5 Gala

One of his father's friends was Apollo, an astronomer who wanted to conquer the moon. Deep in his veins, he was one of them.

Apollo was looking at her, a budding young lady. He and father had been friends for a long time. He was one among the few friends he knew he could count on.

Nenita and Teresa were too happy to host that gathering. They seldom see Apollo whom they knew was a busy person. He had developed a telescope to do his constant moon gazing hobby until it's midnight then he would sneak out of his house, change into his beastly form, run deep into the wilds where he met with a company of beasts like him, Isabella's father and mother, and Teresa, included.

One of the highlights of the party would be the moon viewing using his scope.

He was happy to share his invention with them.

An opera singer, Julia was popular. Guests were waiting for her.

The feather in her hair caught her fans' attention during performances. One could single her out by her avant-garde costumes and makeover— eyelashes, eyebrows, lipstick that were all meant to draw attention.

Not on that occasion. Everything was subdued for the formality.

John, Nenita, and Teresa were all fans of her.

James was a ship builder. He was said to be widely connected being in business. He was one of the people they ran to when things went wrong. Father had been a friend for a long time. The occasion was a break for James. They considered the company a family.

Lucas was a detective. He had solved ninety-five percent of the crimes he handled using his process of deduction.

Andrea was a hard-hitting journalist. She'd always assumed a "holier than thou" personality. Her courage had made her stand out among contemporaries.

Andrew was in government. He was, like James, an influential person. But no one knew that deep inside, he was a wolf.

They were the closest to John and Nenita. There were fifty more who were present. She didn't know that mother and father had many friends.

The moon viewing with Apollo's scope was what made many guests happy-- and Julia's songs.

After a few hours, John and Nenita introduced Isabella to the guests by way of debuting on the piano with Chopin's "Etude, Opera 25 No. 11."

xxxxxx

"I heard the government is becoming stricter with marital affairs," Andrea started the conversation over dinner.

"Do you mean the law prohibiting alien marriage? Andrew was hesitant to discuss the topic.

"Hmm…" she nodded while patting a napkin on her lips.

"Well… yes"

"Really?" James butted in.

Isabella continued to play the piano. She didn't have any idea what her parents' friends were talking about.

"Why would they do that?" Nenita asked.

Andrew looked straight at them who were seated at a circular table. "According to what I read, it was to protect the wolf-dom."

Julia was there—Teresa, Apollo, and Lucas. The other visitors were enjoying the dinner they served.

"Why?" John asked.

"… because there were human beings involved in the murder of wolves," Andrew explained.

Julia was curious because she was married to an alien.

"What about us? You are all aware of my relationship."

"Well, it did not talk about wolves who are already married to aliens although I was told it will apply to future marriages."

Lucas interrupted. "What murder, by the way, are they referring to?"

Andrew ignored Lucas' question. Instead, he said: "The number of murder cases are growing so they suspect that there is a plot that is aimed at eliminating the wolf bloodline."

"But why would they do that?" Apollo was curious. "I mean why would they eliminate the wolves?"

"Culture intolerance. There is a growing air of intolerance for people who are not like them. The world is getting old."

"Well, we have seen that in history. This will only be a repeat," Julia quipped.

Everybody nodded. "Yes."

"You have to be careful Julia— you are in a similar boat. The conflict may have only started," Andrea suggested. The journalist was obviously enjoying her food.

Nenita and Teresa were seated beside Andrea and they, too, were nodding.

"I am a celebrity. It would be hard for them to just kill me. There will be an outcry."

"Well, yes," Andrea shrugged her shoulders in agreement nodding her head.

"Yes," Teresa was smiling.

Everybody agreed, nodding their heads. "Yes."

xxxxxx

Do you mean they're all like us father?" Isabella was excited to know why her parents had to hold a big party last night.

"Hmm…." John, Nenita, and Teresa were gently smiling as usual.

"And the kids who attended my party, are they their kids?"

"Hmm…" the three elders nodded their heads.

"Then, they're one of us."

"Some are. Some are not."

"I want to know who are," she was giddy at the likelihood of meeting them again.

The grass behind the kitchen faucet rustled. That did not escape the notice of the four of them. John hurriedly went out to check— there was no one. Maybe it was only a cat, he thought.

Behind those tall bushes, a figure moved. It had been eavesdropping.