A Family Reunion

Axel jerked awake at the sound of the front door opening downstairs. His enhanced senses had been tracking approaching vehicles even in his sleep, but this one was different - familiar. The engine's particular rumble (that distinctive rattle their family sedan made when the timing belt needed changing again), the specific way the car door closed with that gentle touch his mom always used to avoid wearing out the hinges, and most importantly, the unmistakable scent that his transformed body now recognized instantly: Mom's mix of antiseptic, dollar store perfume, and exhaustion from another double shift.

He bounded down the stairs, taking them three at a time with his new agility. His enhanced hearing picked up multiple heartbeats - his whole family was home. The twins' rapid, excited pulses playing verbal ping-pong, his older sister's steady rhythm, and his mother's slightly elevated rate that suggested the kind of worry that came from raising five kids on a nurse's salary while Dad is away at work in another county.

Before he could process what to say or how to explain his presence, his mother spotted him. Her eyes widened, and suddenly he was enveloped in a fierce hug that would have knocked the wind out of his pre-transformed self.

"Oh thank God," she sobbed, clutching him tightly. "Thank God you're safe. I was so worried - when we couldn't find you anywhere, and then with everything that happened at the school..." Her voice broke, and he could smell the salt of fresh tears mixing with the remnants of her morning coffee - the cheap break room kind from the clinic.

Axel returned the hug confidently but carefully, aware of his new strength but no longer afraid of it. After all, he could handle a family hug.

"I'm fine, Mom," he said firmly. "Really. Better than fine, actually." And it wasn't entirely a lie - physically, he'd never felt stronger.

"Where WERE you?" Tess demanded from behind their mother, her designer-knockoff boots tapping impatiently. Despite her harsh tone, his enhanced senses detected the slight tremor in her voice, the elevated heartbeat that betrayed her relief. "We looked everywhere! The police had to take us to the station because they couldn't guarantee our safety with some crazy animal killer on the loose!"

"Yeah, what gives?" his older brother Mike chimed in, but Axel could hear the tension leaving his body, see the slight relaxation in his shoulders. "Way to make everyone freak out."

The twins, Emma and Lisa, zoomed past their older siblings like caffeinated pinballs to join the family hug, their small arms wrapping around his waist. At twelve, they were reaching that age where showing affection was becoming uncool, but apparently near-death experiences made exceptions.

"We had to sleep at the police station!" Emma announced breathlessly.

"Yeah, and Officer Jenkins snores like a chainsaw!" Lisa added.

"And his partner kept doing this weird thing with his nose-"

"-like a reverse sneeze-"

"-and the vending machine ate Mom's last dollar-"

"-but then Mike picked the lock when no one was looking-"

"GIRLS," their mother interrupted, though Axel caught her trying not to smile. "Maybe let your brother breathe?"

She finally pulled back, wiping her eyes while keeping one hand on his arm as if afraid he might disappear again. "When we couldn't find you after... after what happened at the football field..." She shuddered. "And then the police said we had to evacuate temporarily while they investigated, but you weren't answering your phone..."

Axel's stomach twisted with guilt. His phone had been destroyed during his transformation, though he couldn't tell them that. The forty-dollar prepaid device had been a birthday splurge they really couldn't afford, and now it was probably scattered across the football field in pieces.

"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it completely. "I... I wasn't at practice that night." The lie felt bitter in his mouth, but it was better than the truth. "I was... somewhere else. My phone died, and I didn't know about any of this until I got home."

"Somewhere else?" Tess's perfectly plucked eyebrows shot up. "That's the best you can do? We were worried sick!"

"Teresa," their mother warned, though Axel could tell she had similar questions. "The important thing is he's safe. We're all safe."

"Hey," Mike suddenly grinned, breaking the tension, "at least we finally got to see where our tax dollars go. Though I gotta say, for a police station, their donuts were surprisingly mediocre. I thought that was supposed to be like, their thing?"

The twins immediately launched into a detailed critique of police station snack options, complete with dramatic reenactments of their attempts to work the ancient coffee machine.

Their mother squeezed his arm gently. "We know you wouldn't worry us on purpose, honey. It's just... with everything that's happened... They're saying it was some kind of animal attack, but the way they've locked down the town..."

"Speaking of which," Mike interrupted, grabbing the TV remote held together with duct tape, "they're supposed to be giving another update soon. That FBI guy's been on every channel."

The family migrated to the living room, settling onto their worn but clean second-hand couch. Axel noticed how different his siblings looked now - Tess trying to maintain her put-together image despite wearing yesterday's clothes, Mike's usual swagger somewhat subdued, the twins' energy even more explosive than usual.

"You've gotten bigger," Tess observed suddenly, poking his arm. "Have you been working out or something?"

Before Axel could respond, the TV screen filled with a new face. The silver-haired man in the expensive suit smiled at the cameras with practiced charm, and something about his eyes made Axel's spine tingle. He couldn't explain why, but watching this man felt like staring at a snake through glass - beautiful, but with an edge of danger that made his new instincts pay very close attention.

"Good evening," the man began, his voice smooth as silk. "I'm Special Agent Smith, and I'm here to provide an update on the ongoing situation..."

Emma leaned over to Lisa and whispered, just loud enough for Axel's enhanced hearing to catch: "Five bucks says his first name is 'Agent' and his middle name is 'Special.'" The twins dissolved into poorly suppressed giggles, earning a half-hearted "Shhh!" from their mother.