Masks

"Catrin Rhoda O'Keefe! You get out of that bed right now, you're going to be late for school!"

Alexandra's voice carried up the stairs. Catrin sat up, groaning a little; rubbed at her eyes.

You'd think after almost fifteen years that wouldn't still work...but the Mom Voice doesn't have an expiration date I guess...

She stumbled out of bed, got washed up, dressed, and hurried downstairs for a quick breakfast. Her mother was sitting at the table.
There were pancakes, fruit, milk, her favorites. Would she have time to eat all that? If the bus was coming...Maybe she could borrow Dad's truck.
Catrin stopped as her brain finished waking up.

"MOM!"

"Yes?" her mother asked innocently

"It's Saturday," Catrin said, with a 'there better be a good explanation for this' tone. "You do realize I don't need two days to get ready for school?"

Alexandra looked faintly smug. "Well, dear, it worked, didn't it? I actually wanted to talk to you in private, the same 'talk' you've been avoiding all week. Short of grounding you, I was coming up short for ideas. You've got a bit too big to hold on my lap." She looked up at her daughter. They were alike in coloring, fair-skinned, brunette, though Catrin's hair was a jet black several shades darker than her mother's , and her eyes were a warm hazel, not her parents' blue or brown. She'd shot up in height over the last year, standing a full head taller than Alexandra now.

Catrin gulped, and then flushed. "I don't...Okay." She took a seat at the kitchen table. "Dad and Pa are still coming tonight to visit?"

"Yes, yes," her mother reassured her quickly. She paused. "Cay, you remember those additional tests at your last checkup?"

"Oh YEAH I do. I was wondering if they had Dracula hidden in the lab somewhere, " Catrin rolled her eyes.

"Not quite. They were testing for presentation markers."

"Oh. Did they find anything yet?"

"Alpha pheromones, at a sufficient level that they think you should go for dynamic-specific instruction on heats and contraception sometime this month. I called the Clinic to schedule an appointment for you Monday. You can take a day off from school; with your grades, it won't do any harm. " Alexandra gave her a proud smile. "However, you may be feeling it sooner, or already. I'd wanted to explain that. You may find yourself reacting a bit defensively to Alphas, particularly ones you don't know, but you may also be a bit edgy around Tony. He said he and his father had some problems when he was growing up, too."

Catrin got suddenly very interested in her breakfast plate.

"Sweetheart, they'll understand. They've both dealt with worse than a moody or short-tempered teenager. " Alexandra changed the subject. "Now, any thoughts as to what you'd like to do for your birthday? We don't want a repeat of last year. Your fathers are lovely, but their idea of celebration tends to be a little over the top. "

"I thought the world cruise was a great idea."

"Even so, let's try for something just as fun but a bit less conspicuous. Deal?"

"Yes'm." Catrin smiled. "We could go to the Observatory?"

"A starwatching party?" Astronomy was one of Catrin's favorite subjects, had been since she was old enough to use a telescope. Alexandra nodded.

"And...do you think--"

"What, love?"

"Would Pa take me flying? Or should I not ask?"

"I think he actually is planning to. You're old enough to try out your wings, is what he said, at least for a short flight."