blackcloud, would you kindly wait outside, at the gazebo, while I have a serious family discussion with my daughter?”

“Uhmm...,” John stuttered.

“I will summon you back here after we're done, if you have to have an answer to whatever it is you came over here for,” my grandmother offered.

“We'd be more than happy to,” Marilyn quickly spoke up. “In fact, we'll be very happy to wait until you give us a call, Mrs. Vance.”

I heard the door open and close again a few moments later.

“Now that that's out of the way,” my grandmother started. “Let me see my granddaughter.”

I gulped out of nervousness and a little bit of fear. This was the matriarch of my wolf clan after all. Even though I already knew that my grandmother probably knew about my transformation, seeing her in person was something else.

My grandmother, Sandra Vance, didn't really project the loving grandmother look. Instead, she presented the formidable business woman look. However, in private, she did play the role of a loving grandmother.

Not surprising, since she ran one of the major companies on the West Coast.

I emerged from the kitchen and saw her looking expectantly at me. She then took a long hard look at me. Sizing me up as it were. I guess she wanted to make sure that I now lived up to her new standards.

“Well,” she started, “I had wondered when the true you would emerge.”

“What do you mean?”

She simply smiled mischievously, like she did when she looked after me while my mother was away and we were playing. My mother, on the other hand, looked extremely squeamish. Kind of like the look I would do if I got caught not telling her something.

I could feel my curiosity and anxiety begin to grow, and grow exponentially at that. My frustration went up right along with it.

“What's going on? Tell me. Now,” I demanded.

“A bit touchy, isn't she?” my grandmother commented to my mother.

My mother nodded.

My grandmother turned back to me and said, “We'd better sit down. It's a long story to tell.”