booksabaking | A WEREWOLF IN OCTOBER

"You sure it'll be okay to have my cat here?" Jayla stared at her open wardrobe, trying to decide which shelf her T-shirts should end up on. Being this nervous and thrilled called up the memory of her first sleepover. Hope this one gets a better ending. That said, teen me should have known horror movies aren't for everyone.

Vivian bent down to pet Ginger. He accepted the attention with glee, half climbing up her leg and baring his chin for scritches. Vivian had actually laughed at the silliness of naming a black cat Ginger, unlike Brandon who'd rolled his eyes. Why had she ever hooked up with a tweed coat in human disguise?

No more thinking about Brandon. Brushing that annoyance aside, Jayla directed Melissa to place the last box in the bookcase closest to the windows. She hadn't brought all her stuff, to avoid looking desperate or creepy. Getting clingy was a guaranteed way to ruin any budding friendship. New town, new me. No making old mistakes.

"It'll be fine," Vivian answered. "Arturo likes cats. He can look after Ginger. In the very unlikely event that things go tits-up, vampires are faster than us werewolves." Her words held grudging respect.

"Did," Melissa began, stuttering as Ginger lost interest in Vivian and said hi by nearly tripping her. "Did your check-up go okay?"

"Hmm?" The thought of poor Ginger, rushed off at the speed of vampire fleeing hungry werewolves, was a tad distressing. "Yeah, everything went great. Lisa's even fixed me up with a CT scan! I'm scheduled for that in a few weeks. There are blood tests we're waiting for, but so far the doc said I'm the picture of health."

Which had been a relief. As professional as Lisa had been, Jayla suspected the woman would've crumbled to dust if the doctor had found as much as a hangnail. A second, bigger relief, was Lisa's confirmation that werewolves couldn't get Alzheimer's. If only I could tell mom that without her thinking I've lost my mind.

Melissa took a seat on the bed. Ginger commandeered her lap, curling up and meowing until she got with the program and started petting him.

Before further health-related comments could be made, because that's the last thing I need back in my life, Jayla hurried to say, "I can't believe the luxury of having a bathroom with a tub connected to every bedroom."

She followed that up with an uneasy laugh. Typical. Why did her nerves inevitably get to her once she'd spent time around people? Strangers were way easier to talk to.

"My place has shared showers," her mouth rambled on. "Old student housing they remade to rent out for cheap. Pretty sure we have cockroaches. Feel free to smack anything that's moving in my boxes, I only have one pet."

Vivian snorted. Either she was easily entertained or practiced at breaking uncomfortable silences. Whichever the case was, Jayla sent her a grateful smile.

"We change in our rooms?" Jayla asked, plopping down next to Melissa to help cuddle Ginger. Melissa thankfully didn't flinch and didn't stop scratching Ginger behind the ears. She nodded, eyes on Ginger.

Vivian claimed the space on Melissa's other side. She didn't join in on the pampering of Ginger, but watched fondly. "It's the whole 'having to be naked' thing that makes it comfier for everyone to change on their own. No one's eager to relive the high school locker room experience." She shuddered and stuck her tongue out in exaggerated nausea. "I mean, no offense, but I prefer to get naked with people I want to stay naked with. We've barely met and the rest are family. Until I have fur, I'm solo."

"With you there." Ginger began to purr loudly, ushering out the remaining awkwardness. "So, we're separate until we're wolves. We kick off around, uhm, was it nine? Ten?"

"It can vary. You'll become familiar with your transformation eventually. It took me a year or two to figure out my rhythm, like with periods, though ironically werewolf stuff is more consistent. You'll notice right away how many nights you turn. At least next month, when you begin from the first night of the full moon. You could be as lucky as Dorothy."

"Lucky?"

"She shifts for one night. I'm a two-nighter and so is Lisa, while Melissa goes all three."

Melissa sighed softly. This, predictably, had Ginger get up to head-butt her chin, earning a huff of surprise.

"He only likes kind people, y'know," Jayla said, her brain not caught up with her mouth. Melissa looked doubtful, which prompted her to go on: "Not kidding. He's a former stray and has a nose for trouble."

It wasn't a lie. In fact, Ginger taking to her fellow werewolves was doing a lot to calm her own mounting anxiety. The doctor's appointment had been a good start, what with her meds possibly acting up and early onset Alzheimer's definitely being a thing in her family (as she was well aware), but that established the 'this is real'-baseline. Free blood tests didn't help you suss out true colors. Ginger relaxed and friendly with these still-kinda-strangers was an encouraging seal of approval.

Clean bill of health from two medical professionals, one who I've actually met before, a call from Carla about my weird speakerphone moment, and Ginger is pleased as punch. Can probably stop questioning my sense of reality now.

Mood swings and fickle focus could drive her up the wall at times, but in this instant she had no problem shrugging that aside. She even got to shrug off a huge, previously ever-present worry. On top of that, she had a golden opportunity to get to know people in a new town, bonding over a mutual… interest? Let's go with interest. Better than 'affliction'.

"Temporary moving in complete! Who wants to come with me and hunt for coffee?"

Arturo pretended to have fallen asleep to a soap opera, until he heard the front door close. Jayla had gotten both Vivian and Melissa to follow her downtown. Dorothy was out too, running errands, and Lisa had hidden away in her lab. The coast would be clear for at least an hour.

Standing up took effort. The living room spun around him and he had to grab the couch's armrest or tumble back down. Black spots edged his vision, but they vanished a handful of seconds later. He hadn't reached his limit. Yet.

The world still once more, Arturo shut off the TV and concentrated on his mission:

Jayla had a cat. He was going to find that cat. If it turned out to be a friendly cat, he would indulge in petting it for as long as it allowed him. Maybe he'd brush it too. He deserved that, after a day like this.

The search didn't take long. Jayla had sensibly left her cat in her room instead of letting it roam the house. The cat didn't agree with this wisdom. Arturo could hear it meowing at the top of its tiny lungs the moment he set foot on the stairs. Luckily, Jayla hadn’t locked the door. Arturo didn't enter, but he did let the cat out. It immediately threw itself at him, head-butting his knees and winding around his legs.

"Hello there, little friend." Picking up the cat was an easy affair. It had pitch black fur and a red collar with the name tag 'Ginger'. Arturo gave a tired chuckle. The new girl was either the genuine article or playing her role to the hilt. Time would have to tell. "Shall we go socialize in the living room?"

Ginger sniffed him, merr-chirped, and rubbed his face all over Arturo's. Arturo chose to interpret this as assent.

He'd fallen asleep for real with Ginger curled on his chest when Lisa came up out of the basement.

"You should go to the hospital."

Hello to you too, was exactly what Arturo didn't say. They'd been through enough in the last 24 hours without him triggering another cold war with Lisa; especially not while she was on the outs with Sledge. "Can't tonight. I have to take care of the cat."

Lisa stopped in the doorway. Her crossed arms told Arturo everything he needed to know about her mood. "You can't keep putting it off. You look terrible."

Arturo frowned, absentmindedly scratching Ginger's chin. "Blunt as ever."

"It's the only way you'll listen." Admittedly a fair observation. "Don't wait too long again, Art. With a new wolf and what Ava's been hinting at, we can't afford to have anyone out of commission."

Right, that. The news Sledge had ambushed them with. The mention of it set his skin crawling.

A slow steady rumble began to vibrate through Arturo's chest. Nothing counteracted the creeps like holding a purring cat.

"You think it's true then?"

Lisa pushed off the door frame. "I was hoping it wasn't, but with how Ava acted this morning I doubt it's a mere rumor."

Skin crawling got reinforcement from shortness of breath. Arturo forced himself to pet Ginger with rhythmical, meditative strokes. "A member of our pack turned an innocent bystander into a werewolf last night. That's not enough to piss her off?"

Lisa flopped down in the armchair diagonally across from the couch. She had bags under her eyes to rival his and she hadn't changed out of the red jumper. Dorothy called it the comfort jumper.

"She came over before we realized Melissa had gone feral. She's been registering an increase in lone newcomers; werewolves, vampires and even a shapeshifter. You know what that means."

All too well. "They're fleeing."

"Worse," Lisa said, "they're being herded." It was impressive how steady she could keep her voice while saying something that bone-chilling. "Why would that many of our kind simultaneously be seeking out Merrihollow otherwise? Nothing else explains this large an influx of preternaturals."

Arturo squeezed his eyes shut. He considered covering his ears, blocking the world out. Not that he could block out the pack, his pack. Not for long. "You're right."

A deep sigh escaped Lisa, as if she'd been waiting for him to come up with an equally logical but less dangerous explanation. Her disappointment formed a lump in his throat.

"Combine that with the wand Ava found for us and it seems we're in for a storm. Which is why you will get yourself to the hospital the second you no longer have to catsit. Understood?"

No arguing with that. "Understood."

They ended up in a cozy coffee shop. It had plenty of comfortable seats, no loud music, and enough customers to reassure you it'd stay in business. Jayla fell in love instantly.

"This is where you go to study?" she asked Melissa as they picked up their orders and sought out a free corner table.

"Here, or the library." Melissa managed brief eye-contact, didn't whisper and she'd lost her previous scared monotone. Jayla took each as a small victory.

"Me and my work pals come here too from time to time," Vivian said, sprawling out on the left-hand couch while Jayla settled for the one on the right.

Melissa hesitated, eyeing the lack of space next to Vivian, before taking the spot next to Jayla. Jayla made sure to give her an extra wide grin. Gotta keep the conversation going!

"I could never cut it as a med student," she said, meaning every word. "Always hated school. It wasn't the learning that got to me as much as the standardized testing and the hours of sitting still."

Melissa glanced up, then quickly looked away, out the window. "Can't say I'm a fan of that either. Which... kind of is why we're here now."

Her lower lip did a little wobble that could indicate oncoming tears or building laughter. Jayla bet on Schrödinger's laughter and slapped the girl on the back with all the hearty encouragement she could muster.

"This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me." Far too true. "I keep telling you, you have nothing to apologize for. It's not like you plan to do it again, right?"

Mute horror combined with frenetic head-shaking answered that question.

"You're all good then!" Jayla opted for one more grin instead of backslapping. Wouldn't do to bruise her to-be-friends. "No harm done. Seriously."

She tried to channel her relief into her words. Piling her baggage on the pack was not her intention, specifically not now that she could put down several bags of it. She hoped her cheerful vibes would help Melissa let go of her guilt. Her newfound freedom weighing Melissa down would suck beyond belief.

A barista dropped by their table to check on them, which gave Jayla a chance to refocus her questioning. Melissa was practically squirming in her seat. Better change friend-making tactic.

"Vivian, how about you? Not a student of medicine, I take it?" Work could be a sensitive subject, but Vivian didn't strike Jayla as bothered by what people thought of her. My kind of person!

"Mechanic." Vivian downed her coffee like a shot of tequila. "I work at a garage on the other side of town. Bit of a commute, but the pay is decent."

Jayla held in a silly "Reeaally? That's so interesting!" It had been days since she'd sat down and had a chat with someone. All her conversations from Wednesday onward had been job interviews, discussing rental agreements and ordering Thai food. Don't wanna sound like a mediocre date. Sure hope we have some common interests because my water cooler small talk is running out.

"You have a lot of roommates," she said, grasping for straws. "Have you, eh, known each other long?"

Vivian got that half-squinting look people put on when you asked them to remember a childhood neighbor.

"Melissa and I are the newbies. Dorothy and Lisa met way back, and Arturo was taken in by them..." She pursed her lips, squinting harder. "Seven years ago? Yeah, because they picked me up in 2014 and I believe he'd been with them for three years by then. Melissa here reaches her first year as pack member this December."

"What a year," Melissa mumbled into her hot chocolate.

"Don't beat yourself up when you've already been forgiven," Vivian said, as though it was a reminder she gave often. I like her more and more.

"The three of them mind the house and the antiques store we've set up in it. Dorothy is commander-in-chief of cooking and cleaning, which she is awesome at. Arturo beta tests games and fixes code. He clearly makes bank 'cause he spends most of his time on home security and helping out with Lisa's work. Lisa, our fearless leader, is the official owner of the store. When she's not antiquing she's a researcher."

"There's a lab in the basement." Inner fire lit Melissa's eyes, for a moment a regular 19-year-old, not the guilt-ridden shadow she'd been performing as all morning.

Vivian lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "She studies us. People like us. I'm convinced she's done more for the supernatural community than anyone else, but she hardly gets any recognition for it. If you think ordinary academia is harsh, our kind will knock your socks off."

Melissa chuckled. It ended in a giggle-snort, endearing her further to Jayla.

"No tenure," she said, as if quoting a speech, "no continuous, coordinated research undertaken until a decade ago at an optimistic estimate, and the preternatural society is, as a whole, about as fond of researchers as oil barons are of climate change scientists."

"Is this a 'if we understand magic, soon the plebeians will be casting spells'-pearl clutching situation?"

Vivian and Melissa nodded in confirmation.

"Man, gatekeepers among werewolves. I thought I'd leave that shit behind in the mortal realm." Jayla noted Melissa freezing up, and swiftly added: "Speaking of which, are there any game stores in town? I've been here less than a week so I haven't had the chance to find one."

Vivian perked up at this; an achievement seeing as she'd radiated attentiveness since breakfast.

"What do you play?"

Yessss, common interest, get! "Anything I'm invited to join in on. Been wanting to try tabletop rp-ing, but I've never found a group."

"You should join ours!" Melissa whooped, caught herself, made an aborted gesture to cover her mouth, then dug into her cinnamon bun with a vengeance, face reddening.

Vivian slammed a fist with a thumbs-up on the coffee table, causing local earthquakes in their mugs. "Our family hobby is D&D, every Sunday we're all free. We could use more firepower in our group."

Melissa looked up from her shredded bun. "Don't trash talk roleplaying your leveling."

Unsure if this was prelude to a playful or serious argument, Jayla cut in with, "That would be so much fun! I'm one hundred percent in!" She took a celebratory sip of her latte.

"Where are we headed after this?"

Vivian shrugged. "We can show you around Merrihollow, if you like. Starting with the best game store."

"Sounds perfect." Jayla all but chugged the rest of the latte. They had to keep moving and talking, because for each minute they did Melissa smiled more and spent less time staring at the ground.

"Give me the grand tour!"

"Will you be showing your face outside the lab today?"

Lisa had her back to him, intently studying a wooden staff laid out on the table before her. She didn't bring up the fact that she'd been upstairs for lunch, merely acknowledged his presence with a murmur.

Arturo shifted his weight from one foot to the other and reached up to pet Ginger. The tom was a full-on shoulder cat. Since Arturo had figured that out and placed him accordingly, he'd been purring non-stop. The comforting noise stood in stark contrast to the uncanny hum coming from the staff. The carvings in it made Arturo want to retreat all the way to the first floor and out into the yard for good measure.

"What's that supposed to be?" He kept to the doorway despite Lisa's laboratory being open to the whole pack. Most of the trinkets in there were duds or of sentimental value with little power attached, but now and then things got messy. Or interesting, if you asked Lisa.

"I'm not sure." Lisa traced a section of the intricate patterns in the staff and her hand came away sparkling and crackling with electricity. She didn't flinch. "Ava brought it in the other day. I haven't had the time to look it over until now."

"The wand." It had to be three feet in length, but Arturo couldn't be bothered to argue semantics. "Where did she get it?"

Lisa made a vague hand-wave that encompassed every option from 'found it in a dumpster' to 'classified'. "One of her trustworthier contacts picked it up at an auction in Chicago. Looks to be the real deal."

Arturo continued petting Ginger, eyes glued to the staff. From this angle the carvings appeared to be undulating. "Should I set up a video conference?"

"Yes please. Tomorrow as early as possible, with the best security measures you've got." She leaned forward, closer to the staff, her teeth gleaming in a smile verging on predatory. "This is big."

Arturo let her have her moment, allowing himself to fully relax. If you didn't know what you were doing, objects that stored magic were about as safe to have inside your house as explosives. Thankfully, Lisa did know and was perfectly at ease, so he didn't need to be on high alert. Contrary to some people's misconceptions, Lisa would choose her family over her research, always. Wish Sledge would realize that.

Lisa blinked and looked up, finally meeting his eyes. "Why are you down here, by the way? Not that you aren't welcome. I just thought you were busy... catsitting."

And vomiting, his damned brain almost tricked him into replying.

"Dorothy sent me," he said instead, because it was true. "Everyone is back. It's time to get changed."

Lisa glanced at her wristwatch, being a person who still wore one of those. She did a double-take and cursed. "I'll be right up. I have to align Ava's wards."

That set off Arturo's internal alarm bells.

"You're warding it?" Wards weren't meant to contain. They kept things hidden and untouchable.

"To be on the safe side." Lisa tapped her fingers on the table, three times in each corner. A new hum spread through the room like water filling a pool. It made Arturo's teeth itch.

"That's powerful work for a just in case warding."

Lisa let that pass without comment. However, she did whisper "Hospital!" under her breath as she brushed by him to exit the lab.

Arturo remained in the doorway, between the lab's eerie atmosphere and the drama brewing upstairs. With a sigh, he followed Lisa.

Jayla groaned. This was how it always went. She could be cool as a cucumber before an exam or a visit to the dentist, with a nagging at the back of her head reminding her that Bad Things were coming. She could be serene as a field of frikkin' flowers until the moment she'd been gearing up for. Then her heart usually decided to start practicing for a marathon and her brain functions shut down one by one.

"After I've done this once I'll be able to do it any time I want?" she asked, trying to take her off the upcoming event..

Lisa handed Ginger's carrier to that Arturo guy, smiled and said, "Exactly. But I wouldn't recommend shifting too often. The transformation in itself uses up a lot of energy, so while staying in wolf form isn't harmful, going back and forth between your different forms could lead to starvation at an accelerated rate."

"That's mildly terrifying."

Lisa shook her head, still smiling. "Don't worry. We'll train later and let you know before you skirt the risk zone. Voluntary shifts require less energy and are thus safer. You obviously have no reason to trust our security measures, but I promise you we're diligent about safety. You need have no concerns for that tonight. I myself haven't bitten anyone in fifteen years."

"And you've been a werewolf for...?"

"Fifteen years."

Jayla found herself nodding while avoiding eye-contact. All of a sudden she wanted to go for a run or climb a tree. She wanted, needed to move. This wasn't a foreign impulse though. She could handle it. Somewhat. I wonder how the werewolf stuff will mesh with the ADHD stuff? Should probably have asked that earlier. Should probably ask now.

"Melissa has chosen to stay indoors for the evening," Lisa said before Jayla could voice her questions. "Dorothy and I will be keeping her company, but Vivian has volunteered to show you the grounds. It would be a terrible waste to spend your first full moon cooped up in this room. You'll be able to read, but turning pages is hell with paws."

The outdoors sounded heavenly. As she bent to pick up her handbag, to hide it in the wardrobe in case she ended up a wolf who liked to chew on things, the plentiful helpings of dinner she'd been encouraged to eat made a break for her throat. She resisted the urge to heave. Last time she'd been this full had been Thanksgiving.

"I won't close the door completely, only enough to give you privacy." Lisa took a step back out of the room, her expression caught between regret and excitement. Jayla couldn't decide if this was reassuring or not.

"Come to the living room when you've finished changing. Be careful with the stairs, they're trickier to deal with on four legs." She grabbed the door-handle, but hesitated.

The starts and stops reminded Jayla of her mom trying to leave her alone with the very first boyfriend she'd brought home. The first girlfriend had gone unnoticed by design, as the boyfriend-meets-mother situation had been a total fiasco.

"I almost forgot. Since wolves can't speak or hold pens, I advise you to write notes. If you want a way to communicate besides body language, that is. Preferably on a large piece of paper you can carry in your mouth without damaging the words. We are working on a sign language based on movements you can perform in wolf form, but-"

"Lisa," Arturo said from the hallway, "leave the woman in peace. Save your lecture for tomorrow."

A self-deprecating laugh rushed out of Lisa. The glance she threw over her shoulder spoke of amusement rather than irritation, and her smile looked genuine.

"Fair. I'll go change. You go catsit."

"My pleasure. Best of luck in there." Muted but sincere, if Jayla judged his tone correctly.

She listened to Arturo's steps descend the stairs, accompanied by Ginger's yowls of protest. That boy despised his carrier.

"I should stop bothering you." Lisa had almost shut the door. "But I'd love to interview you tomorrow, to record your experience. It'll help me help you, so to speak, and will give valuable data to help future werewolves with their transformations. Would that be okay?"

"Yup, that'll be fine."

Another smile flashed by, happiness and apology rolled into one. "Thank you. I'll leave you to it. It should begin soon. Relax and it will be over before you know it."

It wasn't until Lisa left that Jayla remembered the question she'd meant to ask. Not wanting to change halfway down the hall, she decided to grit her teeth and deal with it. Lisa had gone with her to the doctor. If ADHD or ADHD meds messed with werewolf transformations, Lisa would have told her. She didn't come across as someone who'd withhold medical information, good or bad. Also, the meds would be out of her system by now. No worries.

Cursing her scattered brain, Jayla undressed and put her clothes in the wardrobe. She then locked it and placed the key on top of one of the bookcases. The wardrobe was an old-timey piece of furniture made of mahogany. If that couldn't protect her pants nothing short of a safe would.

Laying down on the bed seemed like a great idea. While not exactly nauseated she had had a lot to eat for dinner. Delicious food, but that didn't stop her stomach from complaining its mistreatment.

This'll be weird. Understatement of the century.

Jayla tried to focus on how enjoyable the morning had been; grabbing coffee with company, getting a tour of the town. It had been a while since her work friends or school friends (or Brandon) had time to hang out. She barely knew Vivian or Melissa, but it had still been nice. Once out of the house and talking about not-werewolf-stuff, Vivian had proved to be a rival motormouth, and Melissa had a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor. Jayla could see herself getting along with both of them long-term.

Sad how long it had been since she'd met potential friends. Especially potential friends who didn't-

A sharp spike of heat shot from the base of her neck to her tailbone. This alien sensation startled her into biting her tongue, which distracted her from the soft humming under her skin until it grew too strong to ignore.

It hurt. It absolutely hurt and felt off but...

Concentrating on keeping her breaths even, Jayla paid the pain close attention. She'd imagined one of her endometriosis spells except a million times worse, like being ripped apart. In actuality, it was mostly uncomfortable; an aching, dull soreness similar to what a hard workout would get you. The thrumming inside of her skin had switched to that radio static buzz you got when a limb started waking back up after falling asleep. A twinge in her neck signaled that lying prone would be better. She turned over.

Did she dare look? She hesitated, torn between curiosity and dread. Change was definitely happening, and it was unsettling and unpleasant, but she still felt like herself. Would that go away if she could see what she was going through? How much body horror could she take in real life? A love for splatter movie marathons and lovecraftian creepiness probably didn't correlate to how well you could stand watching your limbs jog the uncanny valley.

Eyes shut, she held her breath until she had to gasp for air. She inhaled through a snout. The shape of her mouth had shifted, elongated and filled with pointy fangs where far flatter teeth should be. The aches and pangs stopped. She opened her eyes more on reflex than by choice.

She was red. Ginger red.

Jayla fell off the bed with a whimpering yelp, crashing face-first to the floor. She scrambled to her feet, no, her paws, claws skittering against the wooden boards under her. The click-clacking spooked her onto the room's large and fluffy carpet.

It took her two tries to get up on her hind legs to look in the wall mirror. Having a tail and knowing how to move it threw her at first, but it did help with balance. Her eyes were the same gold as the rest of the pack's, though they weren't glowing. I'll have to ask how to do that. She'd likely forget that note-to-self. If there was a situation extra detrimental to her shaky short-term memory, this would be it.

The chunk of her that wasn't shell-shocked preened at what it saw. Her ginger fur matched her cat in spirit if not in color. She was big, but not the size of Dorothy, which was a relief. Walking on all fours would be difficult enough without the risk of getting stuck going through doorways.

As life-changing events went, this one turned out anticlimactic in the best of ways. Kinda like her first vaccination; lots of fear and anxiety leading up to it, followed by brief and underwhelming pain.

Worst part over.

Jayla sniffed the air and tried to make heads or tails of the scents. While her eyesight had stayed pretty much the same her sense of smell had improved dramatically. A ton of smells, but no idea of what they meant. It was too much all at once, a wave of new sensations cramming their way into her nose. Maybe they'd sort themselves out on their own or maybe she'd need smelling lessons? Okay. Okay. Time to go downstairs.

Lisa hadn't exaggerated; the stairs were a proper obstacle course when you went down them headfirst on four paws. Jayla had to pause repeatedly before she reached the first floor, dizziness and vertigo fighting against the surreal thrill of having paws to walk on.

At the bottom of the staircase a blue-furred wolf waited for her, its tongue lolling out of its mouth and its tail wagging. Without thought Jayla gave a bark - an actual bark - of pure joy, which the other wolf returned in kind.

Heart soaring she followed the blue wolf out onto the back porch and into the night.

"Not exactly a party town," Jamerson said as they backed into their assigned camping spot.

They'd claimed the most central one, to scattered but quiet grumbling from their fellow hunters. An excellent vantage point to establish a barrier. Emma had already left them to begin the necessary preparations. Mercifully she hadn't demanded Rahul's assistance this time.

"Hey, Woxell?"

Woxell didn't spare Jamerson a glance, eyes on the distant trees. "Yes?"

"What's the difference between a camping spot and a nurse?"

Isha grabbed her bag and got out before the 'jokes' picked up speed, with "Supply run!" as excuse. Her neck and spine ached from dozing in the car for far too many days, her knees were sore and her lungs begged for a change of air. She desperately needed to stretch her legs.

"Wait up!"

Isha didn't roll her eyes at her brother, but it was a near thing. "You could be more subtle about escaping Comedy Hour."

"I could," Rahul said as he caught up with her, deadpan serious, "but then they'd never learn."

Isha did roll her eyes at that. "There's no hope of teaching those old dogs new tricks."

Falling into step with her, Rahul kept his poker face and nodded. "True. But I wasn't about to stick around to give feedback. I'd much rather help decide on what chips we're picking up."

"You think we're getting chips?"

That shattered Rahul's finely crafted blank mask. His lower lip didn't quiver with distress - it hadn't since he was ten - but Isha could read him, years of training or no.

"No chips? Come on! We've spent the whole weekend on the road. We've been driving for days. How could you deprive me of this one sweet relief from constant torment?"

Isha moved to smack him upside the head, but didn't aim to hit. Watching him dodge helped her smile stay in place in spite of her nerves. "Quit it, you drama queen!"

Rahul leaned backward, one hand against his forehead as if he were a swooning maiden in a Jane Austen rip-off. He made a noise like an overly dramatic sob mixed with the honk of a dying goose.

"You're ridiculous."

They fell into routine silence as they passed the other hunters, who shouted taunts and jokes across camp while setting up. They didn't speak again until well out of earshot of all familiar faces. The walk from the camping grounds to the nearest store took twenty minutes, as advertised.

"Looks promising" Rahul said as the pines lining the dirt road gave way to signs of civilization.

Isha eyed the supermarket in the distance, the parking lot outside it sparsely peppered with cars. The snow had its fair share of tire tracks, but gentle flakes descending from the sky had begun to erase them. For a 24/7 establishment it didn't have many customers. Then again, 6 am Monday morning wasn't the happening time anywhere.

Rahul bumped shoulders with Isha. "Wish we could set up closer to a downtown area for once. We're young! We should have the chance to sneak off and go clubbing. I mean, I'm 21. I should get to use at least one of my IDs!"

That didn't deserve comment. They walked on, lazy snowflakes settling in their hair. With luck the supermarket would have hats and mittens on sale. Though she'd prefer to invest her luck in finding out why they'd left Chicago for this nowhere town. What's lurking here that we needed to bring such a large hunting party?

"Goofball," Isha broke the silence. "We'll buy you chips. Then we'll see what Merrihollow has to offer."

Rahul's blinding smile warmed her. "You're the best, sis!"

"Flattery will only get you so far." She let herself unwind the smallest of fractions, enjoying Rahul's delight. This minuscule rebellion wouldn't damn them. "Let's fix ourselves a sugar high worthy of the trouble we're in for. Agreed?"

Rahul, ever the daredevil, laughed. "Agreed!"

(Chapter 1) - (Chapter 3)

A WEREWOLF IN OCTOBER - CHAPTER 2 (DONE)