"Princess lessons!" cried Emily, running through the second floor of the house excitedly.

Her loud enthusiasm woke Timber from her late morning nap. She had been up late the night before, talking on the phone with her friend Xianna, trying to calm her down after the news that her grandmother had passed away. Emily knew none of this, however, and was running up and down the hallway.

Timber got out of bed, shook her body, and took human form. She poked her head out of her room in time to see Emily get so excited to see her that she forgot to stop when she turned her head, and she ran into the wall with a loud thud. She fell back and landed on her rear end, and toppled sideways.

"Emily, are you alright?" called Grace's voice from the first floor.

Her question was answered by a loud fit of giggles.

"I think she's fine, Aunt Grace," hollered Timber.

Timber helped Emily to her feet.

"You know, this is why you're not supposed to run in the house," said Timber. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay," said Emily, pulling down the hem of her dress. "Princess lessons!"

"Who is giving you princess lessons?" asked Timber.

"We're going to watch The Princess Diaries," said Emily.

"Didn't we just watch it yesterday?"

"Yes, but today, I'm going to use it to learn how to be a princess," announced Emily. She started toward the stairs and held onto the rails, only taking one step at a time. "I want to learn how to walk, and sit, and drink tea like a princess."

"I think that's a great idea, Em," said Timber.

"Will you do princess lessons with me?" asked Emily.

She was a little timid in asking because Timber was not girly. She was feminine, but she was not a girly girl like Emily. Timber caught her tone. She sighed internally. She was not interested in princess lessons, but she loved Emily, and she wanted to support her goals.

"Of course. I need to make sure you don't fall over."

"Or run into walls," laughed Emily.

Timber chuckled as she put in the DVD while Emily set up two dining chairs in front of the television.

"Wait!" she cried, and she darted upstairs.

She came back holding one pink Sleeping Beauty tiara and one yellow Belle tiara. She gave Timber the plastic yellow tiara, and she put on the pink one. Timber put the tiara on and smiled down at Emily, who was bouncing happily beside her.

"What scene are we starting with?" asked Timber.

"The sitting down scene," said Emily.

"Hi, girls," Grace said, coming into the room, wiping her flour-covered hands on her apron. "What's today's mission?"

"I'm going to learn to be a princess," said Emily. "Timber is learning with me."

"I assume this lesson is geared more toward proper posture and etiquette," said Grace, looking at the scene Timber had just started.

"I guess so," said Timber. She paused the movie. "Is this alright?"

"Absolutely," said Grace. "Good posture and etiquette are good to learn, especially as young ladies. Well, I'm goin' to get back to my bread loaf. I'll be in the kitchen. Chad is over at Armando's."

Grace returned to the kitchen, and Timber and Emily set to work. Together, they spent an hour perfecting their sitting, doing everything from walking up to the chair and sitting down to crossing one leg behind the other. They watched the scene over and over, and Timber found herself glad to be a part of the activity. She felt like a refined lady by the end of the hour.

Then Grace came out with the heel ends of her fresh sourdough loaf and handed one each to Timber and Emily, covered in a small helping of tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese and drizzled lightly with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The girls looked at the new food curiously and took a synchronized bite. They looked at their snack and then at Grace.

"Mommy, this is so good! What is it?" asked Emily.

"It's called a caprese salad, but I put it on a slice of bread to make it an easy-to-eat snack. We have important company coming over next Friday evening for dinner. That means that there are goin' to be a couple of new foods on the table. This will be one of them."

"Who is it that's coming?" asked Timber. "Are they safe?"

To Timber, a safe person meant someone who knew about her and her true form.

"Yes, and you are the reason they are comin'. They want to examine you for themselves. You are goin' to be observed."

"What does 'observed' mean?" asked Emily.

"It means that people are goin' to be watchin' Timber and how she interacts with this family."

"Why? Who are they?" asked Timber.

"People are goin' to determine whether or not you are well adjusted enough to remain in my care or if you will have to return to Haven with someone else as your guardian. They work for the government. They are trained to see behavior that is not natural, and they can tell the difference between nervous behavior because of their presence, and nervous behavior because of the environment."

"Timber isn't leaving us, is she?" asked Emily, gripping Timber's hand tightly.

"I don't think so. Timber is very well adjusted to her environment, she is receivin' specialized medical care, and most importantly, she is safe and cared for by people who genuinely love her. This is only a formality."

"Why now?" asked Timber.

"Honesty, they wanted to see you several months ago, but I pushed back to give you some more time to come into yourself. You were still skittish around strangers comin' through the door, but you're better now. I don't worry about you accidentally Turnin' anymore. Emily, I need you to go outside and play, or play in your room, because this next part is for Timber only. I'm sorry, Honey."

Emily pouted for a second, but she got up quietly and went upstairs. Timber heard her close her bedroom door louder than necessary. Grace instructed her to sit down. Timber sat down on the couch, and Grace sat down beside her.

"Part of the evenin' will be a one-on-one sit-down with the woman. She is goin' to ask you a series of very personal questions, and you need to answer the questions honestly, no matter how uncomfortable they make you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am. What kind of questions?"

"She's goin' to ask about your monthly cycle and how it affects you in both forms, how you care for yourself durin' that time, and whether you felt adequately prepared for your cycle to start." Grace shifted uncomfortably. "She will also ask you about inappropriate behavior."

"I don't understand."

"She will want to know if anyone has attempted to touch areas of your body that are off limits or if anyone has said anythin' to you that would suggest a desire to touch you in those areas."

"Why? People don't do anything like that to children," said Timber, slightly mortified by what she was hearing. Grace smiled softly.

"She's also goin' to want to know about your relationships at school. Easy questions about your friends and classmates, teachers, and how you feel about your classes. She's goin' to want to know about your routine throughout the day, and such as well."

"So mostly easy questions," said Timber. "Are they going to question Emily, too?"

"They're goin' to question all of us, but you are the one who they're comin' for."

"Okay. If I understand correctly, I need to be myself, be honest, and not let them being here affect my normal behavior," said Timber slowly.

"Yes."

"Is there going to be a problem with how I dress?" asked Timber, looking at her yoga pants and large t-shirt.

"No," said Grace. "Nothin' you have is age inappropriate. Speakin' of your outfit, you look like you're tonin' very nicely. Your pilates routine seems to be workin' for you. Remind me why you started workin' out."

"You work out. You said it is beneficial to your health. I want the health benefits, and Pilates doesn't need a bunch of equipment. Just a mat, a roller, and a couple of light weights."

"How do you feel since you started workin' out?"

"Strong," said Timber. "I feel like I have a lot more strength in my core, and PE feels easier too. The crunches and push-ups used to be so difficult, but they're easy now."

"I'm proud of you for makin' this choice on your own," said Grace. "Emily has told me that she wants to start workin' out too. Of course, she's not goin' to start with pilates. She's startin' with the basics. Now, should we call Emily back down to continue princess lessons?"

"I don't know. She's either sleeping or reading. She hasn't moved much."

"I'll go check on her."

Twenty minutes later, Timber and Emily were continuing their princess lessons. This time, they were practicing walking with a book on their heads. They thought it was great fun. It was harder for Emily than for Timber because she was naturally bouncy, so she had to really buckle down and focus. Together they worked for two hours, trying to walk and sit while keeping the book balanced.

During the process, Timber discovered that this new skill gave her a sense of confidence. She decided to continue developing this skill until it was part of natural movement. After all, Grace moved like the elegant Southern Belle she was, and Timber had observed that it added to her charm.

Over the next week, Timber became very conscious of how she moved and corrected herself without saying anything to anyone about her goal. She began to deliberately copy exactly how Grace ate, but she also decided that it would be healthy not to concern herself with her posture and movement all the time. During her physical education class and while playing with Emily, she would let her body move freely.

By the time Friday afternoon arrived, Timber was fully confident in her ability to move gracefully without having to think about it too much. When Timber came through the front door after school, she had perfect posture, and she walked with such grace, she appeared to glide. She found the expected guests sitting on the couch with sweet tea and snacks. Both of them looked at Timber in surprise, with the woman holding her pimento cheese cracker halfway to her slightly open mouth.

As instructed, Timber paid them no mind initially and hung her backpack on the hook behind the front door next to Emily's. She took a calming breath and turned around with a smile.

"Hello," said Timber. She walked over to the guests and shook hands with a slightly firm grip, just like Chad taught her. "I'm Timber Brogan."

"Marie Strant."

"Kevin Lee."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. I assume you are aware of who we are," said Kevin.

"Yes, Sir."

"Shall we get into it then?" asked Marie.

"Do you want to want a private assessment first?" asked Grace.

"For now, we'd like to see what life is usually like after school. Please, try to pretend that we are not here," and Kevin.

"Alright. Timber?"

Timber and Grace went into the kitchen and started to prepare for cooking. Grace told Timber what they were making, and Timber got out the pantry ingredients, fully aware that she was being closely watched, but she ignored Kevin and Marie. Timber and Grace moved well in the kitchen together, even around Chad, who had just come home from work and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He went and sat down in front of the television. Emily came running down and threw herself at her father, showing him her latest art piece.

In the kitchen, Timber was peeling sweet potatoes and telling Grace about her day at school, the new things she learned, and how she felt like she did on her math test. She asked for advice on settling a small squabble between her friends, being sure to include both sides of the story and her own opinion on the topic. Grace listened and offered her input when asked. She also took the time to gently correct Timber when she went to grab the wrong knife for cutting such a thick food. All the while, Kevin and Marie were taking notes on everything.

During dinner, the six of them sat down to eat caprese salad, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted chicken. Then Marie started asking questions.

"Do you usually cook with your aunt, Timber?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I don't generally have homework on Fridays, so I like to be in the kitchen. I find it really relaxing."

"Would you say this is a typical dinner?" asked Marie.

"Well, yes. There's always meat and vegetables, and either a carb or a starch, but never both unless it's a Sunday or a holiday."

"I see. Can you elaborate?"

"Well, on Sundays we have southern food. Dirty rice, jambalaya, fried chicken, and always biscuits. I'm still working on the biscuit making. Biscuits are temperamental. If you work them too much or too little, they come out wrong."

"Does Emily help in the kitchen?" asked Kevin.

"I can make cookies," said Emily proudly, and Marie and Kevin both looked surprised. "Timber and I make cookies together every month. She puts out the measuring cups. I pour and mix, we both make the balls on the pan, and Timber puts them in the oven, and we race to clean the kitchen up before the timer goes off! It's fun!"

"What a fun tradition," said Marie. "Chad? Do you help in the kitchen?"

"Not usually," he said. "I barbecue and I will help clean, but the last few times I tried to cook, it ended badly."

"If there was a way to burn water, I'd find it," admitted Kevin.

Questions continued through dinner and afterwards, Timber was instructed that Marie wanted a private conversation. Timber was told to leave her plate and go upstairs to her room. Emily would be kept downstairs. So Marie followed Timber to her bedroom, and Timber closed the door.

"You have a beautiful room," said Marie. "What are the letters above your bed?"

"My monogram," said Timber. "My first initial, my family name initial, which is why it's bigger, and my middle initial. Emily has her monogram above her room. Her room is on the other side of our shared bathroom."

Timber then started telling Marie about Emily and all of her favorite stories.

"Why don't you show me your favorite things in here?"

So Timber showed Marie her small collection of books, her plush rabbit, a small toy wolf that Emily has given her for her birthday, a box of photographs that she let Marie look at, and her favorite thing, which was her mother's camera, which was carefully displayed on top of the box of pictures.

"I see you collect memories," she said, smiling. "I see a lot of pictures with Emily and your family. You must love them a lot. Tell me about these girls with you here."

She was holding up the photo of Timber's fourth-grade field day with her and her friends at the Color Run finish line, all covered in brightly colored powder. So Timber told her about her closest friends, Xianna, Ashley, Gina, and Kendra, and the things they liked to do together. She told Marie about the sleepovers at her house and the pedicure sessions. She told her about them studying together and helping each other through difficult times.

"Do your friends know about your wolf?"

"No, Ma'am. When they sleep over, I just catnap for a few minutes at a time. I sleep beside Xianna, and she twitches a lot, so I am able to be in human form most of the night. I also go downstairs and get a solid three hours before going upstairs again."

"Creative solution. Does anyone outside of your family know about your wolf?"

"Only my primary doctor. She works with Aunt Grace. I see her to get the shots I need for school and every six months for a checkup."

"Good. Well, your human form looks to be in good health. May I examine you closer?"

Timber nodded and allowed Marie to feel her arms, look at her teeth, and push lightly on her stomach.

"You're well fed, and you appear to have good dental hygiene. Your stomach is pretty firm."

"I do pilates every morning except for Sundays. I want to be healthy when I grow up. I figured I'd start now."

"Very good. Now, how about your wolf?"

Timber Turned, and again, Marie felt her arms, looked at her teeth, and pushed lightly on her stomach.

"You can take human form again, Timber." Timber Turned back. "Your wolf appears to be in excellent condition as well. Your care practices transfer forms?"

"Yes. Everything but my coat. My coat requires separate care. Uncle Chad is building me a portable brush that I can put against the wall and brush myself. In the meantime, Emily likes to do it. She likes to use the fur to make art projects. She's used it to make a sheep before. It was pretty cute."

"Who washes your coat?" asked Marie.

"I go to the dog groomers every six months. I love it. It's like a spa day for my wolf. It feels really good in the spring to get my winter coat taken care of."

"So you don't object to being mistaken for a dog?"

"I used to, but I don't mind so much anymore. I'm still proud of what I am, but I also understand that humans are afraid of wolves. They're not afraid of big dogs, though. Most people who meet me while I'm in wolf form think I'm a husky mix, but those encounters are rare. I only leave the house in wolf form if I'm too sick to take human form and Aunt Grace has to go somewhere that is time sensitive, but she has me on a leash, which again, I understand and I have no issues with."

"Alright. Now I have to ask you some difficult questions."

Marie asked Timber the same questions Grace said she would ask, and Timber answered with the same response. Timber also didn't feel the need for embarrassment when discussing her monthly cycle, when every woman went through the same thing every month. She was honest and straightforward during the harder discussions with no hint of discomfort.

"Well, Timber, that's all of questions I have. Let's go rejoin your family."

The two went down to find Emily entertaining Kevin with stories about Timber. Emily saw Timber and darted at her.

"Timber! Guess what? I can tell Kevin my favorite Timber stories! He's a safe person!"

"I think Timber and Emily love each other very much. Timber was telling me all of her favorite Emily stories."

"Timber is my favorite person in the world!" said Emily.

"And Emily is mine."

"Well, I have concluded my interview," said Kevin. "Marie?"

"I have as well. Thank you for your hospitality. You'll get a response to our report in the mail in two to three weeks. It was a pleasure meeting you, Timber."

Kevin and Marie left, and Timber sat down.

"Why do we have to wait for so long to find out if I can stay?" she asked.

"They're going to review their notes with a group of other specialists, but I'm not worried," said Chad. "You're loved and cared for here, and I think they're going to see that what is best for you is to stay."

Two weeks later, Timber came home from a long day of back-to-back tests in all four of her core subjects. She was mentally exhausted, especially from all of the studying she had been doing. She was looking forward to a cookie and a nap, but when she was walked through the front door, she found Grace's best silver sitting on the table with her special occasion dishes and her cream colored cotton linens placed beautifully in their napkin rings.

"You're home! I'm so glad!" said Grace, practically bouncing into the room. Timber had never seen her so excited before.

"What's going on?" Timber asked.

"I'll tell you over dinner. You look tired, Honey! Did your tests go alright?"

"I think so. I don't know if I did as well on my math test as I hoped, but I don't think I failed."

"Well, you go get in a good nap. I'll call you down when dinner is ready."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Timber did as she was asked. She Turned and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She rested peacefully for an hour and a half until Chad's voice called her down. Timber took her human form and went downstairs. The table was still lavishly set, but rather than the fancy dinner Timber was expecting, it was set with burgers, buns, all of the burger toppings, and homemade Cajun fries, with a pitcher of cold sarsaparilla. Emily was just sitting down.

Timber took a seat, and Chad took the first patty. Food was passed around, and burgers were built to individual preference. Timber and Emily were having a great time. They loved Chad's brisket burgers with Grace's homemade buns and fries.

Halfway through eating, Timber asked, "So, what's happening? We're having burgers on your good dishes. It's not a holiday, is it?"

"No," said Chad. "We have good news. Remember the people who came two weeks ago?"

"You got the letter?" asked Timber excitedly.

"We did!" Grace was beaming.

"I can stay?"

"Yes," said Chad. "They have decided that the best thing for you is to stay with us!"

Timber squealed with pure joy.

"There is one more thing. This means that your uncle and I can legally adopt you," said Grace. "That means that we will be your legal parents, and Emily will be your legal sister. Now, your uncle and I have been talkin' a lot about this, and we both agree that you can keep your last name and you don't have to call us mom and dad. Would you like to be adopted?"

"Yes!" cried Timber without hesitation. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"You're going to be my big sister?" asked Emily excitedly.

"Yes!" replied Timber enthusiastically.

Emily burst into loud, happy tears. Timber would have as well, were it not for her emotional wall. The girls jumped out of their chairs and ran to each other, grabbing on and holding each other tightly. Timber didn't think she would ever be happier than she was in that moment.