Chapter 67

Please just let me not exist for a little longer. Sophia lay in her bed on Tuesday morning, curled into a ball as her alarm beeped insistently. I don’t want to move.

Finally, the shrill noise became too much for her to ignore, and she stretched an arm out to kill it roughly. The discomfort in her lower abdomen and back, which she had been desperately trying to keep at bay through bouts of unconsciousness, returned with a vengeance. She groaned as a feeling she had become all too acquainted with in the last two days appeared in her butt. The mental image of her soiling her bed flashed through her mind, horrifying both wolf and human.

Toilet. Now.

Distracted by the need to keep her bowels clenched long enough to reach the human solution to such things, instinct took over. Quickly scrambling onto her hands and knees, she crawled out from under her bedcovers and onto the floor. Raising onto her hands and feet, she made a mad dash for the door. To her good fortune, she had failed to latch it properly during one of her previous nighttime sojourns down the hall, and she pawed it open enough for her to squeeze through before making a blind rush down the hallway.

Door! Underwear! Sit!

The effort to switch to a mode of existence that was no longer natural to her nearly cost her everything at the finish line. Still, she managed to hold on long enough to close, if not latch, the door and wrestle off her panties before ascending the porcelain throne. Relief washed through her as she finally addressed the cause of her distress. As her discomfort ebbed, the touch of cool night air against bare skin brought a new recognition to the fore.

Oh, I just ran down the hall on all fours, topless, and in my underwear. Her chest tightened at the potentially difficult-to-explain slip. Good thing Dad doesn’t get up this early.

She took advantage of a lull in her misery to finish shutting the bathroom door. Just as she sat back down, she felt a stab of pain as her bowels prepped for another round. Even indisposed as she was, she couldn’t help getting caught up in what her olfactory lobe was telling her.

It’s strange, it smells really sweet, but not quite like the ice cream did. She inhaled slowly, analyzing it. It still doesn’t quite smell like I’d expect it to if I was sick, either. Not that I have any idea what that smells like.

Her chest tightened as her lungs reached capacity, and she exhaled in a rush.

What is going on with me? Her eyes stared at the floor, unfocused. It was just ice cream and pizza. I can handle blood and guts just fine, but those two knock me on my ass?

After another minute, the pressure in her gut faded, and she moved to finish up on the toilet.

Good thing I wore underwear last night. Despite leaving the bathroom light off, she could see a dark spot on her panties. Hopefully, whatever this is passes quickly.

Bending down, she pulled up her panties, frowning as the skin bordering her labia burned as the garment brushed her pubic hair. Carefully pulling the panties back down, she examined the area that had been bothering her for the last few days. Even after turning the light on, she saw nothing obvious that could be causing the strange sensitivity.

I hope that’s not an infection of some kind; it feels like it’s spreading. Reaching up to her right ear, she gingerly rubbed the outer rim of it. Wow, it’s really warm. It also hurts more than yesterday, but doesn’t feel different. 

Pulling her underwear back up, she performed her usual lupine ritual before flushing the toilet. She checked her ears over in the mirror while washing her hands, still finding no apparent cause of the mysterious ache.

Ah, the joys of being a werewolf. Could be sick, could be turning into a wolf. She sighed, staring at the golden eyes looking back at her. Well, I guess I’m awake.

Candice was waiting at their usual meeting place before school. The strawberry scent of her shampoo was much thicker than usual, as though the girl hadn’t rinsed her hair properly. 

Hmm, maybe it really was the ice cream, and she’s not feeling well? Sophia’s tongue flicked upwards over her lip as she tried to take in the smells coming from her friend. She didn’t say anything when we were texting, though.

“Feeling better?” Candice asked worriedly. “I was up all night worrying about you. Well, okay, maybe not all night, but…”

Sophia made a face and put her hand on her stomach. “Still some stomach problems, but better than yesterday. It felt like I’d scarcely go ten minutes without needing the bathroom.”

I didn’t even get out to see Shadow yesterday; I hope he’s not worried.

“I’m sooo sorry,” Candice apologized miserably. “First the pizza and now ice cream. You just can’t…” She trailed off and cringed as Sophia bent in close to her face to sniff her. “Hey girl, boundaries.”

What the heck? I’m just checking on you. Feeling spurned, Sophia snapped her head back. Nothing but strawberries anyway. 

Candice sighed as they started across the road, “I can’t imagine getting sick every time I take you anywhere has convinced you to…” She glanced around. “Well, of anything.”

“You feel okay?” Sophia asked perfunctorily.

Of course, she is. She’d have told me by now if she wasn’t.

“No issues for me,” Candice replied with a slight shrug. “The pizza didn’t bother me either, although I didn’t have all that meat. You know, maybe it was the meat; when I have a lot of fatty meat, I get really gassy and bloated. This one time, my mom made a huge pork roast…”

“I don’t think it was the meat,” Sophia interrupted her, trying not to betray anything. “Trust me.”

Definitely not the meat. She turned her head towards a passing student as the smell of a pet rodent of some kind caught her attention. Ooh, I want to hunt so bad.

“If you say so,” Candice replied, sounding unconvinced. “Alright, maybe food wasn’t the best thing to start off with. I just can’t imagine a life without ice cream and pizza…”

“I can’t imagine you without pizza or ice cream either,” Sophia teased.

“And shopping, don’t forget shopping!” Candice laughed, and then her face darkened. “And friends…”

She’s been showing me what makes her happy. Sophia hesitated, looking past Candice towards the distant mountains. Somehow, I need to show her being a wolf is what makes me happy…

“But!” Candice exclaimed when Sophia didn’t answer. “I haven’t given up yet, and I’m going to make everything right!” She looked at Sophia. “What are you doing after school? Do you have to work?”

Make everything right... Sophia glimpsed Camden entering the school building ahead of them. How do you do that when you can’t tell the truth? Guilt accompanied a dull ache in her stomach.

Sophia focused on her friend. “I do work tonight, but before that, there’s an Outdoors Club meeting after school. I really don’t want to attend, but really feel like I should.” 

“That sounds like a great idea!” Candice encouraged her. “I thought everything had been patched up between you and them? What’s the problem?”

Everything. Sophia looked away.

Candice touched Sophia’s arm and stepped off to the side of the path. A boy who had the faint smell of an unfamiliar animal on his clothes rushed past as Sophia joined her companion. She watched the boy for a moment, trying to avoid Candice’s expectant look.

“Things are better, I guess,” Sophia finally answered. “But I haven’t had a chance to talk to all of them, and I really think I should…”

“You’re avoiding them.” Candice interrupted pointedly, folding her arms.

“No, I…” Sophia stammered as Candice cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, fine, I guess I am.”

“Why? What are you afraid of?”

The question threw Sophia off-balance. What am I afraid of?

“Yeah, you made a mistake,” Candice continued. “And maybe it ruined everyone’s New Year's Eve.”

Sophia flinched and tried to avoid Candice’s eyes while vainly trying to flatten her ears. Despite being an inch shorter, she felt like the other girl towered over her.

“But it was a mistake,” Candice said firmly. “Making mistakes is human…” She flashed a thin smile. “... Or wolf, I imagine. Regardless, the only thing you can do is own it. Trying to hide from it just makes it worse.”

“They all think I had an allergic reaction,” Sophia told her. “It feels wrong leading them on like that.”

“Well, in a sense, you are allergic to moonlight…” Candice pointed out with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “So, it’s not wrong.”

“But…” Sophia started to protest.

“Look, no matter what happens, you need friends,” Candice cut her off. “I can’t always be the only person you talk to. And it sounds like they’re willing to extend a hand…” She smirked. “Or paw if you prefer, but you’re the only one that can take it.” 

She has a point. Sophia reluctantly met her friend’s gaze. Damn it, why does she have to be so good at this?

“Alright, fine, I’ll go,” she conceded reluctantly, a lump in her throat.

“Coolies!” Candice cheered. “I’m holding you to that, now. No take-backsies!” She said and then glanced down the sidewalk. “Oh, there’s Alexa! I need to talk to her before class. Let me know if you need anything!”

Before Sophia had a chance to say anything, Candice had taken off down the path.

Somehow, starvation doesn’t seem so bad right now. Sophia shouldered her backpack and hurried towards the school.

I don’t need to do this; I’ll see him tonight. Sophia’s heart thudded loudly in her chest as she approached Camden at his locker after English class. No, it hurt his pa-family most; I should talk to him before the meeting.

Camden had his back turned and was busy swapping out books. Her attention was diverted by the scent of an oddly familiar strange-wolf that was coming from Camden and his open locker.

Oh, that must be Bruno. Muscles in her lower back flexed at memories of the naive but friendly dog. I still owe him some treats.

“Camden?” She said hesitantly.

Camden spun around with surprising speed, given his size. He looked at her blankly for a second, clearly caught off guard. For a moment, his visage reminded Sophia of an animal every wolf instinctively knew never to face alone, and her toes and fingers curled as she readied herself to run.

Bear!

“Oh, hey Wolfgirl!” Recognition lit up his face. “Whatcha need?”

Relax, it’s not a bear and doesn’t smell anything like a bear. At least, I think.

“Oh, uh, hi,” she stammered, feeling a little silly. “I came by to, well… I’m sorry for what happened New Year's.”

No, I can’t lick him.That’s not how two-legs apologize. Mmm, his breath smells like bacon.

“Ah, nah, you don’t have to worry about that,” Camden said, scratching the back of his neck with a meaty hand. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he grinned. “Diggin’ the new contacts! Very wolfy!”

“Uh, thanks,” Sophia replied self-consciously. “And no, I do need to apologize. Your parents were so nice letting us use your house, and I screwed it all up.”

“Well, thanks,” Camden replied, shifting his weight. “We’re sorry too, thinking it was a prank and not checking up on you afterwards. My folks feel real bad for blaming you when you could have died.”

I guess I almost did die… Sophia tried to fold her ears in embarrassment, but had to settle for blushing. Just not the way they think.

“Thank you,” Sophia forced herself to say.

“For sure.” He paused and then added, “It probably won’t be until March, but we want to have everyone back up before the snow melts. Do some sledding.”

“Sledding?” Sophia asked tentatively.

“Snowmobiling,” Camden replied. “Well, I need to get to class; you going to be at the meeting later?”

“I’ll be there,” Sophia replied. 

“Right on!” Camden exclaimed as he moved to go step past her. “Catcha later!”

Just the meeting now… Sophia took a deep breath, feeling like a load she hadn’t even known she was carrying had just been lifted.

Why does my poop smell weird? Sophia found herself leaning over the toilet later that afternoon. I just had a hamburger last week!

Hitting the lever, her concentrated scent-print quickly dissipated as the toilet flushed. As she exited the stall and washed her hands, a quiet gurgle in her abdomen let her know it wasn’t quite finished tormenting her yet.

Eesh, I hope I can make it through the meeting. This is hard enough without the stomach issues.

The halls of the school steadily emptied out as she quickly made her way to the science wing. Reaching Ms. Taylor’s classroom, she hurried in before she could have second thoughts. She sniffed reflexively as she entered, as several end-of-day body odors hit her nose. Slowly, she focused on them, trying to identify who was in the room.

Let’s see, they’re two-leg smells…

“... Sophia? You okay?” A voice broke through her reverie, and Sophia realized she was standing in the middle of the last few rows of desks. 

It took her an awkwardly long moment to recognize Craig standing at the front of the room staring at her. And another to notice several other familiar faces in the room, all looking at her.

“Uh, hi,” she greeted shyly and then dove for a nearby seat.

Well, this is off to a great start… 

Craig chuckled, “Good to see you again. Camden mentioned you were coming.”

Sophia glanced over at Camden, who grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. Patrick, sitting in the front of the room, simply nodded. In a chair by the windows, Maggie studied Sophia impassively and then gave a small wave. Next to her, Katie smiled and gave a more enthusiastic wave. Scattered throughout the room were a few other students she didn’t know.

“I guess everyone is here,” Craig announced. “First, thanks for coming to the January meeting of the Outdoors Club when the last place anyone wants to be is outdoors.” He grinned at his own joke. “Second, thanks to Camden for hosting the New Year’s Eve party. It got a little hairy, but everyone seems to have survived it.”

That drew several chuckles and knowing glances at Sophia.

Alright, let’s get this over with. She mentally braced herself. I’m ready.

“Third, I hope everyone can join us for ice skating next Thursday!” Craig continued through his list. “It’ll be on the pond at the park at 4:00. If you don’t have skates, let Katie know, so she can arrange rentals from Chaudoir's. Camden and I can drive people there if needed.”

That’s it? Sophia couldn’t believe her ears. I messed up New Year’s Eve, and everyone is going to pretend it didn’t happen?

“That’s all I have for announcements,” Craig concluded, setting his notebook beside him. “We don’t have any outings currently scheduled for February, so I’m going to open the floor up to hear some ideas.”

I guess I was freaking out for nothing. Candy is going to be insufferable when she hears she was right. Sophia’s attention wandered as people started giving ideas. It smells so bad in here. Shouldn’t an outdoors club have its meetings outside? Her tongue flicked up towards her nose as she looked out the window. Would it be rude to leave now? I really need time outside and don’t have long before work. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as a gas bubble worked its way through her intestines. Lucky I’m alone back here. Her nose twitched as she focused. Even if they’re less complex than poop, farts are kind of interesting in their own way.

“Sophia!” Katie’s voice jarred Sophia from her contemplations as she sat down next to her. “Glad you made it!”

Belatedly, Sophia noticed the suddenly strong presence of grape in the air and the sound of someone chewing gum. She turned to look at Katie, enthralled by the sharply sweet odor that was periodically expelled from the girl’s mouth and smacking noise whenever she bit down on her gum.

It’s sweet, but smells like something different from sugar. She bent in closer, trying to gather more information about it. I wonder what it is?

“Sophia?” Katie repeated tentatively. “Hi?”

“Uh, hello,” Sophia replied, forcing an embarrassed grin. “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

“I was just saying I’m glad you came,” Katie told her with a chuckle. “Have you thought about skating at all? We’d love to have you.”

I’d rather be with Shadow away from two-legs, but I don’t want to say no with how nice she’s been.

“I’ll have to see,” Sophia answered non-committally.

“Okay,” Katie said cheerfully. “Just let me know by Thursday afternoon and have $10 ready.” She paused for a moment and then added, “It’s a great skating pond; I’ve been going since I was six. If you don’t know how to skate, I’d be happy to teach you!”

Mom used to take me to that pond for ice skating… Sophia fought back an intense wave of unexpected grief.

“Thanks, it’s been years since I’ve skated,” Sophia told her. “I was never very good at it.” She forced a laugh. “I think I spent more time on my butt than the skates.”

“Oh, it’s easy once you get the hang of it!” Katie told her encouragingly. “At least the basics are; I’ll never know how Olympic skaters do what they do.” She squinted behind her glasses, “Are you feeling okay? The tops of your ears are awfully red.”

“Is it that bad?” Sophia asked, reflexively bringing a hand up to her right ear.

Wow, it’s even warmer than this morning.

“They’ve been bothering me the last couple of days, just the rim though,” she admitted, brushing some hair over them.

And my stomach… And my pubes…

“Maybe you’re reacting to something?” Katie suggested helpfully. “Have you changed any of your hair products recently? Something on your winter hat would make sense, too.” Her expression turned concerned. “Hmm, you said you had never had an allergic reaction before New Year’s?”

Why is she asking? Sophia swallowed.

“No…” She replied slowly. “Why?”

“You should see your doctor; there are a number of autoimmune conditions that can cause sudden allergies,” Katie explained. “Some are potentially quite serious. My mom has a bad form of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Fragrances or stuff like cigarette smoke can unexpectedly trigger anaphylaxis, and she has to keep EpiPens on her wherever she goes. It’s really scary.”

“That sounds awful,” Sophia said sympathetically. “I don’t think it’s that, though.”

And a doctor really isn’t an option for me.

“It’s really hard,” Katie agreed, her gum visibly tumbling around inside her mouth as she spoke. “We could be at a gathering, and suddenly someone’s perfume will randomly trigger an attack. She has to be really careful, and it’s why I won’t ever wear perfume.” She shrugged. “It’s unlikely you have it, but you really should get checked out anyway. It would be a really bad situation if it happened while you were out hiking or something.”

Heh, hiking is the best place for my… condition… to happen.

“Thanks for the concern,” Sophia smiled weakly. “I’ll have to bring it up next appointment.”

Which will be… never.

“Sure thing!” Katie replied. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry.” She paused and looked around the room before continuing in a low voice. “Speaking of weird things, I had the strangest dream the other night…”

“Hey! Sophia!”

Sophia jumped in her seat, prompting her stomach to twist uncomfortably. She turned her head to see Craig coming over from where he had been talking to another attendee.

“Glad to see you again,” Craig greeted, coming to stand a few feet away. “That was quite the scare you gave us on New Year’s Eve. I’m glad everything turned out okay, though.”

“I’m really sorry about all that,” Sophia said meekly. “I didn’t mean to ruin the party for everyone.”

“Hey, all we can do is live and learn,” Craig said. “For the future, you don’t have to ever feel embarrassed about a medical problem or like you can’t tell one of us.”

I wish that were true. Sophia smiled weakly while avoiding Craig’s eyes. But the sentiment is nice.

“Okay,” she acknowledged uncomfortably. “Thanks.”

“Speaking of, make sure you get your emergency contact information to me or Ms. T if you’re planning on attending any outings,” he told her. “It’s school policy for us to have that, but the party was technically not a school event.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sophia told him, standing up. “I should get going; I have to work in half an hour.”

And I really need the bathroom again.

“Sure thing,” Craig gave a friendly smile. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks… for everything,” Sophia told him sincerely, feeling a little emotional as she backed away. “Bye!”

“Have a good night!” Katie waved.

“See you around, Sophia!” Craig told her. “By the way, those are some kick ass fangs! They look so real.”

I might ultimately be a wolf, but having a two-leg pack is nice in the meantime.

Sophia grinned, fully displaying her teeth. “You can call me Wolfgirl.”