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taking them in?  What kind of family did they come from?  The more he thought, the more his anger began to build.
    “Well let’s don’t all talk at once, shall we?”
    Uncomfortable in the permeating silence, Sarah shifted in her seat. 
    Jason turned his gaze to the fireplace. 
    Smiling, Shana continued.  “Sarah, you look so much like me, it's uncanny!  Why, except for our hair color, you're the spitting image of me when I was your age.” 
    Sarah returned her smile and nodded.  Now that she had an honest to goodness living family member sitting in front of her, she couldn't find words to say.
    Not receiving the desired reaction from the girl, Shana turned to work her charms on the brother.  “And Jason, what a strapping young man you've turned out to be.  You know, even as a small boy, you were big for your age.  We always thought you'd be a big man when you grew up, but I don't think any of us ever thought you'd be this huge.”  Her voice grew soft, almost caressing in its tone, “You look so much like your father.  But you have other features as well.  See that picture on the mantle?”
    His eyes moved over the many silver framed photos resting on the mantle.
    Pointing, she said, “That one on the end.  That's my daddy, your grandfather.  You bare a resemblance to him, too.  I think you get your size from him, and your dashing good looks from your father.”
    “Aunt Shana, Who is the dark haired man in the photo with our grandfather?”  Sarah interjected.
    “Oh, he's my husband Thomas.  He was a looker in his younger days, don't you think?”
    Jason made a grunting noise, but offered no conversation.  Still scanning the pictures, he was surprised there were none of his parents.  I guess it's out of sight out of mind with them.  If they don't have to look at us, they'd never have a reason to feel guilty about being such worthless human beings.  
    Shana spotted the change in his expression.  “Jason, you must think we're a horrid bunch to leave you two alone for so long.  We are not.  You were left where you were for your own safety.  I am your mother’s youngest sister.  What has happened is a tragedy, yes, but you must believe it was set in motion solely to safeguard the well being of our people.”
    “There‘s more of us?  I mean more than just the three of us?”  Sarah asked.
    Eyebrows rising, Shana nodded.  “Oh my, yes.  Oodles and gob s really.  It’ll take you two awhile to remember everyone’s names.”
    “But if,” Sarah paused, “if there are so many, why would you…well…”
    Shana’s eyebrows drew together in a barely masked look of disdain.  “We had no choice.  It is simply a matter of survival.  I’m sure you can grasp the precariousness of our situation.”
    Shaking her head, she answered, “No.  I don’t understand at all.  I mean, there are tons of people in our family, and no one ever--how could they never come for us?”
    “I don’t know if I want to understand any of this,” Jason leaned forward in his seat and pointed his finger at the woman across from him.  “You left us to live in one foster home after another.  Completely alone.  Do you have any idea what they tried to do to us, to her?  Look at her,” he pointed to his sister, “can you imagine what she went through, what I went through, trying to keep her safe.  At least Edna gave us a home when she died.  That was something.  Something more than the big fat nothing you’ve done for us.”  He stood.  Enough was enough.  Anger clouded his thinking and it was getting late in the afternoon.  Tonight should be his last transformation in this cycle and he was not going to be caught outside in the moonlight again.  “Come on, Sarah, we need to go.  It’s getting late.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous, you just got here.  This is your home, you own it.  The basement here is already set up for your needs.  You will be perfectly safe down there.  There are no windows