Chapter 64

And I thought I was getting out here late. Sophia paced impatiently at the crosswalk where she typically met Candice. It’s getting really difficult to ignore that wolf’s mark over there. Oh, and we’re going to be late.

For the dozenth time, Sophia looked towards the spot she had passed where a dog had recently relieved itself. There had been a curved depression where someone had used a scoop to pick it up, but she could still vaguely smell it several yards away. As it had several times that morning, her tongue flicked over her upper lip, trying to moisten her maddeningly dry nose. Another student on his way to school gave her an odd look before heading across the road.

Maybe just a quick sniff? It’s not far away, and this is painful. Her self-control giving out, she started in the direction of the mark from the unknown canid. Screw it, I don’t care if anyone sees me.

“Sophia!”

Sophia stopped mid-stride and turned in the direction of Candice’s voice to see the girl’s familiar puffy, white coat and blonde hair coming towards her. The other girl raised her hand in greeting when she saw Sophia and broke into a jog. The scent forgotten, Sophia raised her hand in response, turned, and headed back to the crosswalk.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Candice apologized, breathing hard as she reached the crossing.

Elated to see her friend, Sophia excitedly stepped towards her and prepared to give her a happy greeting lick without thinking. However, before her tongue made contact with Candice’s cheek, something stopped her.

Something is off… She closed her mouth and sniffed curiously, trying to identify what was suddenly tickling that back of her mind beneath her friend’s familiar strawberry smell. But I can’t tell what it is.

“Sophia?” Candice took a step back in surprise. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Oh, um, nothing,” Sophia hastened to respond, backing away. “Just missed you. Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Candice replied, not quite looking at Sophia. “Come on, we only have twenty minutes.”

What’s going on with her? Feeling miffed, Sophia watched Candice as she started across the road. Was it something I did?

“So…” Sophia started when they were both on the other side of the street. “Stomach bug?”

“Hmm?” Candice responded after a moment, still avoiding Sophia’s eyes. “Oh, something like that, I guess.”

“Think you picked something up on Monday at the..?” Sophia began to ask.

“Could we talk about something else?” Candice interrupted sharply and then sighed. “Sorry, I’d rather not think about any of that right now.”

Sophia blinked, her chest tightening as her worst fears were realized. She wasn’t out because she was sick, was she…

The pair walked in uncomfortable silence for a bit.

“Well, I don’t think you missed much at school,” Sophia broke the silence at last. “No assemblies or anything. I hope you don’t have a lot of homework to make up.”

“I was able to get everything I knew about completed yesterday,” Candice replied. “I even got my language arts essay due next week done.”

“Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, resting when you’re sick?” Sophia prodded, making a face as a boy who had gone overboard with cologne hurried passed them.

“I guess,” Candice replied, shrugging. “You know me, always trying to be on top of things.”

Except replying to my messages. Sophia forced a laugh.

“Ooh, I also found some cool decorations for winter formal!” Candice blurted out excitedly, looking at Sophia for the first time all morning. “I’m going to propose them to student council today! I’m pretty sure we still have enough money left in the budget, and they should be here by next Saturday!”

Sophia relaxed a bit, enjoying the return of her friend’s trademark enthusiasm. Yet, it didn’t quite tear down the wall Sophia sensed between them.

“They’re these really pretty LED snowflake lights that go on tables!” Candice continued. “I’m thinking we could put them out on the tables around the dance floor. We were planning to just do little tea candles, but I think this would look a lot cooler! Hah! Pun not intended! Well, now it is. If you realize something is a pun and then say it anyway, doesn’t that make it intended? I never did understand that.”

They passed a group of kids talking just outside the school entrance. Sophia’s brow furrowed, their human scents sparking an all too familiar anxiety in Sophia.

“Snowflake candles sound neat!” Sophia said to Candice as they walked into the school. “I’m sure they’ll like it.”

Candice smells like a two-leg… That’s what’s bothering me this morning.

“I hope so!” Candice twittered. “That reminds me, you still need to see my dress too! And we should pick one out for you!”

I really don’t care about dresses or the dance.

“For sure!” Sophia feigned excitement.

 I’m not even feeling enthusiastic about spending time with her; I just want to be out there, with Shadow. Her clothes suddenly felt especially heavy and uncomfortable. At least I don’t work tonight… And I’m a lot less, er, hormonal.

“Maybe you can come over this weekend!” Candice suggested as she came to a stop at the intersection for the hallway leading to her locker. “See you after school? Improv is getting together for pizza later, but we can hang out before then.”

Sophia hesitated before replying, “For an hour, maybe. I want to… get some stuff done tonight.”

“Sounds good!” Candice answered before walking away.

Does it? Sophia sighed sadly as she watched her friend go.

Hmm, that paper towel needs to be replaced. At her locker, Sophia slid her English book into her backpack after class. I should do it now, or it’s going to bother me during history.

“Wolf… er, Sophia?” A soft voice asked tentatively from behind her.

Sophia turned away from her locker in surprise to find a petite, dark-haired girl in glasses trying to avoid getting swept away by the hustle and bustle of the hallway. Sniffing the air, Sophia searched for anything that might identify the girl. The girl’s eyes widened fractionally while Sophia stared at her blankly, mentally sifting through the cacophony of smells in confusion, unable to find anything she associated with the girl.

Wait… She finally realized the visual part of her brain was signalling recognition. This two-leg is…

“It’s Katie?” The girl said before Sophia could say anything. “From the Outdoors Club?”

“Katie! Right!” Sophia repeated with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted. Hey!”

“I just wanted to apologize for not talking to you earlier.” Katie pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with one hand. “I knew something wasn’t right, but with how angry the others were, I didn’t want to push things.” She broke eye contact and then said glumly, “That was wrong of me.”

“Um, it’s okay?” Sophia replied awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

“It wasn’t, but thanks,” Katie replied soberly. “You could have died, and we thought you were pulling a prank! Do you know what triggered the reaction?”

How do you explain an “allergy” to moonlight?

“I’m not really sure,” Sophia told her uncomfortably. “I’ve never reacted like that before.”

“Yikes,” Katie replied sympathetically. “I’ve heard allergies can appear spontaneously, but I’ve never experienced or seen it before. That’s terrifying that you don’t know.” She turned thoughtful, “Hmm, I remember they did have peanuts out, but it could also have been the sausages or salmon if you ate any of that.”

How much time is left? Sophia looked around the hall anxiously. I really want to take care of my locker before class.

“I appreciate you coming by, but I have something I need to do before class,” Sophia told Katie. “Can we talk about this some other time?”

“Oh, certainly!” Katie started to leave, but then leaned towards Sophia and cocked an eyebrow. “Hypoxia-induced panic, I understand, but I must say I’ve never heard of anaphylaxis changing a person’s eye color or teeth,” she murmured conspiratorially. “Very curious.” With a quizzical smile, she turned and disappeared into the stream of students.

A chill ran down Sophia’s spine as she watched the other girl go. What does she mean by that? Shrugging and putting it out of her mind, she turned back to her locker as the warning bell rang. Darn, I’ll have to take care of my locker after history.

“Oh, hey, Sophia, have a good lunch?” Logan asked as Sophia sat down at her biology desk in front of him.

Me making eye contact was not an invitation to talk to me. A familiar oily scent tickled her nose, adding to her irritation. And lay off the hair gel.

She forced herself to relax as she took a second to open her notebook and textbook to the right pages.

Eh, he doesn’t really deserve that. He’s been nice.

“Yeah, it was fine,” She replied, turning towards him. “Chicken nuggets today.”

And way too few of them; Ms. Collin’s Betta is lucky I’m not a werecat. She glanced with some amusement at the colorful fish swimming lazily in its tank at the front of the classroom.

“Chicken nugget day is always great!” Logan replied. “Although the school ones are always so dry. Still good with honey and barbecue sauce at least; that’s how I’ve always preferred them. When I was little, one of my favorite meals was mac’n’cheese and chicken nuggets." He chuckled, “Still is actually. It’s especially good when you mix everything together! It’s like a sweet and tangy cheese sauce! It’s too bad they never serve mac’n’cheese on chicken nugget day.”

A few more hours until I can see Shadow. Sophia forced herself to flash a thin smile even as her mind wandered. Hopefully, he’s not upset I haven’t visited him in a couple nights.

“Sorry, got carried away,” Logan stammered, blushing. “You look less stressed today; you would barely even talk the last couple of days.”

Did he try talking to me? I don’t remember.

“Yeah, I was worried about a friend,” Sophia admitted, shrugging uncomfortably. “She’s doing better, though.”

“Glad to hear that.” He paused and scratched the back of his neck, “Oh, I saw a sign for the Winter Formal in a couple weeks,” he said. “Ever been?”

Why is he bringing the dance up?

“I haven’t,” Sophia shook her head. “Is it nice?”

Logan blushed again, “I haven’t actually been to one yet. Isn’t it the one where the girl asks the guy?” He paused and folded his arms on the desk. “Anyway, it feels weird to be thinking about late January when New Year's was just over a week ago.”

I should invite Shadow…

Sophia covered her mouth and forced a cough before she could start laughing as the image of Shadow in a tuxedo popped up in her mind. Luckily, the bell rang, and she quickly pivoted to face the front of the classroom.

“Ready to go?” Sophia asked as she came up behind Candice at the girls’ locker room later in the day.

“Remind me not to miss school again,” Candice grunted as she stuffed a textbook in her bag.

“More schoolwork than you expected?” Sophia asked, adjusting her own full backpack.

“No, that’s all done,” Candice replied as she pulled her bag out of her locker. “It’s just awkward missing out on two days' worth of tea.”

“Hey, Candy!” greeted a girl smelling strongly of eyeliner and several other makeup products. “You joining the rest of Improv Club for pizza tonight?” Then she noticed Sophia next to her and sneered. “Oh.”

Sophia flashed a toothy grin at the girl, who took an exaggerated step away and pointedly oriented her shoulder towards Sophia.

“Wouldn’t miss it!” Candice enthused, looking over her shoulder after slipping another book into her backpack. “Freddy’s around 5:30, right?”

“Yep!” The girl chirped. “Me and Maddie are going to do some shopping before, wanna come?”

Sophia perked up at the possibility she’d have more time with Shadow. 

“Some other time, maybe,” Candice replied, glancing at Sophia.

“Ah, no biggie.” The girl continued to ignore Sophia, “Give me a text if you change your mind.”

“Ight!” Candice acknowledged brightly as she zipped her backpack. “Later, Beth!”

Beth walked away, leaving a noticeably wide berth between her and Sophia.

I don’t want to be around you either, trust me. The stink of eyeliner faded, and Sophia took a full breath.

“I’m ready,” Candice told Sophia, shouldering her backpack and shutting her locker.

“You could have gone with her; I wouldn’t have minded,” Sophia told her.

Candice gestured dismissively. “Nah, this is Sophia time.”

“I imagine hanging out with Wolfgirl isn’t very popular,” Sophia commented dryly as they started walking.

“Perhaps not, but I’ve made it clear I don’t care,” Candice said defiantly. “I don’t need anyone to approve of my friends.”

That goes for me, too.

“Thanks for sticking with me,” Sophia told her earnestly. “It means a lot.”

Candice gave her a sad smile, and they continued through the halls in silence. Multiple times, students started to greet Candice excitedly, but quickly went silent when they noticed Sophia accompanying her. For her part, Candice reciprocated each acquaintance warmly as she passed by, seemingly unperturbed by their wary or contemptuous glances at Sophia.

“You’re looking at everyone like you’re going to attack them,“ Candice observed when they were out of the building. “Just relax!"

Hmm? Sophia looked at her in surprise. I was relaxed.

“I guess you probably can’t help it,” Candice sighed. “It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“What doesn’t?” Sophia asked, her nose twitching as it caught the scent of an unfamiliar animal.

She realized with some disappointment that it was coming from the coat of a student who had hurried past them.

“All of this! How anyone could want to be anything other than human,” Candice answered bitterly. “Even if…” She trailed off as they passed by a group of students chatting on the sidewalk.

Sophia gently grabbed Candice’s arm and gestured towards the athletics field. “Let’s go over there; it’ll be easier to talk and be more private.”

Candice looked at Sophia in surprise and then nodded as she changed direction. A heavy silence hung between them as they walked towards the empty bleachers. The smell of cold steel steadily became stronger as they drew closer.

It fits the mood at least.

The bleachers had been shoveled free of snow, although there were still patches in places. Behind the stands, the cleared snow had been left in huge piles. The late afternoon sun bathed everything in an orangish-yellow light.

“I wonder why they bother shoveling the fields in winter even when they’re not being used?” Candice asked aloud as they stepped onto the bleachers.

“Probably makes it easier to clear when they do need them,” Sophia suggested as they sat on a bench a few rows up.

“That makes sense,” Candice replied thoughtfully as she looked out over the field. “You know, I always thought you should go for track or cross country.”

“If cross-country only went through the woods, maybe I would have,” Sophia said. “I would have hated running through town.”

“Fair point, trying to drag you out of nature once you were in it has always been nigh impossible,” Candice snorted.

“It always felt like where I belonged, like it was my home. I never really understood why,” Sophia explained.

Be honest, be a two-l… human.

“But now I do.” Sophia met Candice’s eyes. “I’m meant to be a wolf, Candice, and now I’m becoming one.” Her voice caught, “I know it’s hard to hear, but I love a wolf, and he’s everything I want.”

For a long moment, Candice seemed to stare past her. When she finally turned away, there was a hint of saline in the air.

 “When I got home Monday night, I was a mess. I just crashed in bed without even eating dinner.” Candice sighed and cupped her gloves together. “I could barely sleep, and when I did, I had terrible nightmares. You’d be there, and suddenly you’d be a wolf and attack me. Or you’d turn into a wolf and run off into the woods, and I just knew you weren’t in there anymore.” Candice leaned forward, tears on her cheeks. “Every time I thought of you, I just pictured that wolf. I just couldn’t bear the thought of seeing or talking to you, and even turned off my phone. The only way I could distract myself was by focusing on schoolwork.”

“I’m sorry,” Sophia whispered, reaching over to put her glove on Candice’s leg. 

“By Wednesday afternoon, I was trying to convince myself it had all been my imagination,” Candice continued. “Then my dad started ranting about the lab somehow contaminating a sample with dog urine and blaming him for it.” She cocked a half smile through her tears. “He’s really pissed about it.”

An icy chill went through Sophia. “Did he say anything else about it?”

“I asked him a little about it.” Candice looked down at her gloves. “He wouldn’t tell me it was yours, of course, just that the lab called him about a sample he had sent in.” She looked back up at Sophia. “Apparently, they check certain things… I think it was the metabolites… to be sure someone didn’t try to submit animal pee. But they’re always human or canine, not both.”

“Both?” Sophia prompted curiously.

“I guess some were more canine and some more in the human range. They had never seen anything like it, and the best they could figure was some dog urine somehow got mixed with human.”  She cracked a smile. “However, they also said they had checked everything over on their end, and it must have been contaminated during the test. My dad, of course, insisted that was impossible and the lab must have made a mistake.”

Sophia giggled nervously, “It never occurred to me pee might change.”

I wonder how different it would look now?

“Well, stay away from doctors, I guess,” Candice laughed. “I guess a vet would be more appropriate anyway.”

Sophia forced a laugh. Maybe not yet, but eventually she’s right.

“Anyway, I knew then I couldn’t hide from it anymore.” Candice turned serious again. “It’s just… I just don’t understand why someone would choose not to be human. You don’t have to worry about finding food, or cleaning yourself, or staying warm.” She made a face. “I mean, wolves eat the entire animal, blood, guts, and all. Eww.”

Maybe I don’t need to tell her yet… Sophia barely managed to keep her face neutral.

“I know,” she acknowledged. “It doesn’t make sense, but the more uh, wolfy I am, the more I feel like, well, me.”

“And I see that. I meant it when I told you seemed the most like yourself when you’re more wolfy.”

So, you understand...? Sophia felt a flash of hope.

“But with everything that’s happened in the last year, I think you’ve forgotten the good parts of being human,” Candice finished, a fire appearing in her eyes. “And I’m going to remind you before you throw it all away.”

She’s not letting go. Sophia’s heart sank. Please, Candice, I really want your help, but I’ll do it without you if I have to.

“Candice, I really mean it,” she insisted. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Just let me try,” Candice pleaded. “I know part of you will always be 'Wolfgirl,’ but that doesn’t mean you can’t be human too.”

But it’s not what I want. Sophia looked past Candice towards the glistening mountains.

“Fine,” she conceded reluctantly, looking back at her friend. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to let you try; it’s not like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.”